Posted on 03/04/2014 7:15:57 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The usual voices are arguing against any “excessive” American reaction to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
After all, Crimea only became part of Ukraine in 1954. True. And many people there are Russian-speaking and not loyal to Kiev. Also true. And given the geography, we have no military options and neither does the Ukrainian government. Right again. And nothing we can do through sanctions will matter as much to Putin as gaining the Crimea and destabilizing the new, pro-European government in Kiev. Correct.
So why should we do anything? Why throw the Russians out of the G-8, and seek trade and financial sanctions on Russia, and undertake any of the steps that analysts have proposed in the last few days?
There are several powerful arguments for why we must act, even if Putin keeps the Crimea.
First, we don’t know how far he will go — and he probably doesn’t know either. Whether he will seek to break Ukraine in two or place a pro-Putin government in power may depend on the costs we impose. Whether he will in the coming months and years seek to destabilize the Baltic nations — which were also once part of the USSR — may depend on what we do now. It’s wrong to assume Putin has an elaborate plan for 2014 and 2015 that he will follow religiously, and logical to believe that Putin takes advantage of opportunities and weighs costs and benefits.
Second, there is more than Putin to think about. Tyrants in places from Tehran to Beijing will also be wondering about the cost of violating international law and threatening the peace and stability of neighbors. What will China do in neighboring seas, or Iran do in its tiny neighbor Bahrain, if actions like Putin’s go without a response?
Before Obama, there was a sense of world order that relied in large part on America. When Saddam invaded Kuwait and claimed it as his own, we pushed him out. We intervened in the Balkans to restore peace there. Over the decades, we set rules — like “no Soviet missiles in Cuba” and ”no Cuban troops in Africa.” We did not enforce them all by massive military action, but by combinations of large and small military moves, covert action, sanctions, and diplomacy — in any case, we acted. Often it took a long time to achieve our goals, and often we did not achieve the direct goal, but firm responses by the United States and our allies raised the costs of such actions, and thereby deterred nations from copying or repeating them.
The combination of zero action on Syria despite our own declared “red line” and the weakening of the American military sent a dangerous message, and not just to Putin. That makes it all the more important that we make Putin and Russia pay today.
Some actions will be symbolic, like removing Russia from the G-8 (where it should never have been invited anyway), but the symbolism is useful: Russia is a second-rate state, a dictatorship whose economy and demography suggest further decline. We need to hurt the Russian economy and especially those who have gained (or perhaps stolen) the most from it, the oligarchs and Putin himself. This may help restrain future adventurism by Russia, and will be a warning to other leaders and elites. We need to help protect Poland, Georgia, the Baltic states, and the government in Kiev from Russian political and economic pressure. We need to revive NATO, which was after all largely formed to restrain Russia.
All this is important for American interests even if the Crimea situation is viewed as nearly irreversible. In fact, if we think Putin will keep the Crimea, it’s even more important that we make him pay as high a price as possible for his aggression.
Then what?
Rebuild some schools - push gay marriage? Kerry would be orchestrating the aftermath of a war - much like Hillary did... think about that one...
Kerry and Obama could easily lose any victory - and would create larger problems.
You will know how the people of Crimea feel if a conservative President from Texas (pretend you also live in Texas) is elected and then an army of homos, envirowackos, welfare cases, and IRS agents stage a coup and force the President to flee to Texas. This army of misfits then makes Sean Penn President.
He was not legally impeached, by the way, in Ukraine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZolXrjGIBJs
In a report on the Kremlin-funded Russia Today television station, Abby Martin said she “wanted to say something from my heart about the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine and Russia’s military occupation of Crimea”.
There is this thing called ‘diplomacy’... that is, a thoroughgoing command of the history and traditions (NOT just personal ideology), political and social niceties and the refined skill of working with your allies and adversaries.
“O”, in his complete and continuous unfitness for the Presidency of the United States of America (a super power), is blissfully unaware that ‘diplomacy’ even exists, MUCH LESS that it is THE primary business of his ‘job’ as President.
Don’t forget to put some “fascist” and “nazi” in your mix, or it will be incomplete.
Don’t try to make morons out of all of the folks in Crimea - some of them actually see things not through the Russian propaganda glasses.
Sorry, it was meant for another commenter.
My apologies.
In 1774, the Crimean Khans fell under Russian influence with the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca and, in 1783, the entire Crimea was annexed by the Russian Empire.
The ethnic makeup comprised the following self-reported groups: Russians: 58.32%; Ukrainians: 24.32%; Crimean Tatars: 12.1%; Belarusians: 1.44%; Tatars: 0.54%; Armenians: 0.43%; Jews: 0.22%, Greeks: 0.15% and others
The Crimea belongs to Russia, they have fought several wars to keep it. They are not going to let it go.
Wouldn’t it be cool though, if I really was a Russian propaganda agent and you found me out? Then I would come after you. You could use whatever skill you have for your profession to evade capture, and finally expose a deep plot that goes all the up to the White House!
Actually, I’m just an architect in Kansas City. The guy in the cube next to me is Russian. I’m going to pretend he’s a secret agent.
The Soviets actually won. We promised that we would not invade Cuba and that we would pull our ICBMs from Turkey. The story that Kennedy stared down the Russians is a myth told by the Dems and accepted by Americans to make ourselves feel better.
Watch out for your colleague: he might be plotting something against your stapler. You might consider water-boarding him under the office water cooler, just in case.
He did take one of my markers, but he brought it back.
Putin has already won Crimea, and that's probably all he was after for now.
Obama will give Ukraine a bunch of money to play along. They will let Russia have Crimea, and give credit to Obama for stopping Putin from invading and taking all of Ukraine.
The MSM will endlessly praise Obama for stopping an invasion using his superior intellect and strength. This will further solidify his claims that we can live with a much smaller military.
It's hard to know what is really happening, but there is a major change from Abrams’ time. We are no longer a beacon to the world. We are ourselves’ led by power mad corrupt elites who use every situation to raise taxes and exercise control. We have no moral imperative when exporting gay rights and the IRS is our main initiative.
Ukraine and Crimea were part of the Soviet Union in 1991. Whatever Putin is doing, he is not engaging in massacres like the screeching neocons believe. I was reading a book recently about the war fever prior to World War One, and how Wilson declared war on Germany. It has been quite common for our elite masters to gin up a war to rally the rubes to the flag in order to abet their own crimes.
Putin has thousands troops in Crimea and the Black Sea fleet. It was never under threat. Why are you buying that made up Russian fairy tale?
Because the Duchy of Grand Fenwick is busy elsewhere?
Regards,
And now the world is forced to look to Putin to figure this one out... because the folks on our side are idiots.
How much 'wisdom' can we expect from a group that maintains their power by assuring one group they'll 'steal' in their favor? Liberal elites in the United States are propped up by the dependent classes...
What do these types - our liberal elites - have to offer the people of Ukraine? Communism already offers the redistribution bit - they know that lie. Our liberal elites don't understand the power of freedom. They want control here - not freedom for citizens. So what would Kerry offer? Stand with us and we'll insist gays can marry? Stand with us and we'll take from the 'haves' and you'll 'get more stuff'?
Liberal elites have nothing to offer the PEOPLE of the world except more chains. They know that...
So if thousands of troops were already there - then why is NATO upset and talking about "invasion?"
Yup! The ‘people of the world’ already saw that movie... they have the script in their back pocket!
The US in no longer the hope of the hopeless... those peop'le know that we're peddling 'Gov’t control' and 'lack of autonomy'... they have THAT and it's what they want out-from-under.
Russia has leased bases in the Crimea. The Russian troops just rolled off them and invaded the rest of the Crimea. The bases were never under threat and are leased until the 2040’s. This is a simple power grab by Putin. Crimea is pretty big in Russian national mythology and Putin was PO’d that his stooge was booted from Kiev.
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