Russians and Iranians Admit Lying

           On the same day, both the Russians and Iranians have reportedly today admitted to lying.  Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that he lied about the Russian invasion of Crimea, while a former Iranian government nuclear official admitted that the Iranians lied about their nuclear program.

            The Russian Federation had denied that the military-like uniformed forces bearing no insignia that swept into Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula were theirs, claiming they were Crimean self-defense forces.  Putin’s admission that the men were Russian government forces not only undermines the justification for Russia’s actions, but lends credence to the Ukrainian accusation that Russian forces have similarly infiltrated eastern Ukraine to take over government facilities and foment insurrection among the Russian-speakers there. 

The Russian Federation’s goal is to push for independence referenda in eastern Ukraine that would lead to annexation by Russia, as it had in Crimea.  In the meantime, Russia hopes to spark confrontations between Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine and Ukrainian government forces in order to justify a Russian invasion based on its assertion of a new right to invade sovereign, independent states to defend Russian-speakers there.  It is a novel claim, since the defeat of Nazi Germany, that one state has such a right to invade other states to “protect” citizens in the invaded state who share the same language as the invading state.  As I have posted previously, Russia had signed a treaty recognizing Ukraine’s borders, which waives any historic claim it can now make to Ukrainian territory based on the presence of Russian speakers there. Putin’s reference to Ukraine as “New Russia” and its longstanding lament of losing the former Soviet Republics expose the Russian Federation’s imperialism.  Its perceived sensitivity about Western influence in its claimed sphere of influence is often used by Russians and their sympathizers to excuse acts of aggression that they would not tolerate were they made by any other state.  The West poses no threat to a peaceful Russia that would respect the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the states in what Russia refers to as its “Near Abroad.”  Just as the Russian government does not respect the liberty of Russian citizens, however, it does not respect liberty abroad.

In addition, a report by the United Nations found that Russia’s claims of Ukrainian violations of the rights of Russian speakers in Crimea were false, as there were no systematic or widespread incidents of abuse.  The Russians are following the same strategy in Ukraine as in Georgia of fomenting conflict, exaggerating abuses of minority rights and vilifying a pro-Western government it cannot control, to justify or at least distract from its own misbehavior.  The Ukrainians have promised to respect minority rights and have offered more autonomy to eastern provinces.  The report also refutes the Russian claims of the legitimacy of the deposed pro-Russian government in Ukraine because of the lack of freedom of expression or an independent judiciary and the jailing of opposition figures.  Ukraine’s pro-Russian government was thus no more legitimate than Russia’s or Venezuela’s, despite the pretense of democratic elections in these authoritarian states. 

            Meanwhile, the Iranians have been lying about the nature and purpose of their nuclear program for years, despite all the evidence to the contrary, in addition to their obvious deceptions.  Oil-rich Iran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but it has enriched uranium far beyond the degree necessary for the production of energy – to the point necessary for the production of nuclear weapons, among other steps it has taken that are consistent with the development of a military program.  The former Iranian nuclear official justified the lies by blaming Western mistrust, but the West and the Islamic Republic’s neighbors mistrusted the terrorist-sponsoring theocratic dictatorship because of its failure to disclose its programs and the obvious signs that Iran’s program was not based upon a peaceful intent.  

           Both Communists, like Putin, and Islamists, like the Iranian regime, believe it is justifiable to lie in order to achieve their ends.  They will continue to try to deceive everyone else about their true intent and to lie about their opponents.  Whatever one might be tempted to believe about particular individuals or governments that might oppose Communists or Islamists, it is critically important not to be distracted by any perceived faults or inconsistencies on the part of their opponents, which are often fabricated or exaggerated.  The lies not only suggest the moral bankruptcy of those who state them, but remind everyone of the Communists’ and Islamists’ evil intent.