“...one western option would be to declare the rebel Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) a terrorist organisation,”
They will just change their name like ACORN did. In the world of leftists, one man’s terrorist is another’s community organizer.” (or so I paraphrase)
Well, sarcasm aside, if the DNR were labeled a terrorist group, and then Russia is designated as a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’, that has quite a few negative consequences for Russia, such as the following which I gleaned off Wikipedia:
“The sanctions which the US imposes on countries on the list are:
1. A ban on arms-related exports and sales.
2. Controls over exports of dual-use items, requiring 30-day Congressional notification for goods or services that could significantly enhance the terrorist-list country’s military capability or ability to support terrorism.
3. Prohibitions on economic assistance.
4. Imposition of miscellaneous financial and other restrictions, including:
Requiring the United States to oppose loans by the World Bank and other international financial institutions;
Lifting diplomatic immunity to allow families of terrorist victims to file civil lawsuits in U.S. courts;
Denying companies and individuals tax credits for income earned in terrorist-listed countries;
Denial of duty-free treatment of goods exported to the United States;
Authority to prohibit any U.S. citizen from engaging in a financial transaction with a terrorist-list government without a Treasury Department license; and
Prohibition of Defense Department contracts above $100,000 with companies controlled by terrorist-list states.”
I have little doubt that Russia doesn’t want to find itself on that list; to put it mildly, it’s bad for business.