We’d rather not think in these terms of course, we carry on as normal, that normal we assume will be here again tomorrow and the next day and the next… But we are no longer where we were as a world. Things have changed radically as a result of events in Ukraine that were brought to boiling point without anyone turning down the heat.
The very heat that was turned up under Russia caused it to explode across eastern Ukraine with flash points all across it where missiles strike. That heat is beginning to be felt across Europe and even extends to the USA. And still those who fanned the flames continue to do so. They stand with hoses filled not with water but gasoline. And who is the lead fireman? That man over there with a confused look on his face, grey hair who tends to stumble around on each stage he frequents issuing garbled version of what he reads on the latest teleprompter.
Those who carry on with their lives believing things are still relatively normal may be in for a shock. And this for many reasons. Not least of which is that Ukrainian military radicals are firing shells at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. But it’s not the Russians they are firing at, it’s the refrigeration unit of the plant that keeps the nuclear fuel being used cool. With that fact fully registered in the grey matter of those reading I would defy anyone to continue believing things are anywhere ‘normal’.
The above is serious enough. But you may say that even if the resulting disaster is a little worse than Chernobyl it will be manageable and relatively local. We’d get over it. If this is how you feel I’m afraid there is still more bad news.
Expert opinion has it that neither Russia nor the USA can afford to lose in Ukraine. That if one or the other comes close to being resoundingly defeated the one on the losing end would be very tempted to unleash the ultimate weapon to remedy matters. We seem to have suddenly hit a crisis that far overshadows that which historians have long claimed to be the closest humanity ever came to destruction, the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Back in late 1962 there were at least some statesmen in the USA truly worthy of the name. Wise and sober heads who saw the potential for disaster for humankind in what was happening and who sought through dialogue to reduce tension through dialogue. Thankfully for the rest of us lines of communication were established and an agreement fleshed out involving both sides backing off. The intensity of the diplomacy at the time matched the imminence of the danger.
Not so now. Now those who have been charged with the security of the USA stand with folded arms and mouths shut tight (except to issue aggressive statements further fuelling the fire). Instead of seeking to diminish tensions, by reducing the ever-rising pressure through recommending talks they instead play the blame game and stoke the fire to greater heights by providing ever-more weapons.
This cannot possibly end well.
Every few days thousands die and are horrendously injured. Ever more Ukrainian cannon-fodder is forcibly recruited and sent to the front to die. The tempo of Russian movements that will further decimate the population of Ukraine is gathering pace while the USA and its European allies urge the Ukrainian authorities onward… clearly enthusiastic to see the fighting go on to the very last Ukrainian.
The desperation now of those Ukrainian authorities is clear. In recent months they intensified the shelling of the city of Donetsk first begun in 2014, a city almost devoid of military personnel. This they did with the usual methods of mortar shells and missiles. In addition they distributed thousands of tiny petal mines across the city, landing upon sidewalks and parks where children play. These tiny explosive devices, anti-personnel mines generally only kill pets, cats and dogs. Humans they maim, blowing gaping wounds in feet and legs.
The desperation shown above however is nothing compared to the daily Ukrainian attacks on the largest nuclear plant in Europe near the city of Enerhodar on the Dnieper River. And in recent days we see a false flag attack being planned on the power plant by the Ukrainian regime that could send a radioactive plume circling the planet affecting millions. As ever the headlines will all repeat the same mantra seen so many times now: “Russia Did It!”
While all this goes on western mainstream media continues its one sided narrative on every aspect of the conflict in Ukraine, narrative that excludes any mention of what the Russian authorities say or the reports from those on the ground that contradict the required western take. This stance has prevailed since 2014 when the ongoing crisis seen now began to unfold in Ukraine’s capital where violence trumped democracy with a little help from the USA and European capitals. They say it is far more important to talk with your enemies than it is to your friends. But where can we find leaders willing to hear such sense today?
The general attitude among western leaders is that the fight must go on until Russia is defeated, that more and more weapons must be poured into Ukraine without any mention of peace talks until some final great battle ensues.
The problem is that the great battle they hope with their gamble now being played to the bitter end… may be the last the world ever sees, not because peace has suddenly broken out, but because the world we knew is in pieces and ‘normal’ will never be seen again.
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