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The Fog of War and Politics
A perspective from Chris Mayfield
The Presidential election cycle is speeding up, and the war in Ukraine is an existential issue. For me, two questions are key: what is actually going on in the war, and who can I trust? Unfortunately, clarity on either is in short supply.
Let’s start with the war. Several key events illustrate the density of the obfuscation, often misleadingly referred to as the “fog of war.” In the case of the Nordstream pipeline explosion — a major act of sabotage and an environmental and energy security disaster — official statements and news stories have morphed wildly over time. Initially, US officials and major news outlets asserted that Russia must have blown up its own multi-billion- dollar pipeline. In February, veteran reporter Seymour Hersh published a controversial story asserting that the US actually did it. Hersh’s account was widely ignored and ridiculed, despite Biden having promised, shortly before the invasion, “If Russia invades . . . There will no longer be a Nordstream 2. We will bring an end to it.” A month later, however, the New York Times published a new narrative: it was a pro-Ukrainian group using an improbably small yacht, but without the knowledge of Zelensky or the White House. Later still, the Washington Post posited, based on leaked Discord documents, that the US government knew of detailed plans by the Ukrainian military to blow up the pipeline, three months before it happened.
So—the Russians, the US, pro-Ukrainian freelancers or the Ukrainian military with tacit US consent?
Other important uncertainties abound: Are Ukrainian oligarchs siphoning US aid dollars? How strong is pro-Nazi sentiment in the Ukrainian military? Who destroyed the Kakhovka dam, leading to tragic loss of life and environmental devastation?
“Fog” is heavy on the campaign trail as well. Politico reported earlier in June that senior White House officials believe that President Biden’s “global reputation . . . hinges on the success of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.” If the offensive fails, they worry, “heightened calls for an expedited diplomatic resolution “ might ensue; a ceasefire could dim Biden’s re-election prospects. Former President Trump, on the other hand, claims he could and would end the war “within 24 hours.” But Trump yanked the US from the Iran nuclear deal and from two nuclear arms agreements, hardly a peacemaker’s record.
What’s a voter to do? Healthy skepticism is one approach; we can take official pronouncements and campaign rhetoric with a huge grain of salt, and look at multiple news sites, including alternative ones. Second, and perhaps hardest, we can muster the nerve to talk to others about our questions. It often feels as if the topic of the war is taboo. But besides the thousands suffering and dying in Ukraine, the specter of nuclear holocaust hangs over all of us. We need and deserve clarity
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
