Book Review: The Foundation Trilogy

Author's note:   This book is what I have based in entire page, FOUNDATION on, so I have finally written a review.  Maybe not the best, and I try not to summarize it.  When you compare the downfall the the galactic empire in the first two books (Foundation;  Foundation and Empire), to that of the United States today, you will get a clearer picture on why I have used this theme.  One more thing:  my own page, Facebook and this blog, is NOT a "fan club" of the book, just a comparison.

This is Isaac Asimov’s masterpiece.  This is about the fall of the Galactic Empire, consisting of the entire Milky Way galaxy.  In the story, there are twenty five million inhabited planets, with a population in the quintillions, set 50,000 years in the future.  The planet of origin had long been forgotten, and the citizens of the galaxy knew of no other form of government.  Nobody in the galaxy was aware of what was to happen.

Nobody, except one man, a psychologist named Hari Seldon.  He invented the concept of psychohistory, predicting the behavior of human masses.  The behavior of one human being is unpredictable, but the behavior of masses of people can be predicted in their reactions to any event.  The greater the mass, the easier it is to predict their reactions. 

In predicting the fall of an empire, Dr. Seldon foresees 30,000 years of barbarism, a dark age, ahead for humanity.  The fall of this empire could not be averted, but the period of barbarism could be reduced from 30,000 years down to 1,000 years, so Dr. Seldon sets up two foundations, “at opposite ends of the galaxy” in order to observe and intervene when necessary when a major crisis arises, and for the Foundation, the First Foundation in this case, can deal with it and move on with its work.

Dr. Asimov himself has stated that this trilogy is based on the book, “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.”  You can see the resemblances here.  Rome itself was also known as Terminus back in the days of the empire.  When Rome fell, it did split apart into feudal kingdoms before the Renaissance, and then the nation-state came into being.  Don’t forget the Barbarians, the Germanic tribes to the North of Europe.

With this, you have an interesting book.  Little kingdoms are formed as the empire falls apart, all trying to be the top power, with several battles taking place here and there.  There are different planets with different physical features;  one planet always faces its sun, with the inhabitants living on the border day/night (twilight) zone.  Another planet being cold nine months of the year, and, of course, Trantor, the capital with one gigantic city covering the whole planet, until it gets sacked.

What is different is that the two foundations, in the book, try to minimize the barbarous, or chaotic, era to 1,000 years, controlled by the First Foundation, which is openly displayed for all to see.  The Second Foundation was a lot more mysterious, with no one knowing where it is.

Terminus is a planet with no natural resources, so the people, especially the scientists, placed there have to use their ingenuity to come up with ways to control the masses in the galaxy by way of a religion, the Galactic Spirit (similar to Christianity) and also come up with miniature technology, i.e. atomic weapons and power plants the size of a golf ball (my example).  Whenever Terminus, of the Foundation is threatened, the image of Hari Seldon appears in a room, where the top echelon of the Foundationers gather, and Seldon tells of the crisis he predicted and tells the Foundationers what they should do about it.  Terminus rises from a threatened entity to an indispensable society, with the other kingdoms highly dependent on it.

All goes well, and the First Foundation starts to rise as a new force in the galaxy, until the coming of an unforeseen conqueror, the Mule.  The Mule has a way of controlling minds from afar and uses it to establish his own empire.  He could turn his most bitter foes into his closest allies through mind control.  (One person pointed out to me that this is similar to the coming of Islam, but this is very different).

This is where the mysterious Second Foundation comes in, and both the Mule and others start to search for it, to destroy it, but the Second Foundation uses deception to lead these searcher off the track.  They also have a “counter mind control” that threatens the Mule himself.

This book will take you to planets and lead you into battles, battles that were started by those you would not suspect for reasons that you would never guess.  In a way, this book could be a psychology book, teaching you the reactions of the masses whenever a crisis occurs.  Psychohistory is becoming a new and important discipline in our society today. 

The original trilogy was written in the early 1950s, but it is not dated by any means.  All of these situations could be applied today.  For example, look at the condition of the United States and see what could be ahead for them.  Look at the masses of people and how they react to the present crisis we are in, and will find a lot of similarities.

Asimov has written two sequels to this trilogy, and two prequels after that, leading you to other series of books, including the robot novels, but this trilogy is the core of his writings, and it is a good stand along book, or books, since there are three of them.

If you decide to get into his “Foundation series,” read this trilogy first, then delve into the robot novels and others, then reread this trilogy.

Reading The Qur'an (or The Koran)

In reading and watching events of the Middle East unfold in this day and age, one would be curious about The Holy Qur’an, or The Koran, being the holy book of the entire Islamic faith.  We call the book holy, yet we see so many Muslims killing those of other faiths, sects, and themselves, all in the name of Allah.  I have finally gotten myself to read this book, and what I have found both will and will not surprise you.  There are many acts that many Islamic radicals are practicing that goes against the teachings of Muhammed and this book that he has written, dating from 610 to 635 C.E. (Common Era, the same as A.D.).  The main question that we want to ask ourselves, which many Muslims claim is “Is Islam a religion of peace?”

I am aware that there are many different sects of Islam, but this essay only covers the holy book itself, so please bear with me on this.

This particular edition was translated by Maulana Muhammad Ali in 1917.  This book has an introduction covering several topics, including war, peace, customs, and women’s rights (4:19, 4:32-35).  Basically, it tells that Islam, in reality, is a religion of peace and tolerance (2:136, 137).  The text has the original Arabic writing and script on the right hand side of the page, (sensible, because Arabic writing is from right to left) with the English translation on the left.  There are 114 chapters in all, in order from the longest to the shortest, and footnotes are provided to explain the meaning of certain passages.

This is easy reading, but in order to fully understand the Koran, one must know the history of the region around the Arabian peninsula at the time when Muhammad founded the Muslim faith, and to what he was referring to in certain verses.  There is a lot of ambiguity here.

This book is not in chronological order in terms of history.  It is more in order of the size of each chapter, with as many as 286 verses on the second chapter (the first chapter, being the introduction has seven verses) and a few as three verses on the 110th chapter.  Many of the teachings are repeated throughout the book as he writes for certain tribes in certain place, similar to the epistles of Paul in the New Testament.  

Each chapter begins with an introduction by the translator, explaining the time and situation of the Muslims.  Depending on the time and place, these Muslims were in conflicts with tribes of other beliefs.  The purpose of that chapter was to tell them that they will prevail

There are footnotes explaining the historical significance behind certain verses, meaning that they don’t apply to everyday life, especially in these modern times.  What I would recommend in reading this book is that there be a college course in studying it, along with the history of those times, and the biography of Muhammad himself, along with what the Arab culture was like before the advent of Muhammad and Islam.  I would also recommend that you know the Bible, for much of it is mentioned in The Qur’an.

This book makes many references to The Bible, in both the Old Testament (and the Torah) and the New Testaments which they refer to as the Gospel.  All of these prophets in all these scriptures are looked upon with the utmost respect.  They are called the messengers of God, from Adam up to Jesus, with Muhammad being the last and final messenger, to which the Qur’an and the Islamic faith is based.  In a way, the Qur’an and the Bible are a lot more similar than they are different.

One example is that in creation, rather than six days, the Qur’an says it took six periods (11:7), but it says that in the Bible that one day to the Lord is a thousand years to man (II Peter 3:8).

The prophets/messengers mentioned from the Bible: Adam, Noah, Lot, Abraham and his two sons Isaac (father of the Hebrews) and Ishmael (father of the Arabs), Isaac’s son Joseph, along with Moses, David, Jonah, and Jesus, and they are all highly respected (3:84, 85), but their stories here vary from the Bible.  As an example, Lot’s wife did not leave Sodom and turn into a pillar of salt, she was simply left behind when it was destroyed due to her lack of faith (29:31-33).  

Jesus was born of a virgin, not in a manger, but in an oasis, alone, as Mary sat against a palm tree  A river was created by Allah/God just for her to quench her thirst, and dates dropped from a palm tree.  When she return to her people, Jesus, as a baby, talked to the unbelievers (19:23-33).  As a prophet, Jesus is looked upon as a messenger of God/Allah, but not the savior.  He predicted the coming of Muhammad, who would be the last and foremost (61:6).  They also believe that, although Jesus was crucified, he did not die on the cross, but was taken down after a while and survived (4:157)

Islam IS preached as the only true religion (3:19; 33:40), the religion of truth, and that it will spread.  The Hebrews had their chance with Allah, but they failed, as did the Christians, so the “complete truth” was given to the Muslims.  The Muslims also don’t like fact that the Jews are said to be the “chosen ones” to the exclusion of everyone else (62:6).

The Qur’an does tell a Muslim not to be friends with Christian or Jews (5:51), but has later been found to be in times of war only.  It does permit friendship with non-threatening non-Muslims (60:8).  The Qur’an does harshly criticize both the Jews and the Christians, however.  It also preaches that Allah has no son, so that excludes Jesus (thought he is looked upon as Allah’s messenger, foretelling the “prophet coming after me,” being Muhammad (61:6).

It has to be remembered up until this time, 600 C.E., the Arabs had no monotheistic religion for the spread of Christianity during that time did not come into their part of the world.  Muhammed felt that his people needed a monotheistic religion to establish their own identity.  They were also fighting the Jews and the Christians during this era, so, in their own eyes, they were the persecuted, and the heroes.  No tribe or individual is ever a villain in his own eyes.  That must always be remembered.

What does the Qur’an really teach?  How is it prevalent today?

First and foremost are the two foundations of Islam:  

1. Pray to Allah.  When praying, you have to be sincere.

2. Helping the poor.

Looking at radical groups such as ISIS and Al Qadea, and warring factions of Islam, such as the Shi’ites, the Sunnis, the Wahhabis, and others, that preach hatred, violence, revenge, it is surprising that none of this is in the Qur’an.

The Qur’an does not preach “an eye for an eye,”  or capital punishment, no matter what the crime.  It does, however, preach to cut off the hands of thieves (5:38), a custom that is still in practice today.  It also preaches to whip adulterers and adulteresses (24:2), but these two are as far as severe punishments goes.

Alcohol and pork are forbidden.

Killing would be for self defense only, in times of war (2:190, 191;  22:39, 40), never in times of peace, never innocent people, and never people of other faiths.  Also, show mercy to those who surrender (2:192, 193).  Yes, The Qur’an taught religious tolerance, (2:136-137) and it was practiced in Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire, but Islam was still the top religion.  This empire always looked to the west, as does Turkey today, though this may change.

What is surprising in this book is that it taught respect towards women, along with equality or near equality.  Women can inherit property almost equal to that of men (4:7), and men are forbidden to beat women, especially their wives (2:231).  Divorced women have to be respected and provided for by their ex-husbands (64:17). 

A true Muslim must do good deeds every day (4:124), to dedicate your life to serving and helping others (76:9) in Allah’s name.

The Qur’an preaches that Allah is merciful and forgiving (42:39, 43).  Each chapter, except Chapter 9, begins with “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.”

The main point that is stressed is to believe, do good, and serve ALL (emphasis mine) of humanity (76:9).  If one gives to Allah, meaning the poor, he will get twice as much in return (64:17).

What the Qur’an does not teach is:  praying five times a day (though it does say that Mecca, or Makkah, is to be the spiritual center of the world), women wearing burkas from head to toes, forcefully converting others to the Islamic faith, nor does it condone rape, and beating women in general.  Nor does it mention killing people of other religions, suicide bombers (the book was written around 620 C.E.), and it does not mention that if you die in a suicide attack, you will go to Heaven having 72 virgins waiting for you.

The Qur’an says nothing about Sharia Law, or anything similar to it.

One Christian teaching is that Abraham took his son Ishmael (as opposed to Isaac in Christian and Hebrew doctrine) to be sacrificed.  It doesn’t say that, anywhere in the book.

There is revelation and judgement.  This is the promise that in the last days, the faithful will go to the Garden (Heaven) and the unbelievers will go to Hell, just like in The Bible.

Chapter Nine of the Qur’an is called The Immunity, also known as Ultimatum.  It is also known as Abrogation, meaning that war and killing non-Muslims is now acceptable and that religious tolerance, as well as equal treatment for women are now null and void.  According to the author, this is incorrect.

This chapter was Muhammad’s last chapter, written in 631 C.E., one year before he died.  During this time in Arabia (the Arabian Peninsula, what is now Saudi Arabia and Yemen) Muslims were battling idolators and made peace treaties with them, but they were constantly broken, with idolators (I assume tribes that still worshipped pagan gods) continually attacking and terrorizing Muslim tribes.  Because of these treaty violations, these Muslims were forced to defend themselves and their religion.  Where it say “Islam will triumph,” means that the Muslim tribes will win out over the idolators, and the Islamic faith will spread far and wide, which eventually, it did.

So there you have it.  The Qur’an mainly preaches religious tolerance, peace, and good works along with respect for women, although it does  harshly criticize both the Jews and the Christians, and it does say that Islam is the one true faith and carries the complete truth.  It tells Muslims to fight and defend themselves, and to spread the word of Allah, but it does not tell them to kill others that are not at war with them, including non-Muslims.

Here are the questions, and an attempt to answer them.  

Is Islam a religion of peace?  It can be.  Although many radicals use the scriptures to justify violence by saying that the people they terrorize are at war with them, even though most of these people say they’re not, nor has war been declared.  The solution here is for the mainstream Muslims, who are law abiding citizens in the Middle East, Europe, the United States is for them to become more vocal, to drown out the radicals and condemn the violence these radicals Islamists are committing.  It also must be said that these radical Muslims, being ISIS and Al Qaeda and other groups, are not true Muslims because they are not following the teachings of Muhammad.

There have been times in history, such as the Ottoman Empire, where Muslims lived side by side with Jews and Christians, and it can be so again.  Although in the Ottoman Empire, Islam was the true religion, and that attitude must change.  Perhaps there can be among the Muslims an equivalent to a “Vatican II” or a Muslim Martin Luther arising from the crowd.

As for women’s rights, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries that require women to wear burkas head to toe, to always be accompanied by a man when outside the home, and forbidding them to drive must change.  Some countries still forbid young girls to go to school, and they have a lot of potential for their society.

One final thought.  In an Islamic society, does the government of that country have to abide by Islamic Law, or should there be a complete and total separation of Mosque and  State, like we have the separation of Church and State in the United States.  

Well, first of all, do not mistake the preceding paragraph for the Muslim world should be like America, it doesn’t mean that at all.  What I’m saying is that religious law can be strict, going way beyond what scripture, any scripture, says.  One reason why many people want religious law is that their society has been so corrupted is that they feel that “God’s Laws/Allah’s Laws” would straighten it out and make life better for everyone.

There is no mention of government in the Qur’an.  That should be left to each individual country whether they want that or not.  I have seen throughout history, and today’s societies I might add, that any Church or Mosque ruling a country is never good, it makes life difficult for everyone, and it does not end corruption.  I would say that it isn’t necessary.  You can have a secular society in a predominantly Muslim country, just like in any predominantly Christian country.

All Muslims, if they want to be devout Muslims, must read the Qur’an thoroughly and understand what it really means.

Concerning the Nuclear Deal with Iran - July 14, 2015

I would like to make a few comments about the deal with Iran. First, from our point of view, we are afraid of Iran getting the bomb because either they would use it, or they would give it to a terrorist group and they would use it, and I believe this. From Iran's point of view, they saw us attacking Iraq and they fear that they would be next, so they want a way to prevent us from doing so, so they would decide to get the bomb for protection. Many of my friends from the Middle East (yes, I have them) tell me this, and yes, I can see their point of view. What would you do if you were an Iranian, and you saw the U.S. attacking their neighbor?

I won't post anything about the deal, for they are published worldwide, and you know the conditions as well as I, so I don't need to discuss them here.

All I can say is that I hope it works. I hope BOTH and the U.S. and Iran will keep their ends of the bargain, and I hope Iran will rejoin the world community of nations; that is, I hope they do not promote any hostile actions towards any other country in the form of terrorism or otherwise, and that includes both the U.S. and Israel. Their sanctions, if all goes well, will be lifted, and they will become prosperous again. The Iranian citizens are grateful, and they want to live normal lives.
I also know that Iran will continue to build their arsenal of conventional weapons, and will have Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) that will reach the U.S. All I can say here is that the U.S. and other countries, and that includes Russia, China, Europe, and the rest of the Middle East should make them aware that should they obtain the bomb and use it, on a missile or otherwise, they should know of the consequences: they will be retaliated against with assured destruction to the entire country.

Hopefully, we will never come to this.
Therefore, however imperfect the treaty is now, I hope it goes through, and I hope it works.
Best of luck, and prosperity, to Iran if they decide to keep their part of the bargain.

Book Review: Putin's Kleptocracy - Who Owns Russia? by Karen Dawisha

Karen Dawisha’s book, “Putin’s Kleptocracy:  Who Own’s Russia” is not light reading by any means.  A lot of research has gone into this, and there is a lot to comprehend.  Nevertheless, you will absorb a lot even from just one reading, and what you will find may surprise you.

From reading recent headlines about Putin, occurring the Georgian province of Abkhazia, along with sending troops into Eastern Ukraine and denying it, it is obvious that Putin is not only a tyrant, but a liar, a cheat, and a thief.  He got to where he is today by lying cheating, and stealing.  Most of all, he is evil, and this book presents evidence backing up all of this.

With Putin, this has been a way of life.  Putin started out in the KGB, working as an officer in East Germany for five years during the time of the Soviet Union.  He was chiefly into espionage, stealing weapons designs from industries in the West.  Fifty percent of all Soviet (and now Russian) weapons systems were based on stolen designs.  When East Germany fell, Putin helped to destroy lists of East German informers.

Soon after, Putin become deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, where he took plenty of bribes and kickbacks, until finally, was selected by Boris Yeltsin to become the Russian Prime Minister and soon after, its President.

Putin was not without his critics.  He has been investigated by the FSB (equal to the FBI) and other law enforcement agencies, even indicted, but was never brought up for trial.  Putin always escaped it through his connections, up until the time he became president.  There have also been attempts on his life.

Russia, in the 1990s, was awash with criminal activity and corruption.  When Putin declared as president that he would crack down and put an end to it, what he really meant is that he would make himself the kingpin and collect all the profits.  Russia, at present, is a mafia state, run by Putin and backed up by his cronies, being his now billionaire friends running all the businesses, who will all remain in their place with their billions as long as they remain loyal to Putin, along with ex-KGB officers combined with the Russian Mafia.  It is believed that Putin’s cronies control 35% of Russia’s wealth, much of it in overseas banks, including the United States.

In order to get a clear idea of how Putin runs the country and how he treats his people, I will present a partial list of his doings from being deputy mayor of St. Petersburg in the 1990s up to the present, all of it explained in greater detail in the book.  These are not in any particular order, but it doesn’t matter.

Putin embezzled funds meant to build health clinics all over Russia for a “palace” in Genendzlik.  Putin has many luxurious private dachas and palaces.

In 2005, Putin literally stole a four carat Super Bowl ring from the hand of Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.  Putin kept it for his own.

He bought and sold companies at low prices and criminally privatized them into the hands of friends.  The Baltic Shipping Company is one example.

Roman Tsepov ran Putin’s tribute system, i.e. money Putin skims for his own pockets, and had high influences in many companies, but overstepped his boundaries when he wanted a share of Yukos oil.  He was poisoned by radiation.

Putin bought a dacha in the Ozero cooperative in 1992, on the banks of Lake Komosomol’skoye, and threatened to burn down the houses of local residents if they did not sell their land.  In other cases, people will be run off their land to make room for a new dacha or palace for Putin.  

When a dacha of Putin’s burned down, the original builders rebuilt it, in better condition, free of charge.  I do not think this was voluntary.

In 1991, deputy mayor Putin, without permission, took money from the St. Petersburg budget, meant to buy food for the starving populace (being 90 Deutschmarks) and bought German meat and had it delivered to the KGB in Moscow.  Putin did not care about the starving populace.

Money and goods meant for food went elsewhere, and Putin and his friends profited, putting the money in offshore (foreign) banks.

The FSB, with Putin’s knowledge, set up bombings of apartments in St. Petersburg, killing innocent people, and putting the blame on the Chechnyans, as an excuse to start another war with Chechnya.  

Oversaw the gambling industry in St. Petersburg, skimming off the profits.

Used unauthorized funds for apartments, cars, luxury items.

Eliminated the business competitors of friends, using KGB methods, and imprisoning many of them, including his own political rivals.

Smuggled rare metals out of Russia.

Putin was in a car on the Moscow-Minsk highway.  The driver (not Putin) drove at high speeds, killing a five year old boy.  The body was removed from the scene and altered, and no one was charged.

In the 2012 reelection for President, Putin destroyed the reputation of his opponents, funded his campaign with stolen money from Gazprom, and massive cheating was done, through false ballots, stuffing boxes with dead people’s names, voter intimidation, correcting votes (changing the votes as ballots were counted), and even burned ballots for other candidates.  The Moscow Times itself stated that Putin would not have won without cheating.

From there, you have the idea of how Russia is governed, and that Putin today is creating as much trouble outside of Russia as he possibly can to see if he can get away with it.  If the world does nothing, he will continue to do so.

Russia is not communist, but it isn’t democratic either.  It is a plutocracy, run by Putin and his very rich friends, all of their wealth stolen from legitimate business and the Russian people themselves.  He is also taking away all of their newly won freedoms, but eliminating elections for local leaders and appointing them instead.  This will only continue.

Russian society is deteriorating.  Health spending and other public services are being cut while Putin and his cronies pocket billions from the Russian treasury.  There is a high mortality rate, low birth rates, except among the Muslim population, and in increase in prostitution, alcoholism, and suicides.

The people who are suffering the most from all this are the Russian people themselves, and they know it.  Putin does occasionally win their support by annexing Crimea, but slowly, they are seeing Putin for what he really is.

Russia is a feudal regime, like it was back in the time of the Tsars.  As long his cronies are loyal to Putin, he can have anything he wants, and that is how Putin keeps in power.  How long this will last is anybody’s guess, but Russia may need another uprising to get rid of all this.  

The author says it best at the end of her book.  In the last paragraph, she states, “The only way for ordinary Russians to avoid state predation is to keep their heads down and believe in fate, or turn into cheerleaders of the system in order to gain insurance and a few crumbs from the table.  Russians have a long history of great contributions to world culture, literature, and the arts.  They deserve better.”

Alastair Browne

The World RIGHT NOW - July 22, 2014

As you can see from the title, I'm going to express my opinion on what's been going on lately in the world.  I base this from what I read in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, along with the evening news I watch on television every night.  In writing this, I have no references beside me, and I will express my opinion from what my mind has gathered.

Lately, there are two things on my mind that I would like to spout:  Israel/Palestine in Gaza, and the downing of flight 17 over Ukraine.  I will be short and concise on both issues, so I will try not to make this essay too long.

First, Israel's attack on Gaza.  The Israeli's are attacking Gaza to clean out tunnels full of weapons used to bomb Israel, and in retaliation for the rockets Hamas has been firing into Israel.  How did all this start?  (By "this" I mean the recent bombings.)  When some Palestinian youth decided to kidnap three Jewish teenagers and kill them, execution style.  This angered the Israelis, and in retaliation, some Israeli youths kidnapped a Palestinian youth and burned him alive.  Then Hamas fired rockets into Israel.  Then Israel invaded Gaza.  You know the rest.

Much as the world does not want to admit this, the blame lays with the Palestinian youths who kidnapped the three teenagers and killed them.  Other people are going to get mad, and with Israel, they will not take this lying down.  They are going to retaliate in one form or another.  If those Palestinians youths did not kidnap and kill the three teens, none of this would have happened, and the many people killed since then would still be alive.  Gaza would still be intact.

So my message is simply this.  Palestine:  Quite killing Israelis, and quit firing rockets into Israel.  Israel is going to beat the crap out of you each time, and you will lose more than you will gain.  The Jews aren't going anywhere, and, as you very well know, they are not a people you want to mess with.  If you don't want Israel to bomb your people, don't bomb, or kill them.  It's as simple as that.

I won't leave Israel out, either.  Israel:  Make peace with the Palestinians, and find a way for them to have their own state.  You can start by not building any more settlements on the West Bank.  This angers the Palestinians.  I know you want to push them out completely, but they are not going anywhere, so you better find a way to make peace and give them a state.

Now for Ukraine.  Vladimir Putin is a power hungry dictator who not only wants to have absolute rule over Russia for life, but also want to get back the Soviet Union, starting with Ukraine (and Georgia).  He wants Ukraine in its orbit permanently, and has no regard for what the Ukrainians, or the Western Ukrainians, want.  While Eastern Ukraine was to remain with Russia, Western Ukraine wants to be a part of the European Union.  The only answer I see here is to let both side go the way they want.  Western Ukraine may have to swallow their pride on this.  

Putin needs to respect the will of the (western) Ukrainians and let them go their own merry way, whether he wants them to or not.

Look what happened.  Malaysian Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine, with a Russian missile with everyone on board killed.  Putin, and Russia know this, but they don't want to take the blame.

Putin, if you cannot face up to what the pro-Russian rebels has done, then you are a coward.  Whenever anyone commits a major sin like that, they blame everyone but themselves.  It's time for Putin and Russia to look at themselves in the mirror.

Besides, Russia is the biggest country in the world, has plenty and land and resources, and can become a prosperous country in its own right if it wanted to, but Putin is holding them back.

Russia, face up to the blame, admit what you did, and respect the will of the Ukrainian people.  Most of all, get rid of Putin.  He is not helping you, nor does he care about you.  He only cares about himself.

Ukraine, try and find a peaceful solution.  We want to have you in the E.U. and NATO, but find a way out of your civil war.  If this means letting Eastern Ukraine go, then so be it.  You will be better off without them.

So ends my ranting for today.  I know this is simplistic, but it is also straight forward and with that, I hope you will all face up the the harsh realities of what really is, and try to take it from here.

Amen!

A Message to the People of Russia

It has come to my attention that many of you have pick up my page, FOUNDATION, and have noticed my posts about Ukraine, among other subjects.

I would like to reach out to all of you, and offer a plea for peace.

First, you have noticed my posts about Ukraine, and their desire to join the west, of at least western Ukraine.  

I am fully aware that the people in eastern Ukraine, or at least in Donetsk and Luhansk are mostly of Russian origin and many want to become part of Russia, or at least ally with them.  In this issue, I support both the East and the West.

I know Crimea was always Russian territory until 1956, when Khrushchev, on a whim, decided to give it to Ukraine as a gift, against the will of the Crimean people.  I know that after all these years, these people wanted to remain Russian and return to Russia’s fold.

I am also aware of the majority of the people in eastern Ukraine, or at least in the two easternmost provinces, also want to return to Russia’s fold, either as part of Russia, or an independent country allied with Russia.

I can sympathized with you, even support your position;  but I also support the people of western Ukraine in their desire to join the West and become a part of the European Union.  We, in the United States and Europe did not encourage them to do so, nor are we encouraging them to shun Russia, your country.  They themselves made this decision, and whether you like it or not, you have to respect them for it.  Each country must respect any desires of a neighboring country, whether the neighboring country likes it or not.  This equally applies to the U.S. in the affairs and both Canada and Mexico.

I also know that Ukraine is a cleft country, and that the eastern Ukrainians are of the Orthodox faith (religion does matter), the same as you, and that they are mostly ethnic Russian and want closer relations with you.  That also has to be respected.

What should be done is simply have a free and fair referendum in Eastern Ukraine, with international observes, for the people to decide for themselves what they want.  They can either vote 1) remain a part of Ukraine;  2) secede from Ukraine and join Russia; or 3) become an independent country, call it East Ukraine and ally with Russia.  Should they decide #2 or #3, fine.  We can live with it.  In return, Russia should let the rest of Ukraine go its own way and compensate Ukraine and its people for the land they’ve forfeited such as debt cancellation and supplying them with free natural gas from Russia for a certain number of years.

All this can, and should be achieved peacefully, with both sides having mutual respect for each other.  Ukraine and the European Union pose no threat to your country whatsoever.

What I am trying to say is that the present situation in Ukraine is not an excuse for your president, Vladimir Putin, to station troops along the Ukrainian border and threaten to invade Ukraine, even if the people of Donetsk and Luhansk desire it.  War, invasion, or any other form of hostile action is not the answer, and isn’t helping your own people any, even if you benefit by uniting the Russian people and acquiring more land.  What Putin is doing isn’t making things better for you, it’s making it worse, and he is aliening all of you from the rest of the world, at great expense to Russia itself.  

Should Putin order an invasion, you will lose more than you’ll gain, even if Russia wins militarily.  What Putin will be doing, in simple terms, is leading your country down the road to perdition, beginning with a deteriorating economy put on by sanctions, and a loss of international standing, and I know you do not want that.

Russia is a great country with a great people, having an amazing history.  Just by itself, without Ukraine, Russia is a giant landmass.  You are the largest country in the world and you have land stretching from eastern Europe all the way to the Bering Strait, along with an abundant amount of natural resources that have yet to be developed.  

If you were to develop all your resources throughout the country, can you imagine how much of an economic powerhouse you would be?  Your country and people would acquire more wealth, your standard of living would greatly increase, and you would provide intense competition for Europe, Japan, the United States, and China, without any need for the military.  Your people have great potential, and you have the ability to achieve a greatness, much more than you have already acquired throughout your entire history.

With all of this, you have no need to acquire any more land or invade any other country, and no other country wants to go to war with you.  In regard to your history, your borders today are safe.  What we all ask is to respect the sovereignty of your neighbors, as you expect them to respect yours.  Equal and mutual respect is the key, and should a problem arise, you should be able to settle it peacefully, without any need for your military.  That is all we ask.

What President Putin is doing right now isn’t helping you or Russia, it’s making your situation worse, and the world is distancing itself from you.  Should President Putin give the order to invade Ukraine, he will only make things worse for your society, and he will lead you and your country down the road to perdition;  in what ways, I don’t know, but it will happen.  What is really sad is that Putin knows this, but he doesn’t seem to care.  It hurts me very much to have to say this.

Is it worth it?  I don’t think so.  Do not allow this to happen.  Do not let Putin become like Adolf Hitler in 1939, when he invaded Poland, and I do dare to say that.  Please stand down and rejoin Europe, and the rest of the world.  I feel that by doing this, we can work together, and get through this crisis by finding a fair and peaceful solution that will be to everyone’s satisfaction.  It is only by achieving a win-win situation that we can have peace and prosperity for all.

Alastair Browne

UKRAINE - Part Four: What Should be Done to End This Crisis, Once and For All (April 15, 2014)

“Ukraine or rather Eastern Ukraine will come back in five, ten, or fifteen years.  Western Ukraine can go to Hell.”

                                                                     -A Russian General  (circa 1995)

And so, Ukraine now has its civil war.  It doesn’t matter what is happening right now, that’s just what it is.  In Eastern Ukraine, Russian-Ukrainian are occupying government buildings, building barricades, begging for Russian troops, now amassed across the border, to come in and invade.  One rumor has it that Russian agents are already in Ukraine instigating these disturbances, where, should the Ukrainian government crack down, Russia will have the perfect excuse to come in and invade to protect the Russian people living there.  Putin will find any excuse to do whatever he wants anyway, and he knows he can get away with it because the rest of the world isn’t doing much to protect Ukraine, save imposing sanctions.  

As of the present moment, the Ukrainian government is cracking down on its dissenters.  Who knows what may happen next.

I have stated, from Samuel Huntington’s book, “A Clash of Civilizations,” that Ukraine is a cleft country.  Western Ukraine is composed mostly of ethnic Ukrainians, who desire to join the European Union and the West in general.  Eastern Ukraine is composed of a mixture of Russians and Ukrainians, with the two easternmost provinces, Luhansk and Donetsk, with a majority Russian population, and a few other cities outside these two provinces, such as Kharkiv, having enough of its Russian populace to stir up some kind of trouble.  However, it is in Luhansk and Donetsk where the major crisis looms.

So there we have it.  Western Ukraine has found its freedom, the two provinces in Eastern Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk, are making life difficult for everyone else.

One thing that has to be noted is that many of these Russian Ukrainians do not want to be annexed to Russia.  They want to remain a part of Ukraine, with Ukraine maintain close Russian ties.  In other words, they want all of Ukraine to be Russia’s junior partner, under their full protection;  but it’s not going to be that way.  The Ukrainians want to break out of Russia’s orbit completely, and be free to do as they please;  i.e.  join the European Union, and as long as Putin is in power, NATO as well.

Here is what I propose.

Have Luhansk and Donetsk, and any other Eastern Ukrainian province, hold a referendum.  This referendum is to be completely fair, by secret ballot from each Ukrainian citizen, and to be supervised by international observers, including those from the United States and Europe.

This ballot is to give two choices, and no more.  These choices would be:

1. Have that province secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation, living under Russia’s laws and protection henceforth.
2. Remain a part of Ukraine, to live under Ukraine’s laws, and abide by any foreign policy decision Ukraine may make.                                                                

There will be NO federalizing Ukraine or any of its provinces, as Putin proposed, for that would only be to Russia’s advantage.

As a result, should the two renegade provinces, and any other connected to the Russian border vote to join Russia, they will be free to do so.

BUT, there will be a price.  

1. Russia is to cancel all debts owed by Ukraine to the Russian Federation, no exceptions.
2. To help Ukraine, Russia should supply Ukraine natural gas, free of charge, for the next five to seven years to help Ukraine get back on its feet.
3. Russia should compensate Ukraine for the land they sell to Russia (I said sell, not give or forfeit) with natural gas, as stated, and money to help move Ukraine’s economy in the right direction.
4. Ukraine shall be free and independent to take whatever course it chooses to do so, whether Russia approves of it or not.
5. Russia is to remove all its troops from the Ukrainian border.
6. Ukraine shall be free to join the European Union and fully integrate into European society.
7. Ukraine shall be fully free to join NATO, and establish NATO bases in their country.  This applies to the rest of Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
8. Should Russia not approve the #7, then the alternative shall be that Russia will have no military bases within 1600 kilometers of any borders of any European country, including Ukraine.

This is not giving in to appease the Russians, like Neville Chamberlain tried to do with Hitler in 1938.  This will be Russia paying for new territory, reuniting Russians from other countries with their own, but at a price.  If Russia wants these lands, they have to pay for them.  They cannot have them from free, pure and simple.

Here, everybody wins.  Russians will be with Russians under Russian law.  Ukraine will be rid of a peoples who are at present a thorn on their side.  They may lose two provinces, but that isn’t much.  In fact, they are not worth keeping.  Crimea is gone, but Crimea has always been a part of Russia, and was given away by Khrushchev, drunk, back in 1954, against the will of the Crimean people.  They are glad to be back in Russia, and Ukraine will just have to accept that.  Again, it really isn’t worth it.

There you have it.  This is a proposed, permanent solution to Ukraine’s present troubles, and a pathway for their long for freedoms.  It isn’t easy to swallow, but nothing ever is