The West’s Looting of Ukraine Has Begun

[Judi Lynn]

April 01, 2014
Shackled by the IMF

The West’s Looting of Ukraine Has Begun

by PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS


It is now apparent that the “Maiden protests” in Kiev were in actuality a Washington organized coup against the elected democratic government. The purpose of the coup is to put NATO military bases on Ukraine’s border with Russia and to impose an IMF austerity program that serves as cover for Western financial interests to loot the country. The sincere idealistic protesters who took to the streets without being paid were the gullible dupes of the plot to destroy their country.

Politically Ukraine is an untenable aggregation of Ukrainian and Russian territory, because traditional Russian territories were stuck into the borders of the Ukraine Soviet Republic by Lenin and Khrushchev. The Crimea, stuck into Ukraine by Khrushchev, has already departed and rejoined Russia. Unless some autonomy is granted to them, Russian areas in eastern and southern Ukraine might also depart and return to Russia. If the animosity displayed toward the Russian speaking population by the stooge government in Kiev continues, more defections to Russia are likely.

The Washington-imposed coup faces other possible difficulties from what seems to be a growing conflict between the well-organized Right Sector and the Washington-imposed stooges. If armed conflict between these two groups were to occur, Washington might conclude that it needs to send help to its stooges. The appearance of US/NATO troops in Ukraine would create pressure on Putin to occupy the remaining Russian speaking parts of Ukraine.

Before the political and geographical issues are settled, the Western looting of Ukraine has already begun. The Western media, doesn’t tell any more truth about IMF “rescue packages” than it does about anything else. The media reports, and many Ukrainians believe, that the IMF is going to rescue Ukraine financially by giving the country billions of dollars.

More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/04/01/the-new-face-of-the-radical-right/

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Gee,who wouda thunk!

Asked the question on day one,who was paying for the Merch's we seen in all the videos. Come to find out,the Neo-con Bankers and big Oil. Gee,who woulda thunk.

[Shivering Jemmy]

2. Cool

I hope they have some stuff worth looting.

[Jake Stern]

3. Thousands took to the square for this.

I pity the poor and elderly who will suffer the most under IMF's crushing austerity but I feel NO pity for the people who stood in the square with Neo-Nazis to force out the government.

To quote our former Speaker of the House: "Embrace the suck".

[Igel]

4. And yet it's the Russian national oil/gas company that seems most interested in the shelf off Crimea

Which is a bit strange, if Russia is trying to make sure Ukraine gets what's Ukraine.

Then there's the gas price hikes. That won't extract any income from Ukraine.

The requirement that Crimea gets none of Ukraine's debt, even though it was subsidized--not just for pensions and the like, but also for its methane consumption.

Yanukovich extracted a great deal out of Ukraine. So did various of his compadres.

Or perhaps the Ukr navy was looted. After all, it wasn't all taken over by Russia. Russia looked over and decided not to take what was obsolete. What Russia doesn't want Ukraine has to tow out of newly Russianized waters. At Ukraine's expense.

Or perhaps the transfer of exhibits from the museums in Crimea, now that they're Russia, to St. Petersburg? Not on "permanent loan." Just the moving of state property where it can be properly enjoyed.

Somehow none of this is looting. Only Westerners can loot. And only when asked in.

Invade, impose, intimidate ... as long as you're not Western, it's not "looting."

[cprise]

5. It would be interesting to see what the balance sheet is

...at the macro scale.

The western model is to provide military spending loans to any local political class that's willing to sell off its infrastructure and resources to (western) corporations. The country in question goes for the loan, and that money gets pumped back to the US via "defence" contractors. All the new arms make the local politicos look invincible to any opposition.

So if this assertion of (possibly false) equivalency in foreign policy were true, then there is a good chance that Ukraine hasn't paid for that naval fleet.

[blkmusclmachine]

6. U$A U$A U$A

[polly7]

7. Anyone who was paying attention knew this was coming.

What I find hilarious is all those who were blasting those of us for 'defending the invasion of Crimea!!!!', when we were actually trying to defend the people of Ukraine from another disastrous future of austerity and servitude to the IMF. But it did one thing .... it made me realize that not everyone here thinks poverty and austerity are bad things ....... as long as those at the top make out like bandits.

Oh yeah ........ almost forgot - you Putin lover, you!

[Nye Bevan]

8. So giving them billions in aid is "Western looting".

Okayyyyyyyyy......

[paulkienitz]

9. riiiiight. Western bankers evil, Russia noble and blameless.

When was it the Soviet Union supposedly fell? I thought we were past the days of listening to pseudo-leftists with Russian hands up the backs of their shirts, but I guess not.

[TBF]

10. ^ lol ... McCarthy called and wants his 1950s back.

[Nitram]

11. Fascinating to see pro-Russian propaganda on DU...

But I guess it is to be expected when Russia is spending millions to influence public opinion through social media and elsewhere (e.g. huge supplements in the Washington Post). If we are really lucky, Putin won't make a land grab in Eastern Ukraine, and will forgo further adventures in "liberating" Russian-speaking people in nearby countries.