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Putin Blinked
New York Times ^ | MAY 27, 2014 | Thomas L. Friedman

Posted on 05/28/2014 1:14:13 AM PDT by nickcarraway

There was a moment at the height of the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962 when Soviet ships approached to within just a few miles of a U.S. naval blockade and then, at the last minute, turned back — prompting then-Secretary of State Dean Rusk to utter one of the most famous lines from the Cold War: “We’re eyeball to eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked.”

The crisis in Ukraine never threatened a Cold War-like nuclear Armageddon, but it may be the first case of post-post-Cold War brinkmanship, pitting the 21st century versus the 19th. It pits a Chinese/Russian worldview that says we can take advantage of 21st-century globalization whenever we want to enrich ourselves, and we can behave like 19th-century powers whenever we want to take a bite out of a neighbor — versus a view that says, no, sorry, the world of the 21st century is not just interconnected but interdependent and either you play by those rules or you pay a huge price.

In the end, it was Putinism versus Obamaism, and I’d like to be the first on my block to declare that the “other fellow” — Putin — “just blinked.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: bhorussia; pussycat; putin; russia; ukraine
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To: SeeSharp
An Obama idolator treating himself to a nice fantasy. Putin still pockets Crimea. That’s worth everything this has cost him and more. Look at the map!

No kidding! When the dust settles, everyone's going to be like, "Oh, yeah. He took a chunk out of Ukraine first thing, didn't he?"

61 posted on 05/28/2014 6:55:35 PM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: kearnyirish2

Yes, and we were so very close to a Nuclear War....few today realize just how close.

I learned that when the American Pilot was shot down by Russia then, and died, it was from a trigger happy Russian who did not have authority to fire. That is something all were concerned about then...tensions were so very high.


62 posted on 05/28/2014 7:13:35 PM PDT by caww
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To: caww; HamiltonJay
The primary ones now going it alone is the Kiev Nat’l Guard which is made up of Private Sector thugs who are no longer taking orders from Keiv Gov. They believe Keiv Gov. has deceived them so they are fighting against all Russians in the East to drive them out of Ukraine....(ethnic cleansing) doing so by using heavy artillary and killing citizens.

You should switch off the conspiracy trash from Russian media. You and it are sounding more hysterical with this nonsense.

And before you start whining like the Putinist you are, provide evidence for the national guard being "Right Sector," and the ethnic cleansing you allege. And do NOT use fringe websites to do it.

Asking for proof is usually the best way to shut you guys up.

63 posted on 05/28/2014 11:05:08 PM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: Teacher317
1. Weakened the Russian economy - by annexing a major port, and a chunk of vital manufacturing in eastern Ukraine. BZZZZT

Russia hasn't annexed Eastern Ukraine. They were working on it, but the Ukrainians are putting up a good fight.

64 posted on 05/28/2014 11:07:49 PM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: kevao

I think he was blinking because he wasn’t sure if the rest of the world would put a stop to it. Hitler also couldn’t believe that the rest of the world wasn’t doing anything.

Yet now, we know that once he felt he had complete carte blanche to take over whatever else he wanted, he immediately stopping blinking and started murdering Jews and blasting the rest of the East of Europe to pieces before beginning on the West.

Now Putin, for all we know, is in fact blinking since he’s bewildered at how easy this is for him. Chances are we’ll see him trying to revive the old Russian Empire and as usual, we’ll get dragged into it with more of our young people dragged into this and dying to protect us.


65 posted on 05/29/2014 12:43:02 AM PDT by CorporateStepsister (I am NOT going to force a man to make my dreams come true)
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To: nickcarraway
Another liberal wet dream that's a TOTAL LIE !
Putin didn't "blink".
He was laughing so hard at the ILLEGAL ALIEN IN CHIEF's very weak responses, that he squinted a second to catch his breath.
WRONG AGAIN, YOU STINKING LIBERAL.
66 posted on 05/29/2014 1:07:25 AM PDT by Yosemitest (It's Simple ! Fight, ... or Die !)
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To: Teacher317

” Europeans are too comfortable in their Socialist havens to give up anything for non-Russian gas or for military expenditures. (”Let America do that stuff!”)”

Exactly. We need to get out of NATO, withdraw our troops from Japan and Korea, and let the freeloaders know there’s no more free lunch. We’ve taken care of the richest nations on the planet for far too long.


67 posted on 05/29/2014 1:48:51 AM PDT by paristexas
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To: caww

“I learned that when the American Pilot was shot down by Russia then, and died, it was from a trigger happy Russian who did not have authority to fire.”

I’m not familiar with that; I know Gary Powers was shot down, but he survived (and was traded for one of their spies).


68 posted on 05/29/2014 3:37:56 AM PDT by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: Teacher317

Europeans are too comfortable in their Socialist havens to give up anything for non-Russian gas or for military expenditures. (“Let America do that stuff!”)
That is exactly what the EU wants to happen, i.e. for the USA to fade off the world scene so that they can become the “third power” they have so desperately wanted to be for decades. They have leaned on the USA in order to precipitate just that.
69 posted on 05/29/2014 5:32:33 AM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: nickcarraway

Heh. More fluff to make Obama look tough. No one is buyin’ it, Tom.


70 posted on 05/29/2014 7:08:55 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
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To: SeeSharp

Yes, and trying to equate Obama with JFK. Hilarious. JFK had an affair with Marilyn Monroe.


71 posted on 05/29/2014 7:10:38 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
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To: kearnyirish2

I just learned of that this week...so perhaps I’ll look further into it.


72 posted on 05/29/2014 12:00:11 PM PDT by caww
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans; tcrlaf
Major General" Sergey Kulchitskiy of the Brownshirt Nat'l Guard/Private Sector killed to day when helicopter was shot down by Federation troops in E. Ukraine, deaths at 13 plus the General, one survived in serious condition.


73 posted on 05/29/2014 12:30:47 PM PDT by caww
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To: caww; All
There was an interesting twitter rumor last week about a group Polish Nationals that had showed up in Donetsk to fight for the Rebels. That now seems to be confirmed by Al-Jazeera.
74 posted on 05/29/2014 12:36:24 PM PDT by tcrlaf (Q)
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/05/civil-war-begun-ukraine-u-s-backs-neo-nazis-democrats-u-s-media-suppress-news.html

http://consortiumnews.com/2014/05/10/burning-ukraines-protesters-alive/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3152726/posts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Sector

http://www.voltairenet.org/article183864.html

http://www.thelibertybeacon.com/2014/05/19/ukraine-and-americas-global-war-on-terrorism-is-us-nato-applying-the-syria-model-in-ukraine/

http://open.salon.com/blog/libbyliberalnyc/2014/05/12/us_govtmedia_hearts_neo-nazi_death_squads_wtf


75 posted on 05/29/2014 12:51:09 PM PDT by caww
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To: caww
All of your claims have been hashed out on FR before. You are desperate when you spam me even with articles on "Right Sector," which themselves inform me that the membership of RS is between 2,000 and 10,000 people, with no political power. Your blogs, and lies about the Odessa burning, have, again, been dealt with many times.
76 posted on 05/29/2014 3:13:24 PM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: caww
Major General" Sergey Kulchitskiy of the Brownshirt Nat'l Guard/Private Sector killed to day when helicopter was shot down by Federation troops in E. Ukraine, deaths at 13 plus the General, one survived in serious condition.

Interesting that you called them "Federation" troops. But you are just talking out your butt when you claim he was a member of Right Sector.

77 posted on 05/29/2014 3:19:42 PM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: Darksheare; nickcarraway; Berlin_Freeper; DeaconRed; xzins

“Friedman showing everyone that he is on drugs.”

Or....

http://thomasfriedmanopedgenerator.com/about.php


78 posted on 05/30/2014 1:55:14 AM PDT by aquila48
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