They have been like headlines from darkest days of the Cold War: “Russian troops massing on the border! Tanks set to roll”
Will they invade? When will they attack?
That Crimea would only be the start of campaign of seizures by Russia has become an underlying assumption of much of the commentary. Hasn't Russia always been an expansionist power after all?
Then Putin announced that Russia was pulling its troops back from the border and called for the referendums in the east to be called off, and this narrative was called into question.
Either it must just be a ruse on his part, or the dominant narrative wrong.
No guesses which formulation the media has gone for. The wily fox is just trying to keep everyone off guard. The "War on Ukraine" continues. We must prepare for the worst.
Rhetoric with a purpose
This Cold war rhetoric is serving a purpose though.
It is acting as a justification for increased arms spending and further Nato expansion.
For instance in just one recent statement, after accusing Russia of expansionism and militarism, the head of Nato Anders Fogh Rassmussen said that “Above all, we must stop the decline of our defence budgets. And start reinvesting in our security.”
Not wanting to let a good crisis go to waste Nato leaders have sought to use the Russian menace to once again justify its own existence and the waste billions on useless baroque and useless military technology.
After a twenty years of having to find new missions (“nation building”, “liberal intervention”) it can now get back to its original mission, defence of the “western civilization” against the Russian hordes.
Complete story at - The Russians are coming! (or maybe not) | Counterfire
Will they invade? When will they attack?
That Crimea would only be the start of campaign of seizures by Russia has become an underlying assumption of much of the commentary. Hasn't Russia always been an expansionist power after all?
Then Putin announced that Russia was pulling its troops back from the border and called for the referendums in the east to be called off, and this narrative was called into question.
Either it must just be a ruse on his part, or the dominant narrative wrong.
No guesses which formulation the media has gone for. The wily fox is just trying to keep everyone off guard. The "War on Ukraine" continues. We must prepare for the worst.
Rhetoric with a purpose
This Cold war rhetoric is serving a purpose though.
It is acting as a justification for increased arms spending and further Nato expansion.
For instance in just one recent statement, after accusing Russia of expansionism and militarism, the head of Nato Anders Fogh Rassmussen said that “Above all, we must stop the decline of our defence budgets. And start reinvesting in our security.”
Not wanting to let a good crisis go to waste Nato leaders have sought to use the Russian menace to once again justify its own existence and the waste billions on useless baroque and useless military technology.
After a twenty years of having to find new missions (“nation building”, “liberal intervention”) it can now get back to its original mission, defence of the “western civilization” against the Russian hordes.
Complete story at - The Russians are coming! (or maybe not) | Counterfire
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