The current conflict in Ukraine is horrible, no two ways about it. It did not happen in a vacuum, however.
The West, going all the way back to the Baltic Crusades of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, had many missions, one of them being to convert the pagan Balts (Estonians, Lithuanians, and Latvians) to Catholicism. In this, they were largely successful.
They were not content to stop there. Instead, they went further East, into what is now Russia, hoping that they could bring the Orthodox Christians into the Catholic fold. In this endeavor, they were handed a resounding defeat, thanks to St Alexander Nevsky, the Grand Prince of Novgorod.
We’ve discussed the life and achievements of this great saint before; what I want to impress you, the reader is that for the better part of the previous millennium, the West has always tried to bring the Orthodox East to heel. By force if necessary –scratch that, usually by force.
It has never stopped doing so. Like the Hundred Years War, this millennial war between Orthodoxy and the West was intermittent. Military action was always interrupted by truces, treaties, and changing alliances. Sometimes even dynastic marriages.
But it was always lurking under the surface. “Ukraine is merely another project for the West, one in a long line of projects to bring the Orthodox East to heel. First Constantinople in 1204, then Russia in 1242, with the Battle on the Ice, then again with the depredations of the Poles and Lithuanians in the sixteenth century, and then Napoleon in the nineteenth.
And who could forget Herr Hitler?
Nor should we forget the Balkans after the Fall of Constantinople. In the aftermath of the Great War, the Greeks actually occupied entire swaths of the Ionian coast and were within sight of Constantinople as well. (I know, both my grandfathers were there.) But, thinking that the French and the British would have our backs, we went further east only to find out we had been betrayed. British bankers had made a side-deal with Mustafa Kemal, in exchange for abandoning the Greeks, Kemal gave them the Iraqi oil fields.
This was a pattern: even the Arabs were denied their national ambitions thanks to the Sikes-Picot Treaty, which divided the Arabian peninsula between the French and the British.
The present Western paladin is one Vladimir Zelensky, still “president” of Ukraine and spiritual heir to Zbigniew Brzezinski, a man whose hatred of Russia went back generations.
Russia is not perfect –far from it. But neither is Ukraine, which has allowed itself (and its identity) to be hijacked by the Alphabet People. Whatever else it is, it is not a democracy, not by any stretch of the imagination. Regardless, Russia has the only Orthodox Church that is protected by a nuclear weapons. And that is something that the (formerly) Christian West cannot abide.
As stated, this Aktion against Orthodoxy is ancient. It started up again in earnest in the 1990s, when Yugoslavia broke up into its constituent ethnicities. Serbia however took the brunt of it. And the agent for this, most recent chapter in the West’s eternal crusade was one Madeleine Albright, a thoroughly despicable woman who recently expired.
It was she, in concert with her Atlanticist cabal, who decided to carve out an Islamic nation out of the very heart of Serbia. All in order to create an Islamic state in the middle of the Balkans. Not because she (or they) treasured Islamic values but because they wanted to stab Orthodox Serbia in the back.
Ironically, this internationalist cabal thought that by carving out a Moslem enclave in the midst of the Balkans would win the West favors from Islam. We were rewarded for our solicitude at the beginning of the next millennium, on September 11, 2001.
I could go on and continue to execrate her putrid life but I don’t want to waste any more ink. I would ask you to remember her Serbian victims instead. In the grand sweep of history, think of the Serbian nation as well. If it wasn’t for them and their historic defiance of NATO, Russia would not have had the time needed to mount its defense against the New World Order. As R G D Laffan wrote many years ago, they were the “Guardians at the Gate.”
Think about it. And never forget that this is a long, civilizational struggle we are engaged in.
As for Mdme Albright, she was just one more Western pawn in its Great Game. Her rank ingratitude to her Serbian saviors, though, puts her in a special category of historical monsters.
The current state of events is becoming overwhelming.
I have developed a very strong sense of who is pumping who’s agenda in the last twenty years or so but now with the Ukraine situation creating divisions among the Orthodox it becomes less clear. Obviously we know where the Fordham types stand as well as the EP, but now the divide extends to the more reliably Traditional faithful as well.
I am for peace. But we allow for national defense don’t we? In America we pray for our troops as well. But by no means do I necessarily agree with the decisions of our leadership. I pray for them to seek wisdom but my concerns are for the souls in the trenches, I’m not a vet but I believe time in a war zone can quickly burn away ones conscience, Just as it can quicken the spirit of others.
In the current war in the Ukraine its probable that the Russians struck literally days or hours before a major offensive was launched against the Donbass. I wasn’t a fly on the wall at any high level meeting on either side of the issue. All I can go by is what I have seen and read for the last eight to ten years and let’s face it most westerners have no idea. Ot is only because I am both Orthodox and a current events addict that I know what I do, and much of it has to be filtered through the propaganda coming from both sides.
Nevertheless one thing is certainly true, we need a lot fewer Albright’s at the negotiating tables in this world, may God have mercy on her soul.
The account of Albright’s saving on the jpg above
does not square with the biography given by Wikipedia.
Does anyone know the detail to support it?
PS: Having heard her comment on dead Iraqi children,
I am in no doubt that she was deeply flawed.
Wikipedia is absolutely unquestionably the worst site fir historical political information. It is slanted against Christians and conservative thought. I taught my students for years about its dangers…so no…for the truth about this vicious woman you must search elsewhere…
I think Brendan was asking for information that is not on Wikipedia.
Precisely, Gail. Thank you.
Either the incident didn’t happen, or it did but Wikipedia suppressed it.
Which is true, I do not know; which is why I asked for detail.
This is a broad-stroked statement, but, it is curious to note that the rapid and noticeable decline of the West over the last couple of years has coincided with it’s new war on Orthodoxy via Bartholomew. It is exponentially noticeable since Russia entered Ukraine.
I will leave Albright to the devil. However, this is an excellent summary of the West’s perpetual war against Orthodoxy, apart from which the current crisis cannot be understood.
The documentary film, “The Weight of Chains: How the West Destroyed Yugoslavia” gives a good expose on the pattern of NATO expansion and globalist takeover of countries throughout the world. Madeline Albright was the Victoria Nuland of Serbia:
https://rumble.com/vdo2ip-the-weight-of-chains-how-west-destroyed-yugoslavia.html
JA,
Yes, that is exactly what I have thought about Albright and Nuland. Moreover, Albright was a protege of Zbigniew Brzezinski – a legacy of deep hostility to the Church and to Russia.
As Western post-Christian culture courses every week toward its inevitable collapse (a nation cannot stand on quicksand), much of the resulting cultural desperation could lead more to Christ and the Church.
Particularly American/Western men, who are among the most “forgotten” about in the post-Christian West. As a Western man, you have to be seen as “on board” with one secular cause or another to be considered relevant. Many men play this game, since the alternative of feeling “left out” is too difficult for many to bear.
Most men see through western cultural garbage quite clearly. None of us who is honest really believes that “Will” Thomas is “Lia.” It’s patently absurd, and men who are honest with themselves know it to be so.
The One who is the ultimate Definer of what it means to be a man (or a woman) is Christ, and all of our desires – whether they be for food, for connection/belonging, sexual desires, whatever – ultimately all of our desires have the point of drawing us closer to He Who Is.
As Western/American culture becomes more and more empty (can it get any more empty?), the only One who can fill that emptiness is Christ. I prayerfully hope that Westerners and Americans of all stripes realize the fullness of our anthropology and search for Christ – who is only fully known by humans through His Church.
Perhaps God is using our desperate times to draw more people to Him and to His Church?
The capitulating Churches -those who’ve hitched their wagons to western relativism and to modernism – will be cut from the Tree, no question. We must pray for them, though.
It’s actually probably far better to be an honest, atheist/secular seeker in earnest search of the Truth than it is to be a nominal “Orthodox Christian” in a body that is capitulating to cultural anarchy. The former know that they’re being slowly boiled and want to jump out as fast as they can. They’re looking for an ark to jump into. The latter don’t know they’re being boiled slowly and sadly don’t seem to care as long as there’s enough entertainment – or by the time they care, it may be too late.
A blessed Lenten Week of the Cross to all
Nuland was a saint for Albright. Take a look at this .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FaPuBUY558
With defenders like these, who needs enemies?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnTyrfBLlaI
Not related to the above post, but, it would be great if everyone could complete the below survey. Alexander (I think is his name), has surveyed priests throughout the various jurisdictions since Covid started, however, this one is for the laity and the results will be published.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PandemicAndYourParish47
Done. Some questions are indicative of the probability that the survey sponsor comes from a progressive stance but I answered nonetheless.
Take a look at newest from OCA Synod, it is worst then the previous statement by the Metropolitan Tikhon couple of weeks ago.
https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/statements/holy-synod/statement-on-ukraine
They talked good about their brothers Orthodox Russians only if they are opposing this war, and in general they are aggressors in protecting their lives and their loves one in Donbas. Then there is a lame teological attempt in Adventists manner to show how Orthodox are against aggression by arbitrarily using words from the Gospel or by inventing that Cross is weapon of peace and so on and so forth.
But that is not the worst.
In particular, we express our continuing support for His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and the entire Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Before it would be enough to just say we support Metropolitan Onufriy. But now it is deliberately written in the way to detach Metropolitan from MP as this is the full name of UOC Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). One can even draw the conclusion that they are other Churches in Ukraine from the way this was written.
OCA is great at making statements. There was a statement about George Floyd too. These statements seem to come when there is a concern about their public image.
Yep…. really all Orthodox Churches in North America and in the West need to absorb the reality that the surrounding Western secular culture despises us and will never like us, aside from individual souls coming to Christ and His Church on their own. We will never win the “hearts and minds” of those who run “The View” or of the leadership of the State of New York, for example.
Trying to ingratiate ourselves to our cultural overlords is a silly, losing battle.
Ridiculous statements like these seem to be meant to virtue signal to a secular Western culture that largely ignores us. Why bother? Any Orthodox Church’s public image will never be good in the secular West. According to the secular world, the Church’s job is to “know its place and stay there.”
You’ve put your finger right on the problem, FTS.
The Orthodox Churches are despised because they are Orthodox
(insofar as they are Orthodox), as our Lord predicted they would be.
A wimpy speech in heirocharch bobble. I have not seen a statement from the OCA on the church situation in Ukraine with at last counting possibly FOUR different “orthodox” jurisdictions there, coming mostly from Istambul, along with the Greek Catholics. How sad!
Never mind “this is your brain on drugs,” the OCA is “this is your church on MSM.”
Sad!
This is great, Basil! “Just say “no” to MSM!” Where’s Nancy Reagan when you need her?!
I don’t really feel comfortable with any fighting in this conflict or with church leaders making statements supporting or condemning either side because I’m pro-peace, like all the peoples involved, and because each side has multiple arguments on its behalf. There are a lot of wars in history where each side has arguments on its behalf.
Many historians give Chamberlain a hard time and call him an “appeaser” because Chamberlain let Germany pressure the Czechs into giving up the tiny German-populated Sudetenland and made a failed peace deal with Hitler at Munich. They rightly say that Britain and France could have stopped Hitler by invading Germany if it took over the Sudetenland. But think of the problems with the alternative where Britain and France fought Germany over the Sudetenland: In that alternative scenario timeline, people could say that it was not worth fighting Germany over Sudetenland and starting WW2 because it was such a small territory. So pursuing a path of peace at Munich appears wiser to me and gave the Western Allies more of a moral high ground.
WW1 started because the Austrian Empire wanted to conquer little Serbia, and because there was an entanglement of alliances (Central Powers vs. France, Britain, Russia, Serbia). There is a lot of overlooked evidence that the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand makes it look like an inside job with the support of Austrian ruling circles. Archduke Ferdinand was actually a Slavophile married to a Slav and he had been planning to create a “Slavic” autonomous section in Austria’s empire. Austria accused Serbia of the assassination and then placed on Serbia demands that it could hardly practically fulfill. Serbia practically agreed to all or almost all the demands and then Austria invaded anyway. In turn, the Austrian invasion and the European empires’ “entanglement of alliances” put the Entente (Russia, France, Britain, Serbia) at war with the Central Powers (Austria and Germany).
At the time, and still today there is a major antiwar criticism of WW1 that the war was fundamentally a battle of empires over power and resources. The antiwar position was that each side should just call it quits and bow out of the war because it fundamentally wasn’t about freedom or democracy or human rights or anything else good, but about empires battling each other without any real wisdom or sense. There was an “internationalist” left wing position (eg. Bolsheviks) who took this antiwar view, and there were pacifist groups like the Quakers who did too. Very many Americans did not want to get involved in WW1 because they saw it as one of Europe’s wars, and not something that America needed to get into.
Unfortunately, the “mainstream” or “center” parties in each of the major powers in Europe each supported their own countries’ involvement in the war against each other. Before WW1, there was a mostly Marxist set of parties called the Social Democrats (eg. Bernie Sanders in the US and Olaf Scholz’s party in Germany today). As an international organization that was against global Capital, one might expect that Europe’s Social Democrats would either take an antiwar position like the Bolsheviks or else figure out which side was wrong and how to disentangle the giant bloody mess that was WW1. But instead even the European “center” Social Democratic parties did cheerleading (eg. Social Democrats in Germany and France and the Mensheviks in Russia).
If Church leaders take a military “side” in this conflict supporting only soldiers of their own “side” and only condemning the other “side”, it feels a little like the WW1 situation where people united by impressive humanitarian ideals just take a side in a military conflict that goes against the other one. Church leaders should be against their countries getting involved in wars, and should try to look critically at each side of conflicts. Then when wars happen, they should look for ways to disentangle the mess.
Sometimes when pro-peace statements or antiwar criticisms come up in Orthodox discussions, some Orthodox reply that Orthodoxy is not Pacifist. Orthodox non-Pacifists can point to Old Testament wars and to saints who supported Christian countries making wars. However, even if this “pro-war” response is theologically true and Orthodoxy is not Pacifist, this pro-war response is not a very happy statement for me. So I am not really happy when I hear Church leaders or clergy or prayers supporting fighting by one side and one side only.
A quick Russian victory that was purely military would not be enough to end the fighting because there could realistically be a long insurgency. On top of that, the conflict doesn’t look like it’s going to end quickly. It’s dragging on with no easy end in sight. Likewise, I don’t see any quick Ukrainian victory, which would in effect mean Ukraine conquering Donbass, since the Donbass conflict has gone on for 8 years. Based on the unreliable polls that I have seen a solid majority of Ukrainians have a strong desire for Donbass to be part of Ukraine, whereas I can’t see Donbass wanting to go back under the government in Kyiv.
So Church leaders should be promoting peace on both sides in a conciliatory way over making militaristic statements.
I await for the Orthodox bishops of America to commemorate the first Western Aktion against the Orthodox:
https://orthochristian.com/145405.html
Hi,
Simple answer is never because those Bishop’s faith is corrupted as they are clearly attached with the US Government for financial reasons. You can not serve God and the other guy. But this further comes from the fact that they don’t understand that Cross is about suffering and going to Kingdome in the same time, so when those Bishops say Cross is tool for peace and is against war, this is blunt heresy and also stupid. Take a look at the Serb who did suffered through US bombing but now are only free people from NATO in Europe as they were cleansed through the war. Cross is suffering that brings to Kingdom as Job went through. Not the peace tool as those lousy Bishops say. It is a shame for Orthodoxy what they put this ridicoulus words in their announcement.
The interesting thing about the NATO-Russian War is its timing. The neoliberals know that they will be losing control of the American government, possibly for quite a long time, in November of this year. They will be bogged down in congressional hearings and impeachments until the 2024 election. So their only window of opportunity to make a mark may end in November.
The neolibs see Putin, Orban, Le Pen and Trump as different shades of the same color. Thus, the Godfather of nationalism, to them, is Putin. That’s why the “Russia, Russia, Russia!” constant conspiracy histrionic since Trump entered the race. Birds of a feather . . . regardless of overt collusion. They are ideologues and see things in terms of ideology, even when their ideology is not predictive of events. It must be true.
Yet neoliberalism is in retreat around the world and nationalism is on the rise. They are cornered in the West and they see the curtain about to be drawn on them in November. Must be terrifying to a true believer. It strikes painfully at core convictions. “What is Truth?”
So this could be their last stand. That’s why they’re willing to fight to the last Ukrainian. That’s why they’re blathering about regime change in Russia and punishing China and India. And that’s why they’re flirting with the idea of provoking a nuclear war. “Better dead than red” takes on a very different meaning if “red” now represents nationalist.
I’m deeply grateful to God that I am living long enough to see it unfold.
“I’m deeply grateful to God that I am living long enough to see it unfold.”
You have kids, Misha? While these are interesting times indeed, I am saddened that our children are inheriting the mess that our generation has left them. The only thing about all of this that I am grateful for is that the path to salvation has become, for our family, as clear as it can ever get.
As our grandmothers used to say, “This, too, will pass.”
Just a dad,
No, gratefully, I don’t. If I emigrate, I might consider it but I’m getting old enough that I’m comfortable having missed that bus. Right now, I foresee retiring with a couple of cats, maybe a dog.
Though I’ve had a number of opportunities to settle down, I have never chosen to. Probably because of feminism. It has so ruined Western society that the terms of family life are psychologically unacceptable to me. Perhaps this is the first time in human history that this madness has actually castrated entire societies of males through an oppressive legal and cultural regime. It is exceedingly ugly to behold if you understand what has happened in terms of the historical patriarchy.
But neoliberalism was the monster that did it and so seeing its death by a thousand cuts is schadenfreude on steroids. I leave it to future generations here and abroad to deal with the aftermath in terms of rebaptizing family life. But I caution you, due to their submersion in Western culture, the churches here are deeply infected with the poison, so beware. It would be much easier and probably wiser to bolt for an Eastern patriarchal society (Syria, Kazakhstan, etc.). Muslim societies have resisted feminism much better than “Christian” ones.
Good luck with that. You will need the full grace of God.