Posted on 03/09/2014 12:26:23 PM PDT by SkyPilot
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates predicts that Russia will continue to control Crimea for the foreseeable future.
"I do not believe that Crimea will slip out of Russia's hand," he said in an interview aired on "Fox News Sunday."
"You think Crimea's gone?" host Chris Wallace asked.
"I do," Gates replied. Russia has bloodlessly seized control of Crimea over the past week and has moved to formally annex it. The Crimean parliament has scheduled a vote on whether to join Russia for next week.
"I think it's part of a long-term strategy on Putin's part to create a Russian sphere of influence, a Russian bloc," Gates said, adding later: "I don't think he will stop in Ukraine until there is essentially a pro-Russian government in Ukraine, in Kiev."
Gates said he supported efforts by Congress and the administration to increase sanctions on Russia.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
0bama knows as much about foreign policy and dealing with the KGB led Russians as he does about how the Medical Industry works. And now its on display and Putin is exploiting that full speed.
Every (and I do mean EVERY) thing he touches turns into a flaming pile of crap.
He is a man who has never accomplished anything so he is a person of extremely little understanding about how things actually work.
There’s really nothing he actually has expert level of knowledge about about in the real world.
Face it... we are all living out the Presidential re-run of Being There (DC-style) with the black Chauncey Gardiner making the day to day life and death choices for our beloved Republic.
That would never happen. They'd have to give up federal money, etc.
You are correct.
These people want to return, Russia wants them to return, the people voted to return, it is none of our damned business.
Crimean people are mostly ethnic Russians, for them its going home.
That’s false. Get your facts straight. For example, there are 266,000 Crimean Tartars. 99.99% of them will want nothing to do with the Russians.
If the “people want to return” there would be not need for a vote at the point of a gun barrel.
Russians have a long history of raping and murdering their neighbors. This is just the latest chapter. Glad to see you approve, FRiend.
No where did I say the Russians were could people
I stated what’s been reported
I feel their is no reason to oppose Crimea returning to Russian sovereignty . Especially if it is fair and equitale to those who don’t want and choose to leave. Help them to relocate , give them fair value for their property . This could become a new standard for compassionate and mindful partition ; which could and should happen in many other places in this world.
It’s not that simple. Stalin Russified the Crimea. Deported the natives and imported Russians. The process is called Russification.
There are 185 ethnicities in Russia. None of them are allowed to do what is happening in Crimea. The whole thing is a charade to legitimize Russian rule. Are the Volga Tartars free to break away from Russia? How about a vote for them also? How about Latvia? 30% ethnic Russian. Putin free to grab them also?
The moment of truth comes when the tire meets the road, when life and death matters come.
The moment of truth comes to Free Republic when so many posters agree with Obama’s weakening of the stature of America in the world, while never admitting that they do. But threads such as this one illustrate this curious phenomenon.
“Russia has never in a thousand years liberated any nation, and it only conquered and enslaved others”, said writer Frederick Forsythe in a recent interview.
You both are wrong... Putin doesn’t care about Paris or Scotland... he knows the Muslims are taking them...
One of the huge problems - Western media (including European) are not reporting the facts - and many of those not-so-accurate facts are being posted here.
I know people living in Ukraine, with ties to Crimea. The entire blow-up in Ukraine stemmed from a set-up engineered by Putin. What began as a mostly legitimate protest of the President taking more power, and arbitrarily throwing a pro-West path out the door due to bribes and threats from Putin... was escalated by Putin and his plants (think of it like the far Left’s attempts to infiltrate and sully the TEA Party gatherings).
Yes, many ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking people in Crimea (a majority), but the majority do not necessarily want to return to Russia. Crimea has enjoyed semi-autonomy for some time now, and many there understand that the course they are on will strip them of any real autonomy. Just think about the copies of the ballot for the upcoming referendum... There is no “NO” on the ballot. It gives the choice of total withdrawal from Ukraine and immediate union with Russia or Withdraw from Ukraine, and join Russia later. They don’t even really offer the option of withdrawing and staying totally independent.
By voting for them.
Sorry for sounding "smart", but the election of Obama twice is a result of a leftward shift in the general population.
“How on earth did the US get such a consistent lot of bumbling idiots, like Obama and Kerry?
By voting for them.”
I know that but ... twice??????
“Fool me once, shame on you,; fool me twice, shame on me”.
Well, uh yeh!!!
Cause Putin f.ing invaded them.
Austria is a better example.
“the majority do not necessarily want to return to Russia”
TWO questions are asked on the referendum ballot (in three languages: Russian, Ukrainian and Tartar):
1) “Are you in favor of Crimea’s reunification with Russia as a constituent region of the Russian Federation?” Response: YES or NOT
2) “Are you in favor of the re-enactment of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Crimea and are you in favor of the status of Crimea as part of Ukraine?”
Response: YES or NOT
Why don’t we all sit down, relax, and wait for the results of the referendum? We’ll get the answer on March 16th, in a week-time. It’s not our decision, US or EU, anyway.
Q; Communism is DEAD?.........
A; -OR- Is It?..
I continue to believe that the US should let them all sort this one out, but an old pattern may be re-asserting itself, and if we weaken ourselves while the pattern grows, we will find ourselves with few options, and that is just never good.
Putin foe Khodorkovsky says Russia is lying about Ukraine
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3131341/posts
The Ukraine is essentially a deadbeat nation that can’t even pay its discounted gas bills. Yet they terminally cry about being oppressed. I’m not sure why people are crying for them. And Putin wants nothing to do with Ukraine in terms of invading it.
Putin foe Khodorkovsky
Khodorkovsky is a scoundrel and a thief. He stole billions from the Russian people.
He had worked his way up the Communist apparatus during the Soviet years, and began business under Gorbatchev. He accumulated an enormous wealth - $15 billion (16th place on Forbes list) by stealing the country oil as the head of Yukos, using the privatization of state assets during the 1990s.
In 2003, he was arrested and charged with fraud. He was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison in 2005.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.