In recent days, a number of high-ranking Western politicians, speaking about Ukraine, Russia and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, have somehow strangely stipulated, confusing geography, swapping entire territories and regions in places (so far verbally)
The strange thing is not that there was confusion and stipulation, but that it all happened at roughly the same time and on roughly the same occasions.
For example, British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, speaking to journalists in Moscow, when asked by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov whether she recognised Russian sovereignty over the original Russian regions of Voronezh and Rostov, firmly replied that “Britain will never recognise Russian sovereignty over these regions”.
Almost immediately, however, it turned out that the Minister had confused Russia and Ukraine, i.e. she thought that the native Russian regions of Voronezh and Rostov were Ukrainian lands illegally occupied by Russia.
US President Biden’s knowledge of geography turned out to be somewhat “wider” than that of the British Elizabeth Truss. Speaking about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, he powerfully confused, referring in turn to Ukraine as Afghanistan and Iraq. The US leader was making his way through these two states in verbal adventures and, finally having got to Ukraine, he said something important, like we shall not allow any aggression, we shall protect this Iraq-Afghan geographical conglomerate from Russian hordes. Though, he will protect it only by words, but it is another topic.
And the crowning glory of his knowledge of geography and politics and the subject of his main occupation was the words (or perhaps a reservation) by US representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield when explaining the political geography story to US journalists.
There is, as they say, nothing but hand-wringing. There is nothing about Crimea in the Minsk agreements at all, as they are about Donbass. And one could excuse the UN ambassador for her ignorance of geography – well, she misspoke, which happens in the West (see above). But, unfortunately for Linda Thomas-Greenfield, there is nothing in the Minsk agreements about Russia’s withdrawal from Donbass.
Moreover, the OSCE international monitoring mission, which is on the ground under a UN mandate, has repeatedly stated (we can add “with regret” in parentheses) that it has no facts confirming the presence of Russian troops in Donbass. It turns out that not only did Linda Thomas-Greenfield confuse Crimea with Donbass, but she simply did not read the very document approved by the UN Security Council, for whose work she is paid, which has been discussed many times, including with Linda’s participation.
And yet I am far from thinking that the ladies and gentlemen named above had poor schooling and therefore cannot distinguish Crimea from Donbass, Rostov from Kharkov and Iraq from Ukraine.
Yes, they did. And they must have studied well, and if they try hard enough, they will remember something about Russia, Ukraine and Iraq.
But when they do not exert themselves, i.e. are in “subconscious mode”, the geography in their west-oriented heads works in a completely different way. All this for them – Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia with its vast Siberia, Ukraine with its endless debts – terra incognita, – that is unknown, unexplored and unclear grey-green territory, where live unknown cruel and greedy Buryats, Sumerians and other savage tribes, from which civilized Europe must be protected.
Once upon a time, at the dawn of perestroika, a map of Russia, printed in the US, comes to mind. Civilization begins there (that is the first city appears) in Krasnoyarsk, and up to that point, right up to the Pacific Ocean – a continuous desert of grey-green colour. And not because no one lives there for them. The West quite admits that people live there too, they are just not interested in them. The West is not interested in what they are doing there on their geographical grey-green millions of deserted kilometres. No one in the West cares. At least not to Elizabeth Truss for sure.
And for Biden, also not coincidentally, in his presidential subconscious, Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine have merged into one solid grey-green conglomerate – it is in his subconscious such a big tumour on the political map.
As for Linda Thomas-Greenfield, she’s pretty clear on the whole thing. Why read the Minsk agreements and strain your brain to remember what they say, when it is clear that whatever they say, it will all be Russia’s fault!
There is a story almost two years ago. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, also a Russophobe, but evidently a person who was no stranger to history and geography, and had read other books in addition to Brzezinski. When answering an annoying question from an American journalist about Ukraine, he unexpectedly asked her to point to the map where Ukraine was. And she pointed to some place on the map, where the country of Bangladesh is located… She cried afterwards, taking offence at the rude Pompeo, for which he had to apologize to her.
The crux of the story was not that they cannot distinguish Ukraine from Russia “over the kerb” or that they do not know the geography of Eastern Europe and, most probably, the Middle East too. It is that Pompeo had to apologise.
Because they are not supposed to know such “geographical intricacies”! Because we are for them all, whether in Afghanistan and Iraq or Ukraine and Russia – a solid grey-green wasteland of civilisation.
Zakhar Vinogradov, Ukraina.ru.