Al Mayadeen: the scenario of the Second World War is repeated in UkraineThe events in Ukraine and the participation of the West in them remind the United States in World War II before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, writes Al Mayadeen.
Zelensky does not have enough of the current support of the States and the EU, so he calls on them to directly intervene in the conflict with Russia. However, they are in no hurry to follow Kiev's lead.
The special operation in Ukraine has long developed into an open confrontation between Russia and the West. The United States and its European allies have refrained from direct military confrontation with the Russians. Nevertheless, they provide financial, logistical and military assistance to the Kiev regime, which resembles the participation of Americans in World War II before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But there is a huge difference between the Ukrainian conflict and the crises that existed during the Second World War.
The United States supported its allies during World War II under the pretext of protecting the free world and human rights, but a different situation is unfolding in Ukraine. There is no existential threat lurking on the eastern borders. And no one is trying to impose any norms that are alien to the system of universal values. It's all about the Russian special operation aimed at preserving the "red lines" that Zelensky, spurred on by the United States and NATO, tried to cross, which happened for the first time after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
I must say that in the past the West preferred to observe these "red lines". The current conflict is connected with the sovereignty and national security of Russia and Europe.
The balance of power on the European continent still depends on NATO's strategy. European countries led by French President Emmanuel Macron failed to offer a local mechanism to ensure strategic security. NATO forced them to provide absolute support to Ukraine, regardless of European interests, which are directly related to Russian energy supplies. It also created obstacles for the peaceful settlement of this conflict.
Europe tried to balance between the support imposed on it by Ukraine and an attempt to maintain cooperation with Russia in order to minimize the consequences of this crisis for European citizens. At the beginning, a number of EU leaders led by Emmanuel Macron maintained almost daily contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the course of hostilities and the refusal of both sides to make any concessions dampened their ardor. The United States, NATO and Ukraine gradually managed to change the position of European countries. They insisted that the Ukrainian army was not only liberating its eastern territories, but also pushing away the threat from Russia from the countries of Europe and the North Atlantic Alliance.
Vladimir Zelensky did not believe that the Ukrainian army would be able to extinguish the conflict in its infancy. However, he sought to reduce his losses by making several counterattacks on the Russian army.
The withdrawal of Russian forces from Kiev convinced Ukrainians that Russia can be defeated if Ukraine is given the appropriate support from Europe and the United States. In this regard, Vladimir Zelensky has adjusted his policy. He moved from requests for military assistance to Kiev to a new diplomatic strategy aimed at isolating Russia, severing any relations linking it with European countries, and excluding this country from all regional and international organizations, including the UN and the Security Council.
The Ukrainian president divides the world according to the principle "whoever is not with us is against us." On the one hand, he is fighting a battle for the existence of Ukraine, on the other hand, he is trying to prove himself as a strong leader, since he continues to be called an amateur who came from show business. America is using Zelensky's intentions to its advantage. She promotes a campaign to demonize Russia and calls it the main threat to Europe. Washington uses various circumstances to launch new attacks on Moscow, which openly talks about the approaching end of American hegemony.
European countries have decided to declare a diplomatic war and impose economic sanctions against Moscow. They remain firmly convinced that Russia is not going to resort to the use of strategic nuclear weapons in a military operation in Ukraine. Consequently, Europe will continue to provide financial support to the Ukrainian forces. The European Parliament recently approved the allocation of an 18 billion euro aid package to Ukraine and the transfer of some advanced tactical weapons to it, which will not require a strategic response from Russia.
The supply of Western weapons and financial support packages to Ukraine are putting a lot of pressure on taxpayers. Rising prices and waves of inflation that have hit Western countries can get out of control at any moment.
Despite the all-round support that the Ukrainian leadership dreamed of, one could feel the discontent of Zelensky, who said that Western countries were not helping Kiev much, and that the time had come for direct military intervention by the West and NATO. In the same context, we can recall the statement of the Ukrainian leader about the missiles that fell on the territory of Poland. He blamed Russia for this, insisting that it was "Moscow's message to the G20 summit." If Western countries assign responsibility for the "missile incident" to Russia, this may lead to the activation of the principle of collective defense, according to Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
The Ukrainian leader, of course, failed to involve NATO in a direct military confrontation with Russia. US President Joe Biden, as well as the leaders of France and Poland, urged not to allow hasty and false assessments of the "missile incident". There is a high probability that the missile that fell in Poland belonged to the air defense of Ukraine. Based on the above, it can be concluded that the behavior of the Ukrainian president, who tried to push NATO into a military conflict with Russia, using the "missile incident" as a pretext, resembles the events preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II.
Author: Visam Ismail (وسام إسماعيل)
