Ok. That makes sense. Been watching the idiots on cable all week, and no one hammered it down.
It's frustrating as h### that these "pundits" are so clueless, but, that's why one should not depend on them too much. I'm no expert, but when the protests started making the news, I got curious, partially because of an old Ukranian friend of our family, back in my teen years. (He was a rather memorable character!) Anyway, I started doing some research, trying to keep an unbiased mind, and it was so facinating that it drew me in, and I spent many evenings looking further.
I'd recommend to anyone interested enough to post a comment that they at least get the basic historical background, if they don't already know it. It takes a few hours to study, but it's well worth it. I'll collect a few links and post them here, shortly.
BTW, reviewing comments after I posted my original reply to you, I would add that even many FReepers are still dwelling on issues virtually irrelevant to what actually counts, now. Aaggghhh....
Below are a few links (all sources likely have biases and errors, but overall one can get a good sense of things).
Ukraine basic info. & history:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/up.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine
For a taste of Ukraine’s politics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yulia_Tymoshenko
This article is rather long. (Again, there may be some bias there - one can check the “talk” page regarding this, but the point is not whether or not Tymoshenko is a “hero” — she may well be corrupt [I suspect virtually all major Ukranian pols are, to some degree]. The point is to get an idea of the nature of Ukrainian politics, and more background.) Most interestingly, at least in the past, Putin has said he found Tymoshenko “comfortable” to work with (despite her generally pro-West inclinations?)
Ukraine in WW2 (truly horrific, but a must, to understand this country.)
http://www.infoukes.com/history/ww2/
Ukraine’s nuclear disarmament & Security Assurances from the U.S., Russia, etc.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_and_Ukraine
None of the above actually addresses the issue of what happens if every country capable of joining the nuclear club discovers it is now on its own.