(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The story of the war in Ukraine is not a Ukraine Story [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-12 The worldwide reach of the war in Ukraine - Image by IMF Blog The outcome of the war in Ukraine is likely to be a dramatically different world The following are seven links from April 11, Russia Analytical report, April 3-10, 2023. Most are behind paywalls and if you read them you will have very little understanding of the world-shifting dynamics of the war in Ukraine. You would have to read DKos, subscribe to and read each of these articles plus the other five or six I did not include here, and you would not hear anything about China’s marathon trade negotiations, tying down tens of countries in anti-West arrangements. Is this intentional? Is there a deliberate effort to keep the governed ignorant, and is the media complicit because that’s how they preserve their press freedoms? Digital and social media have certainly speeded things up and made reporters and critics of us all, but are we better informed? There is no discussion of the fact that if Ukraine had received the 500 tanks they asked for last October when there was plenty of ammunition, things on the ground in Ukraine would look very different today. There is no mention of the fact that if Ukraine loses Crimea to Russia, it will lose considerable resources to Russia and all rights to participate in the administration of the Ketch Straight. Losing Crimea would mean that the Ukraine ports on the Azov Sea would be subject to Russian willingness to grant them access to the Black Sea. There is no mention of the impact of the conflict, or it’s outcome, on the world’s food supply, raw energy and strategic minerals. China’s plan is much grander than capturing a large piece of the Ukraine reconstruction business. China see’s this as an opportunity to colonize Russia and all of its vassal states in one fell swoop, no matter who wins the war. China also sees an opportunity to drive a wedge between the US and Europe and break the dollars' domination as the instrument of choice for international trade. If the dollar loses its dominant position in world trade, the US loses its sanctions leverage and its control over who can and who cannot access the world's preferred financial systems. I’m sure there are long form coverages of the issues highlighted above, but they are not readily available to the general public without subscriptions. There can be no informed electorate without a diligent press. “China’s ‘Peace Plan’ for Ukraine Isn't About Peace: Beijing’s Diplomatic overture has three ulterior motives,” Jo Inge Bekkevold of the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies, FP, 04.04.23. The most prominent of these is the so-called peace proposal on Ukraine, with which China aims to strengthen its position vis-à-vis the United States among three specific audiences: the global south, Europe, and postwar Ukraine.” “First, China aims to present itself to the global south as a future peace broker.” “Second, China’s Ukraine proposal is part of Beijing’s attempt to reset its relationship with Europe.” “Third, China’s peace proposal is part of Beijing’s effort to position itself in the reconstruction of postwar Ukraine.” “How the Latest Leaked Documents Are Different From Past Breaches,” correspondent David E. Sanger, NYT, 04.09.23. “Some of the most sensitive material — maps of Ukrainian air defenses and a deep dive into South Korea’s secret plans to deliver 330,000 rounds of much-needed ammunition in time for Ukraine’s spring counteroffensive — is revealed in documents that appear to be barely 40 days old.” “It is an enormously sensitive subject among South Korean officials. ...One official said South Korea did not want to violate its own policies, or risk its delicate relationship with Moscow. Now the world has seen the Pentagon’s ‘delivery timeline’ for sea shipments of those shells, along with estimates of the cost of the shipments, $26 million.” "Why Does This Good Moment for America Feel so Bad?", columnist David Ignatius, WP, 04.06.23. “Now for the ‘feel bad’ part. At a recent gathering of prominent foreign policy pundits and think-tankers, a.k.a. ‘the Blob,’ a deepening pessimism about the United States' strategic position was pervasive. Why? U.S. national security policy seems to be less than the sum of its parts because the Biden administration hasn't communicated a cohesive strategic vision.” "Putin and Ukraine’s Spring Offensive. It’s the Russian President Who Will Ultimately Decide When or Whether To Call a Halt to This War," editor Edward Luce, FT, 04.07.23. “Nothing about Putin’s character should lead us to expect he will cut his losses and call it a day — except via a temporary ceasefire to regenerate Russia’s capacity. Nothing about Zelensky, or Ukrainian public opinion — which shows no signs of wobbling — should lead us to think he will split the difference either. Europe, meanwhile, remains largely dependent on US leadership. Which means this war’s defining signal is unlikely to come before November 2024. If Biden wins, Putin’s big gamble is likelier to fail. If Trump is the victor, or a Republican nominee with Trumpian views, then Putin will have a golden opportunity to tilt the bloody playing field his way.” "The Cost of Biden's 'Democracy' Fixation," columnist Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 04.03.23. “Mr. Biden should remember that his global coalition is held together more by common interests and common sense than by common values. And he should never underestimate the domestic and the international cost of overhyped, underthought democracy rhetoric.” “Taking Crimea From Putin Has Become ‘Operation Unthinkable,’” columnist Max Hastings, Bloomberg, 04.09.23. “All geopolitics demands calculations in which justice, fairness and freedom play only a limited role. A host of people today say: ‘If the Russians are allowed to keep one hectare of Ukrainian soil, democracy and Western security will be shockingly compromised.’ This is true. But just as most of the peoples of the democracies were unwilling to fight a new war for Poland in 1945, so it seems unlikely that they will support a fight to the finish today, to free Crimea. That is ugly, but it is a reality that cannot be reversed.” “The Ukraine War Will Define EU-China Relations,” editorial board, FT, 04.05.23. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/12/2163424/-The-story-of-the-war-in-Ukraine-is-not-a-Ukraine-Story Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/