Posted on 03/02/2014 9:22:45 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Maybe the Obama administration is taking the Budapest Memorandum more seriously than we imagined — or at least want Russia to think we are. Secretary of State John Kerry told ABC’s This Week that “all options are on the table” for a response to Vladimir Putin’s Crimean invasion, including military options:
Secretary of State John Kerry said that “all options are on the table” when it comes to steps the U.S. can take to hold Russia accountable for its military movements in Ukraine, including economic sanctions and potentially military action.
In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos today on “This Week,” Kerry said Russian troops moving into the Ukrainian region of Crimea was “a military act of aggression” and that the U.S. will move swiftly to impose penalties if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not withdraw his troops.
While military force is among the options President Barack Obama is considering, Kerry said the U.S. and its allies hope they can avoid such action.
“The hope of the U.S. and everybody in the world is not to see this escalate into a military confrontation,” he said.
Sounds like tough talk, but would Russia buy it? Moving troops into Ukraine from the west would all but declare war between NATO and Russia, including the US. If Putin thought for a moment that the West would fight over Crimea again, he wouldn’t have taken it over this week in the first place.
That’s not to say that we have no options, and even some military signals can have an impact on the situation, argues retired Admiral James Stavridis at Foreign Policy:
In the military sphere, these include ordering the Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), led by U.S. General Phil Breedlove, to conduct prudent planning and present options in response to the situation. While such planning should be left to the current commanders and military experts, some ideas to consider would include:
Increasing all intelligence-gathering functions through satellite, Predator unmanned vehicles, and especially cyber.
Using the NATO-Ukrainian Council and existing military partnerships with the Ukrainian military to share information, intelligence, and situational awareness with authorities in Kiev.
Providing advice to Ukrainian armed forces to prepare and position themselves in the event of further conflict. Developing NATO contingency plans to react to full-scale invasion of Ukraine and to a partial invasion likely of Crimea. NATO contingency planning can be cumbersome, but in Libya it moved quickly. …
Many will consider any level of NATO involvement provocative and potentially inflammatory. Unfortunately, the stakes are high and the Russians are moving. Sitting idle, without at least looking at options, is a mistake for NATO and would itself constitute a signal to Putin — one that he would welcome.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, put it another way on Fox News Sunday. The problem is that we’re reacting instead of driving events, while Putin has moves figured out several steps ahead:
“Putin is playing chess and I think we are playing marbles, and I don’t think it’s even close” the Michigan Republican said on “Fox News Sunday.” “They’ve been running circles around us. And I believe it’s the naïve position on the National Security Council and the president’s advisers that, if we just keep giving things to Russia, they’ll wake up and say, ‘the United States is not that bad.’ That is completely missing the motivations of why Russia does what Russia does.”
Putin intends to expand Russia’s “buffer zones,” as it has in Ukraine, Rogers said, predicting the next former Soviet republic to see a Russian invasion will be Moldova.
“It is in their interest to continue to push out that buffer zone,” Rogers said. “And, by the way, the big one that started this was the absolute retreat on our missile defense system in Poland and Czechoslovakia, caused us huge problems for our allies and emboldened the Russians and it really has been a downhill slide.”
Ethnic Russians only comprise 6% of the Moldovan population, compared to 18% in Ukraine. Moldova is also land-locked on the other side of the north shore of the Black Sea and has no common border with Russia, and wouldn’t even in a partitioned Ukraine. If I were Latvian (26% ethnic Russian) or Estonia (25% ethnic Russian), I’d be a lot more concerned than the Moldovans at the moment.
The very French, bloviating asshat, John Kerry.
He served in Vietnam Nam, did you know that?
We’re still trying to figure out for which side
Direct military action against Russia?
It would be laughable if it were not so dangerous.
That would CERTAINLY lead to nuclear war after the first substantial loss by either side.
So scawey!
To me it is. If these idiots feel politically weak here at home, they may just make the wrong decisions to bolster their "image" and escalate this thing where it does not need to go. It was a democrat (and the UK) that talked the Ukraine into disarming of their nukes and now it is democrats (again) that will fuq things up even worse over politics and posturing. Yeah, I am a little worried.
And that's why they will be relegated a small portion of the "Ukraine" with no access to the sea, no industry, no agriculture, no money...and no prospects.
And Poland will reclaim Lwow.
After they seek, and RECEIVE Russian permission.
Certainly the Russians don't want that headache. Let the west maintain law and order there!
I don’t disagree.
I would bet that “Shelter in Place” is on the top of the list...knowing these pantywaists...
My only hope is that the JCS is, at least, willing to ignore such orders. Ideally they would remove them all from office and hang them.
But, I suppose that's all wishful thinking.
Can one hope for such an outcome without being charged for advocating it?
“All options are on the table”.
That’s such a stupid phrase.
It’s meant to give cover to those that will otherwise leave all options on the table and do nothing at all; or, they’ll have all the options on the table, but, with a clear objective of doing only as they wish. It’s a statement that is intended to show compromise, while offering none at all.
All the options are not on the table, but, they are for media consumption and public relations only.
All options:
1. Hide and hope no one notices you are not there.
2. Talk tough and hope the situation is settled before every notices that you are a coward and will do nothing anyway.
Kerry makes Von Ribbentrop look competent in comparison.
“walk loudly but carry a limp d*ck?”
Funny stuff.
And some people seem to reveling in it.
I enjoy mocking the SOB as well but I’m more concerned for the people of the Ukraine facing down Russian invasion.
Weooo, for a second I thought you posted ‘I love mocking SOL’
:)
Yeah, I did a double take on that one as well! hahah!!!
“I enjoy mocking the SOB as well but I’m more concerned for the people of the Ukraine facing down Russian invasion.”
Yep. The folks in that country have been kicked around by some of the most ruthless political movements ever. They deserve peace.
Man, you got that right...
But to deserve peace, oftentimes, you have to fight for it, and I think this is that time for them.
They must think the whole world is against them right now, and that is a sh*tty way to feel.
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