The Obama Administration’s response to the Crimean secession crisis has been threats and more threats, but while they present the world as united against Russia, the reality is that the EU is very uncomfortable with the US bellicosity.
The US is promising sanctions, travel bans, and asset seizures. There was even some talk of military action, with Secretary of State John Kerry and others saying “all options are on the table” over the Crimea.
The European Union’s foreign ministers have met on the issue, and they’re counseling restraint, urging mediation by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to settle the territorial dispute.
And while the EU left open the idea of sanctions in principle, a British government document shows that Britain, usually America’s de facto voice in Europe, is loudly opposed to sanctions against Russia.
The reason is simple: Russia is an important business partner for much of Europe. London is a key hub for Russian investment, and Russia is about the only nearby source of oil and gas that isn’t already closed by sanctions (Syria and Iran), or a complete disaster (Libya).
Looks like Obama might now need to bully and intimidate the Brits in order to get them to support his policies.
I guess that’s the problem when you pursue world domination. Sooner or later, you have to bully everyone in order to get your way. And when you bully everyone, then you have no friends, only temporary and unwilling accomplices who will seek out opportunities to evade your control and pursue their own interests.
Oh dear, what’s a poor imperialist to do?
Only the EU has any hope of exercising restraint on the United States. Germany is the lynch pin of the EU; if the Germans will at long last wake up and realize that they are contemptible puppets in the eyes of DC, then something can be done. If the Germans do nothing, they will be thrust right back to where they were in the Cold War – merely territory and resources to be fought over in a nuclear war. Do they really want that? Because that is where failure to act against the US will take them.
Maybe its time for Europe to kick the USA out of Europe. Form their own defense organization and speak for themselves. American "leadership" has proven a disaster for Europe.
The overwhelming majority of Germans do not want to get involved in a new European war but want to make or earn money. I know. I still have family in Germany. Chancellor Merkel will risk the top rung of her party at the next elections if she gets too bellicose. The 'Greens' are waiting in the wing.
Bellicosity such as our government now practices will only unite a Russian nation which is still politically divided today. The Orthodox Church will ask for prayers for the Motherland.
I'm not giving props to Obama but consider this…ever since the Iraq invasion the US has pursued a course of action that was based on belligerence and a misguided idea of the US's place in the world. Make no mistake, the US's invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq were acts of a war of aggression and according to agreed upon world treaties and conventions, crimes.
So, not only did Obama have to clean up the financial mess left behind by his predecessor he was gifted with a Congress openly advocating more military action where none were warranted and a world that understood that the US had gone rogue. As I've stated before, the US no longer has a class of "Elder Statesmen" to rely upon to interact with the rest of the world's leaders, friends and foes alike. What we have now that are loosely called diplomats are political sycophants and financial backers of the "current occupant" at the time. No way to run a country.
You never would have seen what happened yesterday (or Sunday, I forget) where a sitting elder Senator and unsuccessful Presidential nominee trash talks the current President. Embarrassing to say the least. Not only belligerent but personally abhorrent.
Has anyone noticed that the press is not asking "average Joe/Joesette" whether they want to get involved in another military engagement? We can't even pay for fixing roads and bridges but supposedly we've got money (reportedly $5M) to give to radical fascist street thugs to bring down a duly elected government? Seriously?
This Russian thing is not our business…and it's getting out of hand. I seriously need to disconnect and focus entirely on my garden and my carving – much better for the psyche.
I don't give a shit about the Ukraine. Now we have Russia as an enemy AGAIN!
That's scarier than anything you could imagine. Obama is a neo con. His enemies are Russia, China and the EU. We are going back to the cold war because Obama is trying to further destroy the old Soviet Union.
Oh man! What a Liberal!
Give peace a chance you asswhole!
Sooner or later we will be eating our own sanctions,how many countries are going to bend over and hold their ankles because the Imperial said so.
The cold weather in D.C. has numbed what little brains
the neocon warmongers are given credit to possess. After
listening to their bluster and rhetoric, I have my doubts
they possess any brains at all.
Kerry and the Right-wing peanut gallery in Congress sound
foolish in their attempt to (threaten) Putin into pulling
out of the Crimea. Interesting how the Right-wing brings
up Hitler whenever it wishes to demonize a head of state.
Saddam, and Assad were also called Hitler.
Russia is (not) Iraq or Syria. If these neocon idiots
want a war with Russia, they better dig in for a long fight.
Instead of acting like a bunch of cowpokes going to the
'Gunfight at the OK Corral', sit down like responsible individuals
and work out a peacful agreement to settle what's happening
in the Ukraine.
We already seen the mess a cowpoke got (us) into with
Afghanistan and Iraq.
If the Ukraine crisis brings the EU and even our best-special-relationship-friend-ever, the UK, to a more realistic view of their relationship with the US then Russia may, once again, prove to be a critical factor in saving Europe from itself.
First Snowden and now Putin have sent an unambiguous wake-up call to EU heads of governments.
We may yet see a saner new world order.
The Germans and the Chinese need to step up and do something here. The Germans need to remove that American military base on their soil and China needs to send a message by expelling US car company GM. That might cool the Empire's heels.
The US has become a nasty scourge on our world Obummer is like Sauron, from the Lord of the Ring. Just the red eyes are missing.