Ukraine War Update EXTRA: Ritter on Putin - "Not a corrupt bone in his body"
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"There's not a corrupt bone in his body. How can you say that, Scott?"
Hello Team!
Jonathan introduces this extra video clip about Scott Ritter that he had to cut from his earlier extra video as it would have been too long. He provides some quick background on who Scott Ritter is.
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Who is Scott Ritter?
- American author, pundit, former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer
- Became a weapons inspector for WMD in Iraq, where he started becoming more critical of US policy
- Writes opinion pieces for Russia's state media outlet, RT
- Rejects Western media coverage of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Suspended from Twitter for claiming the Bucha massacre was done by Ukraine police
- Added to a list of pro-Russian propagandists by the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation
Ritter's Problematic Views
Jonathan explains that while Ritter occasionally gets some things right, a lot of what he says is wrong. The decent points he makes get lost among the "weeds of outright incorrectness". Ritter sees geopolitics as a zero-sum game - if the US/NATO are responsible for something, it means Russia isn't. Jonathan argues this is an overly simplistic view that doesn't account for the complex "matrix of causality" in geopolitical events. The core problem is Ritter's incorrect understanding of who Putin is. Jonathan plays a clip where Ritter claims Putin is the most honest man with "not a corrupt bone in his body." Jonathan vehemently disagrees, providing examples of Putin's immense hidden wealth and corrupt dealings. He recommends the book "Killer in the Kremlin" by John Sweeney which documents receipts of Putin's corruption and crimes. Jonathan argues if Ritter is so wrong about Putin, who is at the center of everything happening with Russia, then all Ritter's conclusions are problematic and untrustworthy. He also debunks Ritter's claim that saying "Slava Ukraini" is neo-Nazi.
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Wrap up
Jonathan acknowledges this video was a stream of consciousness so he may not have made the most sense. He is considering doing a more thorough analysis of Scott Ritter's problematic views in the future. He thanks listeners for their support.
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