Kremlin Clears Way for Force in Ukraine; Separatist Split Feared [Russia Seizes Crimea!]

NYTimes ^ | March 01, 2014 | ALISON SMALE and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

[Steelfish]

Kremlin Clears Way for Force in Ukraine; Separatist Split Feared By ALISON SMALE and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN MARCH 1, 2014

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine — As Russian armed forces effectively seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula on Saturday, the Russian Parliament granted President Vladimir V. Putin the authority he sought to use military force in response to the deepening instability in Ukraine.

The authorization cited a threat to the lives of Russian citizens and soldiers stationed in Crimea and other parts of Ukraine, and provided a blunt answer to President Obama, who on Friday pointedly warned Russia to respect Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.

Even before Mr. Putin’s statement in Moscow, scores of heavily armed soldiers had tightened their grip on the Crimean capital, Simferopol, surrounding government buildings, shuttering the airport, and blocking streets, where they deployed early Friday.

Large pro-Russia crowds rallied in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donestk and Kharkiv, where there were reports of violence. In Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, fears grew within the new provisional government that separatist upheaval would fracture the country just days after civil unrest ended in the ouster of President Viktor F. Yanuovych, a Kremlin ally who fled to Russia.

[dfwgator]

I did say “when there was still a chance”, which meant before January of 2009.

[lump in the melting pot]

There is nothing the US can or should do in Ukraine, unfortunately, given our current leadership.

Sure there is (had we started 5 years ago). From the NYT article comments section: "The Obama administration has been in total disarray regarding foreign affairs (domestic affairs need not pertain to this discussion) since it came into power. Held hostage by the left, this administration has not been willing to recognize that fossil fuels are a geo-political weapon the West can employ to effect desired foreign policy goals of expanding freedom and democracy. Had Obama fully leveraged the growing energy output that the US currently enjoys, he, in concert with our allies, could have reduced Putin's execrable petro-state significantly by influencing global commodity markets. Sadly, Obama and his less than competent staff do not understand how to effect policy in a nasty world and his ineptitude only magnifies his impotence."

In other words, we could have won this war without firing a shot, had someone competent been in charge. Sarah Palin comes to mind, she saw this coming all the way from her house in Alaska...

[ctdonath2]

Was he not drunk? Ever?

[dforest]

That would be Mrs. Clinton who was busy dancing about the globe with natives. Can’t think of anything significant she ever did.