[Justa]

I agree with your analysis. Those unfamiliar with history are ignorant of the undercurrents which drive this situation. They post nonsense such as “Crimea was part of Russia until the 50s” without knowing the context, method or meaning of Russia’s presence in the area and what the “Russian Crimea” really is.

As you pointed out the Crimean people care most about the local tourism industry which they all put aside their differences to make a go of. If one ethnicity starts taking sides and supporting external interests and occupation then the whole thing unravels and everyone loses. Yes, I agree Putin will be blamed all around for “losing Crimea” in one fashion or another.

[listenhillary]

Russia has a lot of natural gas pipelines crossing Ukraine. A good chunk of their economy and influence over Europe depends on the pipelines. The people tossed out of office the Putin backed leader. That leader did have support if we can believe the election totals from the 2004 and 2010 elections. An obviously divided nation even if there were election shenanigans. The 2010 elections seemed to show the same divide, this one shows percentages and is a little more useful.