Posted on 03/18/2014 9:58:21 AM PDT by meatloaf
The Ukrainian Parliament, whose membership had NOT suddenly changed, LEGALLY impeached (in effect) Yanukovych, who had trampled all over the Ukrainian constitution, thrown his opoposition in jail via kangaroo courts, etc.
Behind the scenes, the same oligarchs to which the Ukraine Parliament has always answered, are still in place.
If the Parliament had been forcibly replaced in large numbers, then the tossing of Yanukovych (who’s election was probably fraudulent anyway), would have been illegal. But, that “if” did not happen. And... the last I heard, there were still many protesters in Maydan — not so much the neo-Nazis, but the same people who made up the bulk of the mass protests, wanting an end to the corruption. (By now, I’d think there would be large scale anti-Russian protests as well. Who can blame them?)
Now it is true that it is hard to find a Ukrainian politician who is not corrupt. However, some are more tyrannical than others.
Is Yulia Tymoshenko (probably a more important voice for Ukraine today than the entire present exec. branch) a Nazi?
That said, I still find all the propaganda and internal politics “noise” and essentially irrelevant, in the larger picture. What has been shown is that the US (and apparently most of its people) are dishonorable and won’t live up to a big time Security Assurance.
Our worthlessness is the real problem, as it will lead to NO US ally trusting us, a major arms race (nuclear in several cases), and most likely an eventual regional nuclear war (if we are lucky it stays that size), as conflicts break out as others move into the vacuum we leave behind. This is MUCH more likely than Putin deciding to use nukes in virtually any scenario immediately arising from this Ukraine situation.
The real question is can Russia land forces in Turkey in response to an shot from the Turks before anyone can do much about it.
They are, and I have always admired the Turks, especially the secular democracy Ataturk managed to setup. But the Islamists have spent years to infiltrate the military in order to violate the constitution.
You mean like Russia has no ability to project power in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua (and now) El Salvador?
We have many assets in the form of NATO members near and on the Black Sea, all of whom are seriously shaken by what Putin is doing. There are also ample opportunities to pressure Putin elsewhere, first of all with really hard economic sanctions and helping Ukraine, then attacking his client states (Syria) and going after other positions in Europe (Belorussia, Kaliningrad, Abkhazia and Ossetia). Afghanistan is a sideshow at the moment, and as far as I can tell we will have few (if any) troops there by the end of the year.
We don't lack the means: we lack the will.
Clinton set a precedent when he allowed Kosovo to leave Serbia and help the muslims.
And Wesley Clark almost starting WWIII with the Russians at Pristina Airport.
How can we get a carrier group into the Black Sea and hold it?
Not the same as Cuba or the South American countries. Though the fact we let them slide away is very dangerous.
yea I remember that and you are quite right.
Democrats always screw up foreign policy and they think they should take the high road all the time
I wouldn’t advise that either due to local Russian air superiority. But the same applies to the Russian fleet: the Black Sea isn’t that big: 243 miles from Constanta Romania to Sevastopol, probably about the same from the Turkish coast or Odessa in Ukraine.
A very old joke....
If Russia attacks Turkey from the rear, will Greece Help?
“That said, there is a lot of exaggerated fear of Muslims here, too.”
We lack confidence in out culture. We build our enemies into supermen and see ourselves as helpless (generally speaking, of course).
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