Chomsky: Our Priority on Ukraine Should Be Saving Lives, Not Punishing Russia

Interview War & Peace By C.J. Polychroniou, Truthout

Over two months into the war in Ukraine, and peace is nowhere in sight. In fact, the level of destruction has intensified and both sides seem to have little hope for a peaceful settlement anytime soon.

Furthermore, the international situation is also heating up as some European neutral countries are thinking of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a development that prompted the Kremlin to respond with threats of deploying nuclear weapons in the Baltic region should such a move take place.

In the interview that follows, world-renowned scholar and leading dissident Noam Chomsky addresses these developments in an exclusive interview for Truthout. He emphasizes that we must prioritize saving human lives — not punishing Russia — in determining next moves.

Chomsky is internationally recognized as one of the most important intellectuals alive. He is the author of some 150 books and the recipient of scores of highly prestigious awards, including the Sydney Peace Prize and the Kyoto Prize, and of dozens of honorary doctorate degrees from the world’s most renowned universities.

Chomsky is Institute Professor Emeritus at MIT and currently Laureate Professor at the University of Arizona.

Interview

C.J. Polychroniou: Noam, Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week at a joint press conference with ally Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that peace talks have reached a “dead end” and that the invasion is proceeding as planned. In fact, he vowed that the war would continue until all goals that were set at the start of the invasion are completed. Does Putin not want peace in Ukraine? Is he really at war with NATO and the U.S.? If so, particularly given how dangerous the West’s policy toward Russia has been so far, what can be done now to prevent an entire country from being potentially wiped off the map?

Noam Chomsky: Before proceeding with this discussion, I’d like to emphasize, once again, the most important point: Our prime concern should be to think through carefully what we can do to bring the criminal Russian invasion to a quick end and to save the Ukrainian victims from more horrors. There are, unfortunately, many who find heroic pronouncements to be more satisfying than this necessary task. Not a novelty in history, regrettably. As always, we should keep the prime issue clearly in mind, and act accordingly.

Turning to your comment, the final question is by far the most important one; I’ll return to the earlier ones.

Noam Chomsky: Russia’s War Against Ukraine Has Accelerated the Doomsday Clock

There are, basically, two ways for this war to end: a negotiated diplomatic settlement or destruction of one or the other side, either quickly or in prolonged agony. It won’t be Russia that is destroyed. Uncontroversially, Russia has the capacity to obliterate Ukraine, and if Putin and his cohort are driven to the wall, in desperation they might use this capacity. That surely should be the expectation of those who portray Putin as a “madman” immersed in delusions of romantic nationalism and wild global aspirations.

Militarism in USA and Empire on the rise, fuelling the Ukraine war

Antiwar Groups Protest Defense Industry Profiteering in Ukraine, Tyler Walicek, Truthout, 3 May 22,

The U.S. public largely endorses these policies, with a majority approving of or wishing to increase weaponry shipments. (Further, a remarkable 35 percent favor direct military action — “even if it risks nuclear conflict with Russia,”

***Anti-Peace demonstrations sweep the West***

The war of aggression that Russia has perpetrated in Ukraine has rightly generated widespread condemnation, both among Russia’s Western critics and the world at large.

On the war’s obvious heinousness, almost all of the U.S. political spectrum is in agreement. However, opinions as to the appropriate Western response proceed from vastly different premises.

The predominant left position is, on the whole, resolutely antiwar. U.S. activists of all stripes have been rolling out ambitious organizing efforts in the hopes of nudging the conflict towards diplomacy and an eventual ceasefire. Given the considerable death toll and the millions of refugees the war has produced — to say nothing of the threat of conventional or nuclear escalation — the matter is an urgent one.

Whatever their perspective on the circumstances, organizers from left-liberals to communists are calling upon the means of protest at their disposal, from media initiatives to global rallies to demonstrations at the thresholds of the military-industrial complex.

UK to supply $1.6 billion in military aide to Ukraine – The Savage Diary

To mount an effective confrontation with the U.S. empire and defense industry and influence a far-flung conflict is a daunting prospect. Yet despite the historic scale of the challenge, coalitions of antiwar activists are striving to realize their vision of the end of imperial aggression — perpetrated by Russia and the U.S. alike.

Defaulting to Militarism

Antiwar organizers generally share a conviction that diplomacy should take precedence in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The vast majority are vehemently opposed to any form of active U.S. military intervention — a prudent stance for those who wish to avoid a hot war with a nuclear power.

Unsurprisingly, the same cannot be said for the U.S. political establishment, which has seized upon the opportunity to vilify Russia, seemingly eager to court a clash between the two deteriorating superpowers. Right-wing war fervor, always simmering below the surface, has boiled over; Republican jingoists (and a number of foolhardy op-eds in major media) espoused everything from a no-fly zone to refusing to rule out the deployment of U.S. ground troops.

WW2 Victory Parades in ‘liberated’ areas of Donbass defy Ukrainian attacks

Victory Day Celebrations In Ukrainian Cities Under Russian Control (Photo, Video)

Today, 9 May, Ukraine’s cities, which went under Russian control, held celebrations to commemorate the anniversary of the USSR’s victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Thousands of people attended the celebrations, carrying Soviet and Russian flags as well as pictures of their relatives who fought against Nazism in 1941-1945.

Kherson. Five aerial targets were shot down near Chornobaivka in the Kherson region. Ukrainian missiles targeted the northern part of Kherson city. The Ukrainian missiles were apparently aimed at the Victory Day procession.

The nationalist regime in Kiev has been trying for decades to burn out of the Ukrainians’ memory of the heroic deeds of their ancestors – the soldiers and officers of the Red Army.

The modern pro-NATO Ukrainian leadership has officially proclaimed Nazis who served in the SS as heroes. As resulted from the Nuremberg Tribunal of 1945-1949, the SS was ruled to be a criminal organization responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the mass murder of civilians, medical experiments on people, the genocide of Jews, Slavs and other peoples.

Today, Western and Ukrainian media are actively purged of information about SS and crimes of other organizations of the Nazi party . Information on the crimes is provided with significant reservations and doubts about the legitimacy of the Nuremberg Tribunal decision. For example, check Wikipedia or try using a Google search to find it.

However, people whose families were touched by the crimes of the Nazis remember the facts. In Kherson and other regions of Ukraine, Nazi criminals burned in locked barns, hanged and shot tens of thousands of civilians. These people also remember that the German Nazis were actively assisted by nationalists from the western regions of Ukraine, who surpassed their masters in cruelty.

It has been deadly dangerous to speak out against Nazism in Ukraine over the last eight years. People who dared to do so simply disappeared or were maimed and killed with impunity by neo-Nazis.

Today, for the first time for a long period, the fear of telling the truth receded. Look at this images from various cities in eastern and southern Ukraine that are now under the control of the L/DPR or the Russian MoD.

Melitopol.

see the videos and more photos here: https://southfront.org/victory-day-celebrations-in-ukrainian-cities-under-russian-control-photo-video/

Pfizer VP arrested #pfizerdocuments show PFIZER KNEW – millions of us Dead or Crippled- Media Blackout Continues-

06 Friday May 2022 by Radiopatriot , shared with thanks ≈ 23 Comments by Jason Pires, May 6, 2022

SEE..#pfizerdocuments

Please Note: This article was published in the Vancouver Times (https://vancouvertimes.org/vp-of-pfizer-arrested-after-document-dump/) and is listed as “satire” protecting himself, but the ‘mass murderer’ has not yet reappeared in public. It was followed by one of the strictest ever media blackouts.

The estimated Net Worth of Rady A Johnson is at least $8.59 Million dollars as of 26 February 2022. Mr. Johnson owns over 29,317 units of Pfizer stock worth over $5,110,947 and over the last 8 years he sold PFE stock worth over $3,479,212. In addition, he makes $0 as Chief Compliance, Quality and Risk Officer, and Executive Vice President at Pfizer. — https://wallmine.com/people/40268/rady-a-johnson

Rady Johnson, the executive Vice President of Pfizer, has been arrested at his home and charged with multiple counts of fraud by federal agents. He was taken into custody and is awaiting a bail hearing. This comes as 1,000s of classified documents from Pfizer were released, showing the true risks of the experimental vaccine.

As a result of Rady’s arrest, the hashtag #pfizerdocuments has started trending on Twitter. Multiple celebrities are now calling for other employees at Pfizer to be arrested.

Everyone at Pfizer needs to be arrested for crimes against Humanity! #pfizerdocuments
— Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) May 5, 2022

Since joining Pfizer in 1994, Rady held multiple high level positions in the company. Rady previously lead the Regulatory Law practice group as well as the Corporate Regulatory and Healthcare Law Audit functions.

https://twitter.com/TrevorKQuinton/status/1522574478945009665 (Note: tweet has been deleted)

Keean Bexte, an independent journalist formerly employed by Rebel News, pointed out how 1,223 people died within the first 28 days after taking the Pfizer jab. There are reports that the vaccine killed all the animals during the trial.

SHOCKER: Following the release of the Pfizer documents, it’s now confirmed that 1,223 people died within the first 28 days after being inoculated with the BioNTech Pfizer vaccine during trials — and it was still approved for use. https://t.co/BPxXvjUTsa
— Keean Bexte (@TheRealKeean) May 5, 2022

A judge has granted a media blackout on request of Rady’s lawyers, and Google is suppressing search results. Rady faces life in prison if convicted.

URGENT PFIZER NEWS: Pfizer and the CDC committed fraud for willfully withholding critical data from the public resulting in harm and death to thousands. The CDC is spreading medical misinformation. What they have done is obscene. We are completely vindicated.

Thread 1 of 3 pic.twitter.com/311Ie9IcdH
— Truth Justice (@LakovosJustice_) May 4, 2022

Evil Protection Racket threatens our Lives! – Organising against next NATO summit in Madrid on June 29 and 30.

via mpr21.info shared with thanks.. May 7, 2022

note: of course there’s no need to wait till 29th June to protest the war. The way things are going they may have blown up the planet by then!

NATO is a terrorist organization that has been devastating countries for decades, ravaging entire regions, looting their resources, annihilating towns and sowing panic wherever they go.

Open Assembly> Madrid on War Footing against the NATO Summit in Madrid on June 29 and 30

The holding of this summit in Madrid was proposed with extreme enthusiasm by this rogue government, which calls itself “progressive” but, like all the previous ones, willingly licks the boot of Yankee imperialism and follows all its dictates.

This summit began to be planned in full imperialist escalation of the aggressions and tensions against Russia and China that have ended, how could it be otherwise, by provoking a war whose horrible consequences are still far from over.

¡La mafia de la OTAN amenaza nuestras vidas! -Contra la cumbre de la OTAN en Madrid

Estrategia Redacción 7 de mayo de 2022

Para los próximos 29 y 30 de junio está prevista la celebración en Madrid de la cumbre de la OTAN, esa organización terrorista que lleva décadas arrasando países, asolando regiones enteras, saqueando sus recursos, aniquilando pueblos y sembrando el pánico allí por donde pasa.

La celebración de esta cumbre en Madrid fue propuesta con extremo entusiasmo por este gobierno de canallas, que se hace llamar “progresista” pero, como todos los anteriores, lame gustoso la bota del imperialismo yanki y sigue todos sus dictados.

Esta cumbre empezó a planearse en plena escalada imperialista de las agresiones y tensiones contra Rusia y China que han acabado, como no podía ser de otra manera, por provocar una guerra cuyas horribles consecuencias están aún lejos de terminar.

En dicha cumbre, a parte de nombrar a un nuevo “comandante en jefe”, se trazará la nueva estrategia para los próximos años donde, entre otras importantes cuestiones, está el despliegue de armamento nuclear táctico o la posible inclusión de Finlandia y Suecia, lo cual significa echar más leña al fuego de la guerra desatada.

También se aprobarán nuevas partidas de presupuesto, que sin duda alguna pagaremos las clases populares.

Es decir, no solo seremos carne de cañón en sus guerras de rapiña, además costearemos sus expediciones con nuestros impuestos -los que tenemos más los que están por venir-, una inflación desbocada y a través de los numerosos recortes que ya estamos padeciendo.

No hay dinero para sanidad, educación, viviendas públicas… pero para destruir y asesinar con total impunidad estos “señores de la guerra” nunca tienen empacho. Pero hay más.

La OTAN sirve también para garantizar el expolio de las clases populares dentro de los propios estados miembro.

Ayuda a reprimir cualquier intento interno de luchar por la mejora de nuestras condiciones de vida, apuntalando así al régimen autoritario que nos oprime.

Debemos oponernos con todas nuestras fuerzas. Hay que dejar muy claro que no seremos cómplices de sus crímenes.

Es nuestro deber como antifascistas y antimilitaristas organizar una respuesta contundente para que escuchen bien claro que no los queremos ni en nuestra ciudad ni en ningún sitio y que no vamos a quedarnos de brazos cruzados mientras planean la masacre y expolio de los pueblos amenazados por el imperialismo.

In Honour of David Graeber: Exploring the Fissures and Cracks

Feature

shared with thanks from> https://www.focaalblog.com/features/in-honour-of-david-graeber/

Editors: Becky Bowers, Megan Laws, Giulio Ongaro, and Alpa Shah

Sometimes, the dead can be more alive than the living. With David Graeber, one year on, it certainly feels this way.

The contributions to this feature pay tribute to his legacy by beginning to unravel the generous gifts of writing he left us with.

These conversations first took place at the LSE Research Seminar on Anthropological Theory, which, in the Michaelmas Term of 2021, was devoted to honouring David’s writings by bringing two leading anthropologists together each week to discuss one of his major works.

David was a hugely influential public intellectual. He not only produced work that spanned an extraordinarily wide variety of topics that mattered to people, but he also wrote in an accessible and engaging language that broke with the constraints of institutionalised academia.

David revelled in his success but, above all else, he wanted to be seen as an anthropologist and to be critically engaged as such.

This feature is designed to do just that—to cast a critical lens on some of his most compelling ideas, beginning a project of analysis that will occupy anthropologists for many years to come.

David’s work was wide-ranging, from debt to pirates, bureaucracy to bull-shit jobs, kings to rewriting the teleological assumptions of the history of humanity.

In this feature, we will discuss a few of his important works: from his ethnographic research in Madagascar, to his later writing on value, debt, anarchism, myth, bureaucracy, and bullshit jobs.