*"F---K THE EU" OR EXAMPLE OF FAILURE OF DIPLOMACY

“Fuck the EU”* (And Its Consequences.)

*Quote by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs: Victoria Nuland. 

The remark above is by Ms. Victoria Nuland, of the State  Department and a member of the wide-ranging and well-connected neoconservative Kagan family (she is the spouse of Prof. Robert Kagan). The notorious Kagan family are all deeply involved in efforts to support and encourage Middle Eastern war---they were particularly engaged in the failed, brutal, economically devastating US-led war in Iraq (as well as other efforts at foreign adventurism). It’s hard for me to understand how Ms Nuland (Mrs. Kagan), with her connections to monumentally disastrous and discredited policies, is now found serving in a high office in the State Department under President Obama---a supposed intelligent, thoughtful, and progressive Democrat. 

But what was the context of her vulgar remarks?

Mrs. Kagan and her ilk in the State Department were overly zealous (gung ho) in their efforts to topple the legally elected pro-Russian  Yanukovytch government in the Ukraine. They financially supported violent ultranationalistS (some report to the tune of $50 million dollars) and promoted general unrest.  But her neoconservative relatives and allies were all deeply frustrated with the support and enthusiasm of our allies in neighboring Europe. The EU which has suffered the ravages of war and its economic aftermath and who get most of their energy supplies from the east were less “gung-ho ” and were proceeding more cautiously. They viewed the EU as having only tepid support for instigating further violent nationalist protests in Kiev. At this juncture, the US was threatening Yanukovytch with “economic sanctions” if he were to enlist military force to suppress the violent protesters who had occupied the central square of Kiev for weeks. The US zealots in the State department thought they had Yanukovytch cornered and buffaloed. The EU saw that as a step too far. The EU was proceeding with the knowledge that it has to live with Russia as its eastern neighbor. Ms Nuland’s angry, vulgar remark was recorded (some say by the Russians) in a conversation with the US Ambassador to Ukraine. Its meaning was simply this: we (the US) can go it alone! ”F--- the EU”, we don't need them! We can topple this government on our own.

But the consequences of this intemperate and poorly thought out form of foreign policy was that Mr. Putin simply made another end run around the US. (The last time he did this was only a few months ago in Syria where he, and Mr Levrov his Foreign Secretary, neatly hog-tied and embarrassed Mr.Obama during the Syrian chemical weapons imbroglio and strengthened and supported his ally in Syria, Mr. Assad.) This time, Mr.Putin ran a nice quarter back steal around Obama’s bow-legged inept team, saying in effect: “If that is how you are going to play, I’ll take the parts of Ukraine I want militarily and you can go F--- Yourselves.”

So what about the consequences. 

The Obama Administration has again demonstrated its ineptness and racked up another diplomatic failure..by pushing Mr. Putin to the point where he had no choice but to use his military. The Russian troops were sitting there in the Crimea. What did Nuland, Kerry and Obama expect was to happen?  This was all unnecessary. It could have played out very much differently if the elements on our side had a good deal more sophistication, and a lot less hubris. 

Wise up President Obama, even GWB was smart enough to finally try to take control of his government from the neocons and war mongers--yes a bit too late..but he did try.