Former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski laid out Washington's thinking about post-independence Ukraine in his 1997 book The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives. "Without Ukraine," explained Brzezinski, "Russia ceases to be a Eurasian empire." Brzezinski argued that drawing Ukraine into Washington's orbit would deliver a major blow to Russia and help the US become "the key arbiter of Eurasian power relations."

Ukraine, a new and important space on the Eurasian chessboard, is a geopolitical pivot because its very existence as an independent country helps to transform Russia. Without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be a Eurasian empire."
-- Zbigniew Brzezinski

Obama Surge War Porn | by fairleft Wed Dec 2nd, 2009 |

I haven't noticed that positive reception, Eugene, but I'm not glued to inside-the-beltway ass-kissing -- I mean mainstream media pseudo-analysis -- so what do I know? Seriously, stop reading and listening to the usual laissez-faire corporate globalization suspects if you want to get any kind of understanding of the ugly reality the U.S. is foisting on the world. Afghanistan is a tiny corner but sure, you can start peeling back the happy face label there.

Advisor to Obama Richard C. Holbrooke was given a voice on policy for Afghanistan but wasn't listened to ...

U.S. Policy in Afghanistan: A Conversation with Richard C. Holbrooke | CFR - Dec. 15, 2009 |

'Sapere aude'