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Crimea already adopted a declaration of independence earlier this week. The referendum, by an overwhelming majority, is likely to take it out of Ukraine for good. There is no going to back to the status quo ante that the West - and the current government in Kiev insist upon. Ukraine can either negotiate a looser confederal association with the peninsula - or see it forfeited to Russia. It would be preferable for both Ukraine and Crimea to start their own direction as separate sovereign states in a loose union without being a bone of contention between the West and Russia. Its not the solution either Ukraine or Russia really prefer but it respects their core interests. With deft diplomacy - America can lead to a solution of mutual recognition between both Kiev and Simferopol as sovereign states and treating them as co-equal partners in a confederal union. The arrangement would be guaranteed together with Russia. Its the only realistic alternative to outright annexation by Russia on the table. Forcing the Crimeans back to living under Kiev's rule is not acceptable either to them or to Russia. For better or worse, Kosovo paradoxically enough, is the way to go here.

Confederation: An Off-Ramp For The California Crisis

‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2014‎ ‎12‎:‎24‎:‎11‎ ‎AM · by goldenstategoopstompers

Reuters DF^

| 03/14/2014 | St. Even E. Krabapple

There will be a vote [including illegal aliens allowed to vote in all US elections by Obama administration] in California on Sunday on whether to split from the USA and join Mexico. It is likely to pass, because there are millions of Spanish-speaking only people there and they naturally like Mexico more than USA.

So there will not be a return to the status quo ante. The best the United States and Mexico can hope for would be an outcome in which California is not formally detached from USA, but has a very high degree of autonomy. This autonomy would include not just choices about domestic policies but about some aspects of foreign policy as well, such as declaring war on the Ukraine.

Crimea already adopted a declaration of independence earlier this week. The referendum, by an overwhelming majority,

I really don't comprehend this mode of thinking. The Prime Minister of Crimea was, not too long ago, the member of a fringe party with only three seats in their parliament, and was formerly a member of the Russian mafia who went by the name "Goblin" (and, considering Moscow's involvement with the Russian mob, is also likely an FSB agent). He came into power by marching into parliament accompanied by men wielding grenade launchers and machine guns, and declared a quorum and then, himself, prime minister, with many of the parlaimentry members being counted as "present" and voting in favor, when, later, they say they were never there at all.

Right now the Russians have total control of the local media in Crimea, and are occupying the entire area with armed soldiers and bandits. Why is it that we assume that the popular will of Crimea, which isn't even all ethnic Russiam (Tatars make up about 30 percent, and are anti-communist), will take up with the Russkies? Is every ethnic Russian a slave-born Muscovite first, and a Ukrainian second? I don't believe it, and I consider it stupid to assume this.

People in the West are dreaming.

Putin will be in Kiev before you can say Gosudarsvenoy Bezopasnosti. And the Baltics. And then he’ll be issuing ultimata to Poland and the other former satellites.

He’s still fairly young. He has time to march all the way to the Atlantic. And no one will commit suicide trying to stop him anywhere along the way.