Ukraine Crisis

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Crimea might be more trouble than it's worth for the Ukraine.

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One mistake Bush seemed to do was think that Putin was a great guy. As low as an opinion of Bush I had, I assumed he would have realized that Putin was a worse guy than himself. Of course, Republicans are conveniently forgetting that when they attack Obama now. Maybe Bush liked the flat tax Putin had just implemented.

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What are the chances that a deal is worked out where the Ukraine formally gives Crimea to Russia, and then the Ukraine joins NATO?

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What are the chances that a deal is worked out where the Ukraine formally gives Crimea to Russia, and then the Ukraine joins NATO?

None. Putin doesn't want Russia sharing a border with NATO.

And the Ukraine wants to keep Crimea. It's called a deal.

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It's times like this we need John McCain in the White House, without Palin as VP of course.

Yes, those long drawn out wars in both Iraq and Iran fighting people who aren't allied with Putin would come in handy here. Putin will be just thinking "One of those two, or the actual Afghanistan has to be their Afghanistan. Morons."

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It's times like this we need John McCain in the White House, without Palin as VP of course.

Yes, those long drawn out wars in both Iraq and Iran fighting people who aren't allied with Putin would come in handy here. Putin will be just thinking "One of those two, or the actual Afghanistan has to be their Afghanistan. Morons."

At no point does McCain call for military intervention, in fact

"McCain stresses that there is no U.S. military option for responding to Russian aggression in Ukraine, nor should there be. NATO response is not a viable option, and the Ukrainians can’t fight the Russians on their own, he said."

I was referencing his "Bomb bomb bomb Iran" comment.
Oh yeah, we'd be fighting a 4th war with Syria, too.

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From Russian Facebook

.... (somebody claiming inside info about what is happening high up in the regime)

1. Decision on Crimea was taken personally by Putin. He is fully supported by a small group of top officials (5 or 6 men), by coincidence those not having any assets in the West (...)

2. If the West cannot stop Putin during the coming week, there will be an annexation of Eastern Ukraine.

3. Kremlin is basing its plans on having as its opposite the weakest post-war political elite in the West. American leadership is viewed absolutely derisively. Economic sanctions do not make the

4. However, the threat of personal economic sanctions has scared the sh**t out of the other officials, both around the president and around the prime minister. One of them has been hospitalized with heart trouble.

5. However, these officials will not dare to go against Putin. They are almost superstitious in their belief in his luck, say that up till now Putin got everything he wanted.

If Russia was to invade say the eastern half of the Ukraine, I think the US would start redeploying most of its military to eastern Europe, and see if Putin takes the hint.

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Seek a mental health professional.

I, actually, live in Mexico. When sh**t hits the fan we will, as usual, send a crappy squadron of poor folk to the Pacific to express our support, and be done with it. It is the rest of you who will need help.

Reclaiming a territory that had been part of Russia for over two centuries is a slippery slope to invading the United States?

Actually only 1784-1954.

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According to Al Jazeera, the Russian line on the Strilkove incident is that they were trying to prevent a "terrorist attack" on a gas plant.  (The implication was also that the Russian troops are still there.)

A "pre-emptive strike" against "terrorism"? No wonder Bush liked what he saw in Putin's soil.

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According to Al Jazeera, the Russian line on the Strilkove incident is that they were trying to prevent a "terrorist attack" on a gas plant.  (The implication was also that the Russian troops are still there.)

A "pre-emptive strike" against "terrorism"? No wonder Bush liked what he saw in Putin's soil.

I wonder when Russia will bomb the Kremlin. Plenty of terrorists there.

Robert Gates was head of the CIA when it mined the Nicaraguan Harbor and the USA became the only country ever convicted of terrorism by the World Court, so naturally he was a key leader in the "War on Terrorism". It was crystal clear that "change" was just a slogan for Obama the moment he decided to retain Robert Gates.

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Russian puppet states really dominate this list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_limited_recognition

Excluding UN members and those 4 non UN members that have more than a few UN members recognize them (Palestine, Kosovo, Taiwan, Sahrawi), 5 out of 7 are Russian puppets.

Russian puppets:
Nagorno-Karabakh
Transnistria
Abkhazia
Crimea
South Ossetia

Others:
Somalialand
Northern Cyprus
 

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The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution supporting territorial integrity for Ukraine and declaring the Crimean referendum on March 16 invalid.

100 yes votes, 11 no votes, 58 abstentions.

The "no" votes were:

- Armenia
- Belarus
- Bolivia
- Cuba
- Nicaragua
- North Korea
- Russia
- Sudan
- Syria
- Venezuela
- Zimbabwe

China abstained for obvious reason. On one hand, they don't want to support the West. On the other hand, they don't want a precedent for a formal Taiwan secession.

Russia's ally Kazakhstan also abstained.

Interesting that only 3 of the 6 members or candidates of the Eurasian Union voted no.  In addition to Kazakhstan, Eurasian Union candidate countries Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan also abstained.

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You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_status_of_Crimea_and_Sevastopol#Stances

I guess fighting a 13 year long war doesn't stop a country from being a pawn of Putin.

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Russia says that the Donetsk independence referendum should be postponed and that they may recognize the results of the Ukrainian presidential election.

OMG, what does it mean? Is Putin trying to lull is into a false sense of security while he's prepping for a nuclear strike against America?

Sounds like they'll be like Transnistria, Russian puppet states not officially recognized by Russia.

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Even Russians seem to now know that Russia attacked the Ukraine.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28965597

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The problem is, you know, all parts involved are capitalists, and they don't want to stop making business with anyone. And Western governments have stripped themselves of the powers to force them to do so. So no economic sanction of any sort (like the banning of planes, ships and so on that you proposed) will be implemented by airlines, port authorities...

As for UEFA banning : do you really think UEFA is anywhere near a politically responsible organism ? Next football World Cup is staged in Russia and you think UEFA will ban the Russian Federation ? I ask this with all the kindness I can, and sincerely : are you deluded or do you really believe the measures you propose can actually realistically be implemented ?

The truth is, nobody in the West gives a sh**t if Russia annexes Eastern Ukraine, even if it gobbles up the whole of Ukraine for that matter. As long as we don't get into a war and can do business. Munich spirit is strong.

So far, it is the French socialists that are the most willing to make trade, not war.  Especially, if that trade is in French- built assault ships.

Since you like to refer to the Munich agreements, I want to remind you that it was a failure from the UK and France to respect a military agreement with Czechoslovakia.
In the case of Crimea, it's the US and the UK who have an agreement to defend Ukraine's territorial integrity, and who are failing to respect it. So go first, we'll follow (maybe ).

I fully agree. But I am Mexican, not American. BTW, it was Mexico that was the only country to protest against the Anschluss in the League of Nations.

You'd think Peru would have been an early enemy of Germany and Austria teaming up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peru_4%E2%80%932_Austria_(1936_Summer_Olympics_association_football)

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The WSJ journal says only "modest" sanctions are being considered:

http://online.wsj.com/articles/european-union-to-decide-on-russia-sanctions-by-friday-1409654982

While Russia claims that the Czechs object to even that:

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140903/192578268/Czech-Republic-Disagrees-With-New-EU-Sanctions-Against-Russia.html

Meanwhile in the U.S., Gazprom bank has hired Trent Lott and John Breaux to lobby for previously imposed sanctions to be lifted:

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/gazprom-bank-hire-senator-trent-lott-john-breaux-lobby-110522.html?hp=r5

Lott and Breaux prove yet again that they are HPs.

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Anyways, the problem is not China, it is US, EU and NATO.

Looks like Ukraine has been sold wholesale. MM Chamberlain and Daladier are toasting from wherever they are: they are surely happy to know that 75 years later their successors have judged them right.

This is no Munich Agreement.