Learn from mistakes surrounding Russia

As someone who lived in Poland for several years, I firmly maintain that Americans don't know squat about Eastern Europe and are, therefore, easily bamboozled by the lies the U.S. government tells them about what it is doing there. This applies especially to Ukraine. Washington tells us that the civil war there is between "Ukrainians" and "pro-Russian separatists" sent over the border by the evil Vladimir Putin.

In reality, the war is between West Ukrainians - virulent nationalists hostile to Moscow but also to Russians, Poles Jews, and just about everyone else - and the East Ukrainians, who are Russians descended from Muscovites who moved south centuries ago. Washington tells us that Putin is invading a "sovereign nation," but this is very deceptive. Ukraine has been independent for only 20-odd years. Before that, it was an integral part of the Russian Empire cum Soviet Union for centuries and had an importance for Russia not unlike that which Mexico and the Caribbean have for the United States. Most misleading of all, Washington tells us that Ukrainians "want to be part of the European Union." This is true of the West Ukrainians, but it disguises the fact that the United States has tried to pull Ukraine into NATO, a military alliance intended to isolate and disintegrate Russia.

American policy in East Europe has been very aggressive and hostile toward Russia. Washington emerges here as the latest in a long line of Western powers (Poland, Sweden, Napoleon, Hitler) tempted to try to smash Russia and seize Ukraine. It has never worked before, and I doubt it will work now. The price for trying has always been terrible, and there is reason to dread the future.

Anthony Nelson

Rolling Meadows