But do we want to antagonize them any further? Or is the principle of Ukrainian sovereignty, along with holding Vladdie in check, worth the risk?
It's an untenable and unpredictable situation. It's clear now that Putin's word is worthless. He's a lying sack of excrement. And as things stand now in Europe, he can continue to expand with relative impunity. I don't think he'll march into former Soviet states and take them over completely, but he'll nibble chunks of former CCCP turf where russians have established a foothold. Reminiscent of 1930s Europe, with a different timescale? I don't know....maybe.
As a result, I don't think that there's much we can do about Crimea, but I think that we need to check his future ambitions by taking away his leverage. Over time, without clear and overt provocation, we need to strengthen our military presence in former soviet states like Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova, etc....considering what's happening in Ukraine, they will be open to it....and we probably need to help wean Europe from Russian energy sources.
My 2 cents...but what do I know anyway?
Al |
