"YOU NOT SAY UKRAINE WEAK!"
Posted on 03/22/2014 10:48:07 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
Simferopol, Crimea (CNN) -- Is Russian President Vladimir Putin an opportunist, grabbing at chances to poke the West in the eye, or a clever strategist with the longer-term goal of restoring a greater Russia? Is he simply riding a tide of Russian patriotic fervor over Crimea? Is he a rational actor aware of the delicate balances within the international system, or as one observer put it, "drunk on power" and oblivious to sanctions?
These are the questions preoccupying western governments and Russia's neighbors, after the swift annexation of Crimea and Russian military maneuvers close to the Ukrainian border.
There were some tantalizing clues in Putin's pugnacious speech to the Duma this week. He described the fall of the Soviet Union as unfortunate -- because it had separated Russians. "The Russian nation became one of the biggest, if not the biggest ethnic group in the world to be divided by borders," he said.
"It was only when Crimea ended up as part of a different country that Russia realized that it was not simply robbed, it was plundered." He went on to say, "if you compress the spring all the way to its limit, it will snap back hard."
Heady, populist rhetoric -- but it has propelled the Russian President to his highest approval rating -- 71% -- in recent years, according to the Russian Public Opinion Research Center.
Putin said Russia had no intention of violating Ukraine's sovereignty (beyond the 5% of its territory it has absorbed this week.) "Do not believe those who want you to fear Russia, shouting that other regions will follow Crimea," he told Ukrainians.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
While that may be true, the impact of cutting off gas supplies to Europe would be more immediate.
Ultimately, the question has to be whether Ukrainians have either the inclination or the determination to resist re-absorption into Russia. If they don't, any equipment we hand over to them is wasted. They need to decide whether they want to be an independent country. We can't make that decision for them, given that it may involve significant costs in Ukrainian blood and treasure. In the course of the Revolutionary War, the French extended serious aid to the Patriots only after they showed that they were not only determined but capable. The Ukrainians need to cross that threshold before they get a thin dime from us.
I read the whole thing. It's a dubious lesson. National leaders don't do things because of historical precedents. They do what they want, and dress it up in whatever historical precedents are available. Pro-Russian commentators have mostly justified the invasion by pointing to it as merely the restoration of a sliver of the old Russian empire.
I'm sure they have the determination, what they don't have is a military force big enough, strong enough or well equipped enough to repel a Russian invasion.
"YOU NOT SAY UKRAINE WEAK!"
Well played! We do however have an indication of how the conversation between Obama and Putin went with Putin getting the best zinger in.
Serious topic but damn that made me laugh out loud!
I'm sure they say they are determined. Maybe they even believe they are determined. But the true measure of determination comes from deeds, not words. We knew the Afghans were determined, because they fought the Russians against overwhelming odds and kept on fighting despite taking serious losses. The Ukrainians may say they are determined or even think they are determined. But to a disinterested observer, it looks like they are determined mainly to avoid fighting for what's theirs. And when I say fighting, I don't mean that in a metaphorical way.
More than anything Putin wants respect...Obama can’t even spell respect.
The internet - but that’s okay, we’re gonna give that to him. :)
Tyrants of the world know they can do pretty much anything they want right noe
The article doesn’t say that things were done because of the precedents. The article is a history of how this feckless US foreign policy got us to this point and how Putin is taking advantage of it.
It is obvious that precedents aren’t binding, or we would not be aiding the Islamists, while they are at war with us.
He wants a Diet Coke.
I have better questions for you : “What do the US want in Ukraine?” or “Why are they there?”
Would you mind sharing what country you are from. In fact it would be courteous to place it on your FR homepage. I believe you have the right as all posters on this board to state your opinions and try to explain the viewpoint of your home country, as long as you are polite, but it would help those reading your posts to know where you are from.
Go see the movie “The world is not enough” and you’ll have your answer.
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