Western intellectuals have long had a soft spot for Russia. Voltaire, French teacher of tolerance and good friend of Catherine the Great , said he is happy to move to Russia, but under the condition that its capital will be Kiev, St. Petersburg and not icy . Johann Gottfried von Herder, German philosopher , dreamed to transform Ukraine into a new Greece within the Russian Empire . And in the last century intellectuals André Gide , Pablo Neruda , Jean -Paul Sartre , in the words of Lenins useful idiots , apologized for the crimes of the Soviet Union , long after I heard about them the world . For leftists in Eastern Europe , who know Russia, as no one - including me - such naivete is disappointing . And yet, even today , many American and Western European intellectuals doing everything he can to minimize the dangerous aggression of Vladimir Putin. Putin is innocent Stephen Cohen wrote in The Nation magazine that the Russian president is not to blame for the conflict in Ukraine. In his opinion , Putin tried to avoid it , but the actions made him West. According to Cohen , the West unnecessarily humiliated Kremlin inviting NATO countries such as Poland , the Czech Republic and Hungary . Ukraine - he wrote - is part of the Russian sphere of influence . So why can not we just agree to Putins proposal that Ukraine became a federation , which would be guaranteed by the new constitution ? Cohen , defending the Russian sphere of influence , ignores the question of whether the countries concerned have a choice whether they are coerced . Ukraine wants to be in the zone of influence of the West, because it receives support for civil society , the economy and national defense - and Russia is doing nothing in this direction. Cohen and others not only defend Russia, but also attack the pro-democracy activists in Ukraine. American expert , Max Blumenthal , called Euromajdan movement far-left people fighting in the street with ethnic purity of their country. It is true that such people were present at the square in the center of Kiev , but this individual cases and password that is not gained popularity . They reject accusations Of course , that Ukraine has its skinheads and anti-Semites , and even serial killers , pedophiles and Satanists . They are present in every country - even the most mature European country. Sometimes there are more, and sometimes less. Exceptionally striking are the words Blumenthal that pronazistowska politics Freedom of the Ukrainian political party and its leader , Oleg Tiagniboka , not deterred Senator John McCain nor Secretary Victoria Nuland states . It is remarkable for an American expert that they engage with each other friendly conversation . Almost all western political leaders rode on Maidan and photographed with Tiagnibokiem . Freedom was part of a coalition advocating Euromajdan . Americans behave in exactly the same way in a similar situation. Strangely , western intellectuals seem to be embarrassed every time someone sees the similarity of their statements to the Russian propaganda. Immediately reject such accusations . Zoltan Grossman , who teaches at Evergreen State in Olympia , Wash., says it is wrong and irresponsible to conclude that the presence of fascists and Nazis in the new government is the only Russian propaganda . Propaganda for 250 thousand . euro For Dr. Grossman , uncomfortable details are less important than the fact that Dmytro Yaros , leader of the extreme right-wing organization Right Sector , has been appointed deputy secretary of the National Security and Defence . It sounds ominous , until you remember that Yarosh is not formally a member of the government, and that in February he met with the Ambassador of Israel in Ukraine and assured that the right sector is designed to combat all forms of anti-Semitism , xenophobia and chauvinism. Naïve American intellectuals speak of such things for free, and clever Gerhard Schröder , former Chancellor of Germany, wreaking propaganda for 250,000 euros per year as a member of the board of Gazprom - the Russian oil giant . Schröder , the German father of socialism Gazprom - is a new subspecies of limousine liberalism - repeatedly enter Berlin uncomfortable advocating annexation of Crimea by Russia. He is not one . Another former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt also praised Russia. Like Günter Verheugen , a prominent former commissioner of the European Union . Useful idiots What drives these people? Whether its a badly conceived pacifism ? Remorse for war crimes committed against the Russians so many years ago? Is it Stockholm syndrome - the victims fascination with his executioner? Of course they are entitled to their opinion. But speaking in this way disadvantage the post-war German government , which is based on democracy and self-determination of peoples, ie everything that is currently under attack by Vladimir Putin. The irony is that standing next to Russia and pointing his finger at the fascists in Ukraine , western intellectuals adapt not only to the autocrat in the Kremlin , but also to the far right parties in Europe , which stood in defense of Russia. Among them are the Hungarian Jobbik , Vlaams Belang in Belgium, the Freedom Party in Austria , the Italian Northern League and the French National Front . Who said that Russia needs of propaganda ? It already has its useful idiots . Slawomir Sierakowski / The New York Times
Posted on: Sat, 03 May 2014 04:19:22 +0000
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