You're the one that needs to get real. Putin isn't suffering, he's celebrating. The condemnation has been weak and he has totally ignored it. And since Obama successfully e-credentialed Putin as a player in the Syria and Iran crisis Putin can now use that leverage to tell us to shut up. He's threatening to play the 'Iran' card. You ask what did Obama do to create this; and answer nothing. You're wrong. Obama failed is his assessment of Putin's priorities; and what Putin was willing to do to achieve those priorities. Obama failed to ask for anything in return when he canceled Eastern Europe missile systems in 2009 and 2013. Putin noticed Obama was willing to leave Poland in a lurch. Would Obama care about other states in the region? Not really. Specifically, Obama did nothing in 5 years of being President to give Putin any reason not to take Crimea. I'm watching and learning; but you're Obama-man-crush has either made you blind or learning challenged. This is over, done, fait accompli, stick a fork in Crimea. Your attempts at rationalizing away the importance of what happened are as weak as BHO's foreign policy. This was way to easy for Putin. Where is the next Russian population needing saving? Where is the next uprising? The Balkans? Well at least the world has never had any terrible wars start over European border disputes. Right? And you're saying we are back in a Cold War? 5 years after the reset we're back to the 80's? President Obama's Russian Reset idea was an idea with merit, but the proof is in the execution. And they failed; just like Obama-care only with more lives at stake. The guy is so out of his league. Should have stayed a community organizer for small non aggressive communities who don't want to add neighborhoods.
Russia will pay a small price in prestige and money for a year or so and then it will go away and business as usual will return. It's like buying Maryland for a couple of billion dollars and some bad pub.
All of the pressure is on Putin, it is obviously to everyone that is paying attention. Putin is no player in Syria, there is a fucking Civil War going on with his Syrian ally and he is unable to do anything about it. An it is obvious that Putin has no more interest in Iran getting the Bomb than we do. Iran is right on his border and influences his own restive Islamic population. Eliminating the threat of Iranian nuclear missiles is all that will keep US anti-missile defense out of Eastern Europe. The most important military consideration that Vladimir overlooked in his annexation of Crimea is how it would bolster the resolve of western nations to maintain their defenses. At a crucial moment in deliberations over the future of the U.S. nuclear force, Putin has reminded Washington that Moscow’s future behavior toward its neighbors cannot be predicted. NATO is already talking about redeployment and reassessment of new threats. The G-7 is getting ready to boot Russia and more economic pressure is coming. Russia has 8% of the US/EU GDP. Russia cannot afford another arms race with NATO. That was what broke the back of the Soviets. Putin is going to have a long-term headache from his short term frolic. What nonsense. He got Russia to support efforts to prevent Iran from going nuclear. We haven't left Poland. Poland is a member of NATO and a secure US ally with US forces stationed there. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Ukraine is not part of NATO. We have no right or strategic need to draw any lines over Crimea. We object when the Russians go over the line, they object when we do. Russia has never sat around and fretted over US objections when going off on misadventures in Afghanistan (versus Reagan), Chechnya (versus Clinton), or Georgia (versus Bush). Obama cannot control Putin's megalomania. No one can. Go fuck yourself if you just want to toss insults. People are trying to make valid points here. Sorry if they bother you.
Who said it has to be an arms race? Quite frankly, Russia has the "arms" that matter, nukes and has invested in one of the most advanced air defense systems in the world. I am continuously amazed at how people think Putin didn't think this through. Putin has years of trends to look at and has determined exactly what he can get away with. He knows not a single country or combination of country's will do anything of "meaning" to Russia. Further, only a fool would think Russia can't in fact counter with as much weight as the West puts down. It is true though, that the WEST has more they "could" do to hurt Russia, but in the end the West will simply give Russia a slap instead of a kick in the dick, which is needed.
What pressure are you talking about? Be specific as you like to say. What price is he paying that makes grabbing the Crimea not a great deal for him? How can you say Putin isn't a player in Syria? He absolutely is doing something about the civil war. Whose weapons do you think Assad is using? Obama got Putin to help keep Iran Non-nuclear; really? Are you sure Putin didn't get us to eliminate substantial economic sanctions up front for a nuclear weapon IOU due from Iran in 6 months? And now Russian cooperation in helping to collect that IOU has become a pawn in the Crimea chessboard. That must be a coincidence because if Obama couldn't see that coming how could Putin? And I don't understand, if Putin is so wary of Iran going nuclear why did Obama have to do the 'reset thing' to get them involved? Wouldn't they be doing the US 'Reset' and looking to us to help them? You did read that in 2009 we gave up the SM3IIb in Europe which was the only defense system that could have protected us from a Iranian ICBM missile? Putin really really didn't like the missiles that could stop his ICBMs being that close but the Administration denies a linkage. Regardless, Putin no longer needs to fear our ICBM anti-missile defenses being deployed. You can't seriously believe we will be able to get that project going again anytime soon? Why would any East Europe country trust us enough to put up with a decade of shit from Russia trying to stop the missiles while they are being built? And absolutely not this administration as this is not a 'Lead from Behind' opportunity. And that wasn't an insult it was an observation. I've never seen you critical of any Obama foreign policy action. Nuclear weapons are being stopped in Iran, Obama's Mid East policy has strengthened our relationship with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel; Obama led the way in Libia; and Russia is in real trouble now. I've seen you vigorously defend all of those points, all of that matches perfectly with White House press releases but falls short of reality. Valid points don't bother me. Go ahead and make one.
I gave you three paragraphs of things in my last post. Be patient. Putin made an error in judgement that will cost him in the long run. HWR knows what he is talking about and he is a big fan of Putin, for some goddamn reason. Russian weapons, most of which were acquired long before Putin. The point you missed is that Syria is in its fourth year of civil war that Putin can't influence. His ally is in trouble, not ours. Nothing but rhetoric so far. You will not see Putin coming down on the side of Iran. He may not support us, in retaliation for the measures that are coming. But he has a very good reason not to favor an iranian nuclear capability. They do have missiles capable of hitting Russia and he fears that former Soviet Islamic republics might ally with a nuclear Iran. What Iranian ICBM? They haven't got one! And they haven't got a nuke to put on one either. The missile defense system was always something that Bush did to annoy Putin. It was always a bargaining chip that could be given up in negotiations. Why else did Bush and Obama dawdle for ten years? The European Interceptor system that Bush proposed was never a real threat to Russia. It was too small (10 silos) and could be easily overwhelmed by the numbers that Russia could bring against it. It was also a sitting duck for a preemptive attack as all fixed installations are. And its not like we just threw it away. It was immediately replaced by missile defense based on US warships in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, The Baltic and the North Sea. Mobile. More difficult targets. These missiles can even take down low-flying satellites. They aren't a plan, they are operational. And Putin can't do anything about them. They trust us a great deal more than they trust Russia! Poland and Czechoslovakia just wanted to get Americans on the ground as a deterrent. That can and is being done anyway. A lot cheaper than 10 expensive missiles that countered no Iranian threats and only made the Russian feel threatened. But, yes we would use it as a bargaining chip again is need be. We know how much the Russians hate the idea. Well, in that case, I'll continue trying to convince you, even though you are a lunatic peabrain with acne and a tiny dick, probably from Tuscaloosa. Just an observation. Damn right. I think it is obvious that Obama's foreign policy has been very good all along. You forgot killing bin Ladin and stepping up strikes against al Qaeda in four countries. And ridding Syria of WMD's without firing a shot. And isolating Iran and getting them to the negotiation table. And isolating the mad little fucker in North Korea. Not to mention ending a war in Iraq and soon another in Afghanistan. Supporting Israel without kissing Yahu's ass while pressuring Palestine. All good stuff. Valid points.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/21/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/ Problems mount for Putin . . . 1. Ukraine signs the trade pact with the EU instead of with Russia. 2. Russia announced that sanctions will cost them more to borrow money. 3. France sends forces to the Baltic states to join US forces already there to strengthen their defense. 4. Britain announced planned rounds of sanction if the situation escalates. "Europe is, I think, 25% or so reliant on Russian gas," he said. "But if you look at Gazprom's revenues, something like 50% of them come from Europe. So, you know, Russia needs Europe more than Europe needs Russia."
He hasn't taken a single country yet, just pieces of a country. We are not sitting idly by, either. Now Russian banks have been sanctioned and Putin can no longer get loans from the West. The G-7 is meeting without Russia, who may even get formally expelled. It is not business as usual. What do you propose that we do? Be specific.
