Recently, I posted this missive on who will benefit from Ukraine's post-conflict environment, a part of United States diplomacy for decades, most recently after the U.S.-led war in Iraq which saw many American corporations take advantage of the nation's rebuilding. As I noted in that posting, so-called "commercial diplomacy" will also play a key role in the reconstruction of Ukraine which became evident when Volodymyr Zelenskyy made it very clear that Ukraine was "open for business" at the World Economic Forum's 2022 Annual Meeting as quoted here:
"Our representatives here in Davos can inform all of you on the details of the prospects that Ukraine opens for your businesses. Ladies and gentlemen, we offer the world to set a precedent for rebuilding the country after the war which will show everyone who dreams of destroying the life of a neighbour that the war is not working. I invite you to take part in this rebuilding. The amount of work is enormous. We have more than half a trillion dollars in losses, tens of thousands of facilities that were destroyed. We need to rebuild entire cities and industries and we offer a special historically significant model of rebuilding, one each of the partner countries or partner cities or even partner companieswill have the opportunity to take patronage over a particular region. It could be a city or community or even and industry."
On January 23, 2023, Zelenskyy addressed the National Association of State Chambers by video. The National Association of State Chambers (NASC) "...is the national organization for state chamber CEOs and their executive leadership. The purpose of NASC is to promote cooperation among state chambers of commerce, strengthen existing state chambers, and promote the extensions of the state chamber of commerce movement throughout the country."
In other words, a lobby group for Corporate America.
NASC Partner's include (but are not limited to) the following:
Now, let's get to the main point of this posting. Here is the video of Zelenskyy's speech to the NASC:
Here is the transcript of the speech as it appears on the website of the President of Ukraine with my bolds, keeping in mind that this speech is being given to a highly influential group of Americans representing Corporate America and its profit-based agenda:
"Thank you for your attention to Ukraine and for this opportunity to address those who create the globally important economic strength of America!
Tomorrow is eleven months since the start of Russia’s brutal and predatory full-scale war against Ukraine. This is the time when Ukraine, the United States and all our allies and partners are united as never before.
What have we achieved together during this time?
We fight every day to defend our people, our borders and our values. And we managed to stop the spread of Russian aggression.
Today we can say with confidence that we can overcome this evil on Ukrainian soil. Even though Russia has found a terrorist ally in the face of the Iranian regime, which supplies weapons to the Kremlin.
Thanks to the courage of our soldiers holding back the occupiers, and thanks to the leadership of the United States of America, which has consolidated the world in defense of freedom, we see how to win this battle.
Yet to win, we must engage all our resolve and our strength.
It is like starting your own business and working every day from morning till night, every day, so that one day you can see how your dream is becoming true – when you finally have your own operating business.
Anyone who has such an experience – the experience of starting their own business and implementing their dreams – will never forget how much effort it takes. The same is defending freedom. As well as defending the basic values of any normal society.
At the beginning of this address, I called the Russian war against Ukraine a predatory one.
And this is not a random word. Perhaps this is exactly what connects the Kremlin with some anti-democratic regimes in various parts of the world, such as the Iranian regime, – what makes them accomplices.
On the entire territory, temporarily occupied by the Russian troops, robbery is reigning. Everything they have not destroyed, they are stealing and shipping to Russia. Everything…
Russians are stealing grain and agricultural machinery from Ukrainian farmers. The occupiers dismantle the factories and send the equipment to Russia. Warehouses, shops and people’s homes are being looted. And they kidnap people – they see people as a resource. About two million Ukrainians were forcibly taken to Russia – deported.
The fact that Russia tried to steal the part of our land by declaring an illegal annexation – is the finalization of their predatory policy.
This is why we so need your support now. Here, in Ukraine, we are defending not only independence and not only the international order.
Here in Ukraine, we are defending everything that made you, in particular, who you are.
We are defending freedom and property; everyone’s right to have their dream and everyone’s duty to live according to the law; the right of every family to stay safe and the happiness of every family to be part of their community.
All this cannot be granted. All this can only be won.
Global freedom has long been lacking global victories. Ukraine, together with the United States, along with our partners – is meeting this deficit.
However, we need to walk this path together – until the victory.
And – when we'll be able to end this war by throwing out the occupiers – in the same manner together we'll be able to start the difficult work of rebuilding Ukraine – our cities, our economy, our infrastructure.
It is already clear that this will be the largest economic project of our time in Europe. It is obvious that American business can become the locomotive that will once again push forward global economic growth.
We have already managed to attract attention and have cooperation with such giants of the international financial and investment world as Black Rock, J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs. Such American brands as Starlink or Westinghouse have already become part of our, Ukrainian, way. Your brilliant defense systems – such as HIMARS or Bradleys – are already uniting our history of freedom with your enterprises. We are waiting for Patriots. We are looking closely at Abrams.
Thousands of such examples are possible!
And everyone can become a big business by working with Ukraine. In all sectors – from weapons and defense to construction, from communications to agriculture, from transport to IT, from banks to medicine.
I believe that freedom must always win. And, I invite you to work with us right now.
Thanks to all American people – from leaders to every American! God bless our countries and our heroes!"
Why would anyone trust their economy with Goldman Sachs, one of the key players in the near collapse of the global economy in 2008, a feat which cost them significantly as shown here:
Interestingly, Ukraine does not particularly have a worker-friendly environment. Here is an article from August 2022 that appeared on the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center website:
...and this article from the Act NOW! website:
On August 17, 2022, Zelenskyy ratified Law 5371 which removes rights for workers at companies employing up to 250 individuals, approximately 70 percent of all workers in Ukraine. These employees will no longer be covered under Ukraine's national labour code, rather, they will now be covered by contracts that they negotiate as individuals with management. Collective agreements which covered salaries and holidays (among other issues) that were previously negotiated by unions no longer apply. The law also removes unions' ability to veto workplace dismissals. In July 2022, another law was passed which allows employers to stop paying workers who have been called up to fight in the conflict with Russia and another legalizes zero-hours contracts where employers are not obligated to provide a minimum number of working hours to their employees. So much for defending Ukrainians' rights to dream and be happy.
Now we have a sense of what the end-game of the conflict in Ukraine will involve. Just like in the case of Iraq, the ultimate end-game is profits for the global capitalist class, particularly Corporate America. Zelenskyy's neo-liberal policies and his cozying up to the World Economic Forum provides us with a very clear blueprint of where Ukraine is heading after the conflict with Russia ends.
In closing and to put this posting into perspective, here is a video posted on the Twitter account of Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister and Minster of Digital Transformation:
That is Klaus Schwab's wet dream come true. As well, his merry band of technocrats/the Global Capitalist Class must be rubbing their hands together with glee at the thought of all of those profits that can be realized. Great Reset Ukraine-style here we come.
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