A typical consumer of Western and especially American media over the past year of war in Ukraine might be forgiven for assuming the so-called international community is fully in Washington and NATO's corner. But a detailed tally of nations and where they stand shows otherwise.
This week, two somewhat surprising reports out of the most prominent and visible newspapers in the US have much belatedly set the record straight. Journalist Glenn Greenwald has pointed out that finally The New York Times has
acknowledged the reality that the majority of the globe does not in
fact "stand with the US" in its approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Greenwald sounds off in a Twitter thread as follows...
From the start of the war in Ukraine, the US media continuously claimed "the international community" is united behind the US (that phrase always means: W. Europe and whatever countries happen to side with the US).
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 23, 2023
Today, the NYT recognizes the truth: https://t.co/VE00QIxWjn
Greenwald then directs the reader's attention to statements from the Times report which proves long-standing media assumptions in this regard were nothing but 'false fairy tales'.
No, there was never any kind of "united" global stance, per the report (emphasis ours):
But the West never won over as much of the world as it initially seemed. Another 47 countries abstained or missed the vote, including India and China. Many of those “neutral” nations have since provided crucial economic or diplomatic support for Russia.
And even some of the nations that initially agreed to denounce Russia see the war as somebody else’s problem — and have since started moving toward a more neutral position.
A couple of key paragraphs from the NYT story that deflates and debunks the inspiring and from-the-start obviously false fairy tale that "the international community" was united with the US in support of Ukraine: pic.twitter.com/QLf72NT7lQ
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 23, 2023
And more from the Times:
A year on, it’s becoming clearer: While the West’s core coalition remains remarkably solid, it never convinced the rest of the world to isolate Russia.
Instead of cleaving in two, the world has fragmented. A vast middle sees Russia’s invasion as, primarily, a European and American problem. Rather than view it as an existential threat, these countries are largely focused on protecting their own interests amid the economic and geopolitical upheaval caused by the invasion.
Greenwald points out that The Washington Post has also made a similar concession...
The WashPost has a very similar concession this morning. While all the usual DC militarism advocates -- people like @BillKristol, @DavidFrum and @Mattduss -- pen homages to the diplomatic genius of Biden, the headline of the Post article tells a far different story: pic.twitter.com/nIZ1rCLZPC
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 23, 2023
Greenwald continues his commentary:
A staple of left-wing foreign policy is the valorization of the "Global South" (for good reason: I share the view that they matter more than is recognized). Yet as both papers say, the "Global South" rejects support for the US view of Ukraine, yet the US left ignores this.
A major reason the US liberal-left in DC is *unanimous* in support of Biden's war policies -- even as the left all over the world is divided to hostile -- is lingering anger toward Russia because of the view they helped defeat Hillary.
Greenwald concludes: "It's utter madness but it's how they think."
Meanwhile...
Indian officials hosting G-20 finance chiefs this week are seeking to avoid using the word “war” when referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine, a person familiar with the matter says https://t.co/lTN3ZxzgCe
— Bloomberg Africa (@BloombergAfrica) February 22, 2023
