Oliver Stone, producer of the so-called documentary, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, has long been a mouthpiece for Vladimir Putin. This week he has been strangely silent and people are noticing.
One final note: Winter on Fire should not be confused with Ukraine on Fire, an utterly ridiculous piece of Kremlin propaganda worth less than a Russian rouble in which Oliver Stone lobs the softest of questions to Yanukovych while blaming the United States for Ukraine’s ills. It screened on Russian TV but was given short shrift everywhere else.
Stone has so far been silent about Russia’s invasion. He should keep it that way.
Although the United States has many wars of aggression on its conscience, it doesn’t justify Mr. Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. A dozen wrongs don’t make a right. Russia was wrong to invade. It has made too many mistakes -- 1) underestimating Ukrainian resistance, 2) overestimating the military’s ability to achieve its objective, 3) underestimating Europe’s reaction, especially Germany upping its military contribution to NATO, which they’ve resisted for some 20 years; even Switzerland has joined the cause. Russia will be more isolated than ever from the West. 4) underestimating the enhanced power of NATO, which will now put more pressure on Russia’s borders, 5) probably putting Ukraine into NATO, 6) underestimating the damage to its own economy and certainly creating more internal resistance in Russia, 7) creating a major readjustment of power in its oligarch class, 8 ) putting cluster and vacuum bombs into play, 9) and underestimating the power of social media worldwide.
But we must wonder, how could Putin have saved the Russian-speaking people of Donetsk and Luhansk? No doubt his Government could’ve done a better job of showing the world the eight years of suffering of those people and their refugees -- as well as highlighting the Ukrainian buildup of 110,000 soldiers on the Donetsk-Luhansk borders, which was occurring essentially before the Russian buildup. But the West has far stronger public relations than the Russians.
Or perhaps Putin should’ve surrendered the two holdout provinces and offered 1-3 million people help to relocate in Russia. The world might’ve understood better the aggression of the Ukrainian Government. But then again, I’m not sure.
But now, it’s too late. Putin has allowed himself to be baited and fallen into the trap set by the U.S. and has committed his military, empowering the worst conclusions the West can make. He probably, I think, has given up on the West, and this brings us closer than ever to a Final Confrontation. There seems to be no road back. The only ones happy about this are Russian nationalists and the legion of Russian haters, who finally got what they’ve been dreaming of for years, i.e. Biden, Pentagon, CIA, EU, NATO, mainstream media -- and don’t overlook Nuland and her sinister neocon gang in D.C. This will significantly vindicate the uber hawks in public eyes. Pointing out the toxicity of their policies (Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, NATO expansion, breaking nuclear treaties, censoring and omitting crucial facts from the news, etc.) will be next to impossible. Pointing out Western double standards, including Kyiv and Zelenskyy’s bad behavior, will likewise fall on deaf ears as we again draw the wrong conclusions.
It's easier now to smear those of us who tried to understand the Russian position through these last two decades. We tried. But now is the time, as JFK and Khrushchev faced down the perilous situation in Cuba in October 1962, for the two nuclear powers to walk this back from the abyss. Both sides need to save face.
This isn’t a moment for the U.S. to gloat. As a Vietnam War veteran and as a man who’s witnessed the endless antagonism of the Cold War, demonizing and humiliating foreign leaders is not a policy that can succeed. It only makes the situation worse. Back-channel negotiations are necessary, because whatever happens in the next few days or weeks, the specter of a final war must be realistically accepted and brokered. Who can do that? Are there real statesmen among us? Perhaps, I pray, Macron. Bring us the likes of Metternich, Talleyrand, Averell Harriman, George Shultz, James Baker, and Mikhail Gorbachev.
The great unseen tragedy at the heart of this history of our times is the loss of a true peaceful partnership between Russia and the U.S. -- with, yes, potentially China, no reason why not except America’s desire for dominance. The idiots who kept provoking Russia after the Cold War ended in 1991 have committed a terrible crime against humanity and the future. Together, our countries could’ve been natural allies in the biggest battle of all against climate change. In its technical achievements alone, in large scale science, in its rocketry, heavy industries, and its most modern, clean nuclear energy reactors, Russia has been a great friend to man. Alas, in our century so far, man has failed to see or reach for the stars.
It's a pretty ridiculous statements. He talks about the "aggression of the Ukrainian Government." But get this:
Putin has allowed himself to be baited and fallen into the trap set by the U.S. and has committed his military, empowering the worst conclusions the West can make.
Yes, it was a trap, and Putin fell into it. Really?
Oliver Stone believes that the "hawks" are happy about the invasion:
The only ones happy about this are Russian nationalists and the legion of Russian haters, who finally got what they’ve been dreaming of for years, i.e. Biden, Pentagon, CIA, EU, NATO, mainstream media -- and don’t overlook Nuland and her sinister neocon gang in D.C. This will significantly vindicate the uber hawks in public eyes.
But to Stone, there is a greater tragedy:
The great unseen tragedy at the heart of this history of our times is the loss of a true peaceful partnership between Russia and the U.S. -- with, yes, potentially China, no reason why not except America’s desire for dominance.
China and Russia are the forces of illiberalism. He doesn't appear to understand that the Russians helped Assad blow Syria to smithereens. Does he not see how Putin has treated dissidents in Russia? His poisoning of several people? His hatred of gay people? As for China, has Oliver Stone not seen what China has done to Hong Kong? Or what has happened to the Uighurs in Xinjiang? Does he not understand what has happened to the people of Tibet? The United States should not partner with illiberalism.
And get this:
Together, our countries could’ve been natural allies in the biggest battle of all against climate change.
Natural allies? China has been building coal-based power plants like crazy. They have no interest in fighting climate change. John Kerry sounded like a fool this past week.
There is a humanitarian disaster underway in Ukraine. You would think that Oliver Stone would say something about it.
The people of Ukraine need our help. Please visit the link below on how you can help responsibly:
And a reminder:
Previous Blog Posts on Oliver Stone's Politics
Relevant Links on Oliver Stone's Politics