MEDEA BENJAMIN: MAKING SENSE OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE

The simple narrative of a diabolical Putin vs the freedom-loving west distorts the multifaceted, complex history of the conflict.

BY CHRIS HEDGESNOVEMBER 4, 2022 https://therealnews.com/

Eight months in, there is no clear end in sight for the war in Ukraine. Millions have been uprooted from their homes, and thousands killed in the conflict. Simultaneously, billions in US taxpayer dollars have been stuffed into the pockets of defense contractors in the name of providing military aid to Ukraine, perpetuating a war profiteering bonanza that has cost trillions of dollars over the past two decades and brought ruin to Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and other nations. Meanwhile, mass media has loyally propagated a narrative of the war that favors the interests of NATO and the US in manufacturing consent for a prolonged conflict designed to weaken Russia. The complex history of the conflict and region have been intentionally obscured by a simplistic tale of good vs. evil, and democracy vs. authoritarianism. Significant information like the role of NATO’s expansion, the Russian ethnic minority in Ukraine, and the consequences of the war on working people worldwide are totally ignored, if not denounced as “pro-Putin” talking points. Peace activist and author Medea Benjamin joins The Chris Hedges Report to discuss the history of Ukraine as explained in her new book, War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, co-authored with Nicholas Davies.

Medea Benjamin is the co-founder of CODEPINK and author of Drone Warfare, Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the US Saudi Connection, and Inside Iran.