(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
One can hardly speak of any balanced coverage of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the established media. A case often has several pages, and we have a lot to learn from an author with access to English, German, French and Russian sources. Jan-E. Askerøi has visited Ukraine and seen what consequences a boycott of Russia has had on Ukrainian industry, namely closed factories after Russia was forced to produce itself rather than import from Ukraine. Askerøi has studies in political science from France and majors in modern history, French and philosophy from the University of Oslo. His intimate knowledge of Russia dates back to a brief career as a diplomat at the Moscow embassy in the 1970s, when he met his life partner. Askerøi has since had extensive contact both privately and professionally with Russian relations, which he mentions in a short and funny afterword.
The book covers a wide range of topics and gives the reader a deep insight into a country that for many is either a white spot on the map or infested with preconceived attitudes that have arisen through years of cold war. Nor has it improved in recent years with extensive sanctions and massive condemnation after the Cold War turned hot. The author writes in the afterword: "If the reader realizes that the war in Ukraine is also a matter with several sides, the purpose of the book has been achieved."
Literature, culture, Steiner and Ukraine
The book opens with a look at cultural differences between Russia and Western Europe – etymological, religious, geographical and historical perspectives are communicated with empathy and interspersed with own experiences.
Literature has a special position in Russia, and millions of people can recite poems by heart. Askerøi writes: "In Moscow I was once present at a lively party where late in the evening one of the guests suddenly got up on the table so the plates danced and the glasses clinked. Then he began to recite poems to the cheers of the congregation. […] With us, you at least know how to appreciate a poem", wrote Osip Mandelstam in his time, "you can even get the death penalty for writing one."
Askerøi allows us to follow NATO's gradual expansion and encirclement of Russia until the pain limit is reached.
In the chapter "Holy Russia", Askerøi illuminates the notion that Russia occupies a special position in Christendom. He starts from the anonymous writing A Russian Pilgrim's Account. Father Johannes, the Orthodox priest who has translated the text into Norwegian, believes that here you get a unique insight into the Russians' religious and cultural identity. One is left with the impression that Russians are religious by nature. The faith also survived Soviet rule.
In the essay "On spiritual power in Russia" from 1881, the philosopher Vladimir Solovyov writes: "Faced with the rapid development in the area of thought in the West, which also penetrated Russian society, our theologians had a clear obligation to show that the truth of Christianity does not fear the knowledge of thought, indeed, that it can make use of all the productions of reason without renouncing itself." Can the unity between culture and religion be restored? asks Askerøi. And he replies: "Only on the condition that science concentrates all its efforts on bridging the gap between spirit and matter. The starting point can be found in Vladimir Solovyov and Rudolf Steiner." And thus we are brought over to a chapter that deals with Rudolf Steiner's statements about Russia. There are many of them. Two of them have stuck with me. One is that Russians are peaceful by nature. The second is that Russians take up cultural elements without processing them, and they are not further developed either. An example of the latter is Orthodox Christianity.
Steiner is among those who saw the importance of a connection between Germany and Russia – a connection Britain and the United States will prevent at all costs. The examples here could be legion. Askerøi quotes Harry Truman, who, while still a senator, wrote in The New York Times on June 24, 1941: "If we see that Germany is winning, we must help Russia; but if Russia wants to win, we must help Germany and let them kill as many as possible.” A quote from NATO's Secretary General 1952-56, Lord Hastings Ismay, reads: "The purpose of NATO is to keep the Americans in, the Russians out and the Germans down." But did you know that Russia's bid for NATO membership has been rejected more than once?
Surrounded and threatened
I am among those who had sympathy with and boundless faith in Gorbachev. And I have had a hard time understanding the majority of Russians who consider him a traitor.
Askerøi's book has somewhat shaken my view, as the collapse of the Soviet Union was a prerequisite for NATO's expansion. However, it should be noted that it was not Gorbachev who dissolved the Soviet Union, but Boris Yeltsin. Regardless of who is to blame, the Russians now feel surrounded and threatened, perhaps not without reason. Askerøi allows us to follow NATO's gradual expansion and encirclement of Russia until the pain limit is reached in Ukraine and Crimea, where Russia has its Black Sea fleet.
Anyone who is above average informed about the Ukraine conflict will have heard of the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015, which would have prevented a military conflict. Poroshenko, then president of Ukraine, as well as Merkel and Hollande have all admitted that the Minsk agreements were never intended to be followed up. They were only entered into to buy time and prepare Ukraine for war!
'Europe's Granary'
In the last part of the book, Askerøi takes up the economics surrounding arms aid to Ukraine. What are gifts and what are loans? Will Ukraine remain in an economic quagmire? And what control do you have with money transfers to a country that is widely known for corruption?
Ukraine is rich in gas, iron, coal, titanium, lithium and aluminum and attractive to investors.
When Madeleine Albright was US Secretary of State, she is said to have said of Russia that "it is unfair that such a huge territory belongs to a single country". The country should therefore be split up. Although Ukraine is nowhere near as big, it is blessed with extremely fertile soil and has been called 'Europe's granary'. It is also rich in gas, iron, coal, titanium, lithium and aluminum and attractive to investors. BlackRock is one of those that is already strongly present.
While Jens Stoltenberg has tried to maintain optimism on NATO's behalf, more and more people seem to think that Russia cannot be defeated militarily. Country after country in Europe also reports that support cannot be maintained. In other words, there must be negotiations.
It is difficult to do the book full justice as it is comprehensive, in terms of both approaches, time span and sources, but it is recommended. So also the foreword by Glenn Diesen [see other article in the newspaper], professor at the University of Southeast Norway and specialist in Russian geopolitics.
