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To: quadrant
Legal or illegal, one is still faced with the fact that the vast majority of the people of Crimea do not want to be part of Ukraine. Now, are their views to be completely ignored?

No, not ignored. First, the unidentified bandits without national insignia that RF put in there need to get the hell out of Crimea; second, RF needs to recognize the Ukrainian government; third, RF should negotiate with Ukraine issues of rights of that minority, and offer potential emigrants a RF citizenship, and finally, the issue of possibly setting up a referendum about Crimean status either within or outside of Ukraine can be discussed diplomatically. Obviously from the Report, the Ukrainian constitution does not provide for secession. Most constitutions don't. Ours, for example, doesn't as well. So it is an internal matter of a sovereign state of Ukraine. Since Ukraine wants to join EU and wants economic and political cooperation with Europe, leverage exists to bring about changes that concern Ukrainian citizens of Russian ethnicity.

96 posted on 03/24/2014 5:32:07 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
You're arguing technicalities. Even if “agents” from the RF leave Crimea, the vast majority of the population of the area wants to be part of Russia. Second, even if the RF recognizes the current Ukrainian government, the government in Kiev is faced with the problem of governing an area with a disaffected population that wants to be part of another country.
What sort of discussions? Do you think these discussions would change anyone’s mind? How long would these discussions last? Don't you recognize that the longer this issue drags out, the greater the possibility for violence? And if mass outbreaks of violence occur in Crimea, don't you think the Russians will intervene? In any event, the government of Ukraine has a far greater problem than Crimea, and that is the disaffection of eastern Ukraine - as well as its numerous economic problems. It simply is incapable of solving all three; its best to let Crimea go - after all, the area is not part of historic Ukraine - and concentrate on those problems it can solve. The longer Kiev fixates on Crimea, the less its chance of remaining a unified state.
Whatever the Constitution says, it simply doesn't matter anymore. Ukraine is not in a situation where the solutions are constitutional.
And you know as well as I that Russia will never allow Ukraine to join the EU, no matter how much I or you or anyone may wish it. Russia would view that with as much hostility as the US would have viewed Mexico or Canada seeking to become part of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. This is simply an existential matter for Moscow, such as the possibility of Iran having functional nuclear weapons is for Israel.
100 posted on 03/24/2014 8:17:50 AM PDT by quadrant (1o)
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