Speaking to a crowd in Columbus, Ohio today, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump warned that any actual effort by the US to take Crimea away from Russia militarily and restore it to Ukrainian control would result in World War III, suggesting it wasn’t worth such a war to get the territory for Ukraine, adding that he doubts the Russian government intends to move into Ukraine itself.
Crimea’s historical status is a complicated one. A long-standing part of Russia, it was moved into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954. When the Soviet Union split, Crimea remained under Ukrainian control, though it also hosted a major Russian naval base. Ukraine’s 2014 ouster of its Russian-allied government in favor of a western-backed government restarted questions.
With a large ethnic Russian population in Crimea, the peninsula held a vote to secede from Ukraine almost immediately thereafter, and gained accession into the Russian Federation. The US has ruled out ever recognizing that, however, insisting Crimea will forever be Ukrainian territory.
Trump suggested he might have a different position on the matter, however, saying that he was willing to “take a look at” recognizing Crimea as Russian, saying that he believes many Crimean would rather be in Russia than in Ukraine.
Trump’s comments sparked more condemnations from the Clinton campaign, which has been trying to portray him as Russia’s candidate of choice, and claimed his openness to recognizing Crimea as Russian was a “tacit invitation” for Russia to conquer all of Eastern Europe militarily.
Cenk Ugar of the Young Turks bashed Trump for his stance on Crimea claiming Trump didn’t realize Russia already was in Ukraine. Cenk Ugar appears to be the one who is ignorant of the truth about U.S. intervention in Ukraine.
But if he read the NYT’s headline about this, I’m not surprised
“Donald Trump Gives Questionable Explanation of Events in Ukraine”
The article is far more questionable than Trump’s explanation, but when has the NYT ever been bothered about the truth?
Trump needs to do a better job of explaining to the American people exactly what took place in Ukraine and Crimea. He is weak on his answers so far. This is a perfect opportunity for him to educate the American people as to what their government has been doing in Ukraine. He can lay it right at the feet of Hillary.
“Tacit invitation for Russia to conquer Eastern Europe”
It has been two years since the referendum and I haven’t seen Russia conquer anybody.
US to take Crimea away from Russia militarily and restore
it to Ukrainian control would result in World War III…
More nonsense from the chicken hawk ‘kook’ wing in the USG.
The average USG citizen is probably more worried about
living between paychecks than the Crimea.
Some may need help finding it on the World Atlas.
Trump is correct. Crimea is Russian and there is nothing the US can do about it unless they want to blow the world up
Damn I love this guy and despise this guy all at the same time. I am so confused.
At least he’s not Hillary!
This tells me a lot about WHO is sane in this campaign. Trump, who knows the reality when he sees one, or Clinton that indulges in ideological constructs. Who is more realistic and will not start another, possibly deadly war? Looks like the much maligned Trump has the common sense to get it: what is stolen can be taken back. If Clinton’s good friend, Victoria Nuland did not orchestrate the coup in Ukraine, Russia would have been paying rent for Crimea naval base, and not rock the boat. But like all communist bureaucratic shenanigans — this one came to an end after the coup. The “administrative” transfer of Crimea to Ukraine was orchestrated by a head of Soviet Union at the time, who as an Ukrainian and was mainly motivated by getting political support by his bureaucracy. Crimea’s entire history is Russian from the time of recorded history. And today, poll after poll confirms that by a vast majority the population of Crimea, Russian, Ukrainian or Tatar, like much more living within Russian Federation. We are still — with our taxpayers’ money — funding Tatar opposition to the unification of Crimea, their leadership currently in Ukraine. But their problem is, Tatar population in Crimea is not on board. And why would they be? In Ukraine, they were poor, with no prospects for the young. Today, as citizens of Russian Federation, they can go to Tatarstan, a republic in Russian Federation that is highly industrialized, and has a number of major universities. Tatar language is, along with Russian, official language. Young in Crimea are now able to move, get jobs and advance educationally. It is pathetic to continue with a lie, that it for forcibly taken from Ukraine, and that Tatars are oppressed. This lie cannot hold, but with our money and neocon media — necons will continue until stopped. The lie is at the root of current tension with Russia. As the economy of Europe goes from bad to worse, the lie is crumbling, and cannot be sustained. In Europe, they are hit with Russian retaliatory sanctions, and cannot sell agricultural products to Russia. China, that is becoming fast a major trading partner to Europe, is not pleased with the sanctions game, and is also pushing EU to normalize relationships with Russia. EU also knows that the current massive increase of container shipment from China to Europe using transcontinental rail, is dependent on China-Russia deal that involves Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) including Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus. Why is the Union critical? It created uniform infrastructure of regulations and tariffs, so the container trains leaving China cross into EEU territory, and from it at Polish-Belarus border into EU. The coordination between Russia and China in regulatory matters, building land-ports for transit into many Eurasian destinations off the main China-EU artery, is massive. None of this is being even mentioned in US media, as if such advances in integration of Eurasia have no bearing on our own reality. But they do. Our crude pressure to keep Turkey out of Eurasian economic and infrastructure opportunities has cost us an ally. For ten years Turkey has made major efforts to develop its very poor regions outside major cities, and it is only after major business successes of their construction companies and retail in Russia and Eurasia that it made a major breakthrough. Russian energy is fueling its development, Chinese infrastructure projects improving its commerce, and the projects within the Silk Road network of economic corridors — a real, once in a century opportunity. But our neocon elite is deaf and blind to the need for economic development — and is interested only in control. It is backfiring badly everywhere. EU cannot be the catalyst for development in Turkey, as it has shown complete failure to be the catalyst in countries of Eastern Europe, like Bulgaria or Romania. Even Hungary had to orchestrate its own semi-HEXIT, when it defied EU and changed many regulations that were hurting its banking and agriculture. For which they were rewarded by calling their president, Orban assorted names, with obligatory one — being an autocrat, who loves Putin. Even in Hungary, due to the painful Soviet history, Russians who never enjoyed much popularity, Russia is today very popular. And that is another EU and NATO country that is looking for opportunities in Russia, and becoming a link to Silk Road to Central Europe. Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary — all already implementing numerous large or small pieces of the puzzle that will be the new global development boom.
Trump understands that what ideological Hillary and her neocon nerds do not. You should not try to block development, but participate. With all the advantages that US has in technology and talent — we could shine. We could help everyone develop, instead make them cower to our demands that they should not be doing business with our “enemies”. Neocons are pretend they have some bigger goal in mind, our security, and othe sacred cow. But they are really EXTREME short-termers. They just want to swallow whatever morsel is nearby and undefended, never mind the consequences. This is why we have such a mess in the Middle East. They have created problems, and now those problems have their own problems, and the “fixing” of unfixable is costing us a treasure — or at least Social Security. The globalism in this form has been condemned by Trump in his foreign policy strategy document. In fact, he claims that the foundation of all international relations are sovereign nation states. Not supranational trade deals that legally take away their sovereignty. Now that is a cardinal sin in neocon world, but it is a path to our own survival.
Not for one minute did I believe that Trump will be ever allowed to talk about his programs, or his views, unless the media decides to ask questions with the potential of harming him. Hence, Crimea. But he remains clear headed. Both Democrats and Republicans, have failed US, created a mess, and somebody with some business sense can us out of this mess.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Bianca; you nailed it perfectly. The Trotskyites, aka Neocons are doing everything in their power to derail the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), but are also trying to derail Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign. Why? The Donald is a business executive who supports the EEU; he’s been calling for full cooperation and friendly ties with Russia and the end of sanctions, which the Neocons have supported.
As you said, Bianca, the Neocons and their prize candidate – Hillary Rotten Clinton – are hell-bent on world domination, and both China and Russia stand in their way. They hated these two nations’ leaders – Xi Jingping (China) and Vladimir Putin (Russia) mainly because both men are nationalists who put their nations’ interests first .. and these interests involve the EEU and the Silk Road and their continued development. The Neocons and the Hildabeast hate Trump, because he totally supports EEU development. To them, it’s either total control or total destruction via WWIII.
“The Trotskyites, aka Neocons”
You put your finger on an important point right there.
Most people associated the neocons with Zionism and Israel (which is fully justified because that IS part of their historical orientation), but its real ideological roots are in Trotskyite anti-Stalinist socialism, which in practice means an anti-Russian foreign policy. Stalin and the Cold War are both long gone, but anti-Russianism is still the neoconservatives’ lodestar.
Trotskyites. Exactly, because that is who they have been until recently, until they morphed into “neo” conservatives, and “neo” liberals, of right-to-protect with kinetic democracy tools variety.
There is so much going on in the Eurasian arena, that it is almost hard to keep up. The funding for an amazing road link has been approved from Moscow to Astrakhan, then on to Teheran, Karachi, Collcuta to Bangkok. The rail link that links Kazakhstan, across Turkmenistan, then on to the Iranian’s port in the Persian Gulf. That would amount to the shortest distance between Central Asia and the sea. Pakistan’s economic belt consisting of roads, rail, warehouses and transit facilities from the Chinese built port of Gwadar in Pakistan to China. The just signed deal between Turkey and China for the development of an on-line trading portal to be used by merchants as well as by individuals that will connect all the Silk Road destinations terminating in China’s Uyghur province. Urumchi will become a center for warehousing and shipping goods. It wll be available in all the languages of the Silk Road. It is clear that it is the goal of Turkey and China to facilitate cultural and economic exchange among the ethnically similar nations, to insure that the foreign religion-based ideology cannot take advantages of alienated populace — as has been the case numerous times in China, Central Asia, Russia and Turkey. China is developing a port in Greece, and building train connections in bits and pieces. Currently, a fast train line is being built between Budapest in Hungary and Belgrade in Serbia. China has bought a large still mill in Serbia, as various construction projects in Balkans and the South East and Central Europe will increase the demand for steel. China is working on a feasibility study to enable waterway between Danube in Serbia, connecting it to river Morava in Serbia, then river Vardar in Macedonia and Greece, opening the waterway all the way to Greek territorial waters. New bridges, tunnels, enabling old Soviet rail lines — the list is enormous.
What is troubling about Trotskyites is their never ending ability to morph into whatever socially accepted politics of the time, and insert their agenda into it. Brzezinski did it, Kissinger did it — and most people do not even think of them as Trotskyites. Yet, they are, and have established some of the most fundamental pieces of US anti-Russia policies in place decades ago. The best Trotskyite transformation example is Leo Strauss, a professor at Chicago, with Illustrious students like Paul Wolfowitz. He was enamored by the transformation of an Vienna born and raised Jewish intellectual into Trotsky, and his ideas of permanent revolution. But he then became enamored by German stirrings of early twenties, and became a believer in German Empire. In fact, got attention of a well known supporter of left leaning national socialism. Lucky for him, scholarship brought him into England then into US, where he was first an ardent believer in British empire, to then switch to the idea of an American empire. The empire, the globalism, the need for “noble” lies that elites have to tell people, the elite duty to rule, and resist “populism”, the need for national myths and an external enemy — were all the tools of trade to defend the “democracy” of evil of Nazism or Communism. One gets the picture of the consistent ideology, albeit in a costume appropriate for the time. The ouster of Trotsky from the leadership of Communist party and the Red Army, was never forgiven, as he was better suited to lead masses with his “noble” lies, not a brutish bureaucrat like Stalin. Well, kind of. He studies theology, and was a poet, and who knows what would have become of them, if fate did not cross his path with Trotsky. Stalin was not ideological and he purged Trotsky’s Red Army of ideological commanders, and brought some retired Russian imperial generals back to duty. It is amazing how ideology, playing God with human events, can get in the way of sound judgment. We see it today on display in Technicolor.
I’m not sure I’m understanding you correctly. If by ” the transformation of an Vienna born and raised Jewish intellectual into Trotsky” you mean that Lev Bronstein, later known as Trotsky, was born and raised in Vienna as a Jewish intellectual, well, no. He was born and raised on a farm outside Yanovka, then went to school in Odessa.
I would not defend Trump, but this does show Hillary is a reckless wild woman who seeks to launch us into chaos. She has brought on board all of the worst of the Bush Era foreign policy crazies.
We may not have a good choice, but only Hillary seeks war.
The invitation to this disaster came when Victoria Nuland destabilized Ukraine with billions of dollars and promises we could not keep.
We have known about this since the Hungary revolution that Eisenhower backed away from in 1956.
We saw it again when the neocons of the Bush Admin invited the lunatic adventure of Georgia attacking Russia, thinking Putin would not dare react.
Russia REACTED, it did not act. It was not an attack out of the blue. It was a counter action to a stupid, foolish, arrogant move by fools, doing it AGAIN, not just for the first or second time.