Rebels vs Government

The possibility of war in Ukraine has been a hot topic in the news these past couple of weeks. There are so many factors that contribute to the matter with so many possible outcomes. In the most recent of news, both the government and the pro- Russian rebel leaders in Eastern Ukraine have agreed to start readying heavy weapons from the frontline. A stronger tension is starting to form in between the two groups, especially after the reported explosion in Kharkiv, the biggest city in east Russia. It was reported that the explosion happened today during a memorial rally, killing two people, a policeman and a demonstrator. After reading several articles, it was brought to my attention that this was an assumed attack by the rebels. Though they have four Russian suspects in custody, they don’t know for a fact that this was a war-like act. In my opinion, they shouldn’t act on this matter until they know forsure, for it could cause major problems for both sides.

The two sides decided upon a ceasefire agreement last week, which was already ignored by the rebels by capturing the town of Debaltseve. This resulted in the retreating of thousands of Ukrainian troops and twenty Ukrainian soliders’ deaths. Germany and France mediated this agreement, and are now questioning its effectiveness because of this. Now the question is, will they begin to advance deeper into “New Russia”? It is assumed that since the group has achieved Debaltseve, there will be a pause in their war-like activity. It was decided that both sides would exchange prisoners and on Sunday, the rebels will start withdrawing their weapons from the frontlines.

Even though Russia completely denies that they have troops in Eastern Ukraine right now, Moscow is now moving more armor and troops to a perspective target, the port of Mariupol. The ceasefire would be destroyed if an attack were to occur here. The Ukranian government is predicting the seizure of the city because of the geographical advantages it presents for the rebels. It would provide a direct land route between the Crimean peninsula and Russia.

To get a more well round look at the situation, I think it’s very important to keep in mind the United States and it’s involvement in the matter. As of right now, the US and its allies are discussing the resolutions for the conflict. It was stated by Secretary Kerry that President Obama is considering several options, such as imposing deeper sanctions for the truce and arming Ukrainian forces.

“In the next few days I anticipate that President Obama will evaluate the choices that are in front of him and will make his decision as to what the next step will be…..There are serious discussions taking place between us and our European allies as to what those next sanctions steps ought to be and when they ought to be implemented….I am confident some additional steps will be taken in response to the breaches of the ceasefire.” –Kerry

That’s it for this weeks post. Make sure to follow up on the conflict, because it’s bound to start unfolding soon. There are so many factors that may contribute to either of the outcomes. It’s going to be an interesting next couple of months for Ukraine and the Russian rebels.

-D

Demirjian, Karoun. “Is Mariupol the next Target of the Rebels’ Advance in Ukraine?” Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web.

Gatten, Emma. “Ukraine Crisis.” The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web.

News, CBC. “Ukraine Preparing for ‘full-scale War,’ Says Former Envoy to Canada.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 21 Feb. 2015. Web.

Zverev, Anton. “Rebels Order Weapons Pull-back as Ukraine Say Armor Arriving.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 22 Feb. 2015. Web.

 

Nuclear Warefare in our midst?

The U.S. government and  media are stating that a possible nuclear confrontation with Russia over Ukraine may occur. It is said that this time it will be without any serious decision-making throughout the nuclear age. Instead, Officials at Washington seem to be “possessed” by a self-righteous mind-set that could be the kick-start to the end of life on this planet.

Nearly across the U.S. political spectrum, there is a poisonous “group think” which has changed what should have been a manageable political dispute in Ukraine. Instead, its being morphed into some “morality play” where U.S. politicians talk about how the nearly one-year-old  regime in Kiev “share our values” and how America must be prepared to defend this regime militarily.

Although It is stated that President Barack Obama personally recognizes how foolish this attitude is, he has not yet attempted a significant move to face the craziness and, indeed, has tolerated actions by his underlings .Given the real potential stakes of a nuclear war, U.S Government officials talk loosely about sending military support to an unstable regime in Kiev. Examples of this includes neo-Nazis who have performed death-squad missions against the Russians in eastern Ukraine.

Popular belief shows that Russians fear that U.S. officials are contemplating placing Cruise missiles in Ukraine, which Moscow regards as a direct threat to its national security. Whether or not the Russians are being pessimist, these fears are affecting their own decision-making.

None of the  previous nuclear-age presidents – Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton or even George W. Bush –  have engaged in such actions on Russia’s borders, though some surely behaved aggressively in overthrowing governments and starting wars farther away.

Russian government Officials have repeatedly protested these “death-squad missions” and other crimes committed by the Kiev regime, however, the U.S. media is favoring western Ukrainians, suppressing this aspect of the crisis.

Though the State Department and the U.S. media continue to blame Russia, the fact that the Ukraine crisis has reached such a dangerous crossroad reveals how reckless the behavior of theOfficials at Washington has been over the past year according to the media. Further, the U.S. news media refused to conduct a serious investigation into the evidence that helped destabilize Yanukovych’s government with the hopes of achieving another “regime change”.

Through this combination of propaganda, confusion and stubbornness, a momentum lurched toward a nuclear showdown over Ukraine that could put all life on earth in danger. That’s all for today’s post. Tell me what you think by leaving a comment. Make sure you follow and be added to our email list! thanks for reading.

-M

 

Media and the War in Ukraine

Everybody has heard about the current war between Russia and Ukraine. It is a recurring topic on most news stations in the United States, whether they are reporting on the events of the war itself or the United State’s involvement. It is also becoming a conservation piece in most social interactions. This all started when Russia invaded Ukraine because they wanted to reclaim back the land they had when they were called the Soviet Union. The Russian flag was raised in the capital of Ukraine and then the fighting between the Ukrainian rebels and Russian military began. It has been an ongoing struggle ever since.

Recently, reports have been coming in stating that the situation in Ukraine is only getting worse. The people of Ukraine are refusing to fight and are becoming upset with the war effort. This is causing the Ukraine government to “beef up” their fighting forces, but with thousands of lives already lost, the economy crashing and moral decreasing at a steadfast rate, people have begun to avoid the draft. Especially, since many have come back from the front wounded and have been spreading their grim stories. The Ukrainians feel demoralized and just want the fighting and the suffering to end.

How do you feel after reading that? Do you feel any compassion toward the Ukrainians? Do you understand why they want the war to end? Do you think they should suck it up and defend their beloved country? What is your overall reaction? It’s amazing how the media can make you feel about an issue all from a simple news story. It is the media’s job, after all, to keep you committed and interested to their stories and what better way than to appeal to your emotions.

How does the media do this? If you turn on your TV or computer and watch the news you’ll always find them reporting on something huge. War is one example of these huge topics. The news media know it’s a scary thing to happen and they know that’s what gets the public’s attention. We as human beings tend to be attracted to dangerous situations. The news also tends to pray on our softer emotions, especially the big news coverers like CBS, Fox, WRAL and NBC. For example, they tend to report stories of families losing their loved ones or homes due to the fighting, or a lone solider who survived a bombing. It one article, it takes a dark turn when a wounded solider describes the carnage after a bomb struck near him. It’s kind of like the news becoming a soap opera rather than stating the facts or reasons for the events of the war. To be honest, I didn’t even know why the war between Russia and Ukraine started until I did some digging on the Internet. In general, it’s all about the emotional tone when it comes to those broadcast stations.

On the other hand, you have smaller news dispensers like the Global Post who report on the war through actual events and people. They are way more informative with the events of the war and aren’t constantly trying to grab their viewer’s heartstrings making their tone feel more objective. This tends to make the public either care less about the situation or feel more informed and understanding of what’s going on.

I repeat, war is a big topic and can easily come up in any conversation. The media covering the war can get more people interested through hype and hearsay. Social media can impact news stations in either positive or negative ways. When they are positive, you have more of the public conversing about the subject. When negative, the information about the issue hardly get’s passed around. Obliviously, the news media want their viewers to react positively so they can stay engaged with the situation. It kind of ties in with the media conveying to your emotions. In this case, the news reports on the Ukraine war want you to react by being shocked, angry or saddened. This will probably compel you to express your opinion to a friend or family member and thus, the news story get’s more attention.

The war between Ukraine and Russia is an ongoing topic and people are still going to keep talking about and expressing their own feelings about the situation. The media is helping to keep the public informed and interested just in case the United States does become more involved in the war. So even though the media does have a few ways to keep you watching their channel or reading their online reports, they have your best interest when covering the war in Ukraine.

Posted by: Cassidy Tanner

Sources cited:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/war-of-words-between-ukraine-and-pro-russian-rebels-heats-up/

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/rebels-suffer-heavy-losses-battle-ukraines-debaltseve-n296841.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/150131/ukraine-war-getting-worse-unfortunately-not-everyone-wants-fight