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Obama dismisses Russia as ‘regional power’ acting out of weakness
The Washington Post ^ | 25 Mar 2014 | Scott Wilson

Posted on 03/25/2014 11:58:36 AM PDT by mandaladon

THE HAGUE — President Obama acknowledged Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea would be difficult to reverse, but he dismissed Russia as a “regional power” that did not pose a leading security threat to the United States.

Concluding a summit here on nuclear security, Obama also warned that broader Russian military intervention in neighboring countries would trigger further economic sanctions that would disrupt the global economy but hit Russia the hardest.

“Russia is a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbors — not out of strength but out of weakness,” Obama said in response to a reporter’s question about whether his 2012 election opponent, Mitt Romney, was right to characterize Russia as America’s biggest geopolitical foe.

“They don’t pose the number one national security threat to the United States,” Obama said in a news conference. “I continue to be much more concerned when it comes to our security with the prospect of a nuclear weapon going off in Manhattan.”

Defending his response to the Ukraine crisis, Obama dismissed criticism that a perception of weakness abroad had prompted Putin to seize Ukraine’s autonomous Crimea region this month, an act the United States and Europe have called a violation of both Ukrainian and international law. But Obama made clear that no military response is being contemplated, unless Putin pushes into NATO member nations on Russia’s western border.

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


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: americaindecline; lordhelpus; obama; obamaquotes; projection; putin; russia; themouththatroared; ukraine; viktoryanukovich; yuliatymoshenko
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To: ExSoldier

Very nice wrap up with Reagan...


61 posted on 03/25/2014 8:31:33 PM PDT by caww
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To: livius

Russia may be a ‘regional power’ but at least its president had been born on its soil,... unlike Obama.


62 posted on 03/25/2014 8:36:50 PM PDT by caww
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To: glorgau

“Russia is a “regional power” with enough nukes to kill half the population of the United States.”

Which is why Russia is so pathetic. Now they are acting out like a petulant child.


63 posted on 03/25/2014 8:41:03 PM PDT by rbmillerjr (Russians to the Left of me, Useful Idiots to the Right...)
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To: tcrlaf

“But Putin knows that he is playing the better hand right now, and likely won’t ever have a better one.”

Putin is on a flush draw, drawing dead.

This childish action will only weaken Russia further.


64 posted on 03/25/2014 8:44:12 PM PDT by rbmillerjr (Russians to the Left of me, Useful Idiots to the Right...)
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To: LowTaxesEqualsProsperity

“Russia is a global superpower, not a regional power”

OMG, you are from the 80s.

Ok, 1. Russia has to steal land like a common thief to base it’s rusting Navy.

2. If the Russian navy projects out, we will sink every sub they have within hours.

3. They have no real global projection capability.

4. There economy is 2 Trillion to our 16 Trillion.

5. They can bully weaker regional countries like Ukraine.

Hence they are a regional power...at best.


65 posted on 03/25/2014 8:51:14 PM PDT by rbmillerjr (Russians to the Left of me, Useful Idiots to the Right...)
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To: mandaladon

Russia’s Online-Comment Propaganda Army
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3078342/posts


66 posted on 03/26/2014 12:23:07 AM PDT by AdmSmith (GCTGATATGTCTATGATTACTCAT)
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To: mandaladon

Russia is a third world country:

Russian export in 2012 was $524,564,991,000.
Top ten breakdown:
Mineral fuels including oil: $375,423,947,000 (71.6% of total exports)
Iron and steel: $22,601,664,000 (4.3%)
Fertilizers: $11,176,846,000 (2.1%)
Inorganic chemicals: $7,835,699,000 (1.5%)
Machinery: $7,609,061,000 (1.5%)
Aluminum: $7,281,329,000 (1.4%)
Wood: $6,731,569,000 (1.3%)
Cereals: $6,246,547,000 (1.2%)
Copper: $5,787,339,000 (1.1%)
Organic chemicals: $4,516,890,000 (0.9%)

http://www.worldstopexports.com/russias-top-10-exports/2350

This is a typical third world export mix heavily dependent on raw materials.

Compare this to South Korea with a total export of $548.8 billion in 2012 (i.e. larger than Russia)
Top ten breakdown:
Electronic equipment: $119,084,386,000 (21.7% of total exports)
Vehicles: $70,074,094,000 (12.8%)
Machinery: $58,979,883,000 (10.8%)
Mineral fuels including oil: $57,492,603,000 (10.5%)
Ships, boats and other floating structures: $37,828,429,000 (6.9%)
Optical, technical and medical apparatus: $37,611,611,000 (6.9%)
Plastics: $28,381,150,000 (5.2%)
Iron and steel: $25,375,017,000 (4.6%)
Organic chemicals: $23,284,736,000 (4.3%)
Iron or steel products: $12,467,431,000 (2.3%)

http://www.worldstopexports.com/south-koreas-top-10-exports/2302

The Russians do not know(?) that their export, without the raw materials, is only in the order of $50 billion !


67 posted on 03/26/2014 12:24:55 AM PDT by AdmSmith (GCTGATATGTCTATGATTACTCAT)
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To: AdmSmith

military weaponry and defense exports?

First world: SS-18s Satan.


68 posted on 03/26/2014 3:24:42 AM PDT by Red Steel
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To: Lurkina.n.Learnin
"Ridiculous is right. Obama called him a regional power on the same day that they are delivering one of our astronauts to the space station because we no longer have that capability."

Yes, and we are paying Russia $71 million per ride for the privilege. This is almost like Obama is baiting Putin, hoping that he will cause a conflagration. Does Obama want to cause more chaos in the to divert from his own domestic problems or to help the Islamic terrorists he has so fostered by toppling governments in North Africa?

69 posted on 03/26/2014 3:39:47 AM PDT by Truth29
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To: mandaladon
Obama dismisses Russia as ‘regional power’

Yes, Russia is a "regional" power with nuclear missiles capable of reaching any target on American soil...

70 posted on 03/26/2014 3:42:29 AM PDT by sargon (I don't like the sound of these here Boncentration Bamps!)
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To: glorgau

“Putin is not financially able to project real military power beyond his immediate borders.”

Exactly. And as someone else wrote, didn’t we just have to pay this ‘regional power’ to take a ride on their rocket to get to our stuff into space?


71 posted on 03/26/2014 4:12:12 AM PDT by pieceofthepuzzle
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To: mandaladon

Can our country survive the next 2 yrs under this regime? And can it then be brought back to its former greatness? I dunno.


72 posted on 03/26/2014 4:34:10 AM PDT by b4its2late (A Progressive is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own.)
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To: Dallas59

Me too. Every time I see him or the 1st wookie on TV, I get a strong desire to hurl.


73 posted on 03/26/2014 4:59:50 AM PDT by jospehm20
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To: Forward the Light Brigade
We are entering into a new phase—a really bumpy road for the US and her interests.

They're acting up because WE are becoming a regional power.

And we are declining because of our DECADENCE. Our leaders are indeed at fault because they have either encouraged that decadence with all the force of the state (Obama, Clinton), or have acted too slowly to reverse it (Bush), or have proposed to be nothing more than personally opposed (Romney, McCain in '08).

And this decline is not just in hard power terms but also in SOFT POWER terms. Russian citizens can access our media, and see our official announcements about the Olympics. Pravda printed McCain's op-ed verbatim...unfortunately, he decided to write about Pussy Riot instead of, say, world peace.

We're not going to get ANY stronger as a nation, by getting someone like Romney or McCain or Christie who can simply manage the decline a little bit better. We have a cancer and we need an oncologist.

74 posted on 03/26/2014 5:45:23 AM PDT by cmj328 (We live here.)
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To: mandaladon

As Obama is saying this, this is spin because interestingly, I had heard this “Putin is weak” line put out about last week by others. It sounds like now Obama is adopting this same argument.


75 posted on 03/26/2014 6:48:48 AM PDT by BeadCounter (morning glory evening grace)
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To: BeadCounter

What happens when you say someone is weak?

They tend to do things to try to disprove that assertion.

Why even say something so stupid?


76 posted on 03/26/2014 6:49:52 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: mandaladon

Yes they are weak in some areas, their economy for example. As such they are going out to ensure the stability of their oil which is crucial to their economy.

Their military is plenty strong enough to take what they want.

DON’T POKE THE BEAR


77 posted on 03/26/2014 6:57:58 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: BeadCounter

Obama is doing what he does best...talk BS.


78 posted on 03/26/2014 6:58:10 AM PDT by mandaladon (If you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill)
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To: canuck_conservative

Where would the terrorists get a nuke? With help from Russia.


79 posted on 03/26/2014 6:59:48 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: AdmSmith

And yet they have other countries dancing to their tune.

ironic isn’t it


80 posted on 03/26/2014 7:03:13 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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