{"ops":[{"insert":"We are now being bombarded with information and opinion about the war in Ukraine, which is well underway. How sad for the people of Ukraine. The mainstream news in the US, fundamentally highlights Vladimir Putin's unscrupulous behavior and places blame for the war on Russia. Putin’s dictatorial attitude may seem clear, but it is important that we understand the inside story insofar as we can, to understand the entire picture, in so far as we can. Only in this way can we reach a reasonable position on the war.\n\nWhen reasoning through any significant problem and making any significant decision, it is vital to gather all information relevant to the situation prior to acting. This is something we recognize when we seek to advance as critical thinkers. We “teach” it to our students. We hopefully apply it explicitly at least to some degree in our lives.\n\nBut do you use the tools of critical thinking to reason through political issues? How good are we humans at doing this?\n\nIf gathering all important relevant information is essential to reasoning critically in a situation, how do we gather information relevant to understanding what is really happening, in, for instance, the war in Ukraine? How do we learn about, or gather information about:\n\n1.    the various Russian viewpoints relevant to the issue, such as those of Putin, other Russian government officials, and the Russian people?\n2.    the various Ukrainian viewpoints relevant to the issue, such as those of its President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, other Ukrainian government officials, and the Ukrainian people? \n3.    the differing factions within the country and how they line up either with Russia or the United States, and the rest of the world?\n4.    how the outside world views the situation?\n5.    the United States’ interest in Ukraine?\n6.    Putin’s interest in Ukraine? (In other words, what is it about Ukraine that appeals to each of these countries?)\n7.    the actual history of Ukraine?\n\nTo answer these and related questions and begin to get the full picture of what is going on in the Ukraine war, or indeed any war, recognize that you cannot count on mainstream news companies to give you that picture. In searching for alternative perspectives, I readily found these stories (and this is only a beginning; we need to continue our search for relevant information):\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#222222","bold":true},"insert":"Bernie Sanders’s Smart Take on NATO, Ukraine, and Diplomatic Options"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/bernie-sanders-ukraine/"},"insert":"https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/bernie-sanders-ukraine/"},{"insert":"\n "},{"attributes":{"align":"center"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Everyone Loses in the Conflict Over Ukraine, Ralph Nader"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://nader.org/2022/02/25/everyone-loses-in-the-conflict-over-ukraine/"},"insert":"https://nader.org/2022/02/25/everyone-loses-in-the-conflict-over-ukraine/"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#111111","bold":true},"insert":"Is It Too Late to Avert a War with Russia?, Dee Knight "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/02/22/is-it-too-late-to-avert-a-war-with-russia/"},"insert":"https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/02/22/is-it-too-late-to-avert-a-war-with-russia/"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#111111","bold":true},"insert":"Eyewitness Reports Indicate Ukrainian Army Fired First Shots in War with Russia, Don Hank and Jeremy Kuzmarov"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/02/24/eyewitness-reports-indicate-ukrainian-army-fired-first-shots-in-war-with-russia/"},"insert":"https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/02/24/eyewitness-reports-indicate-ukrainian-army-fired-first-shots-in-war-with-russia/"},{"insert":"\n\nI do not intend in this blog to vouch for any of these perspectives, nor take a political position. Rather I want to stress the importance of being generally aware of media bias and turning to alternative news sources for a fuller picture of political events.\n\nIf you find other alternative perspectives that help us fully understand what is going on in the Ukrainian war, please add your comments to this blog.\n\nTo understand more about media bias and propaganda, visit "},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/viewDocument?doc=../content/library_for_everyone/55/FactOverFake.pdf&page=1"},"insert":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/viewDocument?doc=../content/library_for_everyone/55/FactOverFake.pdf&page=1"},{"insert":" for a partial copy of our "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Thinker’s Guide to Media Bias and Propaganda."},{"insert":" \n\nFor a full copy of our new revised version, visit our publisher for "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Fact Over Fake: A Critical Thinker’s Guide to Media Bias and Propaganda. "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538143940/Fact-over-Fake-A-Critical-Thinker%27s-Guide-to-Media-Bias-and-Political-Propaganda"},"insert":"https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538143940/Fact-over-Fake-A-Critical-Thinker%27s-Guide-to-Media-Bias-and-Political-Propaganda"},{"insert":"\n\n"}]}