Zelensky is an Authoritarian, But the West Tells Us He is Fighting for Freedom and Democracy

Machiavelli once said, “never let a good crisis go to waste”. What he meant is that populations are more malleable in times of crisis, and it’s a good time to implement authoritarian policy without much pushback. After 9/11, for example, the US passed the Patriot Act that impinged on its own citizen’s rights. At the time, Americans were told it was for their own good and protection. Americans, rattled to the core from the attack, did not protest in any significant way. The government hung out the idea that it would be a temporary measure, but here we are in 2024, with the law still standing. The law is not only still in effect, it’s been renewed numerous times. If anything, the opposite has happened, surveillance has only increased from administration to administration, further chipping away at our rights. Preying on the vulnerable is a time-tested strategy for those in power.

The United States loves its militancy, and often frames its wars under the pretext of exporting democracy and freedom. It’s a cliche that has been used for countless wars, always gaining the acquiescence of its citizens. It is astonishing how each war gains public consent, considering the outcomes have been disastrous.

History shows that the US has forcibly removed democratically elected foreign governments and has implemented and sided with dictators throughout its history. It’s fair to say the US prefers dictators rather than democratically elected leaders, since dictators can unilaterally implement policy and they don’t need to worry about elections voting a leader out.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the United States’ latest democratic project is not democratic at all. Despite the mainstream media portrayal of Ukraine as a fertile democracy, the Ukraine’s problems started well before the current 2022 war. Ukraine had already ranked towards the bottom of the list of countries in terms of freedom and human rights, according to two human watch groups (Freedom House and Human Rights Watch). An article by Cato brings home the point:

Human Rights Watch’s 2021 report on Ukraine also was far from favorable, citing abuses by government forces, “including arbitrary detentions, torture or ill‐​treatment.” Journalists and media workers “faced harassment and threats connected to their reporting.” In February 2021, the Ukrainian government closed several opposition media outlets on the basis of allegations that they were Russian propaganda tools.

According to the World Justice Project, in 2022, the Ukraine ranked 76 worst out of 142 countries in terms of human rights. In 2023 they slipped further to #93. Russia was a little worse at 113. Hardly a hook to hang the hat of moral superiority on.

The Unites States and NATO have promoted a clear intention to add Ukraine to NATO. This in what triggered Russia to invade. However, after the latest NATO conference, Biden, in his own admission, stated that Ukraine’s lack of democracy would keep them out of NATO. The NY Times quoted Biden as saying:

“If the war is going on, then we’re all in war,” Mr. Biden said, referring to the alliance’s commitment to mutual defense. “We’re at war with Russia, if that were the case.” He added that there would be “other qualifications that need to be met, including democratization,” for Ukraine to be considered for membership.

That’s quite an admission for a president who has been funding and selling this war to Americans on the grounds of “fighting for democracy”. But that’s the truth behind the United States latest battle to do its exalted, God given, work of spreading democracy to the world. Ukraine is far from a democracy, not to mention one of the most corrupt countries in Europe.

The Ukraine’s slide into autocracy accelerated after the 2022 invasion began, when Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky took Machiavelli’s advice to heart. He leveraged the war to take drastic measures that can only categorize as authoritarian. For starters, he declared martial law and as part of the declaration, he suspended 11 political parties on the grounds that they were allegedly aligned with Russia. There was a kernel of truth to that, but these parties were talking about better cooperation with Russia before the war started (i.e., they were pushing for peace). Quickly the term “aligned with Russia” became abused and applied to any dissent towards Ukrainian policy. The Opposition Party - For Life party, is Zelensky’s biggest opposition, having over forty seats in parliament. They of course, have predictably been banned.

At a time when discussion is needed, Zelensky has removed all those who have dissented from his hardline position. This includes parties that want to negotiate for peace or parties that focus on humanitarianism. Zelensky is clearly consolidating power.

Banning parties is harsh, but also as part of Zelensky’s martial law dictum, he called off elections “until the war is over”. That’s a vague assertion, considering “until the war is over” can mean different things. The end of hostilities? Until a peace agreement is reached? Judging by the history of the US forever wars, it could be decades until Ukrainians see a voting booth again, if ever.

To be a proper authoritarian, one is required to take an addition step to further block dissent. Zelinsky cancelled all television channels and consolidated them into one government run news station called the United News. Zelensky said this was necessary so that people could “hear the truth about the war”. Unfortunately, the truth about the war escaped Zelensky some time ago. The truth is that Russia has taken 25% of the Ukraine, and that they can’t budge Russia, who is a stronger, bigger more powerful country. Ukraine will not win this war no matter how much assistance the West gives them. Even the much-vaunted Spring Offensive, which the media told us was going to change the landscape was a disaster.

Zelensky has stated that his rationale for these actions is that he wants a “unified information policy” for the Ukraine. In other words, his Western masters don’t want anyone to be heard that could call for or promote peace negotiations. A Time Magazine article reported that a close aid called Zelensky’s belief that he can win the war as “delusional” and “almost messianic”. The unwinnable war will continue, regardless of the death and destruction it leads to, until the US and its allies decide it’s over. Zelenksy may not be delusional, he just may know the history of what happens to foreign leaders who disobey orders from the West.

It’s worth noting that a US citizen living in the Ukraine, Gonzalo Lira was arrested and tortured by the Ukrainian government because he spoke up against the Ukrainian war. Clearly, our “democratic” ally doesn’t permit freedom of speech. Lira died in jail January 12. The official cause of death was pneumonia, most likely from neglect. In one of his last letters to his father, he wrote:

“I have had double pneumonia (both lungs) as well as pneumothorax and a very severe case of edema (swelling of the body). All this started in mid-October but was ignored by the prison”.

His father tried in vain to get help from the US embassy. At one point, Lira attempted to go to Hungary for political asylum, but was stopped at the border.

For many years, the mainstream media has spoken about the Nazi problem in the Ukraine, but the coverage has been muted since the war started. When the Nazi’s invaded the Ukraine during WWII, Stepan Bandara, a leader of an ultra-nationalist, white supremacist group joined arms with the Nazi’s during WWII and massacred people in the Ukraine. To this day, there are approximately 30 statues of him throughout the Ukraine. By many, Bandera is considered to be a national hero. But the Ukrainian support of Naziism does not stop there. The Azov Brigade is an ultra-nationalist, white supremacist neo-Nazi group that fights for the Ukrainian army. The NY times published an astonishingly propagandist article regarding the Azov Brigade. The byline reads:

Troops’ use of patches bearing Nazi emblems risks fueling Russian propaganda and spreading imagery that the West has spent a half-century trying to eliminate.

They were referring to the Azov Brigade, who wear all kind of Nazi and white supremacist symbols. But this is not Russian Propaganda. This is what the West is actually doing, leveraging the very groups they claim to have tried to eliminate.

Zelensky falls right into the US sweet spot, He has cracked down on his populace to prevent dissent. He has been a loyal subordinate to the US and follows their instructions even as they lead to ruinous outcomes to his own country. The US doesn’t have to worry about democracy stomping on their trusted servant, or even dissenting opinions getting any traction. It’s unlikely that the Ukraine will reverse the course of the wartime actions that Zelensky has put into effect.

But what will be the outcome of this? Censorship can lead to dire consequences. How can people trust a government that has taken away their media, their political parties and rights to vote? This will undoubtably raise the hackles of suspicion and force them to find other ways to communicate. Propaganda can’t work forever, especially on a population that can see the truth with their own eyes. Censorship will only make the people of Ukraine more desperate.

The US media and the government is once again playing the “fighting for democracy” card and the public has bought it again. Though support for the war has been falling in the US, it’s too little, too late. The great sociologist Eric Hoffer once said, “Propaganda doesn’t deceive people. It merely helps them to deceive themselves.