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Putin forces us to reconsider poor Neville Chamberlain
New York Times ^ | 03/11/2014 | Richard Cohen

Posted on 03/11/2014 1:04:04 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Pardon the cliche, but I think we have come upon a teachable moment. I am referring to the crisis in Ukraine and what it teaches us, not just about the future but also about the past. Vladimir Putin has turned us all into Neville Chamberlain. The umbrella, please.

Chamberlain is famous for the Munich Agreement and his statement that, by acquiescing to Hitler’s demands, he had brought Britain and Europe “peace for our time.” He and the French gave Hitler the Sudetenland, which was the name applied to the substantially German areas of what was then Czechoslovakia. Hitler was a monster, but in this case his argument had a superficial appeal: Germans, he contended, ought to be in Germany.

What complicates matters is that we now know — indeed, we soon learned — that for Hitler the Sudetenland represented mere batting practice. He was soon to invade Poland and much of the rest of Europe, faltering only when he disregarded the bitter lesson Napoleon learned and plunged into Russia. It was a very cold winter.

Putin is demanding for Crimea more or less what Hitler wanted for the Sudetenland: Russians ought to be in Russia. No doubt the Crimean Russians agree and, come Sunday, will vote accordingly. That would place a patina of democracy — or at least self-determination — over what is essentially a power grab, but it will be hard to argue that the Crimean Russians aren’t getting the government they want, if not the one they deserve.

So we can see — can’t we? — that Chamberlain was not such a noodle after all. He certainly appeased Hitler. But the Western world — needing Russian gas for Germany, Russian rubles for London flats — over time probably will do the same with Putin.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: crimea; nevillechamberlain; putin; ukraine
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1 posted on 03/11/2014 1:04:05 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

“Pardon the cliche, but I think we have come upon a teachable moment. I am referring to the crisis in Ukraine and what it teaches us, not just about the future but also about the past. Vladimir Putin has turned us all into Neville Chamberlain. The umbrella, please.”

No Richard. Only the Democrats. Dont blame us. We warned Obama on several occasions and instead of you and the rest of the MSM doing your job, you protected your “Dear Neville.”


2 posted on 03/11/2014 1:06:23 PM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Insurgent Conservative)
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To: SeekAndFind

Richard Cohen is purporting to align Putin as HITLER?

Aaaaaaaaaalrighty then.

I wonder if the genius can see any parallels between the man-child and Stalin.


3 posted on 03/11/2014 1:07:11 PM PDT by SoFloFreeper
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To: SeekAndFind
Photobucket

“THERE SHALL BE PEACE IN OUR TIME. OR DID SOROS TELL ME IT WAS TIME TO SMASH AMERICA TO PIECES? Without Mr. Teleprompter, I get sooo confused any more…”

All men lose when freedom fails, and good men rot in filthy jails. And those who cried “Appease, appease…” are HANGED by those they sought to please.


4 posted on 03/11/2014 1:09:28 PM PDT by Dick Bachert (Ignorance is NOT BLISS. It is the ROAD TO SERFDOM! We're on a ROAD TRIP!!)
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To: EQAndyBuzz
No Richard. Only the Democrats. Dont blame us. We warned Obama on several occasions and instead of you and the rest of the MSM doing your job, you protected your “Dear Neville.”

If a Republican were in the White House would we really intervene?

And, yes, I can see where Palin and Romney brought up the possibility of Russia invading its neighbors, but you and me and everybody else -- were we really warning anybody about something like this happening?

5 posted on 03/11/2014 1:11:21 PM PDT by x
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To: SoFloFreeper

How about a comparison between two typical Democrats of their respective times?

During THE GREAT DEPRESSION of the 1930’s, FDR had his Breadlines for millions of Americans.

During THE GREAT RECESSION, Soetoro-Obama has his Food Stamp Lines for millions of Americans.

FDR’s Depression ended with 20% National unemployment.

Soetoro-Obama’s Recession now has 21% true National unemployment.

FDR cut back on Military spending during his Great Depression.

Soetoro-Obama has been cutting back on Military spending during his Great Recession.

FDR instituted the mandatory Master/Slave Entitlement called Social Security.

Soetoro-Obama instituted the mandatory Master/Slave Entitlement called Obamacare.

FDR and Soetoro-Obama fairly represent the Democrat values of their respective times, IMHO, of course.

FORWARD !


6 posted on 03/11/2014 1:11:22 PM PDT by Graewoulf (Democrats' Obamacare Socialist Health Insur. Tax violates U.S. Constitution AND Anti-Trust Law.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Putin has turned us all in to Neville Chamberlain? Only if the Nazis had nuclear weapons...


7 posted on 03/11/2014 1:12:37 PM PDT by WayneS (Respect the 2nd Amendment; Repeal the 16th (and 17th))
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To: SeekAndFind
Vladimir Putin has turned us all into Neville Chamberlain.

Richard Cohen, a certified Obama apologist. Who is "us", Mr. Cohen. Obama is the certified Neville Chaimberlain, but as liberals do when they get caught with their shorts around their ankles due to their actions or policies, they break out the old 'everybody does it' excuse to try and defuse and deflect where the criticism accurately lies.

8 posted on 03/11/2014 1:12:46 PM PDT by Obadiah (I Like Ted.)
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To: x
If a Republican were in the White House would we really intervene?

If a Repub were in the WH it wouldn't have happened.

Poland and the Czechs would still have missile defense so Putin wouldn't feel so freely about expanding his territory.

9 posted on 03/11/2014 1:14:14 PM PDT by what's up (su)
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To: SeekAndFind

In all the articles bashing Neville Chamberlain to make a contemporary application, his unilateral action to guarantee the safety of all Eastern Europe six months after Munich is never mentioned. The interventionist crowd, with their passion for entangling alliances, surely would approve of Neville’s later move.


10 posted on 03/11/2014 1:15:06 PM PDT by Colonel Kangaroo
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To: SeekAndFind

Chamberlain gave the UK a few extra months preparation for the inevitable conflict. Those months were not used all that well except by the RAF.


11 posted on 03/11/2014 1:18:11 PM PDT by JimSEA
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To: SeekAndFind

I bet the author voted for Obamao. He and all the other dim bulbs out there thought the seas would part, the winds would become silent, and other world leaders would swoon at the mere words of Obie 1 King Banana.


12 posted on 03/11/2014 1:18:25 PM PDT by 3Fingas (Sons and Daughters for Freedom and Rededication to the Principles of the U.S. Constitution)
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To: x

We never should have pulled out if missile defense of eastern Europe. Maybe this wouldn’t be happening if it was clear we will defend our allies.


13 posted on 03/11/2014 1:19:12 PM PDT by for-q-clinton (If at first you don't succeed keep on sucking until you do succeed)
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To: JimSEA

Chamberlain made errors, but he deserves better than to be used as a point-making prop. He rightfully saw that Britain would be ruined by a war, even a winning war.


14 posted on 03/11/2014 1:22:28 PM PDT by Colonel Kangaroo
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To: Colonel Kangaroo

Yes, when you look at Chamberlain, you have to consider all the years and leaders after WWI and the human costs of that conflict.


15 posted on 03/11/2014 1:26:28 PM PDT by JimSEA
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To: SeekAndFind
The Crimea is historically a part of Russia. Khrushchev, a Ukrainian, gifted Crimea to the Ukraine in 1954 sort of like SlicKKK KKKlintler gifted Kosovo to the Albanians in 1999 and, with all of those places being part of the CCCP, it didn't seem to matter much. What is going on in the Crimea now is basically just reality reasserting itself.

Or did you or anybody else here really expect Vladimir Putin to just sit there and watch George Soros, Monsanto, and the US State Department walk off with the Ukraine AND Crimea?? Have we really been dumbed down that much? Are you really that stupid???

16 posted on 03/11/2014 1:32:26 PM PDT by varmintman
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To: SeekAndFind
Chamberlain was many things but he wasn't someone to be pitied.

Just like Obama, he harassed and terrorized his own citizens if they didn't support him and he was weak toward the enemy.

And he had to be literally pried away from No 10 Downing.

17 posted on 03/11/2014 1:42:58 PM PDT by RoosterRedux (The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing -- Socrates)
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To: SeekAndFind

Dickless Cohen strikes again.


18 posted on 03/11/2014 2:06:14 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (H.L. Mencken: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.")
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To: WayneS
Putin has turned us all in to Neville Chamberlain?

I tell Dickless to speak for himself.

19 posted on 03/11/2014 2:08:22 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (H.L. Mencken: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.")
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To: varmintman
“George Soros, Monsanto, and the US State Department”

and NWO...

20 posted on 03/11/2014 2:09:44 PM PDT by Grzegorz 246
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