Posted on 03/16/2014 6:11:16 AM PDT by Dartman
On Thursday, Barack Obama was talking tough about Russia. His secretary of state, John Kerry, issued an ultimatum to Vladimir Putin. If Putin did not stop his troops massing on the Ukrainian border, “there will be a very serious series of steps on Monday.”
That’s what he said on Thursday.
On Friday, he capitulated. Kerry capitulated, that is. Not Putin.
On Friday, Kerry not only erased any threat he had made. He positively made concessions to Russia.
He said that Russia has “legitimate interests in Ukraine.”
As in, Russia legitimately has as say in a foreign, sovereign, independent country.
Kerry helpfully described those legitimate interests: “historical, cultural, current strategic. These are real interests. And I think all of us who are joined together in the EU and extended contact group understand those interest and are prepared to respect them.”
Neville Chamberlain himself wasn’t that speedy in giving his approval to Adolf Hitler’s annexation of Czechoslovakia. And for the same reasons – ethnic, cultural and strategic claims of Germany.
It is true that there are some ethnic Russians in Ukraine. This is not an accident. After the Soviet Union enslaved Ukraine, Josef Stalin launched the world’s largest deliberate famine, called the Holodomor, that killed an estimated 7.5 million Ukrainians. Stalin also forcibly deported other ethnic groups, like the Tatars. And his policy of Russification – shipping in ethnic Russians to dominate political and business life – lingers on today. Not just in Ukraine, but all across the former Soviet Union, in places like Poland, Lithuania and Estonia.
Will John Kerry also “respect” Vladimir Putin’s “legitimate interests” in those foreign countries, too?
This is a spectacular submission by the United States. Spectacular because it was uttered just two days before a referendum in Crimea, part of Ukraine. The referendum question would make the Parti Quebecois jealous: neither option allows Ukrainians there to vote to stay in Ukraine.
The first choice is to outright join Russia. The second option is a bizarre, legally meaningless choice to adopt a defunct 1992 Ukrainian constitutional status for Crimea. Either choice destroys Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea.
It goes without saying the vote is rigged. The group that normally monitors elections in Europe – the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – isn’t even sending observers. They say the entire election is illegal from the start – they won’t dignify it with their presence. The ballot question is absurd. There are reports of ballots being shipped in, from Russia, with the “join Russia” option pre-checked. And of course there is the traditional Russian vote-rigging apparatus, from the censorship of opposition media to violence against opposition political leaders.
But John Kerry is happy to declare, even advance of such a fraud, that Vladimir Putin’s imperial interests are “legitimate.”
This is outrageous by any standard. But the standard in Ukraine is especially high, since in the 1990s Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear weapons in return for a specific American guarantee to protect them from Russian interference. It’s a written treaty. And now the world knows the value of an American promise, under Barack Obama.
This isn’t news, actually. Last year, the world saw Obama declare his intentions to attack Syria in response to Bashar Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons. At the last moment, Obama countermanded his own orders, handed the Syrian file to Putin – Assad’s arms dealer! – and Obama literally went golfing the same day.
This is the second Obama surrender to Putin in two years. Do you think it will be the last?
The world is watching and learning. Former Soviet colonies from the Baltics to Poland to Asia are watching and learning. Obama will not protect them.
Iran and North Korea are watching and learning. China is recalibrating its strategy regarding disputed islands claimed by Japan.
And Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia now know what Obama’s word is worth, too.
Obama will be president for another two years. America’s enemies will not let that go to waste.
Putin worked as a KGB thug in East Germany with Stasi to torture defectors .
Now he has invaded his second neighboring country and he is building military installations a hundred miles from our border and you want tom
discredit those facts.
Buzz off troll.
And what are we doing about our national security?
We have no right to tell the Russians what to do in their backyard when we sure as heck aren’t policing ours.
You want Putin to rebuild the iron curtain ?
Did you ever visit the Berlin Wall in the late 80’s .
That is what he is doing .
He recreated the Nazi ‘Sudenland ‘ invasion to excuse the invasion of Crimea .
The US under Clinton made the Ukraine give up its nuclear stockpile which was the third largest in the world.
If We can’t defend our friends we are nothing.
The painful reality is that Obama and Kerry are out of their depth. America ought to have better leadership. But the other hard truth is that Obama was elected and then reelected by 52% of the voters. So it would appear that Obama is reflective of how the country has devolved. Best to face facts however unpleasant.
We’re slashing our military to the bone.
So don’t tell us something we don’t already know. We’re not in a position to defend our own interests much less than our friends.
Whatever you say about Putin, he has his priorities. The question is do we?
"President Obama is getting mad. ...REALLY Mad! ... I'm not Joking, he is!! ... Monday, or else!"
"Hey Sweetie, He Doesn't Even Attend His National Security Meetings! ... Go Away!"
0bastard’s priorities (realistically, the priorities of those who put him and keep him in the WH and tell him what to do/sign/say) want the USA destroyed. Militarily, financially, morally - as a world power.
It’s really quite simple.
Putin wants a strong Russia.
0bastard et al want a destroyed USA.
Samantha sweetie, with your pretty face, you're out of your league. You're playing with the big boys now. And my freshly cast veto trumps your pretty face! Checkmate."
ZERO & SCARY KERRY.
Nothing but blowhard cowards!! ! ! ! !
____________________________________________________________
Nothing new here...kerry self-inflicted a wound in order to get his sorry ass out of Vietnam...cowardly is the only way he knows how to conduct his life...hussein is a street punk, on a good day.
Indeed they do. Obama destabilized the Egyptian government and brought the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood to power before the Egyptian military restored order. Obama has made it plain that he will set up Israel for destruction if he gets his way. And Saudi Arabia is now realizing that Obama is running cover for Iran and will have to go nuclear to protect themselves. Putin vs. Obama? Hmmm.
A leader who will not even meet with his own Security team in the midst of this ‘crisis’ isn’t a leader that can make any threat at all, even one that has nothing to back it up with.
Slow down there. I am a friend, and the DU turns my stomach.
Troll? You misread me.
No I was serious. Many Russians have, including Vladimir Zhirinovsky, claimed Alaska was only “leased” for 99 years, or not legally bought when the US acquired it from Russia. Putin wants the USSR territories back, but he also longs for those great expansionist years of soviet past.
I may sound a little out there, but my statement was sincere. And if ever there were an opportunity for Russia to get Alaska back, it would be now with someone as weak as Obama in power, and they would then control two thirds plus of the arctic along with all its resources.
I have no doubt Russia has plans on expanding its base network. And I personally fear any treaty with them, given the Soviets never failed to break them. Especially when it involves reducing our nuclear deterrent in any way.
Obama is starting to experience the reality of this world is that there is no substitute for raw military power. I don’t put much faith in him learning the lessons of that though.
Good summation
And some wonder why she has a security team 24/7.
The American people voted these people into office. They deserve what they get. And they'll get what they deserve.
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