Thorvald of Lym
A Little Sketchy
(Despite encompassing current events, I figured this provides the antithesis to the much-memed Carlson interview. I debated whether to post it to A&E as a showcase of exemplary citizen journalism, or World History for subject matter; mods can move as they deem most relevant, as long as it's not buried in OT.)
As we conclude Day 731 of Pukin's three-day special military operation, it's a good time to pause and reflect how we got here. The war on Ukraine has been co-opted by ideologues from both left and right wings to "prove" their worldview, but shockingly few people understand what really precipitated Euromaidan, and the Kremlin's subsequent retaliation, even within Ukraine itself—and that's because virtually none of the pundits have bothered to actually examine Ukraine's internal politics.
Early last year, I stumbled on Part 3 of a documentary series by Sarcasmitron, lauded by Ukrainians and Russians alike as the most in-depth and accurate English-language analysis of the crisis. Combining archival footage with a contemporary soundtrack to map out the links between seemingly-disparate elements, it bears strong stylistic parallels with the work of Adam Curtis, making it all the more astounding this was assembled by a YouTube Essayist™ working out of his proverbial basement. Over the course of four episodes, it examines the history of Ukrainian politics from the ousting of Leonid Kuchma in 2005 to the Maidan protests in 2014; the start of open war with the eastern insurgencies; relations between Moscow and Washington after the Cold War; and the parallels between Russian society today and the United States during the heyday of the War on Terror, seeking to answer the question posed at the end of Episode 1 that continues to confound rational analysts: With the Ukrainian government in crisis and the Crimean occupation precluding NATO membership, Moscow had an easy win; why, then, did Putin escalate?
Content advisories for language, violence including atrocities, racists and ultranationalists, and wingnut conspiracism. Linked through Invidious to bypass age gates on Parts 1 and 2.
Part 1: "How Ukraine's Fake Culture War Became a Real Geopolitical Conflict"
In which we examine Ukraine's political history of the mid-2000s; how the power struggle between Leonid Kuchma's deputies begat the Orange Revolution; why the "language question" isn't real, yet fooled spectators into thinking Ukrainian society was fractured; why pursuing EU membership was a practical means of combatting Ukrainian oligarchism; how Viktor Yanukovych struggled to maintain an impossible balance between popular support for European integration and mounting threats from the Kremlin, culminating in the Maidan protests of 2014.
Part 2: "A Short History of the War in Donbas 2014–2022"
In which we reconstruct the timeline of the eastern insurgencies and explore the "Photon Curtain"; how the Kremlin perpetuated urban riots with paid actors; why the so-called "people's republics" were not an expression of popular will; how the delay in Western media coverage enabled distortion of basic sequences of events; how increasing commitment of Russian soldiers led to the strangulation of independent Russian journalism; why outside observers managed to ignore an invasion in plain sight.
Part 3: "Shut Up About NATO Expansion"
In which we examine US–Russian relations in the post-Soviet era; debunking the claims that there was ever a formal agreement not to expand NATO membership; why the "shock therapy" privatization of Boris Yeltsin was a strategic necessity to defang the Soviet hardliners that had supported the 1991 coup; why the "Great NATO Sob Story" denies the agency of those countries historically threatened by Russian imperialism; how Poland blackmailed its way into NATO, pushing up the timeline for other countries' membership; how the Clinton and Yeltsin administrations misread each other's motives and fumbled a post-Soviet reconciliation; why 2022 confounds the Realist theory of international relations.
Part 4: "The American Origins of Putin's Madness"
In which, having exhausted rational arguments for the invasion, we turn to the irrational; how Putin-era nationalism parallels the American neoconservatives' "War on Terror"; how disgraced American politician Lyndon LaRouche's wingnut conspiracism forms the bedrock of Putin's worldview; how "colour revolutions" became a dogwhistle for CIA subversion to delegitimize popular democracy; how Western media adopted Russian propaganda to create a positive feedback loop; why subscription to conspiracy serves to absolve us of personal responsibility; why ideologues of disparate wings have found common cause in sacrificing the Ukrainian people to prop up their guiding narratives; why Ukraine matters, and its lessons for democracy at home.
As we conclude Day 731 of Pukin's three-day special military operation, it's a good time to pause and reflect how we got here. The war on Ukraine has been co-opted by ideologues from both left and right wings to "prove" their worldview, but shockingly few people understand what really precipitated Euromaidan, and the Kremlin's subsequent retaliation, even within Ukraine itself—and that's because virtually none of the pundits have bothered to actually examine Ukraine's internal politics.
Early last year, I stumbled on Part 3 of a documentary series by Sarcasmitron, lauded by Ukrainians and Russians alike as the most in-depth and accurate English-language analysis of the crisis. Combining archival footage with a contemporary soundtrack to map out the links between seemingly-disparate elements, it bears strong stylistic parallels with the work of Adam Curtis, making it all the more astounding this was assembled by a YouTube Essayist™ working out of his proverbial basement. Over the course of four episodes, it examines the history of Ukrainian politics from the ousting of Leonid Kuchma in 2005 to the Maidan protests in 2014; the start of open war with the eastern insurgencies; relations between Moscow and Washington after the Cold War; and the parallels between Russian society today and the United States during the heyday of the War on Terror, seeking to answer the question posed at the end of Episode 1 that continues to confound rational analysts: With the Ukrainian government in crisis and the Crimean occupation precluding NATO membership, Moscow had an easy win; why, then, did Putin escalate?
Content advisories for language, violence including atrocities, racists and ultranationalists, and wingnut conspiracism. Linked through Invidious to bypass age gates on Parts 1 and 2.
Part 1: "How Ukraine's Fake Culture War Became a Real Geopolitical Conflict"
In which we examine Ukraine's political history of the mid-2000s; how the power struggle between Leonid Kuchma's deputies begat the Orange Revolution; why the "language question" isn't real, yet fooled spectators into thinking Ukrainian society was fractured; why pursuing EU membership was a practical means of combatting Ukrainian oligarchism; how Viktor Yanukovych struggled to maintain an impossible balance between popular support for European integration and mounting threats from the Kremlin, culminating in the Maidan protests of 2014.
Part 2: "A Short History of the War in Donbas 2014–2022"
In which we reconstruct the timeline of the eastern insurgencies and explore the "Photon Curtain"; how the Kremlin perpetuated urban riots with paid actors; why the so-called "people's republics" were not an expression of popular will; how the delay in Western media coverage enabled distortion of basic sequences of events; how increasing commitment of Russian soldiers led to the strangulation of independent Russian journalism; why outside observers managed to ignore an invasion in plain sight.
Part 3: "Shut Up About NATO Expansion"
In which we examine US–Russian relations in the post-Soviet era; debunking the claims that there was ever a formal agreement not to expand NATO membership; why the "shock therapy" privatization of Boris Yeltsin was a strategic necessity to defang the Soviet hardliners that had supported the 1991 coup; why the "Great NATO Sob Story" denies the agency of those countries historically threatened by Russian imperialism; how Poland blackmailed its way into NATO, pushing up the timeline for other countries' membership; how the Clinton and Yeltsin administrations misread each other's motives and fumbled a post-Soviet reconciliation; why 2022 confounds the Realist theory of international relations.
Part 4: "The American Origins of Putin's Madness"
In which, having exhausted rational arguments for the invasion, we turn to the irrational; how Putin-era nationalism parallels the American neoconservatives' "War on Terror"; how disgraced American politician Lyndon LaRouche's wingnut conspiracism forms the bedrock of Putin's worldview; how "colour revolutions" became a dogwhistle for CIA subversion to delegitimize popular democracy; how Western media adopted Russian propaganda to create a positive feedback loop; why subscription to conspiracy serves to absolve us of personal responsibility; why ideologues of disparate wings have found common cause in sacrificing the Ukrainian people to prop up their guiding narratives; why Ukraine matters, and its lessons for democracy at home.
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