Drafting Snowden was his biggest FU.
How so? Putin is just showing he is in charge. What did Obama do about Snowden? Pout? Obama capitulated to Putin with Syria too. Putin is the guy running the show now. He decides the outcome of this, no matter how much Merkel or Obama whine and complain.
No western leader has the political capital to deal with Putin expanding his sphere of influence. End of story.
^ With the US becoming energy independent within the next decade, they will become more isolationist.
it’s fairly devestating for the Ukraine either way…I always thought of them as the good guys and a great place to visit! I do believe that the Ukranian people are split 50-50 on this; with the East wanting to forge closer ties with their Russian bretheran and the West hoping to move towards a more deomocratic free trade Europe. It doesn’t suprise me that the promise of cheap gas has fuelled the fire for Russian love.
I hope that Ukraine have a fast and peaceful resolution to this, I would hate to see civil war on European soil.
Wow, Putin’s resurgent influence is being overblown in this thread. Putin has had Ukraine in his pocket since he took power. Russia has had massive influence over Ukraine for decades, going back to the USSR. There have been multiple revolts against Russian influence and attempted liberalization, namely the Orange Revolution whic hwas crushed through violence and attempted assassination of candidates challenging the pro-Russian candidate.
The very fact that there are protests and discussion of joining the EU is a sign that Putin’s power is being challenged. The violence is not a sign of a crackdown, it is a sign that more people in Ukraine now favor liberalization.
And, as Pokhim says, it is very much a Liviv - Kiev dichotomy.
I would love to see Vitaly Klitschko just right hook Yanukovych.
Ukraine get emotional biathlon win for first Sochi Games gold
wow, seems like AF has a massive collective boner for putin
don’t tell me the topless mincing around the great outdoors being butch as fuck has worked on the yanks as it has on the russians?
^AF has a collective boner for alpha males, they are worshipped over all in our corner.
But I don’t see anything but a win for Putin being possible. Ukr is important to Russia, about half their population is Russian, Russia controls their natural gas, and Russia is willing to go to great lengths to keep Ukr in their sphere of influence. You cannot say anything similar about the EU.
OTOH, the US does care and is willing to go to great lengths to irritate Russia, so watch for that I guess.
^
Apart from the people of Ukraine? They seem determined, organized, unafraid and want to join the EU. Haven’t there been reports that the MP’s have fled?
Iran 2009, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Ukraine and now Venezuela. Some turned out well, some didn’t but the signs are encouraging. Fascinating times.
All we need is the fall of the House of Saud and we’ll be living out history.
Hey…did you check who’s in power in Egypt?
Such things take time
It could go either way and i get your cynicism but there are a lot of positives out of this.
There was a time when south america was considered too savage for democracy.
Egypt is far from over and while there have been casualties the bottom line is they threw out a dictator and refused an islamic government.
Re Egypt - After all this revolution blah blah blah, the end result is that the exact same guys are in power as before. Not a convincing argument for your side.
Correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t you Canadian? Haven’t heard about them getting balls deep in someone else’s HCB ever.
Over the past few decades (since Vietnam) the US has been trying to dissociate from other’s battles. This is what led to the negative connatation of being the “World’s Police.” I for one am happy about that as long as it doesn’t interfere with the national interests. I don’t think we need America spending lives and money for other people’s freedom across the globe.
C’mon man. You know these things just don’t work like that.
There is a real difference between electing a bunch of nutjobs and having them forced on you even though it’s just a technicality.
Yeah I’m Canadian. And other than the second Iraq war, Canada has backed with real assets and people every single American military mission overseas in at least the last two decades. But we’re a small player with little ability to do anything on our own. We’re 1/10th the size of the USA.
The moral authority for the US to intervene when it wants to (Iraq) comes from its history of intervening when it has to (Bosnia, for example). If the US only gets involved when representing its economic interests, than it has no moral authority to do so, just economic authority. And that becomes harder to ethically stomach.
I’m fine with your position of not spending American resources in the name of “freedom” for others. Just don’t have your country using that as an excuse when it feels it’s economic interests are in a jam. Failing to protect the freedom or basic human security of people in need I think voids the US’s right to intervene as the “world’s police” when it sees fit.
It’s like a cop that turns his eye on one crime but will enforce the law in another case if his paycheque is threatened. It’s unethical. The cop should either enforce the law, or surrender his authority completely.
The US rarely if ever does things for “other peoples’ freedom”, in almost every case these military adventures have been pursuits of US interests.
How do you know the majority of them want to join the EU? Those that do are better organized and willing to sacrifice their lives but that doesn’t mean it’s the silent majority.
the EU does not need ukraine, on the other hand the ukraine need the EU