Katie Doyle, Girl About Town

Saturday, May. 07, 2005 - 7:58 p.m.

I am speechless. I seriously do not know where to begin to logically refute the astonishingly arrogant absurdity of George W. Bush standing in Latvia today, condemning Franklin Delano Roosevelt for the Yalta Agreement. I have noticed, lately, a subtle move to discredit FDR and many of the policies he enacted. I suppose that is only natural when the party to the right finally sees its chance to begin the slow but steady extermination, once and for all, of Social Security, a program they have opposed since its inception, and one of FDR's grandest, most far-reaching achievements. So I should not be shocked to find Bush standing in Europe calling Yalta "one of the greatest wrongs of history".

What would Bush have done, I wonder? Seized all of the newly liberated countries for himself? Taken advantage of the demise of the League of Nations to fully establish America as the sole leader in the New World Order? Arrogantly told Stalin America did not need his help against Japan? Make a formal enemy of Russia and enter into war on a yet a third front? None of that would surprise me, as the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the "war on terror", the mishandling of Afghanistan, and Bush's attitude toward the UN and every other country on the globe, does not fall far from that tree.

To sum up, for those of you unfamiliar with or forgetful enough of American history to remember, the Yalta Conference was the meeting of Allied leaders in February of 1945 which set forth the liberation of that part of Europe which had been occupied by Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party. The agreement was brokered by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. It is important - indeed, critical - to note that while the Nazis had been defeated on the European front, the United States and Britain were still caught up in a bloody and costly war with Japan; Germany's surrender did not by any means denote the end of WWII. The immediate problems facing both Roosevelt and Churchill with the fall of Germany included the continuing war with Japan, the restoration of government and civil freedom to those countries formerly under Nazi oppression (especially Poland), reparations and the rebuilding of those nations destroyed during 4 years of German occupation and war, the setting of national boundaries for those countries whose lands were usurped during the war, the establishment of a war crimes tribunal, the ongoing war with Japan and similar issues posed by the war on that front, and the establishment of a world body of government leaders to replace the then rather recently-defunct League of Nations.

Complicating matters were the need to keep many of the details of the conference secret in order to facilitate Japan's defeat, Russia's issues with Japan stemming from a conflict in 1904, and Stalin's own desire for expansion, as the Soviet Union was already the dominant military power of Eastern Europe at that time, and most of the eastern half of the continent was under Russian control. Both Churchill and Roosevelt were criticized for their part in Yalta, but the truth is that neither leader had much choice in the matter. A war with Russia was not possible, Stalin was bent on expanding Soviet territory, and both Britain and America needed Russia's help in the fight against Japan - a large portion of Yalta was a means to that end and an attempt to slow or halt Russian expansion. The main salient points of Yalta are as follows: the establishment of the United Nations and Security Council previously discussed at Dumbarton Oaks in 1944, the division of Germany into French, British, American and Russian zones, prosecution of war crimes, the return of Russian lands lost to Japan during the 1904-05 conflict, the recognition by Russia of Outer Mongolian borders, cooperation with China, the establishment of Polish borders and restoration of a democratic Polish government, establishment of democratic European government in all nations previously occupied by Hitler, and - most importantly - Stalin's promise to enter into war with Japan within 2 to 3 months of Germany's surrender.

Frankly, neither Churchill nor, specifically, Roosevelt had much choice in the matter and brokered the strongest deal possible at that time, with the resources and capabilities left to them. Russia was already the pre-eminent military power in Eastern Europe, and huge losses of life and goods threatened if the US (and Britain) were forced to continue in a prolonged war with Japan or to extend that war into Eastern Europe against Stalin. It is a tragedy more could not be done to protect those countries annexed by Russia from Soviet oppression; however, neither England nor America was capable of engaging Russia in military contest to prevent or stem Soviet expansion. They did what was possible to ensure European democracy and to prevent further loss of life. For the worst, most unilaterally authoritarian president in US history to stand at a podium decrying American participation in Yalta as "appeasing or excusing tyranny, and sacrificing freedom in the vain pursuit of stability," after a stunningly poor demonstration of ethics, values, freedom, or democracy in both Afghanistan and Iraq and the fullscale onslaught against the Constitution and civil liberties in this country - all under the guise of stability and the defeat of terrorism - is one of the basest, most offensive things I can think of to come out of this "presidency". I am filled with disgust at the hypocrisy rampant in all levels of this administration and legislature and would like nothing more than to excuse myself from the table. Unfortunately, it is my birthright to stay and do whatever I can to ensure Bush and his ilk are voted out of office as soon as is at all possible. They are unworthy of their positions and the honor afforded them and worse, make a mockery of this country and the values it was founded upon.

Katie

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