Are NATO and Russia on the brink of war over the Ukraine crisis? (Ex-UK ambassador to Russia) E1095

Sir Brenton nose was gradually enlarging & enlarging as the interview advanced. Afshin did a great job with his timely & respectful rebuttals, while maintaining the decorum of professional conduct, though I'd rather a more direct challenging to the rubbish nonsense asserted.

Mr. Brenton, you are no longer an active member of UK diplomatic arm & will not have FM or PM in your future resume, so why not cut the crap and start assuming responsibilities for all the harm caused by your & other western governments to so many (global south) countries & people, instead of repeating the same old lines of falsehoods, uncorroborated assumptions & deceptive propaganda given to you on a cheat sheet

Sir Breton, I urge you to reconsider offending the viewers' intelligence as most are well-read, well informed, highly objective and peace-loving than your wildest imagination.

As such you may want to tell the survivors of Yemen war - fully supported/armed/assisted by US/UK - or Iraqis, Afghanis, Libyans, or Syrians or....with the complicity of what you refer as "defensive" NATO of why their countries were completely ruined, millions dead, millions maimed for life, millions lost their livelihoods and homes, complete destruction of the fabrics of their families, communities, societies...with highly remote recovery of at the least two generations out. Please explain to any survivors of any region of your choosing of "western values & ethics", "mistakes" or "defensive [NATO] strategies" or...

Please tell the orphans with dead parents or parents with massacred children why their loved ones were decimated - as if the color of their blood has less viscosity than yours - by invasions, occupations or regime changes and always under the façade of Human Rights or spread of God-given western-style democracy or values. And you want all to believe that western values are exceptional in human history and act out of concern for others with no evil bone and always for the benefit of other people interest.

Please remind them that what they were gifted with came at west's huge cost of blood & treasure for their own good, and hence they should be thankful for being endowed with the keys to civilization and values of democracy, individual rights, freedom, or whatever else is the new 21st-century propaganda lines.

And explain if sometimes the news leaked out where deception, diversion or denial was impossible, then the harms inhibited were always due to "mistakes" and not intentional and for sure NEVER due to geo political gains driven by commercial interests; e.g. international banking, oil & military industries, etc.

Well, we have war-monger bloodthirsty vultures like recently "Sir-ed" Blair, Bush, Cheney, Johnson, Pompeo, Trump, Blinken...to say those garbage lies justifying the needs of sometimes harsh actions and only to save them from tyranny, dictatorship, lack of freedom....and introduce them to western values and principles.

Notwithstanding the official curtain, I sense a modicum of decency & honor in your presentation. Given the fact that you may be retired from public office and will continue to receive your retirement perks, why not consider walking across to the side of humanity and defend the disenfranchised - you may even impress yourself.

 

Maia john • 6 days ago • edited

Don't you think it strange that one of the founding members of nato, the Netherlands, according to you joined the club later on? True at the moment the Dutch army is far smaller than at the time of foundation, the same is true for more European countries. Germany and the Netherlands borrow tanks from each other whenever they feel the need to do some exercises. Inspite of having a small army the Netherlands has contributed to nato. Apart from having had to buy the junk F35, I personally know Dutch troops who were stationed e.g. in Afghanistan. Btw I would be in favour of leaving the terrorist organisation, the extended arm of the Pentagon. Nothing good comes from the bloodthirsty warmongers.