impact on the country’s economy or even on the wealth of needs to be done regarding the wealth of the world’s
the individual businesses and businessmen being targeted oligarchs. It’s easy to find out how much these billionaires
by the sanctions, but the debate is still open. German Vice are worth and the type of companies they own, but it’s
Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel thinks the sanctions will have an much more difficult to see exactly how that wealth is
effect on the Russian economy. In an online Voice of generated and where it comes from, especially when tied
America article Gabriel is quoted as saying, “I think they to state-run banks and weapons making facilities.
will very quickly show an effect, because the Russian
What I propose is that citizen journalists,
economy is not in a good shape and of course those who alternative news outlets, social media buffs, and various
are affected by [the sanctions], the Russian oligarchs, other non-profits, educational foundations, and social
won’t want their opportunities to move, and their justice organizations create a global media co-op where
investment of money freely in Europe, to be limited.”65 But they share a percentage of their sponsorship and delegate
Russia’s foreign ministry has said the sanctions are duties via a loosely managed non-hierarchical
“destructive” and that they will only lead to “further organizational network. Such a co-op will help to finance
aggravation of U.S.-Russia relations.” 66 Whichever those reporters and journalists who would otherwise be
directions sanctions take us, it is clear that the billionaires unable to afford to take on the duties of government,
will continue to be billionaires and those middle class and media, and oligarch watchdogs. Such a co-op would also
poor individuals who fight for their most favorite oligarch’s make it much harder for the major networks to get away
brand of wealth-driven ideologies will continue to be with any disinformation campaigns being paid for by
maimed, mutilated, and killed in these wars, no matter how government agents and shady PR firms, as there would be
more eyes on the ground looking for the inaccuracies and
“controlled” or “managed” they appear.
So it seems that unless you are a billionaire you false reports. Just educating the populace about the
probably won’t have much say in the outcome of the financial gains of oligarchs during wartime should have a
Ukraine conflict, but that doesn’t mean the conflict has to significant effect, but that education must extend into the
go on, nor does it mean the billionaires will continue to ranks of the military who are carrying out the orders of
support the wars they profit from. But what is the solution? those oligarchs. If the people doing all the fighting
How can we get the billionaires to stop supporting understood more about the racket of war, and how they are
“managed” conflicts and wars, disinformation campaigns, the one’s who lose the most in such a racket, than perhaps
weapons procurement programs, and environmentally they would be less likely to participate in those wars.
hazardous energy production plans? Protests, boycotts, Overcoming the indoctrination programs force fed to
name and shame campaigns, worker strikes, and apathy/ members of the military is not something that can be
ignoring the situation hasn’t seemed to be very effective in accomplished over night though, so still more efforts need
reining in the oligarchs and their destructive behavior, but to be undertaken to reduce the prospect of war, weapons
who knows how deep the greed and devastation would be proliferation, and war profiteering in the short term.
In Ukraine there are already eyes in the sky
without such oppositional activities. And those aren’t the
only options either. Pinchuk’s success in educating his providing satellite imagery and video footage of the
companies employees about the dangers of joining the situation on the ground, but if the lead up to the Iraq war
separatist movement is but one example we can take from debacle is anything to learn from, than we know that these
the old playbook. Unfortunately he’s forcing