http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-07-20-07-04-44 The downing on MH17 and resultant actions by the rebels shows that they have no regard for any of the qualities that are part of the civilized world. They spit in the face of anyone who is in their way. I believe this lawlessness is a result of 70+ years of soviet rule and Putin is the expression and impetus of these actions. They are in some ways a greater threat than al Qaida and the militants in the ME. It is important that the rest of the world doesn't allow this to expand or exist. I don't have a solution but we all must realize actions like this CAN NOT STAND. I hope president Obama and the other leaders in congress and the world take a forceful stand and if needed use whatever means require to stop the spread of lawless uncivilized violence.
Putin doesn't give a fuck. His henchmen in Ukraine blow a commercial airliner out of the sky and he denies any and all knowledge or involvement. Asshole.
Not excusing whoever fired the missile but what kind of an idiot chooses to fly its airline's planes over a war zone? A lot of airlines have been avoiding flying over the area since the fighting started but whoever makes those decisions for Malaysia Airlines must think its OK to risk the lives of 300 people if it saves some fuel.
Agree and that is the core of the problem. These people are ruthless criminals and have no limitations on doing what is needed to get what they want. They will push until someone bigger and meaner pushes them down. They have left the realm of civilized relations and anytime they seem to want to play it is a tactic to contain reaction to their aggression and deflect until they are ready to act again. They are dangerous because while they may not be able to stand up to a prolonged battle with the west, they have enough power to make it costly and so far appeasing them has been attractive. They also have nuclear weapons and other WMDs which makes them scary. They seem as if they would have no compunction against using them if they had any shot of surviving the retaliation. Yes Russia is weak economically and on a grand scale militarily but it is run by thugs who only understand power and the ruthless use of it. They think the west is weak willed and doesn't have it in them to really push back. At some point we may have too then it will get ugly. It is time before they have consolidated their power in Ukraine and other "near Russia" territory to push back hard. I would remove the next World Cup, institute much stronger sanctions such as stopping the flow of capital to and from Russia, stopping international air travel to and from Russia, pulling the ambassadors of the G7 from Russia and possibly indict Putin and the rebels for murder. As Red said squeeze them isolate them and see what they do. One point is though I support such hard sanctions they need a back door to get out of the problem with some "face".
Most airlines have not stopped flying over this area until the incident occurred. When a country says it's safe to fly, then airlines fly it. That corridor is one of the busiest in and out of Europe. Anything above FL320 is supposed to be hands off according to the Ukrainians and EASA. Airlines (including American airlines) fly over similar airspace every day around the world. Airlines continued to fly over Afghanistan, even while the US was shelling the hell out of it. http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28364306 Hopefully, 200+ dead Dutch citizens will force the EU to actually do something with some teeth to it...
They were flying higher altitudes though that's pretty much the tell that the airliner was commercial.
They were are 33,000 feet. At 32,000 it was deemed unsafe. Regardless, I would think you should just stay clear of conflict zones. Now terrorist all over the world know that they can shoot civilian plans down if they get these Russian made weapons.
Before I posted I had seen a story somewhere that it had been recommended that airlines avoid flying over that area. Yesterday I saw a story in the newspaper that confirmed that as early as April some agency had made that recommendation and while some airlines heeded it some didn't. After this incident Malaysian Airlines will no longer fly that route but instead will route their flights over Turkey Edit: Link http://news.yahoo.com/malaysia-flig...-dangerous-hot-zone-not-unusal-183619177.html
I don't know what the article you posted said, but this is what I deal with for a living. Only the FAA had posted a NOTAM restricting the airspace. European carriers were still flying over at FL320 and above. The point being that this is not unusual to travel over conflict areas. So much of the world is in conflict that we wouldn't be able to travel anywhere if we stopped routing aircraft any place that's within range of a SAM or rockets with a lunatic at the trigger. You might as well blame people living in Louisiana for having their homes destroyed by a hurricane or people in New York for working at the WTC Towers.
Not really ruthless criminals, rather they are ambitious totalitarians. And they do have limitations, they have had two revolutions in the last century, one very recently. And failed political leaders have been replaced with some regularity. The Russian population is not happy. Putin has never been happy in his life. Everything the Russians have done since WWII contradicts this. They will lose a nuclear war and they know it. They know exactly what losing 20 million people is like. Putin overreached in the Crimea. Now he is overreaching again. Even the dumbfuck Europeans are wising up. "Never interrupt the enemy when he is making a mistake." -- Napoleon Bonaparte
