The West definitively cuts Russia off from the developed world

The leaders of the West held a meeting in the side lines of the Brisbane G20 Summit. (From Right to Left) : Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, David Cameron Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Barack Obama, President of the United States, Francois Hollande, President of France and Mariano Rajoy, Prime Minister of Spain. Matteo Renzi, the Italian Prime Minister is not seen, being sited between Hollande and Rajoy. (EC Audiovisual Services, 16/11/2014).

Last weekend’s G20 Summit in Brisbane Australia in a direct way ineradicably mapped the abyss now dividing the West from Russia. American and European leaders including Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and David Cameron threatened Russia with more sanctions, meant to completely cut her off from western markets and besiege her economy, if Moscow doesn’t stop supporting the separatists in eastern Ukraine. From his side the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin left the Summit early before signing the final communique, citing his need to return to Moscow in order to get a decent…sleep.

The Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper went as far as to tell Putin that he shook his hand because he had to do so. According to international news agencies Harper said “I guess I’ll shake your hand but I have only one thing to say to you: you need to get out of Ukraine”. Putin’s answer was equally impolite, but the spokesman for the Canadian PM didn’t give details. Unfortunately, the West-Russia confrontation shadowed the real issues the G20 Summit in Brisbane had on its agenda, namely global economic growth and environmental protection.

The Summit of confrontation

Of course a number of minor importance documents were signed during this G20 Summit like the Brisbane Action Plan, the G20 Note on the Global Infrastructure Initiative and Hub, etc. Clearly though the West-Russia clash was the main issue that shadowed everything else in that sunny Brisbane weekend. The West drew a red line dividing Russia from the rest of Europe. It might not be an Iron Curtain, probably not yet, but this division in many respects is similar to the Cold War of the 1950s and 1960s.

In reality, a full-scale political clash is inevitable, if the West means what its leaders said in Brisbane. They made clear to Putin that there will be more severe sanctions if Moscow doesn’t pull out from eastern Ukraine. However, such a clear-cut retreat is impossible for any Russian government to accept for many reasons. For one thing, a round number of approximately 10 million Ukrainian citizens are not only Russian speakers, but consider themselves as ethnic Russians. On top of that the internal Russian national sentiment and the vast majority of country’s citizens deeply believe that Ukraine is a part of Russia.

Can Russia let east Ukraine go?

It is true that Moscow has signed the Ukrainian independence. However In the present circumstances, the Kremlin cannot let east Ukraine be ruled directly by Kiev, without some form of self-determination. And this cannot change for as long as the government of the war-torn country fully depends, politically and financially, on the West. Let alone after the still ongoing civil war that has already claimed at least 4000 lives, with many of the victims being Russian speaking civilians. Putin is the last Russian who could let east Ukraine be ruled by Kiev, without some form of self-determination.

On top of that, the new dominant Russian politico-economic elite, as it has been reshaped under Putin’s autocratic regime, may consider an all-out confrontation with the West as an opportunity, not a threat. Their target may be to perpetuate their clout on the vast country, by cutting it off from the rest of Europe. Is it possible that the Western policy makers have not gone through this eventuality? Rather not.

What does the West really want from Russia?

By pressing Moscow so hard over Ukraine and not accepting some form of self-government in the east of the country, it’s more than certain then that the West wants to cut Russia out from the rest of Europe and consequently seal her off from the developed world. It was not by accident that Berlin and Moscow expelled each other’s diplomats towards the end of last week, after exchanging accusations of espionage.

Undoubtedly the West and Russia have embarked on the no return trip to an all-out confrontation. It’s not only Europe though that is going to be affected by this new division. More particularly the Americans aided by the British and to a lesser degree by France, using this strategy of sealing off Russian from the rest of the world, have a free hand to redraw the map of the Middle East without the interference of Moscow. The Russian backing to the Damascus regime has already caused much trouble to the Americans’ plans for this region of the world.

Regrettably, this precarious plan to change the political geography of a large part of earth’s surface undertaken by the Atlantic allies has already caused destruction and bloodshed. After completely ruining Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, came the turn of Ukraine, not to say anything about the side effect of this zombie creature of ISIS killing machine. Who knows where the next bloodshed fall out is to befall.