War in Ukraine: Elon Musk on The Reason Why

 

The Republican Nation website today published a 2014 video “Linking US To Ukraine’s Political Crisis” that Elon Musk has drawn attention (to). https://republicannation.com/musk-resurfaces-2014-video-linking-us-to-ukraines-political-crisis/ The video is an interview with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) admitting that U.S. policies played a role in removing Viktor Yanukovych,  President of Ukraine (2010 -- 2014), from power.

By releasing the video now, Musk is bringing renewed attention to the role the U.S. played in setting Ukraine on a path to war. Well, that’s today’s news, but on March 7, 2025, exactly 11 years ago, I wrote a similar essay https://thegreygrater.blogspot.com/2014/03/plan-x-for-ukraine-game-changer.html. I am republishing it here because if you want to end this war, you damn well better know why it started.

Now (2014) that Russian President Vladimir Putin has gotten his way in Crimea and Ukraine, thanks in no small measure to the bumbling bureaucrats in Brussels, and the naïve amateurs in America (Obama Administration).  

There is nothing this administration and its allies have but excuses. American military action in the Ukraine, with Mr. Obama as Commander in Chief, is off the table. We’re spread too thin. NATO intervention requiring the support of European capitals – never happened. Besides, Ukraine is not a member of NATO, so no Charter obligation. Economic sanctions sure, but the other side can play that game too. In fact, the crisis has increased energy prices that will compensate Russia for lost revenue from other sources. Other sanctions such as visas, suspending multi-lateral talks, canceling meeting participation, and White House non-participation in the Sochi Paralympics Games, are all under consideration.

This explains a lot as to why American and European foreign policy has been so risible and pathetic. The Russians, Chinese, Israelis, Egyptians, and others, understand that the world is a dangerous place, even deadly, not classroom exercises. Lives are at stake, and the possibility of a catastrophic event is not science fiction. History for these people is long and incredibly serious, and not correlated to today’s bankrupt sensibilities and cultural deprivation.

If you follow the dialogue between Messrs. Putin and Sergey Lavrov on the one side, and Messrs. Obama and Kerry on the other, you would think you went through time and found yourself in March 1999. But, it would be confusing. Then it was Bill Clinton and Madeleine Albright, playing the parts of Putin and Lavrov defending NATO’s duty to go to war in Kosovo, and Boris Yeltsin and Igor Ivanov searching for a peaceful solution. It’s true, where you sit is where you stand.

Bill Clinton and Madeleine Albright lied about the “atrocities” being committed in Kosovo leading up to the war in March 1999. What was going on in Kosovo in 1999 was a military campaign waged by the Kosovo Liberation Army (“KLA”), to separate Kosovo from Serbia, and eventually create a greater Albania, made up of Albania, Kosovo, northern Macedonia, and the Preševo Valley in Serbia. The so-called humanitarian disaster in Kosovo was orchestrated by the KLA, not Serbia. Mr. Clinton’s statement to the nation, read: “We act to protect thousands of innocent people,” while Madeleine Albright chirped endlessly about atrocities being committed by the Serbs. It was all lies. The real perpetrator was the KLA, Mr. Clinton’s and Madame Albright’s “freedom fighters.”

Moreover, the KLA took advantage of the Holbrooke Agreement (Rambouillet) in October 1998, in which Serbia removed its forces from Kosovo, to conduct its bloody military campaign. This was never made public. There were very few incidents of Albanian civilians being attacked by Serbian forces (see OSCE reports of monitoring groups). The total number of Albanian civilians killed before the war started in March 1999, was at most, 47. So the rai·son d'être for NATO to go to war was at best suspicious.

Today we know we were being told more lies by the Obama Administration and the European Union (“EU”).  On February 18, protesters attack police lines and set fires outside parliament. Riot police respond to the violence by trying to push protesters off Independence Square. At least 26 people died and hundreds were injured. On February 20, hours after a truce is announced, violence resumes, with snipers shooting protesters from the rooftops. All the Western media and government officials reported that the snipers were under orders from the Ukrainian Government of President Viktor Yanukovych.

Not so fast. First reported on ZeroHedge.com, on March 5, 2014, a new recording of a telephone conversation between EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton and Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet, revealed this disturbing news: In the conversation, Mr. Paet states that:

    “the killing was from both sides, policemen and people from the street… So there is now stronger                 and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovych, but it was somebody                 from the new coalition.”

The upshot is: first the United States orchestrated and foments the overthrow of the legally elected Yanukovych government because the West did not like his decision on the EU; and now we learn the leaders of the newly installed Coalition Government, were the ones who ordered the killings in the Maidan Square in Kyiv, the capital city of the Ukraine. There is evidence to suggest that the Coalition Government that came to power with US and EU support,  murdered its own people to fabricate the pretext under which it took power. 

Does this act remind you of anything? That’s right, Kosovo.

The Coalition was running the KLA playbook, and the US and EU were laying down cover. But this time their hand is weak. NATO is a shell of its former self, and Russia is not Serbia. As a result, Crimea and Eastern Ukraine are now for all intents and purposes part of Russia.

And finally, Mr. Obama now tells us that what Russia is doing violates international law. He lectures:

    “There is a strong belief that Russia’s action is violating international law. I know President Putin                 seems to have a different set of lawyers making a different set of interpretations, but I don’t think                 that’s fooling anybody.”

Well, Mr. Obama and Mr. Putin must have hired the same lawyers Bill Clinton and Tony Blair had to justify NATO’s war in Serbia (Kosovo). Then the Russians argued that the Kosovo War and recognition of Kosovo’s independence was a violation of international law, a UN Resolution, the UN Charter, and the principle of national sovereignty forged out of the horror of World War II. So, Mr. Obama, the only one fooling anybody is you, your Administration, and the Brussels bureaucrats. Kosovo was folly, and until you correct that mistake, it is disingenuous to tell others they are acting badly.

Mr. Obama and company have another foreign policy failure on their hands. A word to the people of Ukraine -- do you really think a man like Mr. Obama, who would not save his own Ambassador in Benghazi, Libya against a band of terrorists, would come to your rescue?

He didn’t! Hence, under the Biden Administration, the war in Ukraine has raged on since February 2022 to the present with millions of lives lost on both sides. 

Well, that’s the story, and humanity can only weep.

Trump’s Gaza Proposal

During a press conference held at the White House on February 4th, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said, “The US will take over the Gaza Strip.” 

 

Trump on other occasions has said ‘he would like to see all Palestinians move to other Arab countries.’ He further proffered that Palestinian control of Gaza “will never work.” And he added: “You have to learn from history.” It should also be noted that there is no Palestinian state and no sovereign power in the territory.

 

When I was doing a residency with the Department of Hospitals, New York City, in 1968, the Commissioner would allow me to attend many of his staff meetings, in which one short phrase would silence the room: “let me tell you how it is.” Well, regarding Trump’s Gaza proposal, let me tell you how it is. As in many of President Trump’s pronouncements, the truth is in the details, and hidden from naive eyes. 

 

The idea of Gaza as an American protectorate is a red herring. Technically since Gaza is not a State, it cannot be a US protectorate. However, it can be a US quasi-protectorate, giving the US exclusive control or influence in the territory. I would posit that the Middle East would have difficulty accepting Israel's return to Gaza. however, the US in Gaza is ‘a horse of another color,’ and therefore is feasible.

 

The Palestinians, of course, don’t get it, or more likely don’t want to. This is the hard truth that Trump understands. The Palestinian population’s attitudes and ideology towards Israel have not been broken by its latest war. The war against Israel has been the policy of the Palestinians since, at least, 1948, in which every child has been indoctrinated into the hatred and destruction of the Israeli people and their state, i.e. "from the river to the sea."  

 

Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya repeated the terrorist organization’s commitment to the destruction of Israel in his first public remarks (January 17, 2025). Al-Hayya described the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 people in Israel as a “miraculous” achievement, declaring the atrocities would “remain a source of pride” for Palestinians, “passed down through generations.” Hamas terrorists “will expel the occupation from our land and from Al Quds [Jerusalem] at the earliest time possible.” (Jewish News Syndicate)

 

Now, let me tell you this. Trump’s proposal changes the conversation, which is genius. Without a culturally bankrupt terrorist territory on Israel’s southern border, one gigantic obstacle to peace in the Middle East is solved, which also would allow Israel and other actors to concentrate on Iran, the real tyrannical state in the Middle East. Public enemy number one if you will.

 

In conclusion, the Palestinians essentially had a “Palestinian State” in Gaza and the West Bank, since the Oslo Accords in 1993. But, have created nothing; absolutely nothing except tunnels to destroy Israel. Someone should have told them that this is not the 7th Century. Maybe living elsewhere, in a civilized society, will destroy the ideology that has prevented peace in the Middle East.  

Israel’s War on Terrorism: Lessons From History

It should be perfectly clear that Israel’s war on terrorism is both a war against state and non-state terrorists. The state actors are Hamas and Iran (Turkey under Erdogan), while the non-state actors are Hezbollah, Houthis, and the Islamic Republic. Destruction of both is essential for a lasting peace.

However, we are now told that a cease-fire and hostage exchange is scheduled for Sunday, January 19, 2025, the day before Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States of America. The first phase is the release of civilian women, children, and those over 50 held hostage by Hamas (approximately 33 of the 100 people held by Hamas, yet most experts believe that half of the remaining hostages are dead). In exchange, Israel will release Hamas terrorists aka prisoners (approximately 12 for 1 or 396), and a withdrawal from populated parts of Gaza. Phase two includes the release of all other hostages by Hamas and a full pullout of Israeli troops. The final phase would include a return of the bodies of the hostages who died in captivity and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction. During the phases, the United Nations would assume a leading role in governing Gaza.

This settlement for Israel borders on the psychotic! 

The lessons of history clearly predict that this settlement will result in further bloodshed and negate the sacrifices already made by Israel’s soldiers and civilian population. 

The very best understanding of this is the brilliant work of John David Lewis’s scholarly book, Nothing Less Than Victory: Decisive Wars And The Lessons of History (Princeton University Press, 2010). Professor Lewis proffers that “conflicts began (sic) with an act of military aggression (in this case against an unarmed civilian population) ... The goal of war is the subjugation of the hostile will ... the object of war is now and has always been, the overcoming of the hostile will to resist ... When that will is broken, then capitulation follows.”

Now think about this “peace deal”. Hamas’s will has not been broken. The terrorist state continues its fight. The Palestinian population’s attitudes and ideology towards Israel have not been broken. In fact, they were dancing in their streets of rubble when news of a peace deal was announced. They do not believe they were defeated -- just another ceasefire in their war to destroy the Israeli State. There has been no surrender! (1)

I would proffer that the lesson of Japan’s unconditional surrender in 1945 is the template for ending the war in Gaza and lasting peace. War was a national policy for Japan since 1889.  One of the most powerful documents in modern Japanese history was the 1890, “Imperial Rescript on Education,” which obligated every child to a system of education that focused on “worshipful obedience to the emperor, sacrifice to the nation, and warrior virtues.”

Similarly, the war against Israel has been the policy of the Palestinians since, at least, 1947, in which every child was indoctrinated into the hatred and destruction of the Israeli people and their state, i.e. "from the river to the sea."  

Professor Lewis instructs that the educational focal point for Japanese students was the imperial portraits. Similarly, Yasser Arafat’s likeness was the ubiquitous focal point for Palestinians. 

According to Professor Lewis and other historians, “To achieve victory, one must first know what victory is ... for the United States, it was the total and permanent destruction of Japan’s will and capacity to fight." That meant: unconditional surrender. Israel’s war with terrorist states and non-terrorist state actors, it means the destruction of an ideology that is based on the hatred of Israel and the Jewish people. And more importantly, every Palestinian must be convinced beyond a doubt of their defeat. (2)

In 1945, the American attitude towards Japan was: “The entire population of Japan is a proper Military Target ... There Are No Civilians in Japan.” The Potsdam Declaration of July 26, 1945, signed by the United States, Great Britain, and China was an ultimatum. There was no negotiation. It reads in part:

“The time has come for Japan to decide whether she will continue to be controlled by those self-willed militaristic advisers whose unintelligent calculations have brought the Empire of Japan to the threshold of annihilation, or whether she will follow the path of reason."

As an ultimatum, it eliminated any possibility of negotiation between the foes.

Similarly, the time has come for the Palestinians to decide. It should not be a settlement for the end of hostilities and an outrageous exchange of hostages and terrorist prisoners between Israel and the Palestinians that should be adopted, but a Potsdam-like Ultimatum. 

Furthermore, there is no place for the United Nations (UN) in post-war Gaza. The UN has failed in every peacekeeping mission and its unambiguous anti-Semitism is well documented. The most important goal of post-war Gaza must be to eliminate the ideology that has prevented peace. Teachers will need to be replaced and textbooks rewritten, to discredit the ideology that gives rise to this hatred. History has repeatedly proffered that defeat must be real, or a lasting peace is illusionary and fleeting.

In conclusion, Professor Lewis imparts to us this important lesson:

“that the fact of defeat ... led to lasting peace only when the fact of defeat was openly recognized and the legitimacy of the victor’s terms was accepted by the vanquished."

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1. Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya repeated the terrorist organization’s commitment to the destruction of Israel in his first public remarks (January 17, 2025) since green-lighting the truce deal with the Jewish state on Wednesday night. According to al-Hayya, the terrorist group during negotiations succeeded in thwarting Israel’s “declared and hidden goals…” Al-Hayya described the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 people in Israel as a “miraculous” achievement, declaring the atrocities would “remain a source of pride” for Palestinians, “passed down through generations.” Hamas terrorists “will expel the occupation from our land and from Al Quds [Jerusalem] at the earliest time possible,” al-Hayya promised, adding: “Our enemy will never see a moment of weakness from us” (Jewish News Syndicate). 

2. “I sat with children aged 4 and 8 who were saying ‘spit on the Jew.’ There are 2 million terrorists in Gaza, don’t be mistaken. They’re all terrorists there.” A quote from Liri Albag, who was just released from Hamas captivity ( January 27, 2025), tells what she saw in Gaza while she was a hostage.