{"id":29508,"date":"2023-09-03T18:06:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T01:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/?p=29508"},"modified":"2023-09-13T17:06:19","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T00:06:19","slug":"ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Sense of the Ukraine Situation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With events on the ground overtaking efforts to make sense of Ukraine, here\u2019s a few sources I reach for to try and make sense of it. — Skip Kaltenheuser<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine is a now a tilt-a-whirl that\u2019s come loose. To understand it, I\u2019m trying for inputs beyond the mainstream that\u2019s had a dubious track record in the past, from WMD\u2019s in Iraq to Russiagate. One shouldn\u2019t ignore the mainstream, but one needs a wider angle lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden. Artwork by Nancy Ohanian.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few suggestions for circumventing journalism\u2019s herd instinct. Start the day with the 7 am EST Links section at Naked Capitalism<\/a>, which assembles a broad array varying viewpoints, often introducing new sources worth making a note of. Democracy Now!<\/a> presents interviews worth a look, particularly good ones on Ukraine are in the Feb. 24th show: \u201cTruly Appalling\u201d: Russia Attacks Ukraine as Putin Ignores Diplomatic Pleas and Launches Invasion<\/a>, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photograph courtesy of Skip Kaltenheuser.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Panic, Fear, Disbelief: Russia\u2019s Invasion of Ukraine Could Prompt Humanitarian, Refugee Crisis<\/a> and Yanis Varoufakis: Europe Must Stand with Ukraine, Condemn Putin & Roll Back NATO to Restore Peace<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can doff our hats to Bill Clinton for yet another long-term impact he gifted us with, this one by his decision to expand NATO, eventually providing the pretense to Vladimir V. Putin for his attack, as described here. The Clinton-era blunder that set the stage for today\u2019s Ukrainian crisis. Statecraft<\/a> is a source worth monitoring for its analyses of how we land in such predicaments. Another is Consortium News<\/a>, which pulls in solid expertise and avoids getting stuck on prior narratives. The Intercept often has interesting insights, such as How Putin\u2019s Designs on Ukraine Reflect the \u201cDangerous Nostalgia\u201d of a Lost Empire<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any perspective by Col. Larry Wilkerson, former chief of staff for Colin Powell, is worth grabbing, wherever you can find it. Same with Daniel Ellsberg, who probably knows more about government disinformation and near-fatal nuclear brinkmanship than anyone I know. Katrina Vanden Heuvel knows the territory, here\u2019s her latest, Putin\u2019s Invasion. One might also benefit from the offerings and analyses of the Committee of the Republic<\/a>. Some of that group\u2019s past offerings, zoomed during the pandemic, scrutinize the military\/industrial\/congressional complex, (Ike\u2019s original draft included \u201ccongressional\u201d). They are accessible on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n