Jeffrey Sachs, and the Importance of Telling the Truth
The Ukraine War May Engulf Us in Nuclear Armageddon
“We are on a path of dire escalation and lies or silence in much of the mainstream US and European media. The entire narrative that this is the first anniversary of war is a falsehood that hides the reasons of this war and the way to end it. This is a war that began because of the reckless US neoconservative push for NATO enlargement, followed by the US neoconservative participation in the 2014 regime-change operation. Since then, there has been massive escalation of armaments, death and destruction. This is a war that needs to stop before it engulfs all of us in nuclear Armageddon.”
When I organized the conference at Yale School of Medicine warning about Donald Trump just three months after he became president, I and my colleagues, some of the leading psychiatrists in our country, felt it was imperative to tell the truth as we recognized it to be. That of course led us to what soon became our bestselling public-service book, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President.
Today, I would like to bring everyone’s attention what a special friend and colleague published last week, telling critical truths we will not hear through the government or the corporate media: “The Ninth Anniversary of the Ukraine War,” by Jeffrey D. Sachs. When I organized another major conference, this one four years ago this month at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, and broadcast for its entire three hours on C-Span, Dr. Sachs came from New York to chair that conference.
Since beginning my own publication, and quite in synchrony with what Jeffrey Sachs has eloquently and powerfully been writing and speaking out about more than ever, I have regularly been writing about “Ultimate Violence: Doomsday.” And I will continue to do so until the danger has diminished.
But for today, please read the latest from Dr. Sachs, whose voice is as far reaching as can be for any public intellectual in our day. I am thankful to him for all that he has done and continues to do on some of the most crucial and explosive issues of our time.
Dr Lee, there are theories about what motivated Putin regime to wage war of aggression on Ukraine - and this is undoubtedly a war of aggression, not a war of self defense as Putin claims.
Jeffery Sach's account is that NATO enlargement and overthrow of Yanukovich by US is the motivator of Ukraine war. It is not. The analysis of former Russian General Ivashov is more reasonable. Ivashov stated that while the threat of NATO certainly exists, it by no means warranted a response of a full scale war of aggression against Ukraine. The motivating factor for Ukraine war are several & complex but one of the reasons is Putin's own internal failures of governance and leadership. The Demographics crisis, failures to modernize Russian economy, failure to address institutionalized corruption and failure to bettering the life of Russian society. Putin regime failed on these challenges. To divert attention from self failure and to preserve his rule till eternity, Putin used nationalistic agenda of creating an empire.
Ivashov being a military analyst also warned that Ukraine war will be catastrophic failure for Russia. He concluded this from logistical, geopolitical, demographic and economic point of view. It takes great courage to speak against Kremlin in Russia as Putin silences his critiques (Putin's critiques often fall from their balconies to death). Dr Lee, you have been courageous to speak up against institutionalized corruption in APA and academic institutions who have been mute against malignant normality in American Politics and society.
Sachs was among the architects of 'shock therapy' economic doctrine that was part of 'Washington consensus'. These policies created Oligarchies and massive economic inequality in various countries, increased poverty and plunged standards of living of society, shock therapy nurtured crony capitalism & looting of state property by gangsters. Shock therapy was one of the factors that created Russian Oligarchs and rise of Putin in Russia.
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/1990s-shock-therapy-set-stage-for-russian-authoritarianism-by-katharina-pistor-2022-02
Ivashov's 2022 letter on upcoming Ukraine war
https://nypost.com/2022/02/07/ex-russia-general-warns-putin-against-criminal-ukraine-invasion/
Ivashov's 2023 interview on present situation of war (use google translate)
https://republic.ru/posts/107160
It will become WWIII if we don't push Russia out of Ukraine and we must give Ukraine everything it needs to achieve this goal. There is no way to just end the war, Putin won't allow that and giving into Putin means Putin will crush Ukraine. Then NATO becomes the target. Putin was going after Ukraine no matter what, he's Hitler!