“I don’t like the Russians…” This is how one Western commentator who claims he is against the war starts his ‘fair and unbiased’ analysis of the Ukraine-Russia war. Well, the way he starts his commentary does nothing to prompt you to go through the remaining half-hour of what turns out to be a study in bias of the foulest type. More and more misinformation and disinformation is being dumped on this world of ours and it turns out that no one, absolutely no one outside of the places where the missiles are raining and the bombs exploding knows the whole story. Even in such circumstances it is difficult to see the whole untainted picture of a situation where the number of direct and indirect participants is simply mind boggling. What is scary is that it is in times where things are getting worse by the day that especially the Western media and politicians are drumming up this inevitable Third World War narrative. One would ask would they be so war-mongering and pushing the rest of the world to the brinks of total destruction if it were their ground on which the missiles and bombs end up?
Listening, viewing and reading about all that’s going on we can’t help it but ask, “Is World War III really edging closer?” It depends on whom you’re listening to. there are those who argue that it has already began arguing the number of countries involved in way or other makes it nothing less than a world war. Of course it’s important to try to get all sides of the story.
A few years back any talk of an impending world war would have been brushed aside as nonsense of so-called doomsday preachers and politicians who know anything but politics. “The coffers of these guys must be running dry and they are employing the age-old scare-the-hell-out- of them tactics.” After so much and so horrific destructions of the previous two world wars that humanity would draw itself into a third one willingly would have been brushed aside as a very feeble and resource-starved narrative. No more. The Ukraine-Russia war has changed everything. It’s different now. There are so many pieces on the chess board and the number of kings and queens seem to have been upped. The global narrative having been hijacked turning one’s back to narratives of another world war starting in the same place where the two others started, Europe, is becoming impossible.
What’s scary this time around is the sides involved in the war talk about of a possible the WW III are getting louder and mankind should be concerned. With the buildup on all sides and the rush of latest armaments and highly-charged threats and counter threats everything that is happening seems to be drawing the world closer to that. Most of the world which would be the grass on which the elephants duel is confused.
If you’ve been following latest developments for some time now the talk has been about a highly-anticipated Ukraine counteroffensive which the western media and politicians tell us would take Russia to its knees. When you read and listen to the various reports it is as if preparations are being made in this side with umpteen countries involved as if the other side is sitting with folded hands and waiting to be decimated. The so-called mainstream press as we’re witnessing is playing a big part through deliberate dis and misinformation so that the calls for peace are muted and the global war narrative is upped many decibels.
We can say the so-called global south is at least for now better positioned to having both sides of the story. When the so-called global media remains mum about important issues or some go to the length of applauding an assassination attempt on a leader of such a big country you know the war has become about a lot of other things. The question what would have been the reaction of such an attempt was made on a big Western leader? The mainstream media would have gone berserk. They would have been wailing at the top other voices for Armageddon to be launched against whoever they think is responsible.
You wonder why they are so keen for another world war. True that, this time around it is not going to be about other Normandy landings or Pearl Harbors. This time it is not going to be about some ‘strongman’ trying to put the rest of the world under his feet. This time around it is going to be different, very different. Some of us log on sites which give the other side of the story too. There too, there are military analysts whose resume speaks a lot about them and their story is a hell lot different. Still, there too, bias of one sort another puts the credibility of their narratives into question.
The conventional wisdom at present is that the world is not hearing all it needs to hear about the war. It seems that these days whenever the heavyweights of international politics meet formally or informally all they talk is about additional weapons to the warfront, sanctions and the like. What about peace! After all, there could be no loser in real all-inclusive peace. Sad that the voices of “Peace, Not War!” which should have echoed on all corners of the world practically have for the most part been silenced.
And while we are at it here is another interesting bit of news. Clayton Morris of the YouTube site Redacted says ‘BBC launches HILARIOUS “disinformation” department to keep you safe. Well, well, well; isn’t that some juicy news! “The BBC is trying to target misinformation with fake Twitter accounts. They admitted as such with the launch of their project called Verity. That’s interesting because Twitter expressly forbids fake accounts but the BBC says that they are doing this to investigate conspiracy theories.” Well, how about ‘investigative. The Ukraine war narratives while they are at it. Strange, really strange times and a strange world ours is!
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 28 MAY 2023