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Vladimir Putin’s plan: He took Crimea. He’s taunting NATO. What will Russia’s president do next?
nationalpost.com ^ | November 16, 2014 | Joseph Brean

Posted on 11/16/2014 7:37:22 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe

In September a Russian plane buzzed a Canadian warship in the Black Sea during Russian combat training near the Crimean port of Sevastopol, coming within 300 metres and causing the HMCS Toronto to lock its radar on the plane in anticipation of firing in self defence. Russia has denied the flight was provocative, and said it was routine.

Other airspace incursions have been noted over the Arctic, where Russia and Canada have disputed claims to energy resources.

These are not merely exercises in international airspace or waters, but rather they are provocations, “almost an invitation to an accident,” said Aurel Braun, a professor of international relations at the University of Toronto, now a visiting professor at Harvard.

They are increasing in frequency, intensity, and recklessness, he said.

As winter approaches, there are fears Mr. Putin’s next move could be to cut off gas to Ukraine — or to Europe....

His stage is global, but his audience is largely domestic, and it is this duality that gives rise to the strange image of “a tiny man in elevator shoes,” as Prof. Braun put it, who still manages to stand astride the world like a colossus, exerting power through empty gestures, like riding bareback on a Siberian horse, flying with rare cranes in a glider, or diving into the Black Sea and coming up with ceramic antiquities. ....

To Mr. Putin, as Prof. Braun describes it, the danger of Ukraine has never been about outright conflict with NATO, for which Russia is no match. Rather, the fear is that Ukraine could become a successful democracy integrated with Europe, a large Slavic state transcending the fortunes of modern Russia.

“It would undermine his legitimacy,” Prof. Braun said, and so if Mr. Putin cannot control Ukraine, he would rather destroy it.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: canada; putinsbuttboys; russia; ukraine; vladtheimploder
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1 posted on 11/16/2014 7:37:22 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe

#1: Russia wouldn’t be a problem if 0bama hadn’t funded the ridiculous Maiden Revolution.

#2: the ukraine isn’t paying its bill to Russia for the imported natural gas that it is burning. Obviously that gas is going to be cut off eventually if no one ever pays the bills.


2 posted on 11/16/2014 7:40:42 PM PST by Southack (The one thing preppers need from the 1st World? http://tinyurl.com/ktfwljc .)
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To: Tailgunner Joe; All
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3 posted on 11/16/2014 7:41:13 PM PST by musicman (Until I see the REAL Long Form Vault BC, he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = Without "ID")
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To: Tailgunner Joe

Do next? I think he’ll hit the 5 iron.


4 posted on 11/16/2014 7:42:29 PM PST by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

5 posted on 11/16/2014 7:46:46 PM PST by Brother Cracker (You are more likely to find krugerrands in a Cracker Jack box than 22 ammo at Wal-Mart)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

Pose nude for Cosmo, I assume...


6 posted on 11/16/2014 7:47:29 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe)
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To: Tailgunner Joe
What will Russia’s president do next?

Um...go broke, and then get his tail kicked once he finally pushes a bridge too far?

Seriously, folks. Putin is a paper tiger. A shirtless paper tiger, but a paper tiger nonetheless.

7 posted on 11/16/2014 7:47:59 PM PST by Yashcheritsiy (GOP wins - now hold their feet to the fire!)
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To: Tailgunner Joe
"He’s taunting NATO. What will Russia’s president do next?"

He shall taunt us again of course.


8 posted on 11/16/2014 7:48:15 PM PST by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
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To: Tailgunner Joe
Putin leaves Brisbane 'to catch up on sleep'
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3227678/posts


9 posted on 11/16/2014 7:50:26 PM PST by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
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To: Southack
#1: Russia wouldn’t be a problem if 0bama hadn’t funded the ridiculous Maiden Revolution.

Obama didn't fund the "ridiculous" Maiden revolution. The Maiden was funded by the sweat and blood of Ukrainians who were beaten horribly or shot to death by Russian Berkut officers.

#2: the ukraine isn’t paying its bill to Russia for the imported natural gas that it is burning. Obviously that gas is going to be cut off eventually if no one ever pays the bills.

Well let's see, they've been paying double the going price for ages and their economy has hit rock bottom because Russia annexed a large chunk of it and have been shooting artillery rounds into major Ukrainian cities.

10 posted on 11/16/2014 7:51:01 PM PST by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: Southack
#1: Russia wouldn’t be a problem if 0bama hadn’t funded the ridiculous Maiden Revolution.

No. Obama couldn't care less about the Maiden Revolution. Anybody who has been following the tug of war between Putin and Ukraine for the past ~14 years knows that all of this was going on before Obuma showed up. The Orange Revolution, election invalidations...etc.

#2: the ukraine isn’t paying its bill to Russia for the imported natural gas that it is burning. Obviously that gas is going to be cut off eventually if no one ever pays the bills.

I guess when Russia returns Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk to Ukraine and pays for all the life lost and damages that it has caused, then Ukraine would be under moral obligation to pay its debt. Until then, no flipping way.

11 posted on 11/16/2014 7:58:28 PM PST by FreeReign
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To: Southack
#1: Russia wouldn’t be a problem if 0bama hadn’t funded the ridiculous Maiden Revolution.

No. Obama couldn't care less about the Maiden Revolution. Anybody who has been following the tug of war between Putin and Ukraine for the past ~14 years knows that all of this was going on before Obuma showed up. The Orange Revolution, election invalidations...etc.

#2: the ukraine isn’t paying its bill to Russia for the imported natural gas that it is burning. Obviously that gas is going to be cut off eventually if no one ever pays the bills.

I guess when Russia returns Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk to Ukraine and pays for all the life lost and damages that it has caused, then Ukraine would be under moral obligation to pay its debt. Until then, no flipping way.

12 posted on 11/16/2014 7:58:28 PM PST by FreeReign
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To: GeronL; Lazamataz

Ping.


13 posted on 11/16/2014 8:02:48 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: Tailgunner Joe
"What will Russia’s president do next?"

Putin can do whatever he wants. He knows comrade obama is no threat to him. NATO's hands are tied because it knows it cannot rely on comrade obama as an ally.
14 posted on 11/16/2014 8:03:53 PM PST by clearcarbon
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans
Obama didn't fund the "ridiculous" Maiden revolution.

No, Soros did.

15 posted on 11/16/2014 8:11:07 PM PST by PAR35
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To: Southack

ridiculous to think that Ukraine’s politics are Russia’s business. Russian puppet governments looted the country and took those “loans”, let the puppets pay it back.

The Evil Empire is back


16 posted on 11/16/2014 8:11:50 PM PST by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: Drango

Putin is a man. We are women.


17 posted on 11/16/2014 8:11:53 PM PST by iowacornman (. He is the father of government health care.)
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans

“The Maiden was funded by the sweat and blood of Ukrainians”

And all of that Obama State Department, Omidyar, and Soros money just doesn’t exist, right??

Gotta admit, you are a real looney toon. I hope EuromaidanPR/Svoboda is paying you well.


18 posted on 11/16/2014 8:12:48 PM PST by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: PAR35

“Obama didn’t fund the “ridiculous” Maiden revolution.”
No, Soros did.

Don’t forget Omidyar’s maoney, too.


19 posted on 11/16/2014 8:13:49 PM PST by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: FreeReign

“when Russia returns Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk to Ukraine and pays for all the life lost and damages that it has caused, then Ukraine would be under moral obligation to pay its debt. Until then, no flipping way.”

It’s your RIGHT to get free Russian gas in perpetuity??
You guys just keep getting nuttier.


20 posted on 11/16/2014 8:15:43 PM PST by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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