[Southack]

"Putin's Russia, already moving decisively back to traditional Czarist authoritarianism, then suffers political defeat in Ukraine, which it considers its natural patrimony. This only compounds and embitters the feeling of alienation from the West in general, and from the United States in particular."

Krauthammer was right in his article until he typed the above sentences.

And in those sentences he goes fatally astray. What Krauthammer has done is fall into the current propaganda trap of the global left-wing news media.

Part of that "trap" is to think that the entire West is united. It is not. The West is at war with itself.

Pause and let that sentence sink in for a moment; the West is at war with itself.

What Krauthammer fails to consider is that it was *not* the U.S. that interfered in the Ukraine's election; it was France and Germany. They interefered in that election for a variety of reasons including installing a leader (Yushchencko) who immediately caused Ukraine's troops to be withdrawn from Iraq. Germany depends upon energy imports through Ukrainian pipelines for 75% of its domestic power. Now after their successful coup has installed Yushchenko in the Ukraine, Germany is no longer held hostage to Russian energy contracts that flowed through the Ukraine's pipelines. Russia's leverage over Germany is now gone.

In the meantime, France is now enticing the Ukraine to join the EU-only military (which excludes the U.S.) to further increase European power (at the expense of Russia).

But while Krauthammer fails to grasp such geopolitics, make no mistake that Vladimir Putin comprehends them.

So to Krauthammer, because of his intellectual blinders, he sees only that narrow perspective of a Cold War that continues on, West versus East.

But to Putin and Bush, the war that rages is against Islamic fundamentalism on the one hand, and that smolders via the new EU-super-state on the other.

It's no accident that France and Germany opposed the Iraq War. It's no accident that they have formed an EU-only military (which is now the main power-broker in Bosnia). It's no accident that they installed their own puppet in the Ukraine, either. Nor is it an accident that they are forming an enlarged EU with a single currency and Constitution.

This is a *classic* European powerplay, a move that is revisited time and again throughout their entire history.

...Next post: Krauthammer and China.

[Tolik]

Very interesting, but I see (respectively of course) some holes.

Multiple interests within the West may coincide even for such bitter opponents as USA and France. They did coincide in Ukraine. Colin Powell language was uncharasteistically sharp in denouncing the troubled elections. His position was clearly one sided. EU position was also uncharacteristically clear.

Both candidates in Ukrainian election campaigned for their exit from Iraq. There was no choice for us in-between pro- and anti- war in Iraq candidate. Both were anti.

Germany energy would come through anybody's Ukraine. Its no issue. Only Osama type candidate would cut the pipeline. Otherwise: Russia wants to sell, Ukraine to transmit, and EU to receive.