Ukraine: non-military aspects (August 2014-December 2015)
Moderators Note
On reflection I have:
- Closed the existing main Ukraine (catch all) thread (1991 replies and 99k views) and that on the shooting down of MH17 over the Ukraine
- Create two threads for current matters
- First the fighting and military aspects -
- Secondly the wider non-military context (diplomacy, politicis, economics etc), so includes MH17 matters - this thread
- The Russian Info Ops thread is now in the Europe arena (ends)
http://amsat-uk.org/2014/07/29/delfi...-over-ukraine/
Ukraine: non-military aspects (August 2014 onwards)
Moderators Note
On reflection I have:
- Closed the existing main Ukraine (catch all) thread (1991 replies and 99k views) and that on the shooting down of MH17 over the Ukraine
- Create two threads for current matters
- First the fighting and military aspects -
- Secondly the wider non-military context (diplomacy, politicis, economics etc), so includes MH17 matters - this thread
- The Russian Info Ops thread is now in the Europe arena (ends)
Crimea: Paradise Regained and 'Closed'
Just caught part of the BBC Radio Four programme 'Crossing Continents' and this report by Lucy Ash 'Crimea: Paradise Regained'. It will be a podcast soon and I assume available beyond the UK:http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04b22h3
Quote:
Europe and the US have imposed the toughest sanctions on Russia since the Cold War amid anger over the Kremlin's support for east Ukrainian separatists who stand accused of shooting down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet. But the crisis began further south with Russia's annexation of Crimea in March.
Crimea's idyllic scenery drew Soviet visitors for years - some called it the Communist Cote d'Azur. The collapse of communism did little to dent Russia's appetite for their bit of paradise on the Black Sea along with the thousands of Ukrainian holidaymakers who flocked there each year. But now the Ukrainians are staying away and the Russian government is trying to fill the gap by urging employers in Russia to send staff on subsidised breaks in Crimea. A holiday in the newly annexed peninsula has become every Russian's patriotic duty. For Crossing Continents, Lucy Ash visits Crimean tourist resorts and explores the motives behind Vladimir Putin's fateful decision to reclaim Russia's paradise.
I am sure her last few seconds referred to a plan / suggestion that Sevastapol revert to being a 'closed city' to Westerners and Russians.
A grand bargain with Russia: you what!
Cited in part:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AmericanPride
Some ideas on
inducing cooperation from Russia: dissolve NATO, a new Marshall Plan for countries of the former USSR, the most critical players of all: Russian citizens and companies. This could include reducing the existing visa barriers between Russia and the EU and, in the longer term, lessening the restrictions on working abroad..the West could radically shift the focus of its cooperation with Russia to the Pacific.
This is neither a bargain for the West's relations with Russia or the electorates in the West. It is crazy.
Many here were critics of NATO long before the Crimea / Ukraine crisis. It makes no sense for NATO members. As for yet more money etc for the former USSR, I suspect that includes Russia itself. Do the authors not realise the electorate let alone the bankers have a very different view?
Then there's their view that the most critical players include Russian citizens. Really? We as outsiders might wish Russian citizens played a greater role in decision-making, currently they do not and may in fact support Putin's adventures. Enable Russians to work abroad. OK, in the UK and I expect other EU countries that is simply stupid - when unemployment remains a national problem. Have they heard of UKIP?
Finally what does Russia have to offer in the Pacific? Far less than it can offer in Europe and the Middle East.
Putin’s War and the Hitler Thing
Professor John Schindler has a long column 'Putin’s War and the Hitler Thing' and he ends with:
Quote:
What will happen in Ukraine will become clear soon. In the meantime, it is wise to choose proper historical analogies that add to understanding of complex problems, rather than confusing issues further. Above all, it is imperative that educated Westerners, particularly
the postmodern denizens of the WEIRD contingent, understand that things they cannot contemplate because they find them unpalatable or even ridiculous may seem quite plausible to others. What you find utterly unthinkable may prove quite thinkable, even reasonable, to your enemies.
Link:http://20committee.com/2014/08/09/pu...-hitler-thing/