Posted on 03/22/2014 9:31:04 AM PDT by sheikdetailfeather
....”silver lining - it has put countries that do not have a formal alliance with the US on notice that they should look mainly to themselves if they are invaded”.....
You can repeat that many times because the EU and NATO got the message loud and clear, and are arguing ‘extensively’ about it now, burning the midnight oil to say the least.....and is the talk now in every summit and meeting on how member countries in NATO will be required to cough it up for Nato Defense in the 21st Century...or they will not have membership. Further they will not be able to “refrain” when called on to defend a member nation both in military capacity and revenue........
....Europe and NATOs spent years cutting their military budgets because they ‘foolishly believed’, as Obama has, that there is no enemy that can’t be won over through diplomacy and or sanctions.....or using the low life of nation countries to accomplish their political asperations........Putin just fundamentally “changed” their ideology from a set of norms and expectations about International behavior....and really a seismic event for them...and the US.
A general said the problem is too many are approaching this from a 20th Century mindset rather than a 21st Century and that’s a big problem for Nato and the Europe in communicating what now has to be done and how.....Putins not operating from the 20th Century...he just showed the world that by taking Crimea without a shot......Putin learned from Aphganistan and from Georgia....Crimea is an example of what he’s changed and his capabilities. You can be sure our Military payed close attention to this....
This World wind travel is for show.....and to stop by Brussels to get his orders....bottom line nobody is going to war over Ukraine nor Crimea at this juncture....even if Putin goes into Ukraine and takes that too....but I think won't...maybe Moldova And Trans. Ukraine would be too expensive to bail out...nobody wants to but the EU will have to...Putin will be happy to let them before he makes another move for the whole nation.
BTW...just a not of interest....
Continued....
Leadership change in Brussels, EU Institutions and NATO this year.......that comes into play bigtime now in how they go about handling the Baltic Nations should Putin move further....who wants to pass a war onto the next crew and who in the next crew wants to finish the job with limited capabilites to do so.
I have to share that the Ukraine Military were NOT abandoned....From the Brussels Summit A Current Commander speaking at one point....not quoted but the jest of it....I wrote fast!
How Putin took Crime....
We know now that Russian Military almost completely disconnected the Ukranian Crimea forces from their command by cable cuts, jammers and cyber attacks. (They simply couldn’t talk to each other let alone give or take any commands).
Further he said..... Russian military played their hand very “skillfully and executed their agenda precisely”....”It was a complete envelopment by forces in Crimea”. “They were spot on and unopposed because it was all executed so well...had opposition made a move it would have been a mess”.
Something else he made a point of very interesting......He said “Putin created “strategic ambiguity” by the media not being able to say who the men in green and black were...the media embraced this...though we knew (military) well who they were”.
Further... Putin put a “local face” in front as they made their moves, a “thin Veneer” in front..a lot of men in green and black behind. It was a great tool for disinformation all were enveloped by it.
And this...Putin brought large forces to the line of confrontation then backed down..again and again...then boom he took Crimes....Putin “conditioned us”.
He made a point to say Putin learned from Georgia....and has greatly improved his capabilites.
We'll have to agree to disagree on whether we're broke, but it's clear that a few billion dollars a year to a Ukrainian insurgency would be a rounding error in the $3.5T annual budget. Of course, in order for any aid to help push the Russians back, the Ukrainians have to be willing to fight. They have shown no signs of wanting to do so, and that's their prerogative, since their young men are on the firing line.
Again, the US is not the only independent actor in this situation or even the most important independent actor. In the end, the biggest sacrifices must be made by Ukraine. Just as in 1956, when Eisenhower declined to even supply the anti-Russian revolt when Imre Nagy and the Hungarian people decided to throw off the yoke of Russian rule, any American president has the option of declining to assist any country that has been invaded. Eisenhower sent no material aid to the Hungarians in spite of the fact that Russia supplied North Korea and China during the Korean War, resulting in the deaths of 40,000 GI's. In retrospect, Eisenhower's inaction seems to not have affected the ultimate collapse of the Russian empire.
Historically, Russia aided in the collapse of the European empires by funding communist movements across the globe. While it seems only fair that Europe return the favor, the EU seems absorbed in navel-gazing. It's not clear whether European rancor at Russia over the depredations of the communist era bears any resemblance to the rancor at Germany over Nazism. Ukraine would certainly be an ideal locale to settle old accounts, via EU aid to Ukraine to send Russian troops home in body bags. But for that to happen, Ukraine must fight. Since Ukraine, the protagonist in this drama, has decided to let Russia annex it without resistance, there's not much outsiders can do at a reasonable cost to them.
Conservatives are saying Obama this and Obama that. If Ukrainians had fought the Russians and taken thousands of casualties, American aid would be flowing across the border as I type this, because American public opinion would have forced Obama's hand. Americans like plucky underdogs. Underdogs that run away with their tails between their legs, not so much.
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