I will have to respectfully decline to sign your petition. Although I oppose morally the invasion of Ukraine as I come from a traditional Byzantine anti war perspective,I oppose the poisonous anti Russian hatred that has predated this war by many years. I believe that I am consistent in my anti war views as I have opposed the American-NATO bombing of Serbia, the invasion of Iraq, the overthrow of Libya’s government in 2011, and the mad effort to aid jihadist groups in Syria by overthrowing the secular government of Bashar Asaad.
I have an expertise on Byzantine and Russian history and I have a theological degree in Eastern Orthodoxy, the faith of most Russians and Ukrainians.There is a complex history here going back to the
Crusader attacks on Constantinople in 1204 and the Teutonic Knight invasion of Russia in 1242. I am sure you will be baffled by what these centuries old issues have to do with today. Because history has defined Russia as Eastern and Eastern Orthodox countries have not only long been excluded by the west, they have frequently been targeted by the west.
Ukraine is the source of tension between Eastern and Western Christianity. There are complex historical, cultural, and religious factors at play. It is in what is now western Ukraine that the Roman Catholics imposed on Orthodox Ukrainians the dogmas and authority of the Pope while permitting them to maintain byzantine liturgical rites. Kiev is also the birthplace of Christian Russia which was baptized in the year 988 AD by Greek Orthodox Emperor Basil II.
Certainly, I condemn all atrocities being committed by the Russian army without question. But the fact of the matter is that the western world only dislikes those wars that somebody else starts. In 1999, NATO bombed Orthodox Serbia for seventy eight days and it is well known that American General Wesley Clark specifically and purposely targeted the bombing of civilian targets because Serbs were considered to be collectively guilty for the crimes of the Milosovic regime. Being progressives, I am sure you are aware of the horrendous destruction of Iraq and the horrific war crimes of the Bush-Cheney administration which can be seen by the insane torture and sexual humiliation of Iraqi men.
I would remind you that in the fall of 2020, the nefarious regime of Azerbaijan invaded peaceful Armenia. The Azerbaijani forces seized Armenian lands which are populated overwhelmingly by Armenians and belong historically to the Armenian people. Azerbaijanis committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. They slaughtered civilians and they tortured and murdered Armenian prisoners of war in complete violation of the Geneva conventions. It is more than apparent that the media and both political parties in the United States very selectively choose what they cover.
Being a Greek American, I am committed to the freedom of Greece from Turkish aggression and the liberation of Cyprus from Turkish occupation. I am sure that you are unaware that Turkey has been threatening to invade Greece. The jihadist regime in Turkey led by the madman Recep Teyyip Erdogan has put forward claims to the islands of Greece. Some of these have been part of modern Greece since 1923 and some since 1947. All belong to Greece under international treaties and the populations of all these islands are fully Greek. These factors have not stopped Turkey from threatening to invade Greece.
If Turkey should invade Greece, it is my opinion that that groups like yours, the political parties, and the media will remain just as oblivious and indifferent as they were when Azerbaijan invaded Armenia.
The Republic of Cyprus was invaded by Turkey in 1974 and Turkish troops are still there. They have been bringing settlers from Turkey to seize the homes of Greek Cypriots who were ethnically cleansed by the invading Turkish army. More recently, Turkey invaded the Kurdish regions of Syria to the indifference of the world. In this regard, the Russians deserve as much criticism as the western governments. The Russians let the Turks attack the Kurds and the Russians stood aside when Azerbaijan attacked Armenia.
For years now, there has been an unrelenting hysteria against the Russians. This is long before the invasion of Ukraine last week. The fact of the matter is the unscrupulous and ignorant media along with unscrupulous political actors have a very poor knowledge and understanding of history or of other countries. As a Greek American, I have felt this over the years by the repeated attacks in the media and elsewhere against Greece and Cyprus who have been frequently maligned.
International tensions escalated when the Biden administration following the playbook of Hillary Clinton’s anti Russian drivel decided to push NATO closer to the Russian border. The Russians have been imperialistic in history. It is also true that Great Britain, France, Germany, and the United States have also been imperialistic. The crimes of the British in the Middle East, Africa, and other areas such as Cyprus are legendary. The United States is still pursuing an imperialistic foreign policy.
NATO would have us believe they are promoting democracy. The same alliance that arms the jihadist state of Turkey to the teeth. When the Greek Prime Minister made an appeal to NATO to intervene to stop Turkish aggressive claims against Greece, the alliance declined. Those of us of Greek descent are aware of the fact that a small country like Greece is not considered as important as Turkey. This is why Turkey is permitted to slaughter minorities and to invade other countries with no consequences.
I lament the beginning of yet another major war in the twenty first century. However, this did not have to occur and would not have occurred if the west did not arrogantly provoke the Russians by attempting to encircle by expanding NATO to the Russian border. The Russians have an impressive history from the victories of Alexander Nevsky in the thirteenth century to their victories over Napolean and Hitler later on. Provoking the Russians is something that anyone with a knowledge of history would have known to avoid.
The comparison of Vladimir Putin with Hitler by Hillary Clinton and other sources was especially stupid. Considering her husband’s past support for the pro-Nazi governments of Croatia and Bosnia during the 1990’s, and considering the various neo Nazi militias in Ukraine it is probably not wise to make that comparison. These are some thoughts that you might wish to consider and I send this message to you with the best of intentions.
Theodore Karakostas