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| Soros: Europe must not treat Ukraine like another Greece |
| 2015-04-06 |
| That's my job! The European Union stands at a crossroads. The shape it takes five years from now will be decided in the coming 35 months. Year after year, the EU has successfully muddled through its difficulties. But now it has to deal with two sources of existential crisis: Greece and Ukraine. That may prove too much. Greece’s long-festering crisis has been mishandled by all parties from the outset. Emotions are running so high that muddling through is the only constructive alternative. But Ukraine is different. It is a black-and-white case. Vladimir Putin’s Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine, in defending itself, is defending the values and principles on which the EU was built. Yet Europe treats Ukraine like another Greece. That is the wrong approach, and it is producing the wrong results. Putin is gaining ground in Ukraine, and Europe is so preoccupied with Greece that it hardly pays any attention. Putin’s preferred outcome in Ukraine is to engineer a financial and political collapse that destabilises the country, and for which he can disclaim responsibility, rather than a military victory that leaves him in possession of – and responsible for – part of Ukraine. He has shown this by twice converting a military victory into a ceasefire. The deterioration in Ukraine’s position between the two ceasefire agreements – Minsk I, negotiated last September, and Minsk II, completed in February – shows the extent of Putin’s success. But that success is temporary, and Ukraine is too valuable an ally for the EU to abandon. More at the link. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #12 Soros hijacked Karl Popper's legacy; ref, The Open Society and It's Enemies. Billionaire investor and left-wing political activist George Soros, a disciple of Karl Popper,[20] has argued that sophisticated use of powerful techniques of subtle deception borrowed from modern advertising and cognitive science by conservative political operatives such as Frank Luntz and Karl Rove casts doubt on Popper's original conception of open society.[21] Because the electorate's perception of reality can easily be manipulated, democratic political discourse does not necessarily lead to a better understanding of reality.[21] Soros argues that besides the requirements for the separation of powers, free speech, and free elections, we also need to make explicit a strong commitment to the pursuit of truth.[21] "Politicians will respect, rather than manipulate, reality only if the public cares about the truth and punishes politicians when it catches them in deliberate deception."[21] Like most on the Left, Soros is a conspiracy nut. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2015-04-06 14:44 |
| #11 ...if by "open society," you mean a centralized, authoritarian state run by an oligarchy comprised of Ayn Rand villains: then yes, George Soros has worked hard for that. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2015-04-06 14:00 |
| #10 Everything Soros has touched has turned to shit. He is evil. |
| Posted by: newc 2015-04-06 13:30 |
| #9 Soros's "open society" is like the "arbeit macht frei" sign above the entrance. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2015-04-06 11:49 |
| #8 ^ really, don't get out much, huh? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2015-04-06 11:13 |
| #7 why do you hate Soros, OldSPook? Breaking the pound yes, but that was business since then he's been saying he's been promoting open societies. i've lost track since then. One would think Open societies would be a good thing. |
| Posted by: anon1 2015-04-06 09:39 |
| #6 Soros: "Dammit, I bought and paid for that country. Somebody go liberate it!" |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2015-04-06 07:10 |
| #5 He's not deluded BP. A "human being", OS? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2015-04-06 05:03 |
| #4 Soros... one of the few human beings I will celebrate the death of. Reprehensible, evil little man. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2015-04-06 04:31 |
| #3 Since the EU Caused the Ukraine problems, I think this shows just how deluded Soros is... |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2015-04-06 03:03 |
| #2 If Soros wants to help Ukraine he could pay for building some power plants there that don't depend on Putin. (Among many other things). That would attack the problem at its source. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2015-04-06 01:25 |
| #1 Treat the Ukraine how ever you want, you have not come to their aid hence you are cowards. |
| Posted by: Skunky Omiting9526 2015-04-06 00:06 |