Quote Originally Posted by AmericanPride View Post
Crimea is the 4th time since the end of the Cold War that Russia exploited ethnic ruptures for political gain.
And guided by the boiling frog premise will continue.

And how would that have been accomplished? The emasculation of Germany in World War I led to World War II. Arguably, the emasculation of post-Soviet Russia is leading to this confrontation.
No... nice try though.

On the one hand, you are saying that Russia is a third-rate power and needs to be punished. But on the hand, you are saying it is a threat to world peace and harmony. Which is it?
Yes Russia is a third rate power but is prepared to use its thrid rate military against those who are either unable or unwilling to confront them.

Germany have always been incompetent when it comes to major strategic decisions. This time it is the decision - based on economic greed - to trust the supposed mutual interdependence between the two states as the basis of stability. Now dependence on gas imports and trade and the 350,000 German jobs related to that makes the pain of fixing that mistake too much for the now 'fat and soft' Germans to bear.