An excerpt from, "Ukraine Is the Latest Neocon Disaster" By Jeffrey D. Sachs, OtherNews, June 27, 2022:
The war in Ukraine is the culmination of a 30-year project of the American neoconservative movement. The Biden Administration is packed with the same neocons who championed the US wars of choice in Serbia (1999), Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), Syria (2011), Libya (2011), and who did so much to provoke Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The neocon track record is one of unmitigated disaster, yet Biden has staffed his team with neocons. As a result, Biden is steering Ukraine, the US, and the European Union towards yet another geopolitical debacle. If Europe has any insight, it will separate itself from these US foreign policy debacles.
An excerpt from, "Ukraine sceptics censored across Central Europe" By William Nattrass, UnHerd, November 22, 2022:
The media doesn’t seem to trust the public to make up their own minds, so it’s no surprise that Slovaks distrust the media in return. Those with views contrary to established narratives on issues from Covid to Ukraine have had such little representation that many have taken their news consumption online, now preferring to trust “citizen journalism” on social media.
Something similar is happening across the border in the Czech Republic. A protest movement called “Czech Republic First” has held rallies attracting tens of thousands of people in Prague, calling for the resignation of the government and a reversal of the country’s stance on Ukraine. Here, too, the national holiday opened up a free speech controversy.
Ladislav Vrabel, the leader of Czech Republic First, protested with thousands of followers outside the studios of the national television broadcaster, demanding ten minutes’ airtime to present his views. As with Fico in Slovakia, Vrabel’s stance on Ukraine – calling for an end to Russia sanctions and non-interventionism in the war – is a reflection of strong currents of popular opinion, but the public broadcaster refused to give him a platform.
Of course, setting a TV schedule is the broadcaster’s prerogative. But as some Czech commentators have pointed out, such power comes with the responsibility to present opposing views — especially those already prevalent in society — and let them stand or fall on their own merits. Far from being a fringe view, opposition to Western involvement in the war has become a major strand of public opinion across central Europe, from Hungary’s well-established anti-sanction stance, to growing support for similar political movements in Austria, and frequent rallies against Ukraine policy in eastern Germany. Trying to shut down these voices only causes resentment to fester.
