{"id":668456,"date":"2022-05-24T01:51:49","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T01:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dissidentvoice.org\/?p=129864"},"modified":"2022-05-24T01:51:49","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T01:51:49","slug":"new-york-times-repudiates-drive-for-decisive-military-victory-in-ukraine-calls-for-peace-negotiations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/05\/24\/new-york-times-repudiates-drive-for-decisive-military-victory-in-ukraine-calls-for-peace-negotiations\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Times Repudiates Drive for \u201cDecisive Military Victory\u201d in Ukraine, Calls for Peace Negotiations"},"content":{"rendered":"

A week ago, we made note<\/a> of a May 11 New York Times<\/em> news article, documenting that all was not going well for the U.S. in Ukraine, and a companion opinion piece hinting that a shift in direction might be in order.<\/p>\n

Now on May 19, \u201cTHE EDITORIAL BOARD,\u201d the full Magisterium of the Times, has moved from hints to a clarion call for a change in direction in an editorial<\/a> uninformatively titled, \u201cThe War Is Getting Complicated, and America Isn\u2019t Ready.\u201d\u00a0 From atop the Opinion page the Editorial Board has declared that \u201ctotal victory\u201d over Russia is not possible and that Ukraine will have to negotiate a peace in a way that reflects a \u201crealistic assessment\u201d and the \u201climits\u201d of U.S. commitment. \u00a0The Times serves as one of the main shapers of public opinion for the Elite and so its pronouncements are not to be taken lightly.<\/p>\n

Ukrainians will have to adjust to US \u201climits\u201d and make sacrifices for newfound U.S. realism<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Times May editorial dictum contains the following key passages:<\/p>\n

\u201c In March, this board argued<\/a>\u00a0that the message from the United States and its allies to Ukrainians and Russians alike must be: No matter how long it takes, Ukraine will be free. \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat goal cannot shift, but<\/em><\/strong> in the end, it is still not in America\u2019s best interest to plunge into an all-out war with Russia<\/em>, even if a negotiated peace may require Ukraine to make some hard decisions<\/em> (emphasis, jw).\u201d<\/p>\n

To ensure that there is no ambiguity, the editorial declares that:<\/p>\n

\u201cA decisive military victory for Ukraine over Russia, in which Ukraine regains all the territory Russia has seized since 2014, is not a realistic goal<\/em>. \u2026 Russia remains too strong\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

To make certain that President Biden and the Ukrainians understand what they should do, the EDITORIAL BOARD goes on to say:<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/em>\u2026\u00a0Mr. Biden should also make clear to President Volodymyr Zelensky and his people<\/em> that there is a limit <\/em>to how far the United States and NATO will go to confront Russia, and limits<\/em> to the arms, money and political support they can muster.\u00a0It is imperative that the Ukrainian government\u2019s decisions be based on a realistic assessment of its means and how much more destruction Ukraine can sustain (emphasis, jw).\u201d<\/p>\n

As Volodymyr Zelensky reads those words, he must surely begin to sweat.\u00a0 The voice of his masters is telling him that he and Ukraine will have to make some sacrifices for the US to save face.\u00a0 As he contemplates his options, his thoughts must surely run back to February, 2014, and the U.S. backed Maidan coup that culminated in the hasty exit of President Yanukovych from his office, his country and almost from this earth.<\/p>\n

Ukraine is a proxy war that is all too dangerous<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the eyes of the Times editorial writers, the war has become a U.S. proxy war against Russia using Ukrainians as cannon fodder \u2013 and it is careening out of control:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current moment is a messy one in this conflict, which may explain President Biden and his cabinet\u2019s reluctance to put down clear goal posts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States and NATO are already deeply involved, militarily and economically. Unrealistic expectations could draw them ever deeper into a costly, drawn-out war.<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRecent bellicose statements from Washington \u2014 President Biden\u2019s\u00a0assertion<\/a>\u00a0that Mr. Putin \u2018cannot remain in power,\u2019 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin\u2019s\u00a0comment<\/a>\u00a0that Russia must be \u2018weakened\u2019 and the\u00a0pledge<\/a>\u00a0by the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, that the United States would support Ukraine \u2018until victory is won\u2019 \u2014 may be rousing proclamations of support, but they do not bring negotiations any closer.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Times dismisses these statements as \u201crousing proclamations,\u201d it is all too clear that for the neocons in charge of U.S. foreign policy, the goal has always been a proxy war to bring down Russia. This has not become<\/em> a proxy war; it has always been a proxy war. The neocons operate by the Wolfowitz Doctrine, enunciated in 1992, soon after the end of Cold War 1.0, by the necoconservative Paul Wolfowitz, then Under Secretary of Defense:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must maintain the mechanism for deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearly if Russia is \u201ctoo strong\u201d to be defeated in Ukraine, it is too strong to be brought down as a superpower.<\/p>\n

The Times has shifted its opinion from March to May. What Has Changed<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

After 7 years of slaughter in the Donbass and 3 months of warfare in Southern Ukraine, has the Times editorial board suddenly had a rush of compassion for all the victims of the war and the destruction of Ukraine and changed its opinion?\u00a0 Given the record of the Times over the decades, it would seem that other factors are at work.<\/p>\n

First of all, Russia has handled the situation unexpectedly well compared to dire predictions from the West.<\/p>\n

President Putin\u2019s support exceeds 80%.<\/p>\n

165 of 195 nations, including India and China with 35% of the world\u2019s population, have refused to join sanctions<\/a> against Russia, leaving the U.S., not Russia, relatively isolated in the world.<\/p>\n

The ruble, which Biden said would be \u201crubble\u201d has not only returned to its pre-February levels but is valued at a 2 year high, today at 59 rubles to the dollar compared to 150 in March.<\/p>\n

Russia is expecting a bumper harvest and the world is eager for its wheat and fertilizer, oil and gas all of which provide substantial revenue.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0 EU has largely succumbed to Russia\u2019s demand to be paid for gas in rubles.\u00a0 Treasury Secretary Yellin is warning the suicidal Europeans that an embargo of Russian oil will further damage the economies of the West.<\/p>\n

Russian forces are making slow but steady progress across southern and eastern Ukraine after winning in Mariupol, the biggest battle of the war so far, and a demoralizing defeat for Ukraine.<\/p>\n

In the US inflation, which was already high before the Ukraine crisis, has been driven even higher and reached over 8% with the Fed now scrambling to control it by raising interest rates.\u00a0 Partly as a result of this, the stock market has come close to bear territory.\u00a0 As the war progresses, many have joined Ben Bernanke, former Fed Chair, in predicting<\/a> a period of high unemployment, high inflation and low growth \u2013 the dread stagflation.<\/p>\n

Domestically, there are signs of deterioration in support of the war.\u00a0 Most strikingly, 57 House Republicans and 11 Senate Republicans voted against the latest package of weaponry to Ukraine, bundled with considerable pork and hidden bonanzas for the war profiteers.\u00a0 (Strikingly no Democrat, not a single one, not even the most \u201cprogressive\u201d voted against pouring fuel on the fire of war raging in Ukraine.\u00a0 But that is another story.)<\/p>\n

And while U.S. public opinion remains in favor of U.S. involvement in Ukraine there are signs of slippage.\u00a0 For example, Pew reports<\/a> that those feeling the U.S. is not doing enough declined from March to May.\u00a0 As more stagflation takes hold with gas and food prices growing and voices like those of Tucker Carlson and Rand Paul pointing out the connection between the inflation and the war, discontent is certain to grow.<\/p>\n

Finally, as the war becomes less popular and it takes its toll, an electoral disaster looms ahead in 2022 and 2024 for Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, for which the Times serves as a mouthpiece.<\/p>\n

The NYT editorial signals alarm over the insane goal of the neoconservatives<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a note of panic in this appeal to find a negotiated solution now.\u00a0 The U.S. and Russia are the world\u2019s major nuclear powers with thousands of nuclear missiles on Launch On Warning, aka Hair Trigger Alert.\u00a0 At moments of high tension, the possibilities of Accidental Nuclear Armageddon are all too real.<\/p>\n

President Biden\u2019s ability to stay in command of events is in question. Many people of his age can handle a situation like this, but many cannot and he seems to be in the latter category.<\/p>\n

Alarm is warranted and panic is understandable.<\/p>\n

The neocons are now in control of the foreign policy of the Biden administration, the Democratic Party and most of the Republican Party. But will the neocons in charge give up and move in a reasonable and peaceful direction as the Times editorial demands?\u00a0 This is a fantasy of the first order.\u00a0 As one commenter observed, the hawks like Nuland, Blinken and Sullivan have no reverse gear; they always double down. They do not serve the interests of humanity nor do they serve the interests of the American people.\u00a0 They are in reality traitors to the U.S.\u00a0 They must be exposed, discredited and pushed aside.\u00a0 Our survival depends on it.<\/p>The post New York Times<\/em> Repudiates Drive for \u201cDecisive Military Victory\u201d in Ukraine, Calls for Peace Negotiations<\/a> first appeared on Dissident Voice<\/a>.\n

This post was originally published on Dissident Voice<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A week ago, we made note of a May 11 New York Times news article, documenting that all was not going well for the U.S. in Ukraine, and a companion opinion piece hinting that a shift in direction might be in order. Now on May 19, \u201cTHE EDITORIAL BOARD,\u201d the full Magisterium of the Times, [\u2026]<\/p>\n

The post New York Times<\/em> Repudiates Drive for \u201cDecisive Military Victory\u201d in Ukraine, Calls for Peace Negotiations<\/a> first appeared on Dissident Voice<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":544,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,376,1233,204],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668456"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/544"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668456"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":668457,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668456\/revisions\/668457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}