Ukraine Koch Brothers Unite With American Koch Brothers to Destabilize BOTH Governments? [View all]
Are American Organizations Agitating In Ukraine?
(Are Americans Being Misled By The Mass Media About The Protests?)
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/02/are-american-organizations-agitating
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On its face, this looks to be a righteous endeavor on the part of the rebels. However, the more I read about it, the less enthusiastic I am, especially when I see comments like this from think tanks like Cato:
"The changes that occurred after the Orange Revolution weren't simply deep enough. This time around, it appears that the disenchantment is so strong that there is a genuine opportunity to make a fresh start," said Dalibor Rohac, policy analyst with the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity.
"For Ukrainians this is a chance to get on a different trajectory from the one the country has been on for the past 22 years and become eventually a part of prosperous, democratic Europe."
From April 2012 to March 2013, the Cato Institute sent $245,000 in grants to what they describe as Russia/Independent States on their most recent tax filing with the IRS. Other conservative libertarian groups like Freedomworks and even the for-profit Breitbart.com "news" organizations are expanding operations globally to influence elections in favor of conservatives.
The Ukrainian oligarchs are standing by their man, but perhaps they're not interested in competing with American oligarchs. Here are some details on who owns the Ukraine:
Ukraines oligarchs got rich during the privatization sales of former Soviet-owned industries and factories shortly after independence in 1991. The countrys main industries of mining, metals, chemical production, and energy distribution were snatched up by individuals, who then reaped millions in profits.
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In December, Koch Industries acquired Molex for $7.2 billion. Molex is a global company which maintains business centers in Ukraine, Russia, Poland and other European countries. The acquisition does not necessarily suggest anything untoward, but the Molex acquisition was the first I found with operations in that country. Would there be a vested interest in exacerbating the underlying conflict in order to create enough chaos to dislodge the oligarchs?
I don't know. I do find it curious that countries with dangerous levels of unrest -- Ukraine, Venezuela and Thailand -- are struggling under the burden of oligarchies, inequality and corruption, something the libertarian Kochs know a lot about.
Perhaps this statement from Koch Industries' press release about the Molex acquisition reveals more than they intended:
"Were looking forward to applying our Market-Based Management philosophy at Molex to help identify and capture additional opportunities.
These protesters need to be careful not to trade one set of oligarchs for another.