What is "Anti-European" and what are the Costs of our Manichean Mindset?
We can explore solutions to the war in Ukraine if we allow open discussion without the high social costs of dissent.
In an op-ed in VG, it is claimed that anti-European fascism is on the rise on our continent, and the threat is so serious that this is not the time for a "false balance" in the debate. The op-ed dismisses my "dubious claims and opinions" without citing a single example.
I will put forward a counter-argument, that our problems come from oversimplification and lack of open debate by using slogans and name-calling.
What is "anti-European?" The British idea of Europe is democracy which was argued to be undermined by transferring power to undemocratic EU institutions. Hungary believes that Europe is our traditional values and Christian cultural heritage which is seen to be under attack by an unfettered liberal ideology. Russia sees Europe as a common home that is undermined by an expanding military alliance that has re-divided the continent and resulted in a new Cold War regarding where to draw the new dividing lines.
Europe is a contested concept and many conflicts could have been resolved with mutual understanding and compromise instead of always presenting disagreements as a conflict between good and evil.
We can explore solutions to the war in Ukraine if we allow open discussion without the high social costs of dissent.
If Russia is driven by unprovoked territorial expansionism, then there are no good solutions and we must prepare for war. But if Russia invaded to prevent the expansion of a hostile military alliance, then there are possibilities for compromise. A proper analysis is of great importance.
However, in our narrative-driven media, any evidence that Russia considers this a defensive war is denounced as an attempt to legitimize the invasion. On the first day after Russia's invasion in February 2022, President Zelensky confirmed that Moscow had contacted them to start peace talks. The demand was for Ukraine to restore its neutrality, something Zelensky expressed a desire to discuss. On the third day after the invasion, both Russia and Ukraine confirmed that negotiations would begin based on restoring Ukraine's neutrality. Ukrainian ambassador Oleksandr Chalyi, the head of Zelensky's party David Arakhamia, and Zelensky's former adviser Oleksi Arestovych confirm that they were close to an agreement based on Ukrainian neutrality.
General Harald Kujat, the former head of Germany's armed forces and head of NATO's military committee, claims the Americans sabotaged the peace agreement in order to use Ukrainians to weaken a strategic rival. The Israeli and Turkish negotiators confirmed that Moscow and Kiev were close to an agreement, but the Americans and the British blocked it. Washington and London had decided to bleed Russia out with regime change as their only acceptable outcome of the war.
How is it that no Norwegian journalists thought any of this was worth reporting? We have limited our analysis by presenting everything as a conflict between good and evil. This Manichean manipulation is great for mobilizing public opinion in favour of confrontation and war, but it prevents workable solutions.
https://www.vg.no/nyheter/meninger/i/B0j33E/hva-er-europa-fiendtlig
Norway is in the pocket of US. The sad part are that the truth is out there for everyone to see. But people are letting them be brainwashed and becoming so ignorant that even Orwell would be surprised. If there were true leaders with integrity and wisedom - there would be more compromises and agreements. The trouble is US where Obama told the whole world that US is the one and only exeptional state. Their hybris and evilness is laid bare for all to see. Just follow the bloody traces in countrys like Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria or for that matter Serbia and now in Ukraine.
Thank you Professor Diesen! You gave again a balanced opinion. The sad thing is that fewer and fewer people really want to know. Following the narrative is comfortable for many. There seems to be a diminishing intuition for the truth and that makes it easy to just follow the narrative. Another facilitating aspect is that people aren't alone anymore. They swim and drown in the social media and control each other over there. Deviation is experienced as dangerous. Quietly trying to get the facts, observing them, thinking about them, has become rather rare, and for the habit of civilized response goes the same. I hope you will continue your invaluable work.