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Ron Paul on Crimea: Why does US Care ?
Politico ^ | March 18, 2014 | Tal Kopan

Posted on 03/18/2014 11:16:19 AM PDT by opentalk

Former Rep. Ron Paul says that America’s reaction to Crimea’s vote to secede from Ukraine should be,“so what?”

“Why does the U.S. care which flag will be hoisted on a small piece of land thousands of miles away?” the Texas Republican and libertarian icon wrote in a USA Today op-ed Monday.

...Over the weekend, Crimeans voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia,which the Russian government has moved to approve. American politicians have called the vote a sham and the administration has said it does not recognize the results of the vote,placing sanctions on some Russian officials in response.

Ron Paul said at least three other regions, Catalonia, Scotland and Venice,are similarly seeking to leave their countries, and the U.S. and Europe should allow events to proceed uninterrupted there as well as Crimea, saying “self-determination is a centerpiece of international law.”

… Paul said the “minimal” sanctions from the White House is all the global economy can afford, and it is the global economy that promotes peace,not intervention.

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


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: 113th; bhorussia; blackseaport; crimea; eu; fakeconservative; fakelibertarian; fakerepublican; imf; kerry; mccain; ngos; obama; politico; putinsbuttboys; randpaul; randpaultruthfile; ronpaultruthfile; russia; secession; sevastopol; soros; sorosfunding; sorosngo; sorosopensociety; statedepart; surrendermonkeys; svoboda; syria; talkopan; ukraine; usaid; viktoryanukovich; waronterror; worksforthedemocrats; yuliatymoshenko
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1 posted on 03/18/2014 11:16:19 AM PDT by opentalk
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To: opentalk

I agree with Paul on this one.


2 posted on 03/18/2014 11:17:33 AM PDT by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
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To: opentalk

I am in agreement here as well. And I am not a supporter.


3 posted on 03/18/2014 11:20:01 AM PDT by MarMema ("If Americans really wanted Obamacare, you wouldn't need a law to make them buy it." Ted Cruz)
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To: MarMema

Where were you on Hitler and the Sudetenland? Poland?


4 posted on 03/18/2014 11:21:47 AM PDT by C. Edmund Wright (Tokyo Rove is more than a name, it's a GREAT WEBSITE)
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To: C. Edmund Wright

Where were you on Tibet?


5 posted on 03/18/2014 11:22:34 AM PDT by MarMema ("If Americans really wanted Obamacare, you wouldn't need a law to make them buy it." Ted Cruz)
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To: opentalk

USA should care except our Treasury is near bankrupt, so we should stay out of all foreign conflicts until our country is out of near bankruptcy.


6 posted on 03/18/2014 11:23:30 AM PDT by entropy12 (If you did not vote, you helped elect the community organizer from south side of Chicago.)
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To: C. Edmund Wright

Would you have started war with Hitler when he marched into the Rhineland?


7 posted on 03/18/2014 11:23:38 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: C. Edmund Wright

A strong Czechoslovakia was a vital piece of the Versailles system. Crimea and even the Ukraine itself does not approach it in importance.


8 posted on 03/18/2014 11:25:47 AM PDT by Colonel Kangaroo
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To: opentalk
Personally, I believe 'spreading democracy' has been a disaster for this country. It cannot be done with blunt force.

But I do believe we should do everything in our power short of direct intervention to discourage acts of overt aggression against sovereign nations.

We all know how quickly things can get out of hand if there is not a reason for aggressive nations to think twice.

9 posted on 03/18/2014 11:28:15 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: opentalk

I think we care if Putin is going to reform a larger Soviet-style expansion. I am pretty sure, our nation has spent a great many lives and fortune to avoid a dominant communist force in the world. We don’t want to face that fight again. Do we care enough to fight now, no, probably not. History tells us that ignoring this type of situation does not end well.


10 posted on 03/18/2014 11:28:29 AM PDT by ilgipper
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To: C. Edmund Wright
And where were you on Abkhazia for that matter? Russia has a long history of annexing parts of other countries. Oh well. No one seemed to care until Crimea.

The protest leadership (to the extent that it exists) consists of three opposition parties in parliament – one of which, the Svoboda party, is clearly on the far right. Svoboda, which captured 38 seats and 10 percent of the vote in the last parliamentary elections, until 2004 called itself the Social Nationalist Party of Ukraine and employed neo-Nazi and SS symbols. While the party changed its name and symbols in 2004, Svoboda’s leader, Oleh Tyahnybok, continued to argue that the opposition should fight the “Muscovite-Jewish mafia running Ukraine” and praised the Ukrainian Insurgency Army (UPA) in World War II for fighting “against the Moskali [Muscovites], Germans, Zhydy [Jews] and other scum, who wanted to take away our Ukrainian state.”

Speaking of WW2, just wanted to say I have no interest in supporting neo-nazis either.

11 posted on 03/18/2014 11:28:47 AM PDT by MarMema ("If Americans really wanted Obamacare, you wouldn't need a law to make them buy it." Ted Cruz)
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To: ilgipper
to avoid a dominant communist force in the world.

Really? How have we avoided China being dominant in the world? Economic sanctions?

By the way, Russia is fascist if anything, farther to the right than we are without a doubt.

12 posted on 03/18/2014 11:30:05 AM PDT by MarMema ("If Americans really wanted Obamacare, you wouldn't need a law to make them buy it." Ted Cruz)
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To: C. Edmund Wright

Putin is not Hitler.


13 posted on 03/18/2014 11:30:16 AM PDT by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
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To: skeeter
to discourage acts of overt aggression against sovereign nations.

You mean like bombing Serbia?

14 posted on 03/18/2014 11:30:43 AM PDT by MarMema ("If Americans really wanted Obamacare, you wouldn't need a law to make them buy it." Ted Cruz)
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To: ilgipper

Putin is not Soviet, but neo-Tsarist.


15 posted on 03/18/2014 11:31:09 AM PDT by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
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To: Timber Rattler

Me too! I agree with him on 2 things now, Crimea and the Fed


16 posted on 03/18/2014 11:33:28 AM PDT by faucetman ( Just the facts, ma'am, Just the facts)
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To: C. Edmund Wright

Where were you when Russia was defending Orthodox Christians from the Ottomans?

Just checking how far back you want to go) I’m not a fan of Putin or Russia.


17 posted on 03/18/2014 11:33:30 AM PDT by listenhillary (Courts, law enforcement, roads and national defense should be the extent of government)
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To: C. Edmund Wright
Where were you on Hitler and the Sudetenland? Poland?

I understand your analogy but believe it to be falacious. Hitler professed expansionism beyond traditional borders and occupied the Sudetenland, the Rhineland and invaded Poland as part of Lebensraum. Putin full well understands the necessity of a warm-water port and desires to maintain the Crimea for Sevastapol. He may incur into the Ukraine but he is far to intelligent to take on NATO, even if he thought he could win initially. He knows that he would eventually lose and lose big. Too much at stake so he will allow natural political processes to occur and provide the populace with enough incentive to join (even if those incentives are negative).

Putin is a patriot. Love him or hate him, he loves Russia and as former KGB, he loved the Soviet Union and as such, probably desires a return to many aspects of it. That is troubling for the West but to those of us who spent a career studying it, understand where he is coming from.

Putin has the mantel of power and likes it, his is not one to throw it away on trivial matters (geo-politically speaking) and will bide his time. Obama is far to weak to do anything of substance against over actions of expansionism, but Putin knows where to push and where to allow natural assimilation.

18 posted on 03/18/2014 11:34:16 AM PDT by rjsimmon (The Tree of Liberty Thirsts)
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To: opentalk
I agree. Crimea stood alone. When the Ukraine signed its Constitution, Crimea was not a part of the Ukraine. The next day, they added one line which said Crimea was part of the Ukraine.....Despite it having its own Constitution and government.

Ukraine has been totally irresponsible since it became independent.

There are a lot of Ukrainians in my area. No money...no jobs...

The group that has taken over is the same as in the Orange revolution. It was a coup. Term elections were only a few months away.

Who knows...

19 posted on 03/18/2014 11:34:51 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: rjsimmon

Hitler laid out his plans in Mein Kampf, it was clear for all to see who would only look.

Has Putin done any such thing?


20 posted on 03/18/2014 11:35:07 AM PDT by dfwgator
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