The United States is currently backing extremist forces in Ukraine as they did in Syria, Libya, Iran and Venezuela. While each of these conflicts have different stories that keep them separate in our minds, there is a bigger picture the corporate media is ignoring
The United States is waging a new Cold War against Russia on many fronts across the world and Russia’s closest ally, Ukraine, has been a battleground since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Over the weekend, America’s $5 billion regime change effort in Ukraine reached a climax when Ukraine’s Parliament stripped President Viktor Yanukovych of his presidential authority. He immediately fled to eastern Ukraine where he still has a base of support while the rest of Ukraine has fallen into chaos.
In the past week, when brutal riots and bloodshed occurred, the pro-Western opposition leaders admitted they lost control of the protests to the right-wing, neo-Nazi extremists who now control several cities and government buildings.
The American people need to be worried about what Washington is doing in Ukraine. Failing to pass a budget and having gridlock in Congress is one thing, but waging a new, more confrontational Cold War against Russia is a different thing.
This isn’t the first time the United States has been in bed with extremists and fascists.
Since the big picture is the U.S. waging a new Cold War against Russia across the world, the goal of the United States is to isolate Russia and grow the existing American Empire even further.
Russia’s ally, Venezuela, is a revolutionary force in Latin America for independence and democracy. Because it doesn’t follow Washington’s orders, the U.S. is trying to overthrow the regime for a third time in 12 years.
With Iran, the United States invested $400 million toward a regime change. This almost succeeded in 2009 but failed due to the loss of legitimacy, commitment and unity of the Green Movement.
In Libya, the U.S.-led NATO invasion caught Russia off guard. Russia warned the West that the Arab Spring would lead to extremists and Jihadists taking power instead of moderates and democrats. So far, it seems that the Russian narrative is accurate.
The United States has also been waging a proxy war in Syria by backing the opposition, which consists of pro-Western puppets and radical Islamic extremists who seek to turn Syria into a theocracy.
The U.S. has a history of picking Muslim extremists over friendly Russian regimes.
The American political elite have no problem with creating or allying with states that violate basic human rights and civil liberties they claim to cherish. Imperialism seems to be a bipartisan issue while the policy of peace and justice is a fringe issue.
John McCain was in Ukraine marching with the opposition Sunday and even met with leaders of many groups including far right, neo fascist factions.
In a NAFTA speech, President Barack Obama claimed that all they care about is democracy in Ukraine and their support for the opposition is not a strategic one but a moral one. Now why would we think that?
Obama, like Bush before him, is continuing a neoconservative foreign policy that seeks global domination instead of cooperation. Back in November, Russia wanted a trifecta agreement between Ukraine, the European Union and Russia, but the United States and Europe rejected it and forced Ukraine to pick between Europe and Russia.
Since Ukraine picked Russia, the West punished them. Today, Ukraine is the main battle zone between the American empire and Russia.
I hope we, Americans, refuse to let another administration start a World War.
Joshua Hajiakbarifini is a 24-year-old political science and economics senior from Baton Rouge