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Minsk Agreement Has Failed; Will the failure lead to Putin’s failure?

Tuesday, August 18, 2015 15:02

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TND Guest Contributor: Dr. Paul Craig Roberts |

It appears that the Russian government has made a mistake with regard to its approach to the breakaway Republics consisting of Russian peoples in former Russian territories who reject being governed by the anti-Russian coup government installed in Kiev by Washington. The Russian government could have ended the crisis by accepting the requests of these territories to be reunited with Russia. Instead, the Russian government opted for a diplomatic approach—hands off Donetsk and Luhansk—and this diplomacy has now failed. The coup government in Kiev never had any intention of keeping the Minsk agreement, and Washington had no intention of permitting the Minsk agreement to be kept. Apparently, even the realistic Putin succumbed to wishful thinking.

The Minsk agreement, which the Russian government backed for diplomatic reasons, has served to allow Washington time to train, equip, and mobilize much stronger forces now preparing to resume the attack on Donetsk and Luhansk. If these Republics are overrun, Vladimir Putin and Russia itself will lose all credibility. Whether Putin realizes it or not, Russia’s credibility is at stake on the Donetsk frontier, not in diplomatic meetings with Washington’s European vassals who are powerless to act outside of Washington’s control. If Washington prevails in Ukraine, Russia and China can forget about the BRICS and Eurasian trade groups offering alternatives to Washington’s economic hegemony. Washington intends to ensure its hegemony by prevailing in Ukraine.

In his description of the situation, the leader of the Donetsk Republic appears to be worn down by having lost the advantages over Ukraine that Donetsk had prior to the failed Minsk agreement:http://russia-insider.com/en/moscows-top-man-donbass-says-all-out-war-will-start-soon-video/ri9255Perhaps he is thinking of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar when Cassius says to Brutus, “There is a tide in the affairs of men which, when taken at the flood, leads on to fortune, omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries.”

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About Dr. Paul Craig Roberts:

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. His latest book, The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West is now available. His latest e-book, How the Economy was Lost, is available at Counter Punch. Click here and scroll down to order. Dr. Roberts discusses this book in an article published at CounterPunch.org; click here to read the article. To support The Institute For Political Economy, a non-profit organization that supports research, writing and books and Dr. Roberts’ continued effort to educate and inform, click here to donate.