My mileage does vary, quite obviously and nearly across the board, from yours, so you might want to keep that in mind when making assertions on my behalf in the future.
There is no proof that this is the end of the matter, and Russia has … issues … with pretty well all of its neighbours. If Putin gets his way now, without significant cost, what is to stop him from (1) taking more (or maybe all) of Ukraine, and/or (2) helping himself to slices of territory elsewhere?
Several former “basket cases” are in fact doing pretty well - like Poland. Would they really have been better off under Putin’s Russia?
Well, then that should be the focus of any efforts. Shoring up other territories. Of course, many say our previous “shoring up” of border areas is what made Russia nervous and anxious to exert influence.
Probably not but Crimea just traded one kleptocracy for another. And we are in a different situation now. The EU can’t take in another delinquent for the foreseeable future.
I have not argued it is a good idea what Putin is doing. I think it was the correct move for Putin when the president of Ukraine was overthrown that he thinks will brings the whole shitstorm that the Ukraine’s cyclic upheaval and tug of war between west and east and NATO and missile defense dreams for leftover Reagan disciples to an end.
I think that intended message has been received loud and clear.
So lets cut the Putin-Lover stuff and and writing the story that this is a land grab being justified to protect Russians in Ukraine from fascists. The fascists element in all this is not much more than opportunistic stirring up the troops, the Russian domestic support, and the Russian Speakers in Ukraine because he needs them.
Russian cooperation with the US on Afghanistan, Syria CW, and Iran Nukes and on the war on terror weighs in for me, and I don’t see the Ukraine’s loss of somewhat autonomous Crimea to pre-1954 borders as a strategic loss or concern for the USA.
Does that make this America lover a Pro-Russian and obsessed with the evils of America type? I hope not.
The problem is that Putin is getting the message he can take what he likes and no-one will do squat. Why would he take seriously any “shoring up” of other terrories?
It is too early to tell if this latest Ukrainian government is going to be a “kleptocracy”. It will certainly be an economic basket case, granted.
It is funny though. “It is not a good idea, but it is the correct move.”. I wonder if NFBW is Viktor Chernomyrdin that came back to life and learned English.
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The problem is that Putin is getting the message he can take what he likes and no-one will do squat. Why would he take seriously any “shoring up” of other terrories?
[/QUOTE]
Especially when you consider promises made to the Ukraine to guarantee it’s sovereignty in exchange for it’s nuclear weapons. Basically, why should anyone else believe any sort of promise from the West if Russia is allowed to do what it wants here and gets away with it with, to paraphrase an earlier poster, a shrug and a wave and best wishes that it turns out ok?
Yeah, who would believe a Russian conspiracy to take over Crimea with “self-defence forces” that Russia claims are not Russian soldiers, but just some guys (well, a few thousand guys) who bought Russian army uniforms at a surplus store? That’s just crazy talk. It would never happen in the real world.
It wasn’t bizarre before when we were talking about all manner of CT…NOW it’s jumped the shark, ehe?