Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
William J. Burns is the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
From 2005 to 2008 Burns was the ambassador to Russia. In February 2008, Burns sent a memo that that was distributed widely within the upper echelons of the George W. Bush administration. The memo concerned the NATO meeting that would determine whether to allow Ukraine and Georgia membership in NATO.
Burns titled the memo, “Nyet Means Nyet,” and it read in part:
“Foreign Minister Lavrov and other senior officials have reiterated strong opposition, stressing that Russia would view further eastward expansion as a potential military threat.
“NATO enlargement, particularly to Ukraine, remains “an emotional and neuralgic” issue for Russia, but strategic policy considerations also underlie strong opposition to NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia.
“In Ukraine, these include fears that the issue could potentially split the country in two, leading to violence or even, some claim civil war, which would force Russia to decide whether to intervene.
“Additionally, experts continue to claim that Ukrainian NATO membership would have a major impact on Russia’s defense industry, Russian-Ukrainian family connections and bilateral relations generally.”
The memo turned out to be prophetic.
Any number of news articles are finally reaching the realization that Ukraine’s counter offensive may fail, and are beginning to speculate that negotiations to stop the killing may be forthcoming. The Ukrainians, the Collective West and the Russians all have valid concerns over any such negotiations.
The Ukrainians have stated they will only accept a complete Russian surrender, with all contested land, including Crimea, being returned to Ukraine. They will not negotiate under any conditions.
The Collective West has met and discussed the situation amongst themselves (without Russia) and determined that a land for cease fire arrangement could be arranged. This would freeze the lines in place where they are now, stop the hostilities and allow Ukraine to apply for membership in NATO.
The Russians will never agree to either of these options. If one has any doubts about this, I suggest they go back and re-read Burns’ memo. Until the Collective West understands that Ukraine in NATO is an existential Red Line to Russia, no negotiations are possible.
In a recent article, former British diplomat Alistair Crooke equates the Ukraine situation to The Eagles, song, “Hotel California,” where you can check out anytime, but you can never leave. We can’t get there from here.
Rube Render is a former Clovis city commissioner and former chair of the Curry County Republican Party. Contact him:
