Garry Kasparov: It’s a War, Stupid!

Time ^ | 8-30-2014 | Garry Kasparov

[Semper911]

As Russian troops and armored columns advance in Eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian government begs for aid from the free world it hoped would receive it and protect it as one of its own. The leaders of the free world, meanwhile, are struggling to find the right terminology to free themselves from the moral responsibility to provide that protection. Putin’s bloody invasion of a sovereign European nation is an incursion, much like Crimea — remember Crimea? — was an “uncontested arrival” instead of Anschluss. A civilian airliner was blown out of the sky just six weeks ago –—remember MH17? — and with more than 100 victims still unidentified the outrage has already dissipated into polite discussions about whether it should be investigated as a crime, a war crime, or neither.

This vocabulary of cowardice emanating from Berlin and Washington today is as disgraceful as the black-is-white propaganda produced by Putin’s regime, and even more dangerous. Moscow’s smokescreens are hardly necessary in the face of so much willful blindness. Putin’s lies are obvious and expected. European leaders and the White House are even more eager than the Kremlin to pretend this conflict is local and so requires nothing more than vague promises from a very safe distance.

[Semper911]

I thought it would take a little longer before Time mag started warning against "the overabundance of Chamberlains..." but here we are.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[gorush]

Check.

[Lurker]

and mate.

[GeronL]

Ukraine is asking for weapons, not foreign soldiers.

[GeronL]

zing!

[1rudeboy]

Ukraine is screwed. And a good number of FReepers will cheer, because Putin “showed Obama who’s boss.”

[Semper911]

Ukraine is asking for weapons, not foreign soldiers.

...and they will be lucky if they get night vision goggles.

[cherry]

not only the Ukraine, but Poland as well....like dominoes....

so what do the elites think now about bammey the boy and his govt?.....is the way things are supposed to go....Russia taking over the world and sending the world in either a world depression or a world war, maybe both....

[GeronL]

Generic wishes about “mobilizing the international community” were bad enough six months ago. Hearing them repeated as Ukrainian towns fall to Russian troops is a parody.

Obama is a walking parody!

[GeronL]

As Russian tanks and artillery push back the overmatched Ukrainian forces, Obama’s repeated insistence that there is no military solution in Ukraine sounds increasingly delusional. There is no time to teach a drowning man to swim.

One good zinger after another

[jonascord]

Hotflash: Obama and the federal government are NOT on our side. They do NOT put the best interests of the People of the United States first.

They are Mob owned, and any decision to help or hinder the Ukraine is contingent on whether Obama's owners can profit.

[Nowhere Man]

Ukraine is asking for weapons, not foreign soldiers.

Shame, if I could magically do this, I'd give the Ukraine a million M1 Garands, 5000 Sherman Jumbo/Easy 8 tanks and 1000 F-5 planes.

[GeronL]

Kasparov makes total sense, the whole column is spot on.

[GeronL]

Could you make those a bit more advanced? Like some Javelin anti-tank missiles?

[Vendome]

Time to castle, queenside, rook...

[Nowhere Man]

Ukraine is screwed. And a good number of FReepers will cheer, because Putin “showed Obama who’s boss.”

Well, Putin "pwned" Obama and "stole his bike" as well. I guess like Patton had a respect and admiration for Rommel, I do see Putin in this light because he shows leadership and decision making abilities that outclass Obama. Sad to say we need our own version who can do the same but we have a golf playing community organizer instead. Even so, I do agree with you that Putin is a threat and he is in the wrong big time and he does need to be taken down a peg or two.

[Nowhere Man]

Whoops, I forget bazookas too. I’ll toss 50,000 of those in and 500,000 M1918A2 BARS.

[MrEdd]

Others will point out it was idiocy to jettison our mutually assured destruction NBC arsenal thinking it would never be needed... and then lo and behold the European Union makes moves on Crimea.

If Obonghit were out of office and replaced today... even by Alan West we would still do nothing because right now we can do nothing.

Disarmament had a consequence and you are watching it. Conventional forces don’t mean squat here.

[GeronL]

Obama might send some Sweet & Low.