[TexaninVA]

The situation in Ukraine is volatile, complicated and very bothersome. It's also potentially very dangerous depending on how it unfolds.

From victory in the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1989 ... we've now come to a resurgent Russia that is armed to the teeth and now being led by a hard core nationalist ... Vladimir Putin. He is a former KGB officer and his personal net worth last time I checked was about $20 Billion US.

In the meantime, I will make two assertions .... if your adversary or enemy does not respect you, he likely does not fear you, and will thus take risky actoins to maximize his gain. In short, in the world of foreign policy, weakness mixed with empty words, is actually quite provocative.

My second point is that military power with the right leadership, when all is said and done, is still crucial in the game of realpolitck ... whether we like it or not.

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by TexaninVA

The situation in Ukraine is volatile, complicated and very bothersome. It's also potentially very dangerous depending on how it unfolds.

From victory in the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1989 ... we've now come to a resurgent Russia that is armed to the teeth and now being led by a hard core nationalist ... Vladimir Putin. He is a former KGB officer and his personal net worth last time I checked was about $20 Billion US.

In the meantime, I will make two assertions .... if your adversary or enemy does not respect you, he likely does not fear you, and will thus take risky actoins to maximize his gain. In short, in the world of foreign policy, weakness mixed with empty words, is actually quite provocative.

My second point is that military power with the right leadership, when all is said and done, is still crucial in the game of realpolitck ... whether we like it or not.

Putin is smart and aggressive. He has carefully assessed the strength and willingness of any opposition to fight him and made his move.

[ilovetv]

As I heard in an interview last night with Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), Chairman of the House�s Select Committee on Intelligence:

�I think Putin is playing chess and I think we�re playing marbles."

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by ilovetv

As I heard in an interview last night with Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), Chairman of the House�s Select Committee on Intelligence:

�I think Putin is playing chess and I think we�re playing marbles."

That's interesting. The UN even without its really having much in the way of teeth-- except peace keeping forces, public opinion, boycotts and the like-- should handle this problem with the US as one of the countries involved. Just one of many. If Putin is playing chess, then we go to a game of defensive football with the best of what the rest of the world has to offer.

[Bucco]

This is a very tense situation. I think, as of now, we are doing what we can do.

Honestly at night I find myself in awe at the entire world. Just add Ukraine to Syria which continues unabated and the pictures make you cry, Iran, which ignores world agreements, Libya where armed rioters stormed parliament, Bosnia where protests and demonstrations continue and Venzuela which is full of protests.

It really puts things in context, for me anyway, in this country what we worry and stress about. Children are shot down and killed in Libya by the hundreds.

Prayers to all leaders of the world to do, say, and be the right thing.

[pivo]

First I am very patriotic as a vet but I think if we had a leader
in our country like Putin, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in now.

Putin is worth 20 million nothing to what the Clintons are worth.

[samhass]

So..what would you have our government do to prove our strength? Would you have us go to war with Russia?

[billethkid]

we have advertised what we can, cannot do military wise with all the recent speeches about budget cuts.
We have demonstrated time and again what we will not do, to this point, no matter the offense against us.

What I would have us do is not get involved in those countries where we do not have American assets of any kind invested.

I would make sure the priority is for America to not project weakness because of financial constraints. To our enemies it is good news. To we the people it just makes us wonder how we can be spending billions on other programs and projects that have nothing to do with the safety and security of the country.

With the likes of China and Russia doing just the opposite there should be more than just a budgetary concern mentality among our lawmakers.

The world now knows the USA is positioning itself to give up it's position of military dominance. The world now knows the USA can only handle one major skirmish at a time. Those who would harm us before they knew this can only be encouraged to bide their time....which they are better at than we are.....and when we are busy else where in the world....they can do anything they want anywhere they want including here at home.

Where is the deterrence in a weakened, emasculated military? There is none.

We are fast becoming a paper tiger......no growl....no teeth.....but we will send a shame on you note to our adversaries.

Will our allies still be as loyal when they know we cannot respond?

[TexaninVA]

Originally Posted by samhass

So..what would you have our government do to prove our strength? Would you have us go to war with Russia?

It's not a question of proving our strength now ...ie while we're in a crisis, it's too late for that when our weakness is painfully obvious to everyone in the world. Plus, no one wants a war with Russia for a lot of obvious reasons.

The real tragedy is our leadership let us get here in the first place. At some point, someone has to be held accountable. When a leader draws red lines, does nothing when they're crossed and then goes on to the next issue as if it had never happened, it tells the serious bad guys in the world (Putin, Iran, NK, etc) we are not to be feared. Is anyone surprised by this??

Deterrence is all about making the other guy think that you will actually do something harmful to him if he crosses the line thus incentivizing him not to. That's my primary point ... weakness, drift and indecision at the senior most levels of the USG is highly provocative. historically, that is how wars get started ... not prevented.

It's really somewhat counterintuitive ... peace through strength. That includes a strong leader at the top and one who's backed by a military second to none. We are no longer in that safer and more secure situation unfortunately.

[Bucco]

Originally Posted by samhass

So..what would you have our government do to prove our strength? Would you have us go to war with Russia?

I do not think anyone at all....thinks that in anyway shape or form. Not sure why that rhetoric is even in play.

What is being said, from my perspective is....for example....

IRAN

We touted our skill in negotiating a pact with them, and dropped the sanctions. Very proud we were.

"Iran is moving ahead with a nuclear program that U.S. officials said would be frozen, and it is now clear the USA and other world powers are willing to accept an Iranian enrichment program that Iran refuses to abandon, say analysts.

Iran has continued research and development on new, far more efficient machines for producing uranium fuel that could power reactors or bombs, and its stockpile of low enriched uranium has actually grown, according to a report by Institute for Science and International Security."

Iran advancing its nuclear program despite pact with West

This is what Iran said when that pact was put together..

""Do you know what the Geneva agreement means? It means the surrender of the big powers before the great Iranian nation," Hassan Rouhani told a crowd in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan."

Iran calls nuclear pact a Western 'surrender'

SYRIA

We acceeded to Russia on an agreement on Syria. Retired ambassador Robert Ford to Syria, recently retired...a smatter of his recent remarks.

"The US threat of a military strike last year resulted in a chemical weapons agreement because Syria and its Russian backer believed the US meant it. Ford warned that such credibility could be easily squandered if the US threatened military involvement again without being willing to follow through – whatever the unpredictable end."

US Ambassador Ford on what's gone wrong in Syria and where it's headed - CSMonitor.com

Again, we made an agreement but agreements require both sides to do what they gotta do.

NO...I do not think that anyone expects this country to wage any war. I think the frustration is watching agreement after agreement be a one way deal. I think what you are hearing is frustration.

I think our administration is doing all it can do with this current situation in Ukraine. I surely want no more strong threats......hoping we can get UN on board, but that is totally fruitless as Russia has veto on any resolution !!

[Taltarzac725]

Threat of sanctions escalates in Russia-Ukraine dispute - Doug Palmer and Eric Bradner - POLITICO.com

Interesting article on what might be done with Russia because of the Ukraine problem.

I do not think we need someone who looks like a thug in the White House, just to be respected.

[Bavarian]

Ukraine was a happy place six years ago when my wife and I were there on a cruise. But in Sevastopol, tour bus guide said no more KGB under bus, take pictures of Russian sub base, etc. The country was leaning toward the EU. But many people on street hostile to us foreigners.

Most of the oil and gas pipelines from Russia to Europe go through Ukraine so EU may be afraid of pushing Russia out.
Seems the Consecration of Russia to The Immaculate Heart of Mary as Mary called for at Fatima was not done.

[Chi-Town]

What did we do when Russia invaded Georgia in 2008? Perhaps that can give some guidance.

[TexaninVA]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Threat of sanctions escalates in Russia-Ukraine dispute - Doug Palmer and Eric Bradner - POLITICO.com

Interesting article on what might be done with Russia because of the Ukraine problem.

I do not think we need someone who looks like a thug in the White House, just to be respected.

What are you even talking about??? Who said we need someone who looks like a thug? Not sure where you even got that.

We were talking about having a strong leader ... think Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Reagan etc.

[JourneyOfLife]

Russia's claim of interest is to protect their Naval installation.

The Ukraine entered into a 25 year agreement to allow a Russian Naval Base on their soil.

2010 Kharkiv Pact - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That move alarmed Ukrainians early in Yanukovych first term.

I think the last straw was that latest deal between Yanukovych and Putin to distanced the Ukraine from the EU for some bailout money, was seen as the first step of the Ukraine being sucked into the Eurasian Economic Union led by Russia.

Eurasian Union - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plus, in true Post Soviet style of political reign, Yanukovych made himself rich on the spoils of his office... while the country was collapsing economically.


That former president did a number on the Ukraine.