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Listen: MP3
This program was recorded in one, 60-minute segment.
Introduction: Continuing analysis of the Ukraine crisis, this broadcast highlights an important, insightful article by Jonathan Marshall on the Consortium News website. details some of the dangers inherent in Western and U.S. policy toward Russia. He notes that:
- The possibility that the Ukraine crisis could lead to a larger conflict (Russia is, of course, a nuclear power).
- The possibility that, if Russia is forced into default, the economic implications for affected American and European institutions could be profoundly negative.
- The U.S. is working to “make the economy scream” much as the Nixon administration did during its destabilization of the Allende regime in Chile.
- The U.S. and the West are, indeed, pushing for “regime change” in Russia–a fundamental violation of international law.
- The U.S. and Western stance imperils important areas of cooperation with Russia including negotiations over Iran’s nuclear capabilities, support for the Afghan effort (where Russia has permitted NATO flights over its territory), and attempts to find a solution to the Syrian civil war.
- The passage of anti-Russian legislation giving weaponry to the OUN/B heirs in power in Ukraine was accomplished just before midnight (in the House of Representatives) with three members of the House in attendance!
- There are Russian fascists fighting in Ukraine, whose military experience could translate into their ascension to power in Russia.
The perils inherent in the Ukraine crisis are underscored by the American dispatching of military trainers and armored vehicles to the Ukrainian national guard, which include the Nazi volunteer battalions.
Endgame of the Ukraine crisis?
The perils were further underscored by former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, who warned about the possibility of nuclear war, stemming from our current policy drift.
The balance of the program sets forth the renascent power of the von Habsburgs, who are gaining influence in Hungary, one of the traditional seats of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. In addition to Hungary, Habsburg descendants are active in other European countries. Georgia’s ambassador to Germany is a Habsburg princess, apparently furthering the anti-Russian agenda discussed in George Eliason’s expose of the evolution of the “Spring of Nations,” the 19th century ultra-nationalist exceptionalism fostered by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nurtured by the Promethean League between the World Wars, Nazi Germany during the Second World War and the Western democracies during the Cold War, that virulent, bloody ideology triumphed after the breakup of the U.S.S.R.
As set forth in FTR #824, the roots of Ukrainian fascism are anchored in the Habsburg-generated Western Ukrainian (Galician) ultra-nationalism. The Habsburgs are very active in Western Ukraine at the present time. Karl von Habsburg presides over a radio station in Western Ukraine that is running interference for the OUN/B heirs there.
Previous programs covering the Ukraine crisis are: FTR #‘s 777, 778, 779, 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 794, 800, 803, 804, 808, 811, 817, 818, 824, 826, 829, 832.
Program Highlights Include: Review of Georgia’s role in the Promethean League; review of Otto von Habsburg’s political alliance with Jaroslav Stetzko, the genocidal head of state of the Nazi-allied Ukraine during World War II; review of Otto von Habsburg’s membership in the Free Rudolf Hess Committee; review of Karl von Habsburg’s UNPO; review of Karl von Habsburg’s marriage to Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza; Walburga von Habsburg’s role in reactionary Swedish politics; the role of the Habsburgs in the final stages of the decline of the Soviet Union; review of the fascist alignment of Europe’s monarchical families during World War II.
1. On the Consortium News website, Jonathan Marshall has posted a very important article, in which he details some of the dangers inherent in Western and U.S. policy toward Russia. He notes that:
- The possibility that the Ukraine crisis could lead to a larger conflict (Russia is, of course, a nuclear power).
- The possibility that, if Russia is forced into default, the economic implications for affected American and European institutions could be profoundly negative.
- The U.S. is working to “make the economy scream” much as the Nixon administration did during its destabilization of the Allende regime in Chile.
- The U.S. and the West are, indeed, pushing for “regime change” in Russia–a fundamental violation of international law.
- The U.S. and Western stance imperils important areas of cooperation with Russia including negotiations over Iran’s nuclear capabilities, support for the Afghan effort (where Russia has permitted NATO flights over its territory), and attempts to find a solution to the Syrian civil war.
- The passage of anti-Russian legislation giving weaponry to the OUN/B heirs in power in Ukraine was accomplished just before midnight (in the House of Representatives) with three members of the House in attendance!
- There are Russian fascists fighting in Ukraine, whose military experience could translate into their ascension to power in Russia.
Risky Blowback from Russian Sanctions” by Jonathan Marshall; Consortium News; 1/19/2015.
Last month, as President Barack Obama prepared to sign tougher sanctions legislation aimed at Russia, the top White House economist, Jason Furman, boasted that the West’s economic warfare was already bringing Russia to its knees.
“If I was chairman of President (Vladimir) Putin’s Council of Economic Advisers, I would be extremely concerned,” Furman said. Declaring that Putin and his circle were “between a rock and a hard place in economic policy,” Furman crowed that “the combination of our sanctions, the uncertainty they’ve created for themselves with their international actions and the falling price of oil has put their economy on the brink of crisis.”
There’s no denying the perilous state of Russia’s economy. One month earlier, Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov had predicted that sanctions and lower oil prices would cost the Russian economy as much as $140 billion, equal to about 7 percent of GDP. Over the course of 2014, the ruble lost 46 percent of its value, only to drop another 7 percent on the first day of trading in 2015. Russia’s central bank estimates that the country suffered net capital outflows of $134 billion last year, setting the stage for a painful depression.
“We are going through a trying period, difficult times at the moment,” Putin conceded to a large group of international reporters only days after Furman’s comments.
But as scholars and pundits have been telling us for years, in today’s globalized world, no major problem — economic, political, or military — stays local for long. Punishing Russia for its annexation of Crimea and its continuing support for Ukrainian rebels is likely to create a host of unintended and costly repercussions for the United States and Europe.
Unlike some targets of U.S. sanctions, like Cuba or North Korea, Russian’s economy is big enough to matter. Its free-fall may well drag the precarious EU economies part way down with it.
Asked by Bloomberg whether the world could see a financial contagion result from Russia’s economic plight, West Shore Funds Chief Global Strategist James Rickards said, “I think we will. This resembles 1997–98 more than it resembles the 2007–8 panic. Remember that started in Thailand in June 1997, then it spread to Indonesia, then to South Korea, blood on the streets in both place, people were killed in riots, then it spread to Russia. . . . It was the classic example of contagion.”
Rickards added, “there’s a lot of dollar-denominated corporate debt [in Russia] that they may not be able to pay. . . . If that stuff starts to default, who owns it? Well, it’s owned by U.S. mutual fund investors, it’s in 401Ks, some of it’s in European banks. If you own Banco Santander and Banco Santander has a big slug of Russian corporate debt, how does it go down? They can point a finger at the Russians, but when that debt goes down, it’s going to come back to haunt us.”
That’s hardly a fringe concern. Thomas Friedman has also sounded the alarm: “Russia’s decline is bad for Russians, but that doesn’t mean it is good for us. When the world gets this interconnected and interdependent, you get a strategic reverse: Your friends, through economic mismanagement (see Greece), can harm you faster than your enemies.
“And your rivals falling (see Russia and China) can be more dangerous than your rivals rising. If Russia, an economy spanning nine time zones, goes into recession and cannot pay foreign lenders with its lower oil revenues — and all this leads to political turmoil and defaults to Western banks — that crash will be felt globally.”
Europe’s Doubts
European leaders appear to be having second thoughts about the wisdom of playing a game of economic chicken when their own national economies are so weak. Austrian, French, German and Italian leaders, meeting at a Brussels summit in December, all warned that Russia’s financial crisis could blow back against their own economies.
“The goal was never to push Russia politically and economically into chaos,” said Germany’s Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel.
In a similar spirit, French President François Hollande told a radio interviewer that sanctions — which included the cancellation of the delivery of two Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia — were both unnecessary and counterproductive.
“Mr. Putin does not want to annex eastern Ukraine,” Hollande said. “What he wants is to remain influential. What Mr. Putin wants is that Ukraine not become a member of NATO.” As for sanctions, Hollande said, “I’m not for the policy of attaining goals by making things worse. I think that sanctions must stop now.”
Such concerns did not dissuade Congress last month from unanimously passing tough new bans on financing and technology transfers — along with $350 million in arms and military equipment to the Ukraine and $90 million for anti-Putin propaganda and political operations in Russia. Former Rep. Dennis Kucinich noted that this momentous legislation passed the House of Representatives late at night with only three members present.
Careful What You Wish For
Promiscuous use of sanctions against Russia and a host of other international targets ironically could come back to haunt the United States by undermining the very neo-liberal principles it has championed for decades to undergird U.S. economic expansion.
Putin sounded more like a leader of the Trilateral Commission than an ex-KGB officer when he warned last fall, “Sanctions are already undermining the foundations of world trade, the WTO rules and the principle of inviolability of private property. They are dealing a blow to [the] liberal model of globalization based on markets, freedom and competition, which, let me note, is a model that has primarily benefited precisely the Western countries.
“And now they risk losing trust as the leaders of globalization. We have to ask ourselves, why was this necessary? After all, the United States’ prosperity rests in large part on the trust of investors and foreign holders of dollars and U.S. securities. This trust is clearly being undermined and signs of disappointment in the fruits of globalization are visible now in many countries.”
Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group and foreign affairs columnist for Time magazine, echoed Putin’s comments in his recent global survey, “Top Risks 2015,” which warned that “American unilateralism is stoking dangerous trends” around the world. “I’m very far from a pessimist, but for the first time since starting the firm in 1998, I’m starting to feel a serious undercurrent of geopolitical foreboding.”
With regard to economic sanctions, Bremmer observed, “The most important near-term challenge is the damage inflicted on transatlantic relations. Europe will become more frustrated with an American unilateralism that Europe (and European banks) must pay for. Also, the U.S. could well slap new sanctions on Russia and/or Iran, eliciting a backlash in 2015.
“Over the longer term, though, others will diversify away from reliance on the dollar and U.S.-dominated institutions, particularly in East Asia, where China has the muscle and the motive to create its own institutions, and where there is less dollar-denominated debt to complicate the process. . . .
“And a fat tail concern for 2015, also related to the rise of strategic sectors: Governments targeted by sanctions will increasingly treat companies that comply with them as instruments of American power. This will expose these firms to heightened risks of retaliation – from regulatory harassment to contract discrimination to cyber-attacks. The U.S. financial sector is particularly vulnerable on this count.”
Political Repercussions
The long-term consequences of such sanctions could extend far beyond the cost to our own and other Western economies. Already U.S.-Russian cooperation on arms control has been imperiled. Pushed to the wall, Russia may decline to continue its essential cooperation with regard to resupply corridors into Afghanistan, the Iran nuclear negotiations, and a political settlement in Syria — all of which rank far higher in any rational list of priorities than the fate of the Eastern Ukraine.
As Bremmer warned, “A Kremlin that feels antagonized and isolated but not substantially constrained is a dangerous prospect. An aggressively revisionist yet increasingly weak Russia will be a volatile actor on the global stage in 2015, posing a top risk to Western governments and businesses throughout the year.” He predicted the possibility of more stealth cyber-attacks, confrontations with NATO, and tighter bonding between Russia and China at the expense of the West.
If, as many Russians believe, the real aim of sanctions is regime change — just as President Richard Nixon promoted a military coup against Chile’s Salvador Allende by ordering policies to “make the economy scream” — most observers agree the West could end up with a far more antagonistic regime post-Putin.
In the short run, of course, sanctions simply inflame Russian nationalism and bolster Putin’s popularity. But in the longer run, observed Russia expert Angus Roxburgh in The Guardian, “Pouring fuel on Kremlin clan wars that we barely understand would be the height of folly. We have no idea what the outcome might be – and it could be much worse than what we have at present.”
The longer the Ukraine conflict simmers, the more extremists on both sides gain leverage. Writing last September in The Moscow Times, Natalia Yudina noted that “a significant number of right-wing Russian radicals are now actively fighting in Ukraine. Whereas they previously took part in social networks, historic war battle reenactment groups and all sorts of quasi-military training camps, they are now gaining real-world combat experience.
“Following the conclusion of the conflict, most will inevitably return to Russia, where their long-standing dreams of staging a ‘Russian revolt’ or ‘white revolution’ will no longer seem so difficult an accomplishment. And that means that one more consequence of this war will be a sharp escalation of activity by right-wing radicals — only this time, in Russia itself.”
Without a crystal ball, we have no way of knowing whether the new cold war with Russia will thaw or go into a deeper freeze. But it seems abundantly clear that economic sanctions and political confrontation over the fate of the Eastern Ukraine magnify the risks to global order far out of proportion to any real U.S. and Western interests.
It’s worth remembering, with the centenniary of World War I just past, that economic collapse and social disruption are more likely to sow the seeds of extremism and conflict than to make the world safe for democracy. If policy makers look to history for policy guidance, they would be well advised to study the lessons of Versailles rather than staying fixated on those of Munich.
2. The US plans announced last year to provide military training for Kiev’s national guard units (which includes the neo-Nazi volunteer battalions) are set to begin this spring:
“US Trainers To Deploy To Ukraine” by Paul McLeary; Defense News; 1/22/2015.
American soldiers will deploy to Ukraine this spring to begin training four companies of the Ukrainian National Guard, the head of US Army Europe Lt. Gen Ben Hodges said during his first visit to Kiev on Wednesday.
The number of troops heading to the Yavoriv Training Area near the city of L’viv — which is about 40 miles from the Polish border — is still being determined, however.
The American training effort comes as part of a US State Department initiative “to assist Ukraine in strengthening its law enforcement capabilities, conduct internal defense, and maintain rule of law” Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Vanessa Hillman told Defense News.
...
The training was requested by the Ukrainian government “as they work to reform their police forces and establish their newly formed National Guard,” Hillman added. Funding for the initiative is coming from the congressionally-authorized Global Security Contingency Fund (GSCF), which was requested by the Obama administration in the fiscal 2015 budget to help train and equip the armed forces of allies around the globe.
The training mission has been the subject of plenty of discussion among US policy makers for months, and the United States has already earmarked $19 million to help build the Ukrainian National Guard.
“We’re very open to the idea that this becomes a first step in further training for the Ukrainian military,” Derek Chollet, former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, told Defense News just before he left the Pentagon on Jan. 17.
He was quick to add that he doesn’t anticipate that this training mission “will require significant US presence.”
The mission comes at a time of increasing concern among Eastern European countries that Russian aggression in the region will increase, and as fighting around the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk between government forces and Russian-backed separatist rebels rages on.
Speaking at the Davos conference on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia of sending 9,000 troops into the eastern part of his country to back the rebels, a contention that NATO officials have backed up, but without providing their own estimates for the number of Russian forces in country.
Chollet said Russian military incursions into the Crimea and eastern Ukraine have refocused American attention on the region after a decade of fighting two wars in the Middle East.
“A year ago we were worried about the future of the trans-Atlantic relationship, how would it be relevant to people,” he said. “And of course, the events of the last year with Russia and Ukraine has focused people again on threats to European security and the unfinished business, really, still coming out of the end of the Cold War.”
One of the biggest challenges for US policy makers is trying to discern “where could this lead and how does this make us think anew about European security issues and force posture issues or defense spending issues?” he added.
In addition to US trainers, Washington is beginning to provide heavier military equipment to the government in Kiev. On Monday, the United States delivered the first prototype of an armored “Kozak” vehicle for use with the Ukrainian border guard, according to the US Embassy there.
A posting on a US government contracting site put the cost of the vehicle at $189,000.
The vehicle is built on a chassis manufactured by Italian company Iveco and features a V‑shaped armored hull to help protect against mines and roadside bombs. The embassy said that to date, “the United States has delivered dozens of armored pickup trucks and vans to the Ukrainian Border Guard Service. The Kozak is larger and offers a higher level of protection.“
3. The dangers inherent in the Ukraine situation were expressed by Mikhail Gorbachev:
“Gorbachev Warns of Major War in Europe” by Erik Kirschbaum; Reuters.com; 1/09/2015.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned that tensions between Russia and European powers over the Ukraine crisis could result in a major conflict or even nuclear war, in an interview to appear in a German news magazine on Saturday.
“A war of this kind would unavoidably lead to a nuclear war,” the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize winner told Der Spiegel news magazine, according to excerpts released on Friday.
“We won’t survive the coming years if someone loses their nerve in this overheated situation,” added Gorbachev, 83. “This is not something I’m saying thoughtlessly. I am extremely concerned.”
Tensions between Russia and Western powers rose after pro-Russian separatists took control of large parts of eastern Ukraine and Russia annexed Crimea in early 2014.
The United States, NATO and the European Union accuse Russia of sending troops and weapons to support the separatist uprising, and have imposed sanctions on Moscow.
Russia denies providing the rebels with military support and fends off Western criticism of its annexation of Crimea, saying the Crimean people voted for it in a referendum.
Gorbachev, who is widely admired in Germany for his role in opening the Berlin Wall and steps that led to Germany’s reunification in 1990, warned against Western intervention in the Ukraine crisis.
“The new Germany wants to intervene everywhere,” he said in the interview. “In Germany evidently there are a lot of people who want to help create a new division in Europe.”
The elder statesman, whose “perestroika” (restructuring) policy helped end the Cold War, has previously warned of a new cold war and potentially dire consequences if tensions were not reduced over the Ukraine crisis.
The diplomatic standoff over Ukraine is the worst between Moscow and the West since the Cold war ended more than two decades ago.
4. Before turning to the Habsburgs’ influence and current activities in Ukraine, we note the renascent Habsburg power in Eastern Europe.
In what must rank as one of the most unlikely political comebacks of the century, the descendants of the last Habsburg emperor are once again making their mark in the Central European territories that their family ruled for hundreds of years.
Not surprisingly, the comeback revolves around the cities of Vienna and Budapest, the twin centres of power in the latter years of the Austro– Hungarian empire, which at its peak stretched from the Adriatic to what is now Ukraine.
The most striking example of the trend is the appointment this week of Georg von Habsburg, the 32-year-old grandson of Emperor Karl I, to the position of Hungary’s ambassador for European Integration.
In neighbouring Austria, the traditional heart of Habsburg power, Georg’s brother, Karl, 35, was recently elected to represent the country in the European parliament. In addition to this, he serves as the president of the Austrian branch of the Pan-European movement.
The appointment in Budapest, where Karl I and his more famous predecessor, Franz Josef I, both held the title King of Hungary, marks the first time that a Habsburg has been given any official post in that country since the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918 following defeat in the First World War.
In addition to coming as a surprise, the move is full of historical irony. While Georg von Habsburg’s predecessors did all that they could to keep the clock turned back to an imperial past, he is now being asked to help propel the country into the future through integration with Western Europe.
...
The new ambassador, who holds Hungarian citizenship and has worked as director of a film company in Budapest since 1993, was quick to deny that he saw his new job as a stepping stone to the restoration of the monarchy.
“Let’s forget about all that,” he told The Independent. “We have got much more important things to do now — such as bringing Hungary back into Europe. We Habsburgs are a political family. We have been in the past, and why not again in the future?”
Otto von Habsburg, 83, himself a keen advocate of the Hungarian cause, has long since renounced any claim to his father’s throne.
But the same is not true of all the members of the family. Before his election to the European parliament in October, Georg von Habsburg’s older brother, Karl, refused to be drawn when he was quizzed on the issue.
When he was asked if he believed the Habsburg monarchy could return, his circumspect reply was: “Never say never again.”
5. A Habsburg princess was anointed as Georgia’s ambassador to Germany.
“The Princess and the Bear” ; The Economist; 2/18/2010.
Georgia struggles to make its case in Germany, which sees trade ties with Russia as vital and the ex-Soviet Caucasian republic as troublesome. So who better to burnish Georgia’s image there than a German-educated Habsburg? Georgia’s new ambassador to Berlin, once she presents her credentials to the president next month, will be Gabriela Maria Charlotte Felicitas Elisabeth Antonia von Habsburg-Lothringen, princess Imperial and Archduchess of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia. A name like that, says Georgia’s president Mikheil Saakashvili, should open doors.
The towering figure on the Berlin diplomatic scene is the Russian ambassador to Germany, Vladimir Kotenev, an indefatigable socialite who runs what is probably the biggest embassy in Europe. Ms von Habsburg (the name she prefers) will not, despite her titles, have the cash to match his efforts. But she may still help Germans think again about Georgia’s European roots and future. Born in Luxembourg, brought up in Germany and Austria, the polyglot Ms von Habsburg is an avant-garde sculptor, specialising in large steel outdoor works. She has lived in Georgia since 2001, has become a Georgian citizen and gained a command of the language (it is “improving every day”, says Mr Saakashvili).
By the standards of her family, a spot of diplomacy in Berlin is not particularly exotic. The heirs to the Habsburg emperors helped speed the downfall of the Soviet empire, particularly by arranging the cross-border exodus from Hungary to Austria in the summer of 1989 that punched the first big hole in the iron curtain. Among Ms von Habsburg’s six siblings, her younger sister Walburga is a leading conservative politician in Sweden; her brother Georg is an ambassador-at-large for Hungary. Another used to be in the European Parliament.
...
6. Karl von Habsburg has been active in Ukraine. Karl von Habsburg is the head of the UNPO.
“Karl von Habsburg Keeps Ancestors’ Profile Alive in Lviv” by Natalia A. Feduschak; Kyiv Post; 4/20/2010.
Karl von Habsburg laughed heartily when asked what it feels like to walk the streets of Lviv, a city that was once ruled by his ancestors. “I look at it from an academic point of view,” he said with a smile. “It had nothing to do with me.”
Despite his easy manner, however, von Habsburg evidently has no intention of letting the past, particularly his ancestors’ role, remain lifeless in history books. Nearly a century after the Habsburg monarchy’s rule ended in Europe, he is dedicating himself to ensure its legacy lives on in western Ukraine.
The 49-year-old von Habsburg was in Lviv in March to announce the creation of a foundation that carries his family’s name. Based in Ivano-Frankivsk, the Habsburg Foundation will promote and preserve the cultural legacy that for centuries shaped and gave Central and Eastern Europe its identity.
Along with translating books about the Habsburgs, the foundation is also planning to create the Halychyna Award, a prize that will honor individuals who promote the region’s culture through art, books or media.
While the foundation is still in its infancy, von Habsburg says its mission is vital.
“In this area, we need to do something about keeping the heritage alive, the history and the intellectual history. Authors came here because they got their inspiration here,” he told the Kyiv Post in an interview.
...
At the turn of the twentieth century, the Austro-Hungarian Empire – which gave Central and Eastern Europe much of its art, culture and architecture – spanned from Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains, down to the Adriatic Sea in the south. It encompassed more that twelve European peoples and its monarchy, the Habsburgs, had enjoyed over six centuries of uninterrupted power.
A recent book by renowned historian Timothy Snyder chronicles the life of Wilhelm von Habsburg, the member of the Habsburg family who was closest aligned with Ukrainians. Titled The Red Prince, it brought renewed attention to the family’s connections with the region.
Better known as Vasyl Vashyvaniy, Wilhelm was the younger son of Archduke Karl Stephan, who was in line to eventually become King of Poland. In a bid to save his crumbling world, in 1916, Emperor Franz Josef I, along with his German counterpart, had created a Polish kingdom as an independent state with a hereditary monarchy.
Wilhelm, however, had his own goal: He wanted to establish a monarchy on the territory of what is today’s western Ukraine. Snyder writes that the idea was well-received, particularly among some Ukrainian military leaders and the Church.
A military officer by training, Wilhelm supported Ukraine’s independence struggle during World War I. He fought with Ukrainian troops against the Russians, and had schemed and cajoled a myriad of politicians to support his monarchial aspirations. Almost until his death at the hands of the Soviets in 1948 – he was snatched off the streets of Vienna and transported to a prison in Kyiv for working as an agent against the Soviet Union – Wilhelm believed this slice of the family’s empire could be his.
Although Wilhelm remains a lesser known figure in history books, von Hapsburg said he is aware of the role he played both within the family’s and Ukraine’s history.
“I knew about his existence and I know of the important political dimension,” von Habsburg said. “I read [Snyder’s book] and kept asking my father, ‘Is this true?’”
...
The Habsburg era has undergone somewhat of a renaissance lately in western Ukraine; the new foundation is just the latest in that trend. A conference held late last year brought scholars from around the country to Chernivtsi, which along with Lviv was considered an important city in the region. A Ukrainian-language book on Wilhelm titled The Ukrainian Patriot from the Habsburg Dynasty was published in 2008. It outlines not only his biography, but also contains archival documents and Wilhelm’s correspondence with Ukrainian military and religious leaders.
Yet as much as his family’s legacy may be making a comeback in Ukraine, the Habsburgs have had a harder time in Austria, von Habsburg said. Otto was only allowed to return to Austria in the early 1960s after renouncing claims to the throne.
Still, von Habsburg and his relatives remain politically active. Von Habsburg was once a member of the European parliament, while others currently hold posts there. One relative even became a citizen of Georgia and is her new country’s ambassador in Germany.
“It’s a family that hasn’t focused on just one part of the world,” von Habsburg said.
7. It’s apparent that Ukraine is a top global priority for expanding the Habsburg’s influence. Actions speak louder than words, and Karl’s new Ukrainian radio station says a lot:
“Karl Habsburg-Lothringen: We Now Have a Truly European Radio Station in Ukraine” by Georgi Gotev ; Euractiv; 1/22/2015.
Since 20 January, a truly European radio station is broadcasting in Ukraine, its main sponsor, Karl-Habsburg Lothringen, told EurActiv in an exclusive interview
Karl Habsburg-Lothringen is an Austrian politician and head of the House of Habsburg. Since 1986, he has served as President of the Austrian branch of the Paneuropean Union. Habsburg-Lothringen was an MEP between 1996 to 1999. He is Chairman of Blue Shield, the organisation for protection of cultural heritage in armed conflicts.
He spoke to Senior Editor, Georgi Gotev.
You are behind a new radio station that was launched in Ukraine yesterday (20 January), a European station, as it is called, broadcasting on 100.00 FM. Can you describe it?
We now have a truly European radio station in Ukraine. There was already a radio station, but it was rebranded in such a way that now it bears the name of the EU, it has the connotation; it is known as the European station. And of course, what it really has as a goal is to create a bit of the European spirit in Ukraine, which I think is quite important, because in communications with Ukraine, a lot of things have gone badly or wrongly lately, so I think it would be very good to have an outlet there that carries a strong European message.
Does it mean that this project is designed to counter the Russian propaganda? There is a lot of talk about the European Union needing to do something about it. Are you part of this effort, or is it something you have decided on your own?
The main role should not be propaganda. The main role should be to deliver balanced information, because we shouldn’t forget that Ukraine is very much a Central European country. It has a very long European history, even from being partly in the Hanseatic League, and other organisations. Therefore, I think it is important to emphasise the strong European point that exists there. And of course the conflict that we have been seeing, the war in eastern Ukraine, and the invasion of Crimea, these questions have led to a conflict where a lot of communication went wrong. A conflict that also led to the fact that in the eastern Ukraine, due to some problems within Ukraine, most of the information to reach the Russian-speaking population was information coming exclusively out of Russia. So it is very important to have a media outlet that is covering Ukraine and that is carrying the European news.
What languages will you use?
There will definitely be both the Russian and Ukrainian languages, and we have the possibility to weigh it according to where we are broadcasting.
And are you getting some support from the EU or elsewhere? You should be transparent, or you will end up being branded as an American outlet….
Currently, the project is funded entirely by individuals. There is no state involved, there are no institutions involved. There is a group of really interested individuals that have brought it together, and we will definitely try to keep our independence, by all means.
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Are you personally interested in Ukraine?
I have a family link to Ukraine, because part of Ukraine was very closely linked to Austria not that long ago. I think that radio is a very interesting media, with the possibility to reach a lot of people in an immediate way. So it is of personal interest to me that I have the chance to continue being active in Ukraine. I was very active there when I was an MEP, on the question of EU enlargement. I never had this reduced view of Europe being just the EU. I think it is very important to say that we have a greater Europe.
8. The broadcast sets forth the fascist inclinations of Otto von Habsburg, the aging patriarch of that family and the father of Karl von Habsburg. (Younger listeners should note that Rudolf Hess was one of Hitler’s closest aides and the last prisoner at Spandau prison.)
. . . The final escalation was reserved for Otto von Habsburg, a CSU delegate to the European parliament and the son of the last Austrian emperor; since 1973 he has also been president of the ultra-right Pan-Europa-Union and a member of the Freedom for Rudolf Hess Committee [Emphasis added.] . . . .
9. The fascist inclinations of the Habsburgs are not unique among European monarchical families.
. . . . It is more than eerie. A disturbing sidebar to the political culture of these restorations was how many of the would-be monarchs, royal houses, and supporting factions had been on the fascist side in World War II. Italy’s House of Savoy was banished in part for backing Mussolini and supporting his 1938 race laws, targeting Jews. In Bulgaria, Simeon’s House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha fought through much of the war as an ally of Nazi Germany. The Serbian factions backing the potential Alexander II evoked memories of World War II massacres and ethnic battles still commemorated after six hundred years. The Romanian House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, supported by the Iron Guard movement that blended rural Eastern Orthodox religion with folkish nationalism, fought most of World War II on Hitler’s side. . . .
Here’s a reminder that, before things get better in Ukraine, they’re going to get a lot worse:
It looks like Kiev is going to have some new hardware on the way thanks to some enthusiastic backers in the US national security establishment. Acquiring new soldiers could be more complicated due to a lack of enthusiasm:
In related news, Germany and Hungary both pledged to NOT arm Ukraine:
Germany’s involvement in the conflict is obviously going to be significant whether its sending arms or not. But Hungary’s involvement, when you factor in the large ethnic Hungarian population in Ukraine’s Transcarpathian region...now that’s going to be something to watch...
Kiev has a solution to its military desertion problem: shoot the deserters:
Petro Poroshenko just threatened martial law if a peace agreement isn’t reached:
In a twist, Mikheil Saakashvili has turned down the job of head of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau. It sounds like he was unwilling to become a Ukrainian citizen in order to take the job. So, instead, he’s being appointed as one of Willy Wonka’s oompa loompa advisers as the head of the Advisory International Council of Reforms where he will help implement best practices and build global support for Ukraine. Or something like that:
Well, hopefully life as a Williamsburg hipster gave Mikheil Saakashvili the life experiences he needs to continue crafting Ukraine’s new anti-corruption legislation, although he might have other relevant experiences.
And note that it isn’t just anti-corruption work that Saakashvili will be focusing on. He’s been applying his knowledge of best practices to all sorts of different areas of Ukrainian life:
That’s right:
Presumably Saakashvili’s role as an international representative for Ukraine is contingent on him staying off of the interpol wanted lists so that will be something to watch as far as a Saakashvili career development hurdles. Landing on interpol would also complicate one of the other new reported roles Saakashvilie is going to be playing: Arms supply coordinator:
Hipster or not, Ukrainian citizen or not, Saakashvili is ready for his new job as arms coordinator. Very ready.
He’s ready for a lot.
Hi Dave, I was wondering what you know about the US embassy in Kiev and the their support for the “tech camp” meeting that occurred there on March 1st, 2013, eight months before the Maidan coup really starts ramping up. Here’s the link http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/events/techcamp-2013-kyiv.html
The link describes how “the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv paired leaders in the technology community with civil society organizations to provide in-depth exposure to low-cost and easy to implement technologies. More than 60 civil society leaders from throughout Ukraine came together to get hands-on training in a variety of areas ranging from fundraising using crowdsourcing, citizen journalism, PR tools for NGOs, Microsoft software(weird) and programs for NGOs, and more. These civil society organizations will be poised to use new technologies to grow their networks, communicate more efficiently, and keep pace with the changing world.”
They continue to go about the necessity and transparency of such a program:
“The technologies and approaches presented help to build new networks of relationships, enhance skill development, and create new avenues for communication. Adoption of these technologies by civil society organizations will help support the missions of these groups as well as broader social goals of democracy, transparency and good governance in the 21st Century.”
Now, this may seem like nothing, but in the light of the USAID and it’s own “cuba twitter” — known as ZunZuneo, I thought to myself “how the bloody hell did we miss this critical piece of the puzzle??” While some reading this will say this is nothing, a day camp for activists, but it wasn’t just helping connect activists — it was about tracking them and following their texts and messages. Thing’s start getting really weird when you scroll to the bottom of the usembassy url, and come across the techcamp url, that takes you, to this
http://techcampkyiv.org/flexispy-security-application/
What the serious fudge is this. It takes you to a pay for use program that teaches you how to spy on networks, “friends”[their words, not mine{creepy}], and telecom devices in general. If what this is implying is true, while it’s reported US embassy use states its purpose was to connect Maidan activists, it’s actual company stated purpose for the group Tech Camp selling this device is the tracking and transfer of individuals personal data. From the Tech Camp Kiev’s own website:
“As the app actually has ‘spy’ in its name, it is more likely associated with spying software, which is in fact designed for the use on mobile platforms of different making. These platforms actually include, but not limited to Android, iOS, Blackberry OS and Windows Mobile. Even though the spying is exactly what the majority of the users install Flexispy for, this app also provides some essential security and recovery tools, which alone could be as valuable to these users as any other paid bundle that purposely targets the security aspect.”
One last thing from the USEmbassy site:
Two more TechCamps 2.0 will be held in Donetsk in April(2013) and Ivano-Frankivsk in May.
What does this mean? It means that any Maidan protesters and even possibly Donetsk residents with this app installed would have had their gps location tracked and revealed, and all their messages would have been bundled and sent, most likely through a US embassy channel, much like with USAID’s “cuban twitter” known otherwise as “Zunzuneo”. This would have given a heads up to any potential political dissent or disagreement amongst protesters using the app, and would have let any of the groups like Right Sector or the UPA know exactly who is opposing them, what they are saying, and let know them know exactly where they live...
One last thing about the “tech Camp” Kiev site, I checked out the Terms of Service, and it just gets worse and worse:
“By operating the Website, Tech Camp Kyiv does not represent or imply that it endorses the material there posted, or that it believes such material to be accurate, useful or non-harmful. You are responsible for taking precautions as necessary to protect yourself and your computer systems from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other harmful or destructive content(that sounds like them saying if you find out this is a virus, you still can’t sue). The Website may contain content that is offensive, indecent, or otherwise objectionable, as well as content containing technical inaccuracies, typographical mistakes, and other errors.”
@NIMO–
I hadn’t heard of the event before, nor was I aware of the particulars.
It does look fishy as Hell–not that that is surprising, given a USAID function at the American embassy.
It would be amazing if that were anything BUT an intel operation of some kind.
You appear to have done a pretty good job setting forth the basics.
Best,
Dave Emory
Ukraine’s former envoy to Canada recently reminded Canada that not only is Ukraine preparing for a ‘full-scale war’ with Russia but everyone is invited. That means you too, Canada;
“What we expect from the world is that the world will stiffen up in the spine a little...Everybody is afraid of fighting with a nuclear state. We are not anymore, in Ukraine — we’ve lost so many people of ours, we’ve lost so much of our territory.” Pep talks aren’t really his thing.
The band is back together, playing the same old tunes:
This is how close the US is to committing to advanced weapons:
Given that the GOP is clearly planning on making 2016 a ‘foreign policy’ election (since pledging to fight bad guys overseas is probably the GOP’s sales pitch these days), it’s going to be really interesting to see whether or not a national meme emerges that the US needs to throw caution into the wood-chipper and go all in and turn Ukraine into a full-scale proxy war between the US and Russia. It seems very possible.