Sausage Making is not a Spectator Sport!

 Weekly Opinion Editorial

SAUSAGE MAKING!

by Steve Fair

     Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a former entertainer.  He played the part of the president in a popular Ukrainian TV show titled, “Servant of the People.’  He was elected by a landslide in 2019 after helping create the political Party title the same as his TV show- Servant of the People.   Zelenskyy’s presidential campaign was unconventional.  He used social media, stand-up comedy, and a YouTube channel to reach voters.  His message was anti-establishment and anti-corruption.  His campaign tag line was: “Bringing professional, decent people to power.”  He had little policy experience and had not sought public office before.

    This week, Zelenskyy visited the White House with the stated purpose to negotiate an end to the three-year war with Russia.  It didn’t go well.  Zelenskyy and President Trump got into a very public dispute.  Tempers flared and Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House.  Reactions in the U.S. and around the world varied.  Three observations:

     First, Russia is America’s sworn enemy.  In the aftermath of WWI, the Soviet Union was formed as a Communist/Marxism form of government.  The U.S. opposed the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and its ideology and the Communist leaders who came to power never forgot it.  Even though Russia and the U.S. fought together as allies against Nazi Germany, tensions persisted throughout WWII.  Following WWII, the Cold War began.  It was a period of competition and confrontation between the U.S. and Russia, marked by espionage, wars over the spread of communism and the build-up of nuclear arms.  President Reagan’s ‘peace through strength’ strategy resulted in the eventual economic collapse and breakup of the old Soviet Union.  But leadership in Russia has remained steadfast in their goal of destroying America’s capitalism economic system and reuniting the old Soviet Union.  No matter how friendly they appear, Russia remains America’s sworn enemy.

     Second, the Ukrainian government is corrupt.  Corruption goes back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.  Politicians, organized crime and oligarchs seized the country’s vast natural resources as their own.  The U.S. State Department described Ukraine government as a Kleptocracy or Thievocracy- a government whose leaders use their power to steal the wealth of their people. 

Make no mistake- bribery, graft, and payola are alive and well in Ukraine.   

    Zelenskyy is not a noble champion of democracy, but unfortunately his acceptance as a champion of freedom and justice is bipartisan.  Democrats and Republicans alike are big fans of the smooth talker.  But since the war started with Russia, Zelenskyy has outlawed eleven opposition political Parties and invoked martial law.  He is ruling in his country as an unelected dictator. 

     An audit a year ago by Zelenskyy’s own defense secretary found $262 million dollars of fraud and kickbacks by members of the military and parliament.  Most of that money came from American taxpayers.  President Trump puts the amount of aid at $350 billion thus far- other sources claim it is ‘only’ $182 billion.  But whatever the number, the United States has sent more money to Ukraine than it cost to fight the Vietnam war.

     Third, Russia needs Ukraine’s resources.  That is Putin’s motivation and the primary reason he invaded Ukraine.  He needs their agricultural production to feed the Russian people.  Russia needs their natural gas, oil, and minerals.  He grew weary of trying to negotiate and decided he would simply take it.  Diplomacy almost always works when all sides seek a workable solution, but when talks broke down, Putin deployed troops. 

     The Russians and the Ukrainians share a language, a religion, and history, but it been far from brotherly.  Ukraine and Russia both trace their origins to Kyivan Rus’, an early medieval state formed in the ninth century.  Lenin had to fight a very strong Ukrainian national movement during a civil war waged from 1917-1921 to keep Ukraine in the Soviet Union.  Many Ukrainians believe Putin wants to eliminate their right to exist and identify as a separate people.

     Last week, Americans saw how the sausage is made.  The practical and often unpleasant, messy aspects of a process usually not made public were on display.  Some Americans were appalled/embarrassed/ashamed by President Trump and Vice President Vance’s behavior toward Zelenskyy and his being asked to leave the White House.  Zelenskyy played the victim because his goal is to get more of American taxpayer dollars.  This week, Americans learned that sausage making is not a spectator sport.