ends the left’s daydream
Steve Huntley March 17, 2014 5:26PM
Updated: March 18, 2014 2:13AM
Alot of talk from Washington and Western European capitals about the Ukrainian crisis complained that Russia’s Vladimir Putin is some kind of throwback to the 20th or 19th century, as if he could be shamed into conforming to new 21st century norms of international conduct.
The American left has been particularly enthralled with a new age, one world mythology since the election of President Barack Obama. Most of the globe’s problems, in this view, stemmed from the disruptive, embarrassing cowboy antics of George W. Bush. To the liberal mindset, Bush did make the United States something of a great Satan.
Putin’s invasion of Crimea and the sham vote there to be annexed to Russia constituted the nail in the coffin in that wishful thinking. Gone is the notorious “reset” with Moscow, back is the Cold War-like reality of East-West confrontation.
Critics of Obama charge the weakness he projects on the world stage made possible Putin’s bad behavior. More out-of-touch thinking: If only we had a stronger president, all would be well in Ukraine today.
What the Ukrainian crisis proves is that nothing has changed in human nature or the affairs of nations in the 21st century. Evil-minded individuals ruling great nations will still abuse neighboring states, even to the brink of war. Strategic interests, expansionist dreams, national pride, the pull of clan, and suspicion and fear of the other will always influence world events. There will be a Putin in the next century, and a Crimea-like crisis in the one after that.
Putin saw recent events in Kiev as the Ukraine drifting into the orbit of Western democracies. Given the historic and cultural ties between Ukraine and Russia, that was simply unacceptable to him and his vision of reversing what he sees as the calamity of the collapse of the Soviet Union by creating a greater Russia.
The overthrow of the democratically elected, and pro-Russian, president in Kiev, combined with the 1999 precedent of America enabling Kosovo to break away from Serbia provided Putin a fig-leaf pretext to seize Crimea, where ethnic Russians are a majority and which was in fact a part of Russia until 1964.
While Obama’s record of weakness didn’t lead to the Ukrainian crisis, it must be reversed to discourage any Putin ambitions beyond Crimea. No more drawing red lines Obama has no intention of enforcing. No more declarations like the one two years ago that Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad “must go.” No more breast-beating like saying the murderers of the U.S. ambassador in Libya will be brought to justice when the White House has no actual agenda to do it. No more leading from behind.
Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as de facto head of the European Union, have imposed sanctions on members of Putin’s inner circle and have more in their pocket if Putin carries out his threat to annex Crimea or do more in the vein of Sunday’s seizure of a gas facility in eastern Ukraine.
The recognition of the old realities of the world will require serious policy decisions and reconsiderations in Washington and Europe. Obama’s choice, a sop to Russia, to abandon a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic obviously was a bad one. So was his decision, announced only weeks ago, to cut U.S. defense spending. So, too, is a French project, reported by National Review, to build two helicopter-carrying ships for Russia. Also out of date is the habit of our NATO allies to freeload on U.S. defense spending.
The only good thing to be said for Putin is that he has shocked the West out of its new age daydream.
Hillary's been quiet on Putin as she stumps for her 2016 run. Gee, I wonder why?
Of course, the sycophant 99 percent liberal media never asks Hillary about this crisis as she stumps for 2016.
Annoy the media - VOTE REPUBLICAN!!!!!!!.
This November - Si se puede!!!
We know when Dear Leader gives one of his world famous teleprompter reading to his adoring cult members that Tyrants, Terrorist, Criminals and Dictators around the world bellies shake and eyes water at the display of his reading ability, insight and grateful prancing and gliding around the stage.
Never have we had a President like Dear Leader that the world respects, likes, trust and friends adore and foes fear...we are so lucky to have a President with his ghetto organizing qualifications....... He really is....THE ONE the world has been waiting on ..He is the change we seek!
Dear Leader is transforming American into a welfare paradise and next he will transform the world!
Our Dear Leader can outthink, and outperform Putin even while playing golf, vacationing, smoking dope or scoring coke!
His cup runneth over.
Referring to how Russia’s actions have raised serious questions about its intentions in the region, the President said, “These actions have substantially damaged Russia’s standing in the world. And these actions jeopardize Russians’ relations — Russia’s relations with the United States and Europe. It is time for Russia to be true to its word and to act to end this crisis.”
NBC News reported that, while waiting for the results of a European Union initiative, the administration and its allies are debating ways to punish Russia for its invasion, including expelling Moscow from an exclusive club of wealthy nations and canceling an upcoming joint NATO-Russia military exercise and that the President “and his top aides are engaged in urgent consultations with European and other nations over how best to demonstrate their fierce condemnation of the Russian operation.”
NBC also reported that “In the medium term, the United States and its partners in the Group of Seven, or G-7, the club of the world’s leading industrialized nations that also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, are debating whether to effectively disband what is known as the G-8, which incorporates Russia, by throwing Moscow out, the officials said.” Officials also said, “Russia’s pending membership in the World Trade Organization might also be affected.” However, “[t]he officials spoke on condition of anonymity because no decisions have yet been made and consultations with other countries involved were still under way.”
On Special Report, Charles Krauthammer explains that when the president says that the United States will stand with the international community he really means that “we are going to negotiate with a dozen other countries who will water down the statement” and that when the president affirms that there will be costs: “meaning in making a statement not even imposing a cost, but in making a statement about imposing a cost — for any military intervention” — whatever that means.
“What [the president is] saying is we’re not really going to do anything and we’re telling the world,” Krauthammer says.
At this point I have to disclose that the president making the remarks, above, about the Russian invasion is not President Obama but rather President Bush in August 2008, during the Russian invasion of Georgia.
http://themoderatevoice.com/192167/ukraine-what-a-difference-partisanship-makes/
Yea. Thats going to get them to change their mind.
Bush flew battle tested Georgian troops in Afghanistan back to Georgia.
Bush sent naval units to the region and flew humanitarian missions over Georgia as Russia invaded..
As a result, Russia puled out f Georgia with exception of two very small regions.
Plus, Bush didn't have "reset" button with Russia like Hillary and Obama.
What I do find amusing though is the daydream that Putin is really scared what the US thinks when the right wingers are in power, but not when the left wingers are.
When it is represented by a fake king.