Something Sinister Going On? The Unanswered Questions of MH17

On Friday, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf was challenged by Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee, who demanded that Harf back up her claims that Russia has been firing rounds into Ukraine with something more substantial than the rubbish she'd read on Twitter. Here's what the AP journalist said:

"I think that it would be best for all concerned here if when you make an allegation like that you're able to make it up with something more than just 'because I said so.' You guys get up at the UN security council making these allegations, the secretary [of the State Dept., John Kerry] gets on the Sunday shows and makes these allegations, and then when you present your evidence to back up those allegations, it has appeared to, at least for some, fall short of definitive proof."

The clearly-flummoxed Harf started backpeddling like crazy, unable to provide any hard evidence that her claims of Russian complicity were anything more than a complete fabrication. As it happens, the so called "satellite imagery data" and "electronic intelligence" that was used to incriminate Moscow was originally posted on coup-backer Geoffrey Pyatt's Twitter account, which further underlines the fact that the real objective was to shape public opinion with propaganda, not to reveal the truth. Here's a bit more from Antiwar.com:

"During the past several days, there has not been a single report out of Ukraine of an artillery strike against any of their military bases, anywhere in the country. ...And this is Ukraine we're talking about, which comes up with its own dubious stories of Russian attacks on a near daily basis. If Russia was carried out concerted shelling against Ukrainian military targets, Ukraine would be harping on about it constantly. They aren't even alleging anything close to that is happening. ("US Invents Reports of Russia Attacking Ukraine Bases," antiwar.com)

A Twitter account, for god sakes! The US State Department is basing its theory on the crap they picked up on Twitter. It's ridiculous.

Then there's the State Department's claim that Russia is massing troops along the border, another fairy tale that's turned out to be complete baloney. In fact, an International team of inspectors were sent to Russia to check things out and here's what they found:

"'No instances of violations by Russia along the Ukrainian border had been registered by the inspectors,' the ministry said. 'The last four months have witnessed 18 separate inspections along the Ukrainian border with the Russian Federation, all in line with the Vienna Open Skies Treaty and the Vienna agreement of 2011.'" (RT)

If you're starting to think that everything you've read about the MH17 crash is bullshit, you're probably right. There's not much truth to most of it.

But why would the administration lie about things that are so easy to disprove? What's the point? Are they just getting sloppy and apathetic or is something else going on here?

To get a handle on what's really going on, we have to understand that Ukraine is not just another bloody afterthought like Iraq, Afghanistan or Syria, none of which would dramatically impact the US's role as the world's only superpower. Ukraine is different. Ukraine is an essential part of Washington's plan to pivot to Asia. If Washington is unable to achieve its objectives in Ukraine -- create a chokepoint for vital resources flowing from Russia to the EU, establish NATO bases in the heart of Eurasia, and drive a wedge between Moscow and Brussels -- then the plan to maintain US global hegemony for the next century will fail. And if the plan fails, then China will gradually become the world's biggest and most powerful economy, economic ties between Moscow and Europe grow stronger, and the US will slide into irreversible decline. Get the picture?

This is the scenario that Washington wants to avoid at all cost. That's why the anti-Russia hysteria in the media has been so ferocious and unrelenting. That's why the State Department assisted in the coup d'etat that toppled the Ukrainian government and triggered the crisis. And that's why ruling elites of all stripes have thrown their support behind a policy that recklessly pits one nuclear-armed adversary against another. It's because the bigshot money-guys who run this country are bound and determined to be the Kingfish for the next hundred years even if it means plunging the world into the abyss of a third world war. That's just a chance they're willing to take.