Ukraine a presidential coup

[Luddly Neddite]

What Happened in Ukraine Was a Presidential Coup, Pure and Simple | Alternet

In the upside-down world that has become the U.S. news media, the elected president was a dictator and the coup makers were “pro-democracy” activists.





There was always a measure of hypocrisy but Official Washington used to at least pretend to stand for “democracy,” rather than taking such obvious pleasure in destabilizing elected governments, encouraging riots, overturning constitutional systems and then praising violent putsches.

But events in Ukraine and Venezuela suggest that the idea of respecting the results of elections and working within legal, albeit flawed, political systems is no longer in vogue, unless the “U.S. side” happens to win, of course. If the “U.S. side” loses, then it’s time for some “shock doctrine.” And, of course, the usual demonizing of the “enemy” leader.

Ukraine’s ousted President Viktor Yanukovych was surely no one’s idea of a pristine politician, though it looks like there are few to none of those in Ukraine, a country essentially controlled by a collection of billionaire oligarchs who jockey for power and shift their allegiances among corrupt politicians.

But Yanukovych was elected in what was regarded as a reasonably fair election in 2010. Indeed, some international observers called the election an important step toward establishing an orderly political process in Ukraine.

But Yanukovych sought to maintain cordial relations with neighboring Russia, which apparently rubbed American neocons the wrong way. Official Washington’s still-influential neocons have been livid with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin because he cooperated with U.S. President Barack Obama in averting U.S. wars against Iran and Syria.

In both cases, the neocons thought they had maneuvered Obama into confrontations that could have advanced their long-term strategy of “regime change” across the Middle East, a process that started in 2003 with the U.S. invasion of Iraq but stalled with that disastrous war.

However, last year, prospects for more U.S. military interventions in two other target countries – Iran and Syria – were looking up, as Israel joined with Saudi Arabia in stoking regional crises that would give Obama no choice but to launch American air strikes, against Iran’s nuclear facilities and against Syrian government targets.

Putin’s Interference

That strategy was going swimmingly until Putin helped bring Iran to the negotiating table over guarantees that its nuclear program would not lead to a nuclear weapon. Putin also brokered a deal to avert threatened U.S. air strikes on Syria over disputed evidence regarding who launched a chemical attack on civilians outside Damascus. Putin got the Syrian government to agree to eliminate its chemical weapons arsenal.

So, Putin found himself in the center of the neocons’ bulls-eye and – given some of his own unforced errors such as defending Russia’s intolerance toward gays and spending excessively on the Sochi Olympics – he became the latest “designated villain,” denounced and ridiculed across the neocon-dominated op-ed pages of the Washington Post and other major news outlets.

 

[georgephillip]

Latest update from the Guardian:

"The crisis in Ukraine was deepening on Saturday as Crimea's pro-Russian prime minister called for Vladimir Putin to intervene while Washington warned Moscow any military action would lead to 'costs'.

"Sergei Aksenov, the pro-Russian prime minister of Crimea, declared himself in charge of all military forces, police and other security services in the autonomous Ukrainian region, while also making a direct appeal to the Russian president.

"In a statement reported by local and Russian news agencies, Aksenov said any elements of the armed forces, police, national security service and border guards who did not agree to answer only to his orders should leave their posts.

"'Understanding my responsibility for the life and security of citizens, I appeal to the president of Russia Vladimir Putin for assistance in guaranteeing peace and calmness on the territory of the autonomous republic of Crimea,' Aksenov said in his statement."

Crimea crisis: pro-Russian leader appeals to Putin for help | World news | theguardian.com

When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, HW Bush promised that NATO would cease its eastward expansion.

Today, three NATO states border western Ukraine