Ukraine: Zbig's Grand Chessboard & How the West Was Checkmated Paperback – May 1, 2015

The book is a secular version of the New Testament Apocalypse (aka Revelation) in that it pulls back the curtain to reveal a reality that “free press” propaganda (free to tell us what the elites want us to believe) dare not tell us. Brzezinski’s irrational hatred of Russia takes no account that Russia today differs markedly from yesteryear. He has worked tirelessly to checkmate Russia to bring her to obeisance to America (31-50, per paperback publication).The philosophy of Leo Strauss and Carl Schmitt coincides with Brzezinski. They created the myth that national unity is achievable only by convincing the masses that they are under constant threat from evil outsiders that we must keep at bay (50-56). This has influenced the neocons, some of whom helped Netanyahu become prime minister. Together, they developed a new strategy for securing Israel, so we have wasted trillions on credit card wars of our own making and as Israel’s proxy (59-61).So-called liberals eschew the ‘warmonger’ label but do not want to be thought ‘soft’, so they have become the ‘responsibility to protect’ group, protectors, not invaders. It is easier to rationalize war to protect. Look how well we did freeing Libya from evil Kaddafi (66-78). The Clinton claim of stopping mass rapes, concentration camps, and genocide in Kosovo turned out to be unfounded, and the ‘rescue’ resulted in deeper misery than before (221). War with ‘good’ intentions creates the same death, injury, refugees, starvation, destruction of support structures, etc., as nakedly aggressive war.We promised Russia that we would not move one inch east if they would allow a reunified Germany into NATO. Clinton broke the agreement by bringing three nations into NATO. Bush II brought more nations into NATO right on Russia’s border. When an advisor to Gorbachev was asked why they did not get the agreement in writing, he answered, “We trusted you” (80). Anyone with common sense can understand why Russia would be nervous considering America’s broken word and appetite for war.The neoliberal economy now depends on continual war or it will collapse. The war machine and its corollary agencies account for more than 50% of the economy. If world peace were to occur, America would implode (208). By taking on Ukraine/Russia, neocons may have finally bitten off more than they can chew, which sadly includes the rest of us.The demonstrations against Yanukovych were peaceful until neo-nazis intervened. Neo-nazi snipers killed both policemen and demonstrators to provoke Russian intervention; Putin did not bite. Neo-nazis are now part of the government, which our ever compliant media downplay (213-236). It was a coup clear and simple, but it was our coup, so the administration immediately recognized “Yats” as the guy.A Gallop poll of 68 countries puts America in the lead as the greatest threat to world peace, 24%; next in line is Pakistan, 8%. Russia is seventh, 2% (239-240). Strobe Talbot, president of Brookings, alleged that Russia had invaded Ukraine in 2014 (245). On what evidence? When Saakashvili fired on Russian peacekeepers in disputed South Ossetia, Russia put Georgia down in four days. It was all over the news. (161-164). The point: had Russia invaded Ukraine, we would have heard about it. The US has cried wolf too many times to count, and it is all fabrication.On Crimea: all the administration arguments that Russia had intimidated Crimea to come into the mother country have been shredded (257-262 for details). The same is true of trying to pin the shoot down of flight MH-17 on Russia or the freedom fighters. None of the US allegations have any credibility. On the contrary, the evidence points to the coup government in Kiev (263-284 for details).The US has not isolated Russia as planned. Russia has made economic pacts with China. The BRICS nations are going to challenge the dollar (312). And Russia and China are forging a military alliance (336). The US plans are backfiring at every turn.And the American military may not be as formidable as supposed. Russia and China became fed up when the hegemonic US went after Syria. The NATO fleet tried to bluff both of them in the Mediterranean; they fired two tomahawk missiles toward the Syrian coast. Neither reached their target. The Russian cruiser Moskva or one of the Chinese ships electronically diverted the missiles in flight sending them harmlessly into the sea (298-300).Again, the very sophisticated USS Donald Cook was in the Black Sea when a Russian SU-24 bomber made a run and disabled all of the Cook’s electronic systems—all of them. The Cook was helpless. The SU-24 made a dozen passes at the Cook with no response. She immediately set sail for Romania. No American ship has ventured into the Black Sea (up to the time of writing). The Pentagon complained (334-337); they were lucky it is still peacetime. Did the “free press” mention this?The authors provide a trove of interesting tidbits like this one: the US has undervalued gold to stabilize the dollar. Putin accepts the overvalued dollar for payment, then exchanges it for undervalued gold. In other words he is selling oil and gas to Europe for gold. How long can Europe afford to pay in gold at the behest of America. The gold from Iraq, Libya, and Ukraine been looted—to fill the shortfall? How long can that last (316)? When are our European ‘vassals’ as Brzezinski calls them going to leave the manor?I knock off half a star, and round it back up to five. I am a researcher, and this book is too important for such lazy source citations. No page number is given for any citation. P. 60 cites “(Parry 2014)” without indicating which of the 12 articles by Parry dated 2014 is intended. As for the index, page numbers do not always match the text reference. Name entries are inconsistent, some by first name first, some by last name first, e.g., “Clinton, Bill”, "Robert Parry". ”Brzezinski” is listed without his first name under ‘Z’! PP. 189-190 cite "(Scahill 2008)", but the book is not in bibliography. I trust the authors accurately reflected the sources, but the sloppy citations limits any researcher's ability to check them. Again, it is a terrific book, and I hate to end on this note, but a reviewer has to do what a reviewer has to do.

In 2015, "Ukraine - Zbig's Grand Chessboard and How the West was Checkmated" published only this year is probably even more essential reading than Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine" of 2007, which is much cited by the former."Ukraine ..." shows how Ukraine's neighbour Russia, led by President Vladimir Putin has emerged from the economic wreckage bequeathed to him by former President Boris Yeltsin in 2000, to become once again a respected world power, but without all the terrible flaws of the former Soviet Union under the rule of Stalin and his successors.Until I read the sections commencing with "The Economic Reforms of the Putin and Medvedev Era" (pp127-137) within Chapter 4, American Presidents John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) were the world leaders I had admired the most.Now I see President Vladimir Putin as possibly even more visionary and capable than either FDR and JFK. Notwithstanding all of the demonisation of Vladimir Putin by the Western newsmedia, he seems every bit as humane and compassionate as the former two.These sections and the preceding section show conclusively, how flawed a theory economic neo-liberalism is. Economic neoliberalism, imposed upon Australia in 1983 by then 'Labor' Treasurer Paul Keating, is still the official doctrine which has driven policy making in Australia and much of the western world.In 2000, Vladimir Putin inherited from former President Boris Yeltsin, a Russian economy that was in a shambles due to Yeltsin's imposition of the same 'free market' neo-liberal economic doctrine as dictated to him by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Since then Putin has turned that around, largely by using state intervention to provide necessary services to the Russian people, to build necessary infrastructure and to support useful industrialiastion.Not only is Putin capable of capably dealing with the geopolitical challenges with which Russia is face, particularly of Ukraine as the title of the book suggests, but he is also concerned with developing a sustainable localised economy, where much of the food is produced locally on small family farms rather than by big agro-businesses. Most Russians are happy to pay higher prices for such food produced without pesticides or artificial fertilisers.This book is is essential reading for those who wish to find a way out of the dead end to which the New World Order has been attempting to lead us since the 1980's.

Picked it up and didn't put it down till it was finished. It's been a while since I read a book in a day.Recommended .to anyone who wants to fill the gaps in their historical recollections of almost current political events.Written in an objective, unbiased, non partisan easy to read style. An enjoyable read., learn and have fun almostas good as sex.

Impeccable information about geopolitics but the authors reach a very different conclusion than I do. It is still a quality read to get all sides of the story in Eurasia. I would couple this with The Grand Chessboard to get both sides. I also recommend Strategic Vision by Zbigniew Brzezenski, Clash of Civilizations by Samuel Hunt, World Order by Henry Kissinger, and The Lost Hegemon by FW Engdahl.