The National Interest threatens Europe?

[John McWrice]

“The National Interest”, an American international affairs magazine, is usually considered to be an expert media. References to it articles always enhanced credibility to less known papers and articles. However, it is currently felt that there is no TNI what it has been before.

Think, for instance, of its recent article (Get Ready, Europe: Is the War Between Russia and Ukraine Back On?) which puzzles by the headline. The first part of it (“Get Ready, Europe”) looks simply panic and tabloid-style. The second part (“Is the War Between Russia and Ukraine Back On?”) can humble every expert and analyst with knowledge of the situation in Donbass since there is no war between Russia and Ukraine! Moreover, Russia is not even party to the conflict.

As for the text, it only exasperates the feeling that you read a corrupt tabloid but not mainstream magazine with spotless reputation. The term “combined Russian-separatist forces” which is often used in the article strikes as rather absurd and dilettantish. Besides, the author never said anything about shelling of Donetsk by Ukrainian troops which had been intensified continuously since January. He also does not mention the fact that Ukrainian troops are located in residential area of Avdiivka!

Last of all, there is not a word about the main reason of the escalation in the article – so called “creeping offensive” of Ukrainian army. For much of January Ukrainian forces took up new positions in buffer zone in violation to Minsk II agreements. Moreover, Kiev did not conceal this fact and declared openly of it aim – to bring back Donbass under control by force in this year.

Well, the author seems to be out of touch with these events. Instead of the actual facts he uses the same old cliches like “Moscow’s military interventions in eastern Ukraine”. By the way, the article does not state what Europe should “get ready” to; this also holds true for “the War Between Russia and Ukraine”. It appears that the text and the headline were written by different people or it was a way to draw more attention to the article (however, such method is used by gutter press, not distinguished media like TNI).

Roman emperor Vespasian once said: “The money does not stink!” Perhaps, only this wisdom will explain the deterioration in TNI quality which preferred political put-up job to spotless reputation.