November 26, 2004—The bitterly disputed Ukrainian presidential election, and the crisis that is exploding in the wake of the contested outcome, has reignited the Cold War and a new round of East-West conflict over control of Eurasian/Caspian/Black Sea energy.
Against the backdrop of Peak Oil (also check energy-related coverage in From The Wilderness), this conflict could well decide the geo-resource direction of the planet itself.
Amidst reports of election irregularities, Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovych, who supports stronger ties with Russia, declared himself the winner over pro-Western opposition leader Viktor Yushchekno, in defiance of shrill and aggressive opposition and open threats from the West and the Bush administration.
In an example of off-the-scale hubris and irony, outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell—representing an illegitimate Bush administration that itself stole a presidential election through fraud and abuse just weeks ago—declared that “we cannot accept this result as legitimate because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse.”
