MY NEW YEAR’S MESSAGE AND HOPE FOR A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT FOR THE RUSSIO-UKRAINIAN WAR IN THE YEAR OF THE RABBIT.
…..`So why is there a war at all? ` asks Tjaden.
Kat shrugs. `There must be some people who find the war worthwhile.’
`Well, I’m not one of them`, grins Tjaden.
`No, and nor is anybody else here`….
`And I bet there are other people behind it all who are making a profit out of the war’ grumbles Detering.
`I think it’s more a kind of fever’, says Albert. `Nobody really wants it, but all of a sudden, there it is. We didn’t want the war; they say the same thing on the other side – and in spite of that, half the world is at it hammer and tongs`
`They tell more lies on the other side than our lot though,’ I put in. `What about those leaflets the POWs had on them, where they said that we eat Belgian babies? People who write things like that ought to be strung up. They’re the real villains`.
From All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Wilke (1929).
The news death of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev at the end of August last year in a hospital in Moscow came loaded with a dreadful symbolism.
Here was a prominent figure, who in spite of some quite obvious weaknesses, had dedicated much of the latter part of his life to internationalism, peaceful co-operation between East and West and disarmament. His official send off in his own country seemed paltry and almost begrudging – with the President himself too tied up in matters of war – to even put in an appearance.
Salivating generals.
This is a great time to be a retired military man in the West. You will be much in demand as a hired talking head wheeled onto an endless raft of online radio channels and YouTube stations with your every word hung on like never before. Your task is to foresee the imminent implosion and `break up` of the Russian Federation – something that NATO, as one of the sponsors of this awful conflict – has long set in its’ sights.
Since the Western public’s appetite for this costly drawn out war of attrition is not that great, the narrative also has to be spiced up with claims that the Russian troops are leaving behind booby trapped toys for Ukrainian children to stumble upon and have been setting up torture chambers for children too. These lurid claims, circulated with little concrete corroboration, are as about as convincing as the propaganda to the effect that the Huns were gobbling up Belgian babies in the First World War.
For this last year I have contemplating getting down in writing my fervent desire for a diplomatic political settlement to this war, for an armistice at least – yet I have always hesitated before adding my voice to the mix. I feel as if I am somehow not yet equal to the task. It appears, after all, that I am just a simple guy who likes novels, films and rock/pop.
Still, for those with eyes to see there are already fresh takes, with a bit more perspective, to be found on what is happening in the Ukraine. Jeffrey Sachs, Kate Hudson, John Pilger, Russell Brand, or even – if you can stomach his brand of `Red Fascism` – George Galloway…to name a few.
It is harder to feel any optimism about assistance coming from Russia itself: The Brain Drain afflicting that country was an issue long before the war but, of late (and particularly since the mobilization of last September) this exodus of the intelligent youth has been exacerbated in an exponential way.
And yet…and yet rock bands who have taken an antiwar stance continue to tour (the band LOUNA came to Almaty this week – alas I could not attend this time for health reasons) promising and original films (albeit conceived before 24th February last year) continue to be produced and distributed in Russia and beyond (see above).
Another promising sign is the ongoing phenomena of Russian You Tube Vox Pop channels. One example is the indefatigable 1420 but there are others. In these shows there are a significant number of Russians on the streets of cities and towns who are not afraid of expressing sentiments critical of Putin’s war.
Whilst we must appreciate those Vloggers who have set up shop in nearby countries the better to continue to get news and views out without fear of molestation –Inside Russia and NFKRZ – come to mind, a special call out needs to made for those oppositional vloggers who have made a point of staying put, such as a young woman going by the name of Agent Nesty.
Observation post in KZ.
This issue is close to the bone for me as I am one of those who – after a lot of prevarication -took the nearest exit. I had a life in Moscow but the kind of freedoms I felt I needed both as a blogger and private citizen were more and more in question there.
I am now basking in the polite hospitality of the good people of Kazakhstan, where there a range of delicious types of Lagman to try, a decent local beer (Line Brew) and some affordable ballet.
Better still, even if the Kazakhstan leadership seems as corrupt as they come, their foreign policy does contain much to admire. Kazakhstan is one of the few nations to have volunteered to rid itself of nuclear weapons. The nation now pursues a `multisector` approach to international relations. This has allowed them to be neutral-cum-critical in their stance on Russia’s invasion. Anti-war protests have been given the green light in the cities of Kazakhstan and not only that but Almaty staged a concert featuring many Kazakh artists called Voice For Peace on July 31st last year. Furthermore, Tokyaev has told Putin to his face that he will not recognize the legitimacy of territories seized by Russia in their land grabs.
So, it seems that I am safe here to continue as before. Now however there is a slight new twist to what I am about. Russia has become one of the most despised – and isolated – nations in the developed world and my job is to now pull from the fire some of the most hopeful cultural embers that come out of that nation and put them on show.
I will do so to build bridges. The stark fact is that, sooner, or later, this hellish civil war will just have to grind to a halt. When it does so the West will need to resume relations with Russia again and, on the way, will need some stepping stones to help them cross. We need to avoid repeating the history of what happened to Germany following the end of the First World War and its subsequent spiral into Nazism, which led to further wars.
And, who knows, I may start to incorporate some of the colonized Central Asian cultures of the post- Soviet period into my remit as well – such as those of the Kazakhs.
The `Year of the Tiger` may not have been the End of Days that it seemed Something good may yet emerge on the Eastern front – and you will read about it here.
WISHING YOU INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION FOR 2023!
Lead imge(of the International Space Station – the last outpost of Russian-Western co-operation) – is from Wkimedia Commons.