Ron Paul Podcast: U.S. Is ‘Stirring the Pot’ in Ukraine

Ron Paul Podcast: U.S. Is ‘Stirring the Pot’ in Ukraine

The NSA isn’t the only one snooping on phone calls. A U.S. State Department official has been caught on tape secretly trying to micromanage regime change in Ukraine. The Russians don’t like that anymore than we would like Russians trying to install an anti-U.S. government next door to us in Mexico.

In this week’s podcast, I talked with Ron Paul about foreign meddling and the Ukraine affair.

Charles Goyette: The American news media only seems to care about the salty language that Assistant Secretary of State Nuland used in discussing U.S. interventionism in Ukrainian political affairs, or who recorded her conversation, but to me it raises the important question: Just how many Victoria Nulands there are, toiling away in Washington, making enemies for the American people and determined to get us involved in other people’s wars.

Ron Paul: This is, in a way, great. Because we know that’s going on. We’ve been talking about this for a long time, and that’s been one of my political goals throughout my political career, to expose these efforts because they lead to so much trouble. But it’s great to get a recording to verify it. It would be nice if the media would really pay attention to it and not lose the message. . . . .

Of course the basic principle is: Why are we there? Why are we involved? Why are we absolutely determined to get very much involved in the Ukraine? That would be like if there was a debate in Mexico who the next government would be. And the Russians thought, well, to their advantage it would be very nice if they had a coalition of individuals in Mexico that would support Russia. And they were engaged in money and probably military and what-not. I think we would have a great right to be asking questions about it. You know, our next-door neighbor, and we should pay attention to it. . . .

One of the thoughts that came to my mind about maybe dealing with this is following the principle of self-determination, that’s a good basic principle. Our great President Woodrow Wilson talked about this in flowering terms, and of course he believed exactly the opposite. They could easily have you know, a federation of two states, loosely tied together, and one half talking more to the Europeans and the other half talking more to Russia. And let two sides go their own way. But no, each side wants to control the whole country. But I think even if there were two countries it wouldn’t hurt anything. . . .

This once again is the perfect example for the defense of our philosophy that we mind our own business, treat people fairly, try to trade with people and exert friendship with them all, something that the founding fathers advised. That to me would be so much healthier, not only for us but for the peace of the world.

Goyette: When Nuland talks about the provision of USAID aid to parties in the Ukraine, these are clear allusions, it seems to me, to CIA resources. You have the spokesperson for President Putin saying that we are already spending $20 million a week on Ukrainian opposition groups, and even supplying training arms to opposition forces. How much more trouble can they get us into around the world?

Paul: Well, I guess they never even think about it. But I know when the trouble is going to stop, and that is when our dollar deteriorates, and that’s always a possibility on the near horizon at the rate we are spending our money and running up our debt.

But you know, it never stops. (Secretary of State John) Kerry, you know you can’t quite figure him out, because at one time, people thought he would be a more peaceful diplomacy type of person and another time, he’s very aggressive. But he’s very authoritarian, for sure. Because over in the Ukraine, he goes over with advice, because he has the clout of the United States government, and he’s instructing them to release certain political prisoners — this is to the government, the main government — this is what they have to do on human rights, as if we have no human rights violations here . . . .And we’re insisting that they have democratic elections, just like we insisted in Egypt. So he’s over there just stirring the pot. . . .

Goyette: Dr. Paul, the United States not only is playing this great game again in places like Syria and Ukraine and Afghanistan, but we’ve also given Cold War security guarantees over a couple of generations to dozens of countries . . . places that are of no material interest to us in defense of the American people and our freedom and prosperity. Is there a way to start unwinding some of these security guarantees?

Paul: I think that in each of these agreements there’s a way to get out. You give warning and announcement and you can back out. The governments we’ve had — Republicans and Democrats — aren’t about to do that. The only way it’s going to happen is, the American people have to wake up to it. But I consider them unconstitutional, because they’ve made commitments of future generations to literally go to war for these countries, and that’s certainly bending the constitution. . . .They are certainly immoral. How can one generation make commitments for a later generation? And they’re very, very dangerous. . . .

In some ways, it’s a modern form of mercantilism that we get involved and then we want to have control. For instance, the Iranians weren’t as cooperative with us being involved with any oil over there, so therefore they had to become an enemy. One of the major reasons we’re in the Middle East is for oil. . . .

Someday this will change, but the most important thing that will bring about change is information and knowledge to the American people, so that they can say they’ve had enough and want it to stop.

For your Freedom and Prosperity,

Charles Goyette