03-14-2014, 09:18 AM
This is such a bad move by Putin.
Russia wants to restore its super power status and Putin, in particular, laments the messy collapse of the Soviet Union. I get that.
But Russia's quick intervention and escalation of the conflict between Crimea and Kiev seems very non-strategic to me -- like an emotional and irrational opportunistic heels-dig. Any positive global nods he got for de-escalating Western tensions with Syria and for hosting the Olympics has been undone as a result, IMO. If he doesn't undig his heels on this one, I think he's all but done in terms of maintaining any legitimacy as a world leader.
Ukraine booted their elected leader for backing off a planed EU agreement and being a Putin-puppet, essentially. Putin lost control and he's pissed. IMO, the way he's handling it paints him as a control-freak hypocritical fool, on the world stage. He's not defending the people of Crimea from persecution or discrimination within the Ukraine -- he's exploiting them in an ill-advised power play, IMO.
China's not gonna fuck themselves over politically and economically, nor go against their non-intervention philosophy, by backing Russia and Putin on this one. The only leader that I've seen support Putin's actions and stance in the Ukranian conflict is Syria's Assad; a meaningless (if not disadvantageous) endorsement at this time.
Anyway, hoping Putin heeds Merkel's warnings and offers to back off doing exactly what it is that Russia and China ally against the West over -- intervening in foreign conflicts. It's in everybody's best interest (especially Putin's) for him to engage in attempts for a diplomatic solution.
Russia wants to restore its super power status and Putin, in particular, laments the messy collapse of the Soviet Union. I get that.
But Russia's quick intervention and escalation of the conflict between Crimea and Kiev seems very non-strategic to me -- like an emotional and irrational opportunistic heels-dig. Any positive global nods he got for de-escalating Western tensions with Syria and for hosting the Olympics has been undone as a result, IMO. If he doesn't undig his heels on this one, I think he's all but done in terms of maintaining any legitimacy as a world leader.
Ukraine booted their elected leader for backing off a planed EU agreement and being a Putin-puppet, essentially. Putin lost control and he's pissed. IMO, the way he's handling it paints him as a control-freak hypocritical fool, on the world stage. He's not defending the people of Crimea from persecution or discrimination within the Ukraine -- he's exploiting them in an ill-advised power play, IMO.
China's not gonna fuck themselves over politically and economically, nor go against their non-intervention philosophy, by backing Russia and Putin on this one. The only leader that I've seen support Putin's actions and stance in the Ukranian conflict is Syria's Assad; a meaningless (if not disadvantageous) endorsement at this time.
Anyway, hoping Putin heeds Merkel's warnings and offers to back off doing exactly what it is that Russia and China ally against the West over -- intervening in foreign conflicts. It's in everybody's best interest (especially Putin's) for him to engage in attempts for a diplomatic solution.