War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict

198 Pages·2022·1.201 MB·English

by  Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies

“Careful, informed, judicious … an invaluable guide” —Noam Chomsky
“Here, finally, is the book we’ve been awaiting. War in
Ukraine is illuminating and essential for anyone seeking to
W A R I N
penetrate the fog of myth and propaganda that distorts our
understanding of this crisis.”
W
—STEPHEN KINZER, AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST
A
U K R A I N E
“An important antidote to the war propaganda about Ukraine R

that so many in the West are caught up in.” I
N
—MAIREAD MCGUIRE, ACTIVIST AND WINNER OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
U
K
“Makes tragically clear that this was a conflict that could have
R
been avoided if our foreign policy had not become captive to
A
militarists whose sole loyalty is to the arms industry.” I MAKING
N
—CHRIS HEDGES, AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST E SENSE
OF A
“Given corporate media’s pro-war bias, a book like this,
SENSELESS
which provides important political and historical context and
B
argues for negotiations instead of escalation, is of utmost CONFLICT
E
N
importance.”
J
A
—KATIE HALPER, HOST OF THE KATIE HALPER SHOW AND USEFUL IDIOTS M
I
N
“Give this book to anyone seeking the knowledge and wisdom

&
needed to help end the violence in Ukraine.”
D
A
—DAVID SWANSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WORLD BEYOND WAR V
I
E
“This concise primer gives what U.S. media consumers so rarely S
get—historical context with balance and compassion.”
—NORMAN SOLOMON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ACCURACY
MEDEA BENJAMIN &
ISBN 9781682193716
90000 >
OR Books NICOLAS J. S. DAVIES
www.orbooks.com
Cover photo by Wilfried Pohnke via pixabay.com 9781682 193716
Cover design by Antara Ghosh
PREFACE BY KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL
“Careful, informed, judicious … an invaluable guide” —Noam Chomsky
“Here, finally, is the book we’ve been awaiting. War in
Ukraine is illuminating and essential for anyone seeking to
W A R I N
penetrate the fog of myth and propaganda that distorts our
understanding of this crisis.”
W
—STEPHEN KINZER, AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST
A
U K R A I N E
“An important antidote to the war propaganda about Ukraine R

that so many in the West are caught up in.” I
N
—MAIREAD MCGUIRE, ACTIVIST AND WINNER OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
U
K
“Makes tragically clear that this was a conflict that could have
R
been avoided if our foreign policy had not become captive to
A
militarists whose sole loyalty is to the arms industry.” I MAKING
N
—CHRIS HEDGES, AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST E SENSE
OF A
“Given corporate media’s pro-war bias, a book like this,
SENSELESS
which provides important political and historical context and
B
argues for negotiations instead of escalation, is of utmost CONFLICT
E
N
importance.”
J
A
—KATIE HALPER, HOST OF THE KATIE HALPER SHOW AND USEFUL IDIOTS M
I
N
“Give this book to anyone seeking the knowledge and wisdom

&
needed to help end the violence in Ukraine.”
D
A
—DAVID SWANSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WORLD BEYOND WAR V
I
E
“This concise primer gives what U.S. media consumers so rarely S
get—historical context with balance and compassion.”
—NORMAN SOLOMON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ACCURACY
MEDEA BENJAMIN &
ISBN 9781682193716
90000 >
OR Books NICOLAS J. S. DAVIES
www.orbooks.com
Cover photo by Wilfried Pohnke via pixabay.com 9781682 193716
Cover design by Antara Ghosh
PREFACE BY KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL
WAR IN UKRAINE

WAR IN UKRAINE
MAKING SENSE
OF A SENSELESS
CONFLICT
MEDEA BENJAMIN AND
NICOLAS J.S. DAVIES
OR Books
New York • London
© 2022 Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies
Published by OR Books, New York and London
Visit our website at www.orbooks.com
All rights information: [email protected]
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy,
recording, or any information storage retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publisher, except brief passages for review purposes.
First printing 2022
Cataloging- in- Publication data is available from the Library of Congress.
A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
Typeset by Lapiz Digital Services.
paperback ISBN 978- 1- 68219- 3 71- 6 • ebook ISBN 978- 1- 68219- 3 73- 0
CONTENTS
Maps 1
Preface—K atrina vanden Heuvel 3
Introduction: Collision Course 11
1. How 2014 Set the Stage for War 23
2. The Success and Failure of the Minsk II Peace Plan 51
3. The Russian Invasion of Ukraine 69
4. NATO: Myth vs. Reality 97
5. Information Warfare 117
6. The Consequences of Western Sanctions on Russia 145
7. Flirting with Nuclear War 165
Conclusion: How on Earth Will This End? 177
Acknowledgments 183
Acronyms 187
About the Authors 189

Ukraine, its major cities, and surrounding areas.
Detail of the Donbas region.