guanotwozero
Posts: 651
Joined: 12/27/2013
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quote:
ORIGINAL: NakedWeasel
OK, I see your point.
However, I will point out a few things that cannot be overlooked.
1. This is Russian territory. Always has been, probably always will be. And regardless, the West certainly has no claim to it, nor would I want any part of it. Texas is plenty big enough for me.
Nope - it's currently part of Ukraine, not Russia, as recognised by the UN, multi-lateral agreements, and international law.
Until 1944 its majority population was Tatar, not Russian, and had been for centuries. Stalin then deported almost the entire Tatar population to the east, and about half of them died. Only since that time did large numbers of ethnic Russians move in, forming a new majority. Since 1991 Tatars having been returning, but have found it difficult to do so and still only make up about 12% of the population. The current balance includes about 58% ethnic Russians - a majority, but not a large one. Any act of self determination must be free and fair, must allow all refugees to return and participate, and it's simply invalid to claim that ALL ethnic Russians there favour changing sovereignty. That's the point of freely debating, campaigning, and persuading as it's about ideas and choices, not simply an ethnic headcount.
All of that is completely different than any claim that it belongs to "the West", as I'm unaware of any Western country making claims on the territory. This is simply about objecting to what amounts to an invasion, dressed up as something it isn't.
quote:
2. This can be resolved peacefully. The Russians did storm in like a bunch of jack-booted Nazi thugs, (or like Russians...) and tried to take the whole thing at the point of a gun....
I agree. The first steps must surely be the withdrawal of all Russian forces, Moscow's recognition of the new Kiev administration with a normalising of relations, and eventually an internationally-accepted process which could lead to a referendum. Of course face-saving will matter, so likely international monitors in Crimea *including* Russians will feature. That way they can still claim they're looking out for ethnic Russians.
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3. The cynic in me is a firm believer in the power of money, and there's more money for everyone to make if they can use this event to restart the Cold War, in a more stable, less nukery kind of way....
You don't need to be a cynic, just a realist. Any money to be made by military-industrial complexes by creating barriers and tension is vastly dwarfed by the trade revenue generated by stable, free, prosperous societies. Look at most of Europe since the Cold War, where defence spending has dropped. While not without problems, they are far more prosperous than before because of the lack of constraints and tension. Military spending should be to safeguard such freedoms, not restrict them.
IMO this crisis is really only about one man; everything else is a symptom.
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RE: Ukraine 2014 - 
) and saw all of NATO's finest military kit on display on a a daily basis. 
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