For me, the whole thing comes down to ‘none of our business. I do not understand how or why so many here are determined to saber rattle with Barry in the white house knowing well all that will come of it is dead Americans.
I fully get that some people there want Russia and some patriotic Ukrainians do not. And I want THAN, not us to deal with their own issues. I don’t hate either side. Nor am I for either side. I’m for our side staying the hell out of their affairs just as I am for them staying out of ours. I think many here would agree. But SOME people just have to fling accusations of communist propagandists on every thread that pops up.
to what end? Whose?
Yeah, I don't think military intervention of any sort, or any sort of military aid would be a good decision right now, especially with current leadership.
But doing nothing seems like appeasement to me. Doing nothing will just encourage Putin to keep doing what he's been doing on a larger scale. Who's next? Kazakhstan? Estonia? Lithuania? Even...*gasp*...Poland?
I wouldn't mind actual sanctions, restricting their access to the international banking system, oil deals with the Gulf sheikhs, and possibly blocking Russian oligarch assets from leaving the country. Russia is basically a Mafia-state fattened by skyrocketing petro and gas revenues and are much weaker than they look.
Putin and Russia have to believe that doing this again will hurt more than it helps, or sooner or later, they will become bold enough to threaten direct U.S interests. They are already Iran's lifeline as it is, they aren't exactly our friends here.