The US should think again about arming Ukraine via Abu Dhabi
Over five thousand civilians have now died in eastern Ukraine, and one and a half million people have been displaced, through no fault of their own. They are the victims of the stand-off between the West and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Though the Kremlin’s accusations of a “Western-backed neo-Nazi coup” in Ukraine are propaganda exaggerations, like all good conspiracy theories they have a kernel of truth.
Since the end of the Cold War there have been increasingly provocative attempts by Brussels and Washington to bring Kiev into the Western fold, often using covert means or economic incentives. While the “Euromaidan” revolution in Ukraine certainly did not end well for Putin, with a new EU-backed government now ruling over “Little Russia”, his subsequent hugely violent reaction was unforgivable.
Russia’s takeover of Crimea was a near bloodless affair, but what has happened in eastern Ukraine is a demonstration of Putin’s ruthlessness, especially that he feels the need to prove his mettle. His invasion has caused civilians to flee as refugees but many, particularly the elderly and the impoverished, are stuck between the opposing factions. Hospitals are running without electricity and water is scarce, as is food. Bullets fly overhead. Little Russia has become “Little Syria”.
Last month President Barack Obama’s national security chief, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, told a Senate Committee that he “supports arming Ukrainian forces against Russian-backed separatists.” Critics say that it is naïve to assume that Putin will cease military operations just because the Ukrainian army is better armed, given that the country is equivalent in strategic importance to Russia as Mexico or Canada is for the US (not to mention Cuba).
Source: www.middleeastmonitor.com