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To see a list of previous articles, enter “Ukraine” in the Search Box on the upper right, and you will see a list in chronological order.
To understand the broad context within which current developments in Ukraine should be considered,see
“Ukraine War, October 26, 2022: The context for analysis of current developments; The “dirty bomb” as a Russian propaganda distraction from current war crimes,” The Trenchant Observer, October 26, 2022.
Dispatches
1) Stephen Wertheim, “World War III Begins With Forgetting, ” New York Times, December 3, 2022;
2) Andrea Rizzi, “Porqué la negociación para la paz en Ucrania queda lejos; En las últimas semanas, can aflorado importantes referencias a la perspectiva de un diálogo entre Kiev y Moscú. Los expertos creen que sigue siendo remota, pero hay un creciente interés a mostrarse disponibles y prepararse para ello,” El País, el 3 de diciembre 2022 (09:11 EST).
Andrea Rizzi es Corresponsal de asuntos globales de EL PAÍS y autor de una columna dedicada a cuestiones europeas que se publica los sábados. Anteriormente fue redactor jefe de Internacional y subdirector de Opinión del diario. Es licenciado en Derecho (La Sapienza, Roma) máster en Periodismo (UAM/EL PAÍS, Madrid) y en Derecho de la UE (IEE/ULB, Bruselas).
Analysis
Andrea Rizza provides a magisterial overview of the issues and positions of the principal actors which are relevant to the question of peace negotiations and when they might occur.
He describes in synthetic detail the recent push, at least at the rhetorical level, by the United States, France, and to some extent Germany for peace negotiations. He notes tgat while Western leaders continue to repeat the by now boilerplate arrirmations that only Kyiv will dtermine when to start negotiations and what tge terms of settlement might be, this is clearly not what tgey are thinking and saying behind closed doors. They maintain they will not pressure Ukraine on when to negotiate and on the terms of a possible settlement, but they are doing precisely that.
Rizza concludes his overview as follows:
Revised Google translation
No desire to force Ukraine to the table has matured, among other things, because Russia is not considered to be ready for it. But the multiple political references to the dialogue of these weeks make it clear that in the Western vision, scenarios other than complete military victory are seriously contemplated
No desire to force Ukraine to the table has matured, among other things, because Russia does not consider itself to be ready for negotiations. But the multiple political references to dialogue of these weeks make it clear that in the Western vision, scenarios other than complete military victory are seriously contemplated
Stephen Wertheim cites statements by Joe Biden about World War Three that help explain Biden’s extreme caution and delay in providing advanced weapons systems to Ukraine, as we have been reporting here. He describes how our memories of World War Two have faded away, which helps to explain a certain lack of caution in our foreign policy which was absent when memories were fresh.
The horrors of World War Two were enormous, but then so were the crimes of tge Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler and of tge Japanese in Asia. Had Hitler not been stopped who knows what further crimes he might have committed.
While the horrors of World War Three would be terrifying, particularly if it involved nuclear weapons, this fact is not an argument for appeasement of Vladimir Putin orcanyone else who threatens to use nuclear weapons.
Submission to nuclear blackmail will not defend our freedom, onternational law and the U.N. Charter, or out modern civilization.
Surrender to Putin’s nuclear blackmail is appeasement, pure and simple. It is a treacherous path which would bring bitter fruits, and one on which we must never trod.
The lessons of World War Two remain true, even if they are forgotten.
Our urgent task is to-revive memories of those lessons, and to take them to heart.
The Trenchant Observer
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