Bill Van Auken - 10 February 2014
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/02/10/pers-f10.html
US regime-change operation in Ukraine exposed in leaked diplomatic phone call
By Patrick O’Connor
7 February 2014
A leaked phone conversation between Victoria Nuland, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, and Geoffrey Pyatt, the US ambassador to Ukraine, has exposed the anti-democratic and colonialist character of the Obama administration’s intervention in the former Soviet republic.
The discussion between the two officials includes a detailed review of which right-wing opposition figures Washington is working to install in office, and how it is using the United Nations to rubber-stamp the operation. While Germany and other European powers have worked closely with the Obama administration in promoting the violent protests against President Viktor Yanukovych, the leaked phone call reveals tensions between the imperialist powers. At one point Nuland tells Pyatt, “Fuck the EU.”
The discussion, posted anonymously on YouTube, underscores the thoroughly cynical character of Washington’s public diplomacy. The Obama administration’s rhetoric about “democracy” and the Ukrainian people’s right to determine their own future is a charade, concocted for public consumption. Behind the scenes, government officials speak frankly with one another about the real agenda—advancing Washington’s geo-strategic and economic interests in Eastern Europe by installing pro-US and anti-Russian puppet figures in the Ukrainian capital.
The phone conversation between Assistant Secretary of State Nuland and Ambassador Pyatt apparently took place late last month, after President Viktor Yanukovych offered the posts of prime minister and deputy prime minister to opposition leaders Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Vitali Klitschko, respectively.
Referring to Klitschko, head of the UDAR (Strike) party, which has close financial ties with Germany’s ruling conservative party, Nuland tells the ambassador: “I don’t think Klitsch should go into the government. I don’t think it’s necessary, I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Pyatt agrees, saying, “let him stay out and do his political homework.”
Nuland continues: “Yats [Yatsenyuk] is the guy that who’s got the economic experience, the governing experience.” Pyatt later warns Nuland that “Klitschko has been the top dog” within the opposition, and that she will need to “move fast on all this stuff” and speak with the UDAR leader as part of their “personality management” of the opposition leadership.
The utter criminality of Washington’s drive to install a pliant regime in Kiev sharply emerges in Nuland and Pyatt’s discussion of Oleh Tyahnybok, the leader of the neo-fascist All-Ukrainian Union (Svoboda) party. Nuland describes Tyahnybok as one of the “big three” within the opposition leadership. The State Department operative goes on to tell Pyatt that “what [Yatsenyuk] needs [after he is installed in office] is Klitsch and Tyahnybok on the outside—he needs to be talking to them four times a week.”
These remarks confirm that there is no confusion whatsoever within the Obama administration that it is working in partnership with fascist movements in Ukraine.
Tyahnybok is the leader of the Svoboda party, which was initially called the Social-National Party of Ukraine and featured a neo-Nazi logo. In 2004, Tyahnybok praised right-wing Ukrainian partisans in World War II, who, he declared, “did not fear, but took up their automatic rifles, going into the woods to fight Muscovites, Germans, Jewry and other filth.”
He added that Ukraine still had to be liberated from a “Moscow-Jewish mafia.” In 2005, Tyahnybok signed an open letter to Ukrainian leaders demanding a halt to the “criminal activities” of “organised Jewry,” which, he declared, was attempting to commit “genocide” against the Ukrainian people.
This is one of the “big three” figures with whom the Obama administration is working to install a client regime in Ukraine. Yesterday, Nuland met with several opposition figures, among them Oleh Tyahnybok. No details of the discussion have been made public, but Ambassador Pyatt released via Twitter a photo of a smiling Nuland posing next to the pro-Nazi leader and his colleagues.
Yesterday’s meeting between Nuland and Tyahnybok was not the first. The two also held a closed-doors discussion when she was previously in Ukraine, last December. After that meeting, Nuland staged a photo opportunity in the Kiev central square that has served as the headquarters for the anti-government protests organised by the right-wing opposition, handing out bread to the demonstrators in a show of US support.
In her telephone conversation with Pyatt, Nuland praises UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for deploying a special envoy, Robert Serry, to Ukraine. This, she explains, will “be great, I think, to help glue this thing [i.e., a new government].” These remarks underscore the role played by the UN as an instrument of imperialism, working with the US and its allies to cover up or endorse their predatory operations around the world.
Immediately after praising the UN, Nuland declares, “Fuck the EU,” in apparent frustration that the European powers were not doing more to back the regime-change operation. According to the Kyiv Post, another leaked phone conversation, in German, between EU official Helga Schmid and EU Ambassador to Ukraine Jan Tombinski includes a discussion between the two figures over how the US regards the EU as being “soft” on Ukraine.
In the Nuland-Pyatt discussion, the US ambassador expresses his agreement on the need for the UN to be involved, saying, “we’ve got to do something to make it stick together, because you can be pretty sure that if it does start to gain altitude that the Russians will be working behind the scenes to try to torpedo it.” He adds that “we want to try to get somebody with an international personality to come out here and help to midwife this thing.”
Washington is engaged in a ruthless struggle to undermine any obstacle posed by Moscow to its drive to dominate the geo-strategically crucial Eurasia region, the vast land mass stretching from Eastern Europe, extending over the oil-rich Middle East and Central Asia, and reaching to China’s western borders. US imperialism is promoting fascist movements in Ukraine and fuelling the flames of a nascent civil war as a means of advancing its interests and ratcheting up the pressure on the Russian government.
Nuland’s nomination as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs in May last year clearly formed part of the Obama administration’s aggressive strategy. She previously served as a deputy national security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney and is married to the prominent “neoconservative” commentator and historian Robert Kagan.
Yesterday, Sergei Glazyev, a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that the US was spending $20 million a week sponsoring Ukrainian opposition groups, including supplying them with arms.
Responding to questions about the leaked phone conversation, state department spokesperson Jen Psaki admitted that it was genuine and said that Nuland had apologised to EU figures, before absurdly declaring the incident marked “a new low in Russian tradecraft.”
Psaki said that while the Obama administration had no evidence that the Russian government was responsible for intercepting and leaking the phone conversation, “this is something they have been actively promoting, posting on, tweeting about, and certainly we feel that represents a new low.”
The Obama administration was revealed by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden to have erected a vast surveillance network to eavesdrop on the telephone and Internet communications of the world’s population, including heads of state and government. It is in no position to lecture anybody about “new lows.” Its hypocritical protests nevertheless point to concerns that the leaked conversation could prove damaging to its ongoing campaign against Moscow and the Yanukovych government.
'Nuland apologized, but didn't mention US plans to midwife a new govt in Ukraine'
So long as the US and the EU are united in efforts to replace the government in Kiev, they will tolerate internal spats, Nebojsa Malic, foreign policy expert, told RT.
RT: The EU is one of the most powerful political bloc's in the world. Are we likely to see thestatementsattributed to Nuland damaging relations with Washington?
Nebojsa Malic: Honestly, if I were the EU official, I would demand an apology but considering that they are on the same page with the US government, considering setting up a client regime in Ukraine, I’m inclined to believe that Brussels and various officials there, including commissars including Baroness Catherine Ashton, would tend to gloss over it. Again it’s not necessarily what is done but who does it to whom. And so long as they are united in efforts to replace the government in Kiev with somebody more obedient, they'll tolerate internal spats. Honesty, even the US wiretapping of the EU officials hasn’t done really much to damage relations despite obvious problems with it. I would hold my breath to see the Europeans cleave away from the US on this. On the other hand, it’s very ironic that the US efforts are being effectively undone by the wiretapped phone conversation.
RT: Nuland apologized to her European counterparts, before the State Department tried to laugh it off. Do you think it goes a little deeper than that?
NM: She has apologized for a comment that she is not admitting she made, which is itself a conformation that the comment was indeed made. But what she hasn’t apologized for is the plans to midwife a new government in Ukraine. In other words, she is apologizing for cussing out the EU but she is not apologizing for trying to overthrow the government in Kiev, calling it popular democracy. Obviously there is more to it than that. I don't think anyone in the US establishment feels sorry for what they are trying to do, I think they are very proud of it and they are going to pursue it.
RT: Where do you think the recording came from?
NM: That I honestly don’t know. I’m as stumped as you are. I think it’s most ironic that the US which is collecting everybody’s phone conversations and has been for years had the tables turned in such a fashion, but how the phone conversation came to light I have no idea.
RT: The US accused Russia of hitting a 'new low' for the release of the conversation, given America's own global spying program that's a little rich isn't it?
NM: Well, it’s hypocrisy at its finest. “We are entitled to wiretap the world but Lord forbid somebody else who does it.” Yet, another confirmation that I have been maintaining for several years now is the ultimate hypocrisy of Western policy. Again, it’s not what is being done but who does it to whom. When the US spies on the world that’s fine and good, when the world spies on the US it is obviously horrible and won’t be tolerated. When the US purports to capture a phone intercept somewhere and doesn’t authenticate it and treats it as fact, that’s fine, when somebody else uses the phone receptors of US officials talking, that’s obviously an outrage and won’t be tolerated. Again and again and again, it’s not what has been done but who does it.
RT: This talking about the different opposition leaders, who is going where, is more like a chess game. What power do they really have there?
NM: Consider who is funding these rebels and protesters, where logistics are coming from. They say“OK, we need an international personality to visit” and there is an international personality. They say “We need a high government official identified by name to bless it” and he does exactly that. There is obvious evidence confirming what is actually going on there. Considering that there have been pamphlets found among the rioters, there are exact replicas that have been used previously in Serbia and in Egypt, offered by the people who are on the pay roll of the US government through various US non-governmental institutions and institutes. Again, it’s not very difficult to piece the picture together.
RT:In the alleged call, Nuland wanted to, in slightly different language, freeze out the EU and Klitschko. How are such comments going to be greeted in Ukraine?
NM: If I were Klitschko, I’d be really upset. If I were the other two leaders of the rebels, I’d be upset too. Here we have the situation when a high ranking official of the US government, who has even been to Kiev distributing cookies to demonstrators back to when they were still relatively peaceful, is referring to these guys as "Klitch," "Yatsy" and "Tiny Bock." I would seriously be upset. I would consider this an insult.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
Il 6 febbraio 2014 nella capitale è stato costituito il Fronte Popolare Antifascista della città di Kiev, che comprende rappresentanti di varie organizzazioni pubbliche, uniti per combattere la minaccia incombente di una insurrezione fascista nel nostro paese.
Gli scopi principali del Fronte Popolare Antifascista (FPA) nella capitale sono il consolidamento di tutte le forze antifasciste e antinaziste della città, il coordinamento e lo sviluppo di soluzioni pratiche comuni per il controllo e la lotta contro il neofascismo e il neonazismo a Kiev, la creazione nei quartieri di Kiev di squadre del FPA.
Tutti gli organizzatori del Fronte sono giunti alla conclusione che è il momento di mettere in secondo piano le differenze di opinioni politiche e ideologiche al fine di proteggere la città dal terrore dei criminali assalitori nazional-fascisti che hanno invaso l'integrità, la stabilità e la tranquillità di Kiev.
A capo del Consiglio di Coordinamento del Fronte Popolare Antifascista della città è stato eletto Amar Al’ Anni (Presidente del Consiglio dell’Unione degli Studenti Comunisti d’Ucraina, NdT).
La riunione ha adottato un appello al popolo della città di Kiev, in cui i membri del Fronte Popolare Antifascista della capitale invitano tutti gli uomini ad organizzare distaccamenti territoriali di guardia popolare, e ad aderire al Fronte Popolare Antifascista della città eroina di Kiev.
Ufficio Stampa del Comitato Cittadino del Partito Comunista d’Ucraina, 7 febbraio 2014
Mentre cerca di espandersi aggressivamente per risolvere la sua crisi interna, l'Unione Europea non esita a venire a patti in Ucraina con forze di estrema destra apertamente fasciste, antisemite e anticomuniste e pronte a sotterrare ciò che rimane della democrazia.
L'Associazione delle organizzazioni e comunità ebraiche dell'Ucraina (Vaad, in ucraino) ha denunciato gli attacchi di cui sono stati vittime diversi membri della comunità nelle ultime settimane, a margine delle manifestazioni organizzate dalle forze anti-governative.
“Il Vaad ucraino manifesta la sua inquietudine di fronte ai casi di violenza antisemita che si sono verificati in gennaio, a Kiev”, segnala un suo comunicato che punta il dito sulle forze di estrema destra fasciste e antisemite che accompagnano i cortei delle forze filo-europee.
L'organizzazione porta a conoscenza due casi, sebbene non esaustivi delle violenze subite dalla comunità ebraica nelle ultime settimane. Il primo, quello di un insegnante nella scuola ebraica Hiller Wertheimer, aggredito all'uscita da una sinagoga.
Vittima ebrea “di origine russa” aggredita dalle teste rasate
Il secondo, il 18 gennaio, su un allievo di una Yashivah (scuola religiosa ebraica), Dov Glikman, anch'egli attaccato davanti a una sinagoga.
Quest'ultimo è un ebreo originario della Russia. Egli ha subito un pestaggio a colpi di pugni e calci - da gente armata di coltelli – che lo hanno costretto al ricovero in ospedale.
La sera del 18 gennaio, gli studenti della Yashivah hanno fatto una ronda che ha permesso di identificare e arrestare una testa rasata, simile a uno skin-head neonazista, che era in possesso di una pianta dettagliata del quartiere ebraico e dei luoghi in cui si riunisce la comunità.
Vaad ha condannato con la più grande fermezza gli atti antisemiti commessi durante le manifestazioni attuate dalle forze filo-europee.
Gli analisti sottolineano che la comunità ebraica è – come tutte le altre parti della popolazione – divisa in parti eguali tra chi sostiene il governo e chi sostiene l'opposizione.
Quando “Svoboda” ha allestito una rappresentazione teatrale davanti ai leader dell'opposizione per denunciare il “complotto giudeo”
La notizia è circolata poco nella stampa occidentale ma gli “indignati del Majdan” (sic) hanno organizzato un vertep (teatro di marionette di natura religiosa) antisemita, in cui il ruolo principale è stato interpretato dal deputato di “Svoboda”, Bogdan Beniouk.
Beniouk ha interpretato la parte di Zhyd, stereotipo dell'ebreo ortodosso con il suo vestito nero e le trecce. Finanziato da un personaggio somigliante nello stesso tempo a Yanukovitch e al re Erode, Zhyd si vanta di controllare le banche, la finanza, i media e di avere “l'Est e l'Ovest nelle sue mani”.
Zhyd, pagato dal padrone del paese è perciò responsabile della “strage degli innocenti” (sic), i manifestanti del Majdan, per salvare il popolo ebreo. La rappresentazione è stata seguita dall'inno nazionale ucraino, e dalle congratulazioni dei leader dell'opposizione Yatsenyuk, Klitchko e Tyanhybok!
Il giorno dopo, circa 20.000 manifestanti hanno risposto all'appello di “Svoboda” a festeggiare il Nuovo Anno con una “marcia” sul viale Krechatik a Kiev per celebrare il 105° anniversario del nazionalista ucraino Stefan Bandera, collaboratore dei nazisti, i cui sostenitori parteciparono al massacro degli ebrei in Ucraina.
Nazionalismo ucraino e antisemitismo: una lunga storia
Occorre ricordare che il nazionalismo ucraino – come quello di tanti altri paesi dell'Europa dell'est – si costruisce su una base comune che mescola antisemitismo, anticomunismo, russofobia e il rifiuto stesso della democrazia e dei Lumi.
Così la storia dei nazionalisti ucraini nel XX secolo, è quella dei pogrom durante la guerra civile russa. Si pensa che un decimo della popolazione ebrea ucraina (200.000 persone) sia perito nei pogrom attuati dalle guardie bianche e dai nazionalisti ucraini.
Durante la Seconda guerra mondiale, gli Einsatzgruppen – gli squadroni della morte nazisti – hanno liquidato più di un milione di ebrei, resistenti, comunisti in Lituania, Bielorussia, Ucraina, con il sostegno attivo dei collaborazionisti nazionalisti lituani, lettoni e ucraini.
Di nazionalisti degli anni 1930-1940, come l'eroe di “Svoboda” Stefan Bandera, gli ebrei sono stati identificati come gli “agenti della dominazione bolscevica”, dunque dei nemici, mentre la Germania nazista, per la sua vocazione di nemico irriducibile della Russia comunista, ha rappresentato l'alleato del momento nel “Nuovo ordine europeo” auspicato da Berlino.
Una storia da tenere a mente quando i reggitori della “Nuova Europa” ci presentano gli estremisti di “Svoboda” - anch'essi emersi dai gruppi neonazisti - come i combattenti per la libertà.
Senza particolare simpatia per il governo ucraino corrotto, senza subordinazione a uno qualunque dei clan dell'oligarchia ucraina, uniamo dunque la nostra voce a quella dei nostri compagni del Partito Comunista di Ucraina: il fascismo non passerà!