Make Today, Day 61 the day!
Posted on 03/02/2014 9:37:21 AM PST by 1rudeboy
As President Putin weighs using military forces in a Ukraine plunging deeper into political turmoil, Alexander Mercouris, international law expert, tells RT that the presence Russia’s forces could be a restraining factor for all the parties involved.
RT: From the point of view of international law, from the point of view of that perspective, where does Russia’s approval for the use of armed force actually stand then? If it does indeed send forces to Ukraine?
Alexander Mercouris: The Russian position is based on an agreement which was made between Mr. Yanukovich and the opposition leaders as they were on the 21st February, in which Russia is named and in which in effect it is a kind of co-guarantor. That agreement was torn up. What then happened over the course of the next couple of days is that Yanukovich was illegally overthrown.
Law is like a web. If you start unraveling part of it, then the whole thing basically falls apart. It’s very difficult, it seems for me, for people who want to criticize the Russians for doing what they’re doing to start discovering illegality now, when they have so-far completely disregarded it up to now. It depends in terms of international law, a great deal upon what the Russians do.
But the important thing to understand is that there is no legitimate government at the moment in existence in Kiev.
RT: There’s no decision made of course. They have made it very clear that there’s no decision as to whether those troops will be deployed but your thoughts if they were to be deployed, what sort of impact could that have on the situation?
AM: I think that in the Crimea it would stabilize it. The point to make about this particular resolution is that it’s not in-fact confined to Crimea. It’s about the Ukraine in general. We have to wait and see what would happen in the rest of Ukraine. There’s been a great deal of disturbances in the eastern Ukraine. But in the Crimea itself, I think, essentially it’s an accomplished fact – the Crimea is not obeying decisions from Kiev. It would require force by Kiev to bring Crimea to heel and Russian intervention there would prevent that and that would stabilize the situation.
snip
If Russia deploys forces in Crimea, it would only be to prevent war - expert.
Who says it does not have a legitimate government. It seems to me it is only missing the Prime Minister who fled the country. Near as I can tell everything else is in place.
Earlier today, Chairman of the Czech Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Karel Schwarzenberg, basically straight-up said that Putin is acting like Adolf Hitler.
According to the chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09) ” …a clear attempt at expansion of power of the Russian Federation, its connection with the Crimea and its important naval base in Sevastopol to Russia .” The arguments of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who deployed troops in Ukraine claiming the need to protect local Russian citizens, are the same arguments Adolf Hitler used during the occupation of a foreign country . Schwarzenberg said, “Hitler always said that we must protect the local Germans. It’s very clear that this is not about the protection of Russian citizens, who are not being attacked and are perfectly safe” .
The Czechs (and Poles) know a thing or two about being invaded and occupied.
Kudos to Mr. Schwarzenberg for calling it like it is.
Their new government is illegitimate because the Russians don’t dominate it.
Putin is protecting his artificially created “Sudetanland”.
It’s like 1939 all over again, with no Churchill, Patton, FDR or Doug MacArthur.
But we got Chamberlain on steroids.
But we do have Barry, Kerry, and his predecessor Hil-Lary
I think these defections are because of the infiltration of Russians into the Ukranian govt police depts., and armed forces. (Obviously). But the oppresion the Ukranian people receive from their police forces is a big part of why they want the Russians out. I’ve lost track of how many times, when I’m in Ukraine, a policeman flips out his black and white striped, 12” long flashlight, to pull you over. In Kherson they prey on Taxi drivers and pocket fines after they pull you over. In 1999, the police had these monster radars that took 2 people to handle...I hope they have radiation poisoning.
Putin is protecting his artificially created “Sudetanland”.
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And the idea of using a puppet to “request help” is another well-known Hitlerian tactic.
Mr. Schwarzenberg pretty much nailed it. And I’m glad he did.
Yes.....Putin is indeed acting just like Hitler; Putin is pursuing a Hitlerian expansionist foreign policy.
More like estrogen tablets...
(Yeah, the US is moving in the same direction, I know).
They do it here too in the Czech Republic. They flag over older cars typically; they give them a spot inspection for road-worthiness.
It’s usually like the Communist-era Škodas and Trabants and Wartburgs they do it too.
Heh....those Trabants are the automotive version of the V1 buzzbomb. You can hear ‘em a mile away with their little two-cycle engine.
The people who VOTED Yanukovich into office back in 2010......... Yanukovich was illegally overthrown.
The worst was when three of them in full length overcoats with AK47’s came into a disco, ordered the lights on and music stopped, and started frisking up against the wall the three fellows who were drinking vodka at the next table. I had left my passport at my fiance’s home and felt helpless. I was probably breaking at least three or four laws and I knew I could be held....for doing nothing! The former Soviet Union is a cancer that will be there forever.
The worst was when three of them in full length overcoats with AK47’s came into a disco, ordered the lights on and music stopped, and started frisking up against the wall the three fellows who were drinking vodka at the next table. I had left my passport at my fiance’s home and felt helpless. I was probably breaking at least three or four laws and I knew I could be held....for doing nothing! The former Soviet Union is a cancer that will be there forever.
Yikes. I was foolishly videotaping the train station in Kiev. You can hear me say UH-OH as I was filming the pissed off Military guy who was marching towards me. Whew!
Same thing happened as I was taping the subway. I learned.
It was not a government elected through the ballot box. The West seems to overlook the principle when its convenient for them. And fascists have been given leading positions in this new Ukrainian regime. For Russia, this is a red line.
Of course, every effort must be given over to avert war. But if those efforts fail, the danger must be averted by force, if necessary. The Soviet Union did not understand this principle in the late 1930s and thought by striking an accord with the German fascists it would buy their goodwill and peace. Instead, 20 million Soviet lives were lost.
Russia well understands the palpable shadow growing over it. Unlike the decadent West, it will act if need be. The situation is growing into one in which Russian citizens and those who identify with Russia are under threat. No Western government could remain indifferent in the face of danger to its nationals. Russia may no longer invited to the Western cocktail circuit but if that is the price to be paid, the decision should by all accounts, be a clear and obvious one in the coming days.
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