How The West Forced Putin's Hand

Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern explains the options Putin had when faced with NATO at his doorstep. How did the U.S. and NATO force Putin into a corner?

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[DeepTitanic]

The US put missiles in Turkey first before the "Cuban missile crisis". So it wasn't unprovoked.

[davidhutchinson]

The MM would have you think the US is just a innocent little victim when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Truth is, if the US wasn't frothing at the mouth about NATO expansion we wouldn't even be facing this issue.

[grahamwelsh]

Ray always speaks both the sense and truth.

[johnstrawb]

As John Mearsheimer puts it, 'if you think Russia had an alternative to invading eastern Ukraine, by all means offer it up, and do so in the context of what the U.S. would tolerate on its borders with Canada and with Mexico." ---edit: Nice to see Ray thinking very much along these lines.

[mamandapanda]

Isn't it crazy to think we're a centimeter away from being sent to jail or camps for even expressing things like this in the US?

[claudeme]

I love that Ray speaks of how, as a Public Servant in the mid 60s-80s, he was expected to give "untreated advice" to the Government. As a Public Servant in Australia, at about the same time, we spoke of giving the Government "frank and fearless advice" (ie honest advice without an agenda and without fear that you may have to give the Government advice that it does not want to hear). Alas, in Australia that Public Servant Culture died in the late 90s when it became clear that advancement depended upon telling the Government what it wanted to hear (in doing so we were giving the Government a kind of "Plausible Deniability" - ie Politicians could claim that they did what they did on the advice of their Public Servants and not because it may have coincidently benefited a donor, for example). I cant help feeling that we, in Australia, adopted this corrupted Public Servant Culture after our Politicians saw how successfully it worked for Politicians in the USA. You know, of course, this is just another indicator of the West being in the dying days of the Roman Empire.

[DeeLeoni]

Thank you Katie for bringing truth about the CIA.

[commonsensecraziness]

One of your best guests - he confirmed a lot of things for me.

[fredflinstone]

I understand Soviets put nukes in cuba only after nato/usa put them in turkey. Both sites were removed after the crisis

[timeparker]

We have no leadership in the US, whatsoever! Where are the adults? I'm proud to see Ray always dawn his Veterans for Peace gear.

[SlavaT]

the lives of ordinary Ukrainians are at the very bottom of the list of things important to America. as well as the lives of ordinary Americans or other ordinary people.

[rajeshpaleth]

Ray, Ray, Ray, THANK YOU for asking the important question to all those morons who said Putin was provoked BUT he shouldn't have invaded....I ask the same question - "What were those options?"

[frankperez]

Pertinent, timely, and
critical discussion of our dangerous, risky involvement in the Ukraine war. I always learn from this Analyst's reasoning...

[jamshedsethna]

So good to hear Ray. He has so many important anecdotes and instances that inform and give context. Unfortunately most bloggers don't give him time to talk, asking questions and moving on to get the interview done in a short time. Thanks Katei letting Ray impart his accounts of what happened behind the " headlines ".

[fossilimprint]

Thank you Katie, thank you Ray. You are brave to speak against the govt policy.

[dignasanchez]

Katie, Max, Aaron and Norman Finkelstein. huge respect to you all

[davidluckens]

Mr McGovern offers clear, pursuasive analysis of this deadly conflict

[annelizetterstrom]

Why are not people like Ray McGovern in charge instead of the ruling clowns and psychopaths?

[springbloom]

I was an Army analyst through the 90s and the overwhelming opinion of the 'community', was to stay away from the former Soviet satellites. Particularly in Europe. Theres a grotesque misconception about the breakup of USSR, that all these satellite states revolted and threw off their shackles of oppression and ran to the West for protection. The reality is that most wanted to remain with Russia and were in fact orphaned, when the So iet Union could no longer afford to support them and put them to the curb.

Russia had contracted and was feeling vulnerable, believing that any day without warning, NATO would come to finish the job. The new buffer was a windfall for the West and for Humanity in general. It gave Russia the security it needed, but in their infinite wisdom, NATO leadership decided it was better to go through their pockets and piss on their corpse for 30 years.

[fredganoe]

Great respect and love for Ray McGovern; I don't say that about many "intelligence" (CIA, NSA, etc.) people. Thanks Katie and Ray.