It seems to be more of a situation where Obama was not worried about repercussions for interfering in Ukraine, and continuing to do so. Every move Obama takes in eastern Europe, Putin could logically make a move in central and south america.
We have been screwing with the Ukraine for decades. It’s part of our strategic interests to do so. It’s not just the Ukraine. There is also other proxy interventions.
It was done now and then to attempt to prevent exactly what is occurring now, a Ukrainian/Russian puppet government. This has been going back and forth and most recently the US tried to protect it’s interests that became more important after the breakup of the USSR.
What Putin is doing now is winning that particular skirmish and rebuilding the USSR. We have lost the advantage there and at this point there is really nothing to do but send aid.
Critically linked to this move will be additional moves in other Baltic states and then there is Poland...
There were no real repercussions to what we were doing in the Ukraine. At least not to US..
The repercussions are more directed at the people of the Ukraine, Georgia, others..They are cannon fodder.
With this move being successful from the Russian perspective, and it will be, the others state actors will begin to fall in line, especially since the US response initially was weak and worthless. Europe’s response and NATO’s contribution was expected by some but never happened so Putin can run the table now..and he will. He has no real opposition nor is there any real danger of repercussions from us. The West has ceded the game now. It’s happened before.
To assure that the US does not get any grand ideas, Putin is upping his nuclear deterrent with what he has available while he builds more assets at the Baltic ports. This is why the reopening of the Cuba facility is being done now. It’s Command and control for the Atlantic and Gulf assets positioned off the US shores. He will build that deterrent much larger than it is today as time goes by.
The leadership of the US is so weak knee’d and ineffectual that he is exploiting it. Stalin tried this a long time ago, as did Khrushchev. At some point the US response came as a surprise to both of them and the exploits ended and the balance restored.
I do not see that happening now. I see utter failure for numerous self inflicted reasons.
The geopolitical game board is going to change radically in the coming years..unless we change it back. But I’m not feeling good or even mildly hopeful about that.
Game/Set/Match......Putin 2/ US 0