It is the 81st quarter in a row since Fox News has been hailed as the most popular news channel in the USA. One would have to picture a tennis player who not only continuously for 20 years is at the top of the charts, but also wins every tournament. CNN has been significantly weakened in the US, something which we recently wrote about.

Meanwhile in Poland, similarly to the rest of Europe, CNN is being treated as an oracle, not only in matters pertaining to the US but also to the rest of the world. In Poland, a media event is the fact that CNN aired a laudatory report on Polish help for Ukrainian refugees, and the Polish ambassador Marek Magierowski has been interviewed by the station. With all due respect, not many in the US actually cared, as fewer and fewer Americans watch CNN.

WAR IN UKRAINE

Americans are being told about the country and the world by Fox News, meanwhile, in Poland, nobody seems to notice just how much television shapes the American public opinion, what kind of influence it has over elections. A claim that without television Donald Trump would not have become president is true. However without CNN, MSNBC and all those other channels, and papers such as “The Washington Post”, or “The New York Times” which are in fact the propaganda tools of the left-wing Democratic Party, Joe Biden would also not become a president, similarly to Barack Obama before him.

Over 90 percent of contributions for electoral campaigns- coming from either individual donors - journalists, or from media organizations fuels the accounts of the Democratic Party. It would be hard to find more solid proof of the one-sidedness of American media

A provoked invasion

It is more the reason to appreciate the importance of the media which identify themselves with Republicans, or speaking more broadly- conservative right-wing America, and take a look at them. Perhaps in particular Fox News. The electoral season 2022 is about to begin, and what is being aired by this channel will be watched by all Republican candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives, governors, prosecutors, etc

At the same time the voice of Fox News in a matter as important as the war in Ukraine, from a Polish perspective is controversial, to say the least. Similarly to some Republicans, certain Fox News commentators believe that the Russian aggression on Ukraine could be a response to what NATO, and the United States in particular have been doing, and not an action stemming purely from the imperialistic, criminal character of Putin’s regime.

Tucker Carlson, the host of one of the most popular shows in the news, says that after months of preparations, aggressive response from Russia was to be expected after Vice President Kamala Harris in February at a security conference in Munich, confirmed Ukraine’s aspirations of joining NATO by saying that she respects and appreciates them. There was also talk of strengthening the alliance's Eastern flank. Two days later, Russia attacked Ukraine.

For Carlson, the words of the US vice-president and the entire policy of the Biden administration provoked Russian aggression. – The invasion was no surprise to the Biden administration. They knew that would happen. That was the point of the exercise – said the commentator during his show. According to him the Biden administration and military lobby could on purpose look for a war with Russia, and the one happening right now in Ukraine is a so-called proxy war, a substitute war between Russia and the US and NATO.

A proof that such conflict in fact has been taking place for a while, were to be the words of senator Lindsey Graham back in 2016 during his visit to Ukraine, that the war the latter is waging (then over Donbas and Lugansk) is already a war also between America and Russia. On the part of the Republican politician it was most likely just rhetoric aimed at raising the morale of Ukrainian leadership, yet today these words are regarded as a self-fulfilling prophecy, but also a confirmation of American intentions.

As nearly starting a war with Russia, some commentators including those over at Fox News saw the initial claim by Americans that they would aid in handling Polish Mig-29s over to Ukraine. Regardless of current disputes over whom and how burnt the operation of sending the planes, one thing is certain- this action had the full support of the Biden’s administration, and only afterward they washed their hands of it.

As recently as March 6th, in a CBS show “Face the Nation”, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Poland will receive all the help needed in handling the fighter jets to Ukraine. What is more, he suggested filling the void in the Polish air force with American machines.

Electoral rhetoric

Meanwhile, the important (due to the large audiences) commentators over at Fox News, such as aforementioned Tucker Carlson, Jesse Waters, or Greg Gutfeld are very reserved if not negative in speaking about such an action, claiming that comes with too much of a risk and could be misread as NATO’s involvement in the conflict. Contrary opinions, saying that it ought to be done also occur, but one should not disregard the influence of the skeptics.

The issue of handing over the planes by Poland to many American politicians is not a closed matter. A bipartisan group with The House of Representatives called the Problem Solvers Caucus increases the pressure on the White House to go forward with the plan. One of the 58 members is a former Republican presidential candidate, and a Utah senator, Mitt Romney.

For a large number of Republicans, his lobby is reason enough to oppose the idea. Romney, a fervent opponent of Donald Trump belongs to a faction described as RINO – Republicans In Name Only. According to a poll conducted by the Trafalgar Group, 69 percent of those who declare participation in elections supports the idea of handing over the F-16 as a replacement for fighter jets given to Ukraine.

Right-wing circles quite openly speak of the danger of a nuclear war with all its consequences. In this context opinions of experts such as Harry Kazianis are pointed out. He is a security expert and one of the directors of the Center for the National Interest, a public policy think-tank established by Richard Nixon. Back in 2019, Kazianis wrote about a possibility of a nuclear war that could start with a war in Ukraine. Wargames, which the Center took part in, predicted among others a billion casualties of such a nuclear clash. All of this is being fed to the Republican electorate as well as the politicians taking part in the November elections.

Some of the Republican fears of any US involvement in the conflict- be it via financial and military support for Ukraine, or stronger sanctions against Russia pertains to the strengthening of Russia's relationship with China. The dollar could be a victim of it, as it could depreciate as a world currency. More and more international transactions could be conducted, omitting it.

In the US currently, China is perceived as its most serious rival, and the country is facing significant economic problems, including the biggest inflation in decades. Fuel prices are the highest in history. In some parts of California, a gallon of gas (3.78 liters) costs 7,4 USD, which is more than in Poland

The majority of economic problems of the United States is of course a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and bad decisions of president Joe Biden such as a ban on completion of a branch of the Keystone pipeline leading from Canada to the US, which would be crucial for the country’s energy independence. This also includes a block on the search and extraction of fossil fuels on federal territories.

from being an exporter of fuel and energy during the term of Donald Trump, the United States is back to importing, which is something that the right-wing media are exploiting. The message then is as follows: American involvement in the war in Ukraine will only deepen the economic crisis, making millions of Americans poorer. By imposing sanctions on Russia, President Biden does so at their expense. This is purely election rhetoric, as the US import of i.e. petroleum from Russia, constitutes only 10% of its foreign supplies.

Dealing an economic blow at Russia and destroying the ruble is regarded among many Republicans as a pyrrhic victory, as it could lead the countries such as Russia, China, Turkey, and India to resign from transactions in American currency. Maybe it would be better not to impose the sanctions, leading to a common boycott...

When Biden was Vice President…

According to the study commissioned by “The Wall Street Journal”, inflation is regarded as a number 1 problem for over a half of Americans. The war in Ukraine is something remote. Nonetheless, the Biden administration is using it for the purpose of national propaganda, claiming that the inflation and exorbitant energy prices are a result of Putin’s action, who with this war destabilized markets around the globe.

This is also electoral rhetoric. From a Polish point of view then, the truth about the war in Ukraine was put in between two contrasting electoral narratives. One, that Putin is the source of all American misfortunes, and the other that it's time to beat one’s chest – hit at the Biden administration, and pay less attention to what the Russian dictator and invader, is doing.

Some right-wing commentators also believe that the Biden administration is using the Russian attack on Ukraine as a pretext to renew a deal with Iran that was done by Obama and broke off by Trump. Iran would be to return to its program of “The Peaceful Use Of The Atom” and simultaneously start selling its petroleum on the world market replenishing the supplies missing as a result of the embargo put on Russia.

The truth about the war in Ukraine is partially a “victim” of all the armed conflicts in which the United States took part over the last decades. In particular those recent, and as it turns out pointless ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. The last tours there were done even by soldiers born after the break out of the war with Iraq and Afghanistan. A perspective of involvement, even only in the form of arms supply and economic actions is being treated with much reserve.

The intervention in Afghanistan cost an American taxpayer 300 million dollars a day. The view that the United States is not a police officer of the world, that it cannot intervene everywhere and right all wrongs is very common, especially because a lot of these actions brought about the opposite – tragic results.

The shadow over the whole situation is being cast by the relations with Ukraine after the Euromaidan. It was during Obama's term when Joe Biden was vice president responsible for the policy towards the country and it circulated between Washington and Kyiv. Ukraine had an opinion of a very weak country, ruled by a corrupted government, that could be subdued with bribes and blackmail.

This is what Joe Biden used when asking Ukraine’s then-president Petro Poroshenko to remove the country’s prosecutor general Viktor Shokin. In his numerous visits to Kyiv vice president Biden was accompanied by his son Hunter. Following one such visit, the young Biden took a seat on the board of Burisma- the biggest gas and energy company in Ukraine. First, he was getting 50k dollars a month, and by the end nearly 200k.

When the prosecutor Shokin started a probe into Burisma which was drowning in corruption scandals, Joe Biden requested that president Poroshenko fire Shokin. Then the vice president was arrogant enough to publicly, during a conference of The Council on Foreign Relations, brag that by using blackmail he forced the Ukrainian government to remove the prosecutor from office. He threatened that Ukraine will not receive a 1 billion dollars loan – I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money (…) well, son of a bitch, he got fired. – recalled vice president Joe Biden, proud of his diplomatic mission.

Ukraine is only now building its image in the United States as a “full-fledged” country, and not some temporary entity, a province detached from an imperium. With each day of heroic fighting, the respect for the country is growing. Ukraine is having its bloody founder’s baptism, similar to the American Revolution of 1776 and the Independence War with the British Empire.

The perception of the war in Ukraine by the biggest American TV station is also influenced by personal experiences, at times very tragic. On the 14th of March 2022 in Horenka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Russian troops shot at the Fox News crew. Cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski was killed, and reporter Benjamin Hall was wounded. One of the station's main stars Greg Gutfeld is married to a Ukrainian, Elena Moussa. Her mother, Gutfeld’s mother-in-law after hundreds of kilometers in a car with strangers, has managed to safely arrive in Poland.

To talk with Fox News

The right-wing American media is not trying to support Putin but rather stay uninvolved, look for peace, and optionally use the war and the Biden administration stance in the election campaign.

In Poland, the actions of the White House are popular, especially when compared with the hypocritical opportunism of France or Germany. President Biden has the support of Americans. Ours and that of the Ukrainians he has to earn. No matter what kind of nonsense is being told about Trump’s pro-Putin stance, the majority of Americans have no doubt: if he was in power Putin would not dare to attack Ukraine.

According to a study conducted by the Harvard Center for American Political Studies, 62 percent of Americans think so. Among them 35 percent are Democrats. As much as 59 percent believe that Putin has decided to start a war as he sensed the weakness of Joe Biden. Therefore the current White House resident has to try, face the myth of his tough predecessor Trump, and build his image as a leader, very much damaged by catastrophically conducted evacuation, or rather an escape from Afghanistan.

Polish diplomacy with the support from the media and Poles living abroad, should exploit these weaknesses and use the rivalry over who is the tougher, more decisive leader, and also look for help where the message is stronger, not more in favor with our own. This means arguing for what is right according to us, what is right for Ukraine, and showing that it is not just about a conflict somewhere in the former Soviet empire, but about something much more, about peace and freedom in the world.

Interacting with such a powerful channel as Fox News, which will have a huge impact on the results of the November elections is a task for Polish politicians, diplomats, and media. The chain of transmission is clear- television talks about the world, the viewers watch and listen and will choose their representatives in November. The point is for them to choose those who understand what is at stake in the Ukraine war.

– Dariusz Matuszak
–Translated by Sally Jastrzębska