Ukraine

Then what, exactly, is Putin trying to do? His actions have never shown him to be a man given to warm fuzzies and kitten hugging. He's an aggressor at heart infatuated with a Russia that used to be.

King of Loss wrote: He's just trying to rebuilt the lost empire and reclaim the "southern part of his empire". Also to protect his Western borders from NATO.

Ukrainian army on full alert as Kiev admits east is now beyond control. Russian invasion a very real possibility..

RT article

Edited by Blacksword - April 30 2014 at 06:45

They should have held on to their nuclear weapons when the USSR collapsed. The Russians wouldn't have bothered with Crimea had Ukraine remained armed to the teeth.

As it is a Russian invasion looks probable now and a civil war almost a certainty. How this could escalate goes beyond the plot of a disaster movie. All we can hope for is that Washington and Moscow had made an under the table deal before any of this nonsense, to split the country up to give Russian the Crimea back and the EU to take the rest, and that all this sabre rattling and rioting is just a sideshow.

Something tells me this is not a staged crisis though.

The only thing I can say for sure that there are huge amounts of propaganda coming from both sides, and the propaganda works really well. It's somewhat absurd but mostly sad to see how both sides call fascists each other, it simply doesn't make any sense at all. Both sides of conflict are ought to search for some real solution instead of waging the useless informational war, but it seems like they are more busy in putting 'bad guy' labels on their opponents. This strategy literally leads to nowhere.

The fact is also that Eastern Ukraine people are making the mutiny themselves, and it's a matter of geopolitics. If Russian troops or intelligence forces are engaged in Ukraine, they're still having not much influence on local people. It's like the October Revolution in 1917: it was not Vladimir Lenin who did it but it were people.

So everything Ukraine or Russia or Europe or USA did is simply wouldn't help to stop the mutiny. When local people are taking over the government buildings, it's not the question of diplomacy anymore. Any discussions between presidents and chancellors are simply useless, it all will not stop the violence. And only the dialogue with those people would be useful.

Edited by ole-the-first - May 01 2014 at 12:53

There is already a kind of a civil war. Both sides want everything their way, and both sides view each other as criminals. Any wider-scale armed conflict would mean that the war's winner is getting all and other side gets nothing. Sice most of the people in Eastern Ukraine support the mutiny and some of the Ukrainian forces are quite openly renegading onto protesters' side, the results of possible war are quite unpredictable. And anyway, the outcome of that that possible war would be the oppression of people, no matter who wins.

Crimea is a closed case by now, and it is lost by Ukraine. But on the other hand, I don't trust Crimean prople's enthusiasm in joining with Russia. I wouldn't doubt that 90 percent of them wanted it now, but I also believe that it was a kind of a temporary mass hysteria. Twenty years ago, a lot of nationalists wanted Crimea to be independent from Russia, and now, the pendulum has swung into other direction.

So if Crimean's life won't get better in following years (and I am sure it won't), pro-Russian positions on Crimea are going to lower (and who knows, maybe new pro-Ukrainian separatist movement would appear).

King of Loss wrote: Svetonio wrote: King of Loss wrote: Svetonio wrote: King of Loss wrote: America would start resembling Putin's Russia if we got rid of our social safety net. I mean, America is a lot wealthier than Russia, but if you looked at the wealth gap in a city, for example New York, it's quite ridiculous! Might be worse than Russia.... Do you agree that London and Washington have to launch a reverse process in Russia, quite opposite than they did at the time of "shock therapy"? I mean, if you strongly support Zyuganov, because he wouldcertainly break up that alliance with Merkel's Germany ("E.U."). This, in my humble opinion, can be only good for London and Washigton; breaking Berlin - Moscow alliance now with supporting Zyuganov, It will cost much cheaper now than later, when so many bad things are gonna be evolved; e.g. if Scotland declares independence in September 2014, then Scotland will soon be in a happy alliance with Berlin and Moscow  -  for sure.   No, Washington likes neoliberal government quite a lot. It benefits the bankers who rules America by proxy in New York and in London. A couple of my relatives work in the City and Wall Street, so they would know about that.  Putin is a huge threat to their monetary domination of the world, but also to the national interests of the US and the UK. He's a serious threat to their domination of the world's affairs since the end of World War 2.  Yes, I understand ... Bankers from Wall Street will be hardcore fans of the "former" KGB colonel Putin until he demands that America pays his crude oil in euros, rather than dollars. In this case, the U.S. economy will falling,while at the same time, German  ("E.U.")  economy will growing rapidly. And Putin can to do this, and he will do it. But, the bankers on Wall Street do not want to see beyond their own noses, they do not want to see that non-officialbut firm alliance between "E.U." and Kremlin as a real threat to them, the U.S. economy and, finally, to people in U.S.The Wall Street is afraid that Zyuganov is willing to nationalize a number of U.S. corporations in Russia. Of course, Zyuganov can do it, regarding his ideology and his campaign promises.  But, if Zyuganov will continue to simply recognizes petro dollar, then Zyuganov is much less threat than Putin and his new allies in "E.U."; becauseZyuganov actually won't to have an ally in Merkel's Germany ("E.U.") as Putin alredy has as well. As I said, Putin can ( I think he will ) tell you to pay that crude oil in euros. Merkel will be silent and snigger. Is not itcheaper without the currency markets? For trade is a necessary a lower cost euro, in a long-term perspective - that is expensive €. Then they receive a bonus in "E.U", their rates will go up, energy prices will fall, if / when Putin will tell you to pay off the crude oil, metals and other raw materials - in euros. But for American consumers that will be a disaster. Gasoline will rise from a 3.50 to 4 dollars at 4.50 to 5 dollars a gallon (3.78 liters). Due to fact that Wall Street is still to push Putin and his new friend ( "E.U".), one can say that the bankers from Wall Street don't have a capacity for leadership to recognize that the alliance of  "E.U." and Russiaholds all the cards in their hands.  So, if they introduce such measures, whether it will be possible to return back? Will it be the beginning of the end ofpetro dollars? Iran announces stronger economic ties with "E.U." and isn't that says something?   Last but not least, what if e.g. Saudi Arabia also decided to go in alliance with Russia and "E.U.", and to receiveeuros, Juan, rupees, whatever, but no dollar?  Most people don't realize this, but the EU was founded by a bunch of secret Nazis and now they're dominating all of the nations of the European Union. 75% of all laws that European Union members follow are made in Brussels, but the reality is most of these laws are vetted by the German industrialists and their banker friends in Frankfurt. I don't see the petrodollar lasting for too long. The US can no longer be the dominant power in the world with all of these great powers emerging.

^^^ The idea of a global currency was discussed at the 2009 G20 summit, and was published online in their minutes of that meeting. It's not a fait accompli though.

There's too much global resistence to it from those who hold on to the idea of nation states, rather than a global community.

ole-the-first wrote: After the Ukrainian crisis, Putin's popularity in Russia has grown a lot. That all seems catastrophic to me. After 30 minutes spent outdoors I met a few people who wear T-shirts with Putin and even Medvedev's photos printed. I've never seen before anybody with Putin T'shirt on him. That reminds me a lot of Wag the Dog, a political satire movie. It's a shame that so much people got caught in patriotic psychosis. Because Putin is not a figure to honour. He is an oppressor who holds a bunch of brainless thieves at the State Duma who are writing more and more idiotic and oppressive laws each week. Education is gettin worse and worse, most of the young people barely have any education at all (don't know what they're learning at school, but frighteningly lot of people here even believe that Sun revolves around Earth).