# Obama tells Putin: 'you violated international law' **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 2, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646 "2014-03-02T01:33:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/21 "2014-03-02T08:06:10Z")
I wonder how long it is going to take to have Musk’s minions bolt seats onto the next Dragon? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/22 "2014-03-02T08:28:42Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Of course, Ukrainians needed that assurance in 1994, in exchange for giving up the nuclear weapons, that US will not invade them. THAT’s what that memorandum means. I imagine it mainly meant that _Russia_ wouldn’t invade Ukraine. Which guarantee turns out to be not worth so much. Do you really think that the United States has made a guarantee that it will regard an armed attack Ukraine as an armed attack against the United States, and will assist Ukraine by such action, including the use of armed force, as is necessary to restore and maintain Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity? Do you think the United States _ **should** _ make such a guarantee to Ukraine? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/23 "2014-03-02T09:31:06Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > But it was a \*sternly worded \*statement where Obama made it clear that he was or wasn’t going to do something. > > I understand that Obama may not attend the G8 meeting because of this. That is some bold shit going down. It is just the sort of leadership that the world needs at this time. I’m not sure what form of action you think Obama should be taking. Declare war on Russia? 'Cause _that_ can’t possibly go wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/24 "2014-03-02T11:34:44Z")
> [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](#): > > I wonder how we would react if Russia pulled shit like this with one of our neighbors, Mexico maybe. For historical data, look at Cuba. Or more widely, at the last 70 years or so of history between Río Grande and Tierra del Fuego. ---
**Author:** ![Pidril\_Pidrilych](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f1d935/32.png) [@Pidril\_Pidrilych](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pidril_Pidrilych)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/25 "2014-03-02T12:22:01Z")
Well, Putin has deep respect and fear of Obama. He’s seen what our president is capable of, so I’m sure he’ll stop doing the nasty. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/26 "2014-03-02T17:23:37Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > For historical data, look at Cuba. Or more widely, at the last 70 years or so of history between Río Grande and Tierra del Fuego. Can you give an actual example? Even Castro took power as part of an autochthonous Cuban movement, even being supplied with weapons by the CIA rather than the Russians. Only after the Cubans went their own way did the Russians get involved. Cuba was an American puppet state that had broken away and needed help. A bit like the Ukraine is meant to be now to the Russians. Apart from that I’m struggling to see any Russian involvement in Latin America at all. The USA subverted and terrorised Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Guyana, Uruguay, Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, whereas all the Russians seem to have done in all that time and land was to refuse to play a football match against Chile in a stadium recently used to illegally detain and massacre native left-wingers, with American backing. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/27 "2014-03-03T14:56:18Z")
The Soviet Union may not have been involved with the Cuban revolution (which I doubt anyway) but they certainly helped to prop up the Castro regime afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/28 "2014-03-03T15:51:31Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > Can you give an actual example? Many [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_America%E2%80%93United_States_relations). ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/29 "2014-03-03T16:09:12Z")
> [@Pidril\_Pidrilych](#): > > He’s seen what our president is capable of, so I’m sure he’ll stop doing the nasty. You mean, stuff like capturing Osama bin Laden, managing to pass his Healthcare Law despite the most obstructionist Congress ever, weak-ass shit like that? If there’s a piece I’m missing, then you’d better tell the world…oh wait, you can’t. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/30 "2014-03-03T16:47:55Z")
Well, atleast we know what the plot of the next COD game is going to be 😉 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/31 "2014-03-03T17:01:22Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Well, atleast we know what the plot of the next COD game is going to be 😉 Wasn’t this fairly close to the plot of Ghost Recon? Of course, real life was fairly close to the plot of Ghost Recon. From Wikipedia: “Ghost Recon begins in April 2008, with civil unrest in Russia. Ultra-nationalists have seized power with plans to rebuild the Soviet Union. Their first step is clandestine support of rebel forces in Georgia and the Baltic States.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/32 "2014-03-03T20:23:09Z")
Remember [when Putin was the darling of the American right](http://www.salon.com/2014/03/03/when_the_right_loved_vladimir_putin/)? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/33 "2014-03-03T22:02:47Z")
[EU gives Russia 48-hour deadline to return troops to barracks in Crimea.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10674260/Ukraine-crisis-EU-gives-Russia-48-hour-deadline-to-return-troops-to-barracks-in-Crimea.html) Otherwise, economic sanctions. Come to think of it, if anything can scare Putin, it’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/34 "2014-03-03T22:32:59Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [EU gives Russia 48-hour deadline to return troops to barracks in Crimea.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10674260/Ukraine-crisis-EU-gives-Russia-48-hour-deadline-to-return-troops-to-barracks-in-Crimea.html) Otherwise, economic sanctions. Come to think of it, if anything can scare Putin, it’s that. > [@](#): > > In a further development last night, \*\*Poland _called an emergency meeting of Nato ambassadors for Tuesday on the basis of a clause in the military Alliance allowing members to “request consultations whenever their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened”. > European divisions over Russia were highlighted when **Germany** watered down an EU statement condemning the Russian seizure of Crimea as an “invasion”_ and delayed a decision on kicking Russian out of the G8 or further sanctions until an emergency summit of European leaders on Thursday. Poland has seen this show before . . . :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/35 "2014-03-03T22:58:00Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Remember [when Putin was the darling of the American right](http://www.salon.com/2014/03/03/when_the_right_loved_vladimir_putin/)? Salon quotes Pat Buchanan in this, so I decided to see what he has to say about the Ukraine event: [http://townhall.com/columnists/patbuchanan/2014/02/21/ukraines-crisis-not-ours-n1798218/page/full](http://townhall.com/columnists/patbuchanan/2014/02/21/ukraines-crisis-not-ours-n1798218/page/full) > [@](#): > > But, to be candid, what happens in Ukraine has always been more critical to Moscow than it has ever been to us. > > As Barack Obama said of Syria, this is “somebody else’s civil war.” Not seeing him change his opinion here. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/36 "2014-03-03T23:08:41Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > You mean, stuff like capturing Osama bin Laden, managing to pass his Healthcare Law despite the most obstructionist Congress ever, weak-ass shit like that? > > If there’s a piece I’m missing, then you’d better tell the world…oh wait, you can’t. 😛 I voted for Obama and I give him credit for the things he’s accomplished. But let’s face facts - he hasn’t built a reputation as someone you don’t dare mess with. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/37 "2014-03-04T00:07:27Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Remember [when Putin was the darling of the American right](http://www.salon.com/2014/03/03/when_the_right_loved_vladimir_putin/)? That’s one of the most poorly written articles I’ve seen in a long time, if it’s purpose is to show hypocrisy. At worst, some conservatives agree with certain of Putin’s policies and disagree with others. I’m shocked!! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/38 "2014-03-08T17:35:21Z")
It’s easy to compare the invasion of Iraq with that of Ukraine, but it’s not apt. The difference is that Bush went to the UN before starting his war, while Putin did not. While Bush lied to the UN about the reasons, he still followed protocol to get sign-off by other nations, making his play at least quasi-legitimate. Obama is correct to chastise Putin for his actions, just as others were and are correct to chastise America for the torture and imprisonment of Iraqis. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/39 "2014-03-08T17:42:42Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s easy to compare the invasion of Iraq with that of Ukraine, but it’s not apt. The difference is that Bush went to the UN before starting his war, while Putin did not. While Bush lied to the UN about the reasons, he still followed protocol to get sign-off by other nations, making his play at least quasi-legitimate. Obama is correct to chastise Putin for his actions, just as others were and are correct to chastise America for the torture and imprisonment of Iraqis. Yep, it’s far better to tell a bunch of bogus, self-serving lies to the UN than not. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646/40 "2014-03-08T18:57:21Z")
> [@BrokenBriton](#): > > Yep, it’s far better to tell a bunch of bogus, self-serving lies to the UN than not. LMAO! What will they come up with next? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-tells-putin-you-violated-international-law/682646.md?page=3)