Ukraine

No, not now it doesn't. But in a few years when they become more emboldened and then encourage another large nation to join them...then we are in for a doozy.

We've seen it all before.

Georgia leads to Ukraine. Ukraine can lead quickly to Moldova. Moldova and Ukraine could lead to Poland or Romania and Bulgaria. Then Russia has the Black Sea. Then Turkey is next.
 
Because they like their lifestyles.

Right? For the same reasons we "should." It affects them more than it does us. Just because we're the most powerful country in the world doesn't mean Ukraine, and others like it, are necessarily vital.
 
Because they like their lifestyles.

They also like to stay warm in the Winter….

And which of those countries would be able to do what you envision them doing?

Why not just look to Russia for their support, assistance, allegiance? And tell us to bugger-off?
 
They also like to stay warm in the Winter….

And which of those countries would be able to do what you envision them doing?

Why not just look to Russia for their support, assistance, allegiance?

Because no one likes Russia.
 
Because no one likes Russia.

Oh, I think a few of those would whore themselves out to Putin if it means they get natural gas and his tanks aren't rolling all through the streets.

Particularly if they know the USA has gone all isolationist.

US influence will be ****. And Russia just keeps moving chess pieces and picking up financial benefits as they go.
 
Oh, I think a few of those would whore themselves out to Putin if it means they get natural gas and his tanks aren't rolling all through the streets.

Particularly if they know the USA has gone all isolationist.

US influence will be ****. And Russia just keeps moving chess pieces and picking up financial benefits as they go.

We'll see, I guess.

What about my Putin suggestion?
 
Depends on who is next in line. If Putin rolls Ukraine, I could see a few black-ops like that being authorized.

If Putin wasn't such a egomaniac, we wouldn't be were we are even with the paltry Obama foreign-policy.

And Putin can do what he does while he's got the natural gas card.
 
Speaking of natural gas, I think this is what the President can do:

[video=youtube;QSo0duY7-9s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSo0duY7-9s#t=81[/video]
 
BBC: What is so dangerous about Crimea?

An interesting read for those unfamiliar or a little rusty on the region.

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From WaPo:

[Obama] called on Putin to pull Russian forces, now reportedly spread across Crimea, back to their bases in the autonomous Ukrainian region, the White House said, and made clear that Russian refusal would “impact Russia’s standing in the international community,” and would lead to suspension of U.S. participation in planning for the upcoming G8 summit in Sochi scheduled for June, and “greater political and economic isolation” for Russia.

Putin gave little ground, according to a Kremlin account of the telephone conversation. Calling the Ukraine situation “extraordinary,” he charged that Ukrainian “ultranationalists,” supported by the U.S.-backed government in Kiev, were threatening “the lives and health of Russian citizens” in Crimea.
 
Russia is practiced in the Machiavellian tactic of securing Russian "colonies" within these former Soviet satellites. Sure, let the countries break away, but always maintain an excuse to roll back in (i.e., "we've got to go back in to protect our people").
 
From WaPo:

[Obama] called on Putin to pull Russian forces, now reportedly spread across Crimea, back to their bases in the autonomous Ukrainian region, the White House said, and made clear that Russian refusal would “impact Russia’s standing in the international community,” and would lead to suspension of U.S. participation in planning for the upcoming G8 summit in Sochi scheduled for June, and “greater political and economic isolation” for Russia.

Putin gave little ground, according to a Kremlin account of the telephone conversation. Calling the Ukraine situation “extraordinary,” he charged that Ukrainian “ultranationalists,” supported by the U.S.-backed government in Kiev, were threatening “the lives and health of Russian citizens” in Crimea.

I had read that kicking Putin out of the G8 summit was one option. We'll see if that has any impact.
 
We've seen it all before.

Georgia leads to Ukraine. Ukraine can lead quickly to Moldova. Moldova and Ukraine could lead to Poland or Romania and Bulgaria. Then Russia has the Black Sea. Then Turkey is next.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is not 1939.

It took Russia two wars and almost two decades to mostly pacify Chechnya. Let's not have them sharpening their knives for Turkey, for goodness' sake.
 
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is not 1939.

It took Russia two wars and almost two decades to mostly pacify Chechnya. Let's not have them sharpening their knives for Turkey, for goodness' sake.

If they hadn't already effectively taken care of Georgia, I would agree with you.

And if we weren't doing things in Moldova (which indicates some concern on our government's part), I would agree with you.

And if Putin hadn't used Russian natural gas as a weapon as openly as he has I would agree with you.
 
So what do we do? I don't think anyone here is saying we should go to war over the Ukraine are they? What can Obama do other than make pretty much impotent threats or promise Putin something else in return for playing nice. Not gonna work. What if W was still president, can anyone say things would be any different? I will say this, if for some reason Putin turned out to have one of those "accidents" you guys mentioned earlier it would be hard for them to not blame the Ukranians wouldn't it???
 
And these:

1. Begin full-scale diplomacy with the new Ukrainian leadership. Very public, very open, very clear on principles.

2. Revisit and strengthen the cooperative language of the 2008 agreement.

3. Place US troops in Poland on high alert. Don't move them though to the Poland/Ukraine border.

4. Constant multi-channel communications with Putin and the Russian government.

5. Strengthen our strong relations with Turkey.

6. Russia's leverage is in great part due to natural gas. And European countries are very vulnerable. Promoting any Western or other alternatives that can't be as easily manipulated/controlled by another country should have a heightened priority.

7. Continue to help develop Moldova. Oh yes, we are there.
 
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