March 5, 201412 yr Author It was interesting that when the Ukrainian Soccer team was interviewed, they spoke Russian and not Ukrainian. Friendly with US moved to Cyprus
March 5, 201412 yr Maybe they do... or maybe Putin's a thug and a kleptocrat. Do you hate the American president so much that you're willing to throw him under the bus and give the benefit of the doubt to an ex-KGB man? Is that what's been happening here? Obama could solve world hunger, have every American employed, and lower gas prices to $.99 a gallon and mountain ref would find a way to bash him. Trying to have a discussion with him about Obama is remarkably impossible. Save your time.
March 5, 201412 yr Author Obama could solve world hunger, have every American employed, and lower gas prices to $.99 a gallon and mountain ref would find a way to bash him. Trying to have a discussion with him about Obama is remarkably impossible. Save your time. We need a PPV Mt Ref and TwoTo discussing current events and politics...I haven't purchased a PPV in 25years, but I'd buy that!
March 5, 201412 yr We need a PPV Mt Ref and TwoTo discussing current events and politics...I haven't purchased a PPV in 25years, but I'd buy that! It would get old after about five minutes...
March 5, 201412 yr Author It would get old after about five minutes... Hey so did Tyson Fights, most were over in five minutes, but they were still entertaining!
March 5, 201412 yr It was interesting that when the Ukrainian Soccer team was interviewed, they spoke Russian and not Ukrainian. Friendly with US moved to Cyprus Not knowing anything about the team, there could be several reasons for that. Much of the Eastern population speaks Russian first. If there are players from the East on the team, it may be that it's just easier to do things that way. It could have been a politically conscious decision for any number of reasons. My understanding is that most people in the country speak both. Ukrainian is heavy in the West, Russian in the East and there are even sections where the two are so interchangeable that there's an almost 50/50 split on their uses. Interestingly enough... on Crimea, only 10 percent of the population is a native Ukranian speaker.
March 5, 201412 yr Hey so did Tyson Fights, most were over in five minutes, but they were still entertaining! Now Tyson and MR. That's what I'd pay to see. :lol2:
March 5, 201412 yr It's a gamble. Regardless of EU or US sanctions and repercussions, there's still a strong likelihood that even if he gains Crimea, he'll lose the rest of the Ukraine to Europe in the process. He's counting on strong-arm tactics and playing up fears of Western dominance over the East in order to maintain control (the Russian-speaking East is far more populous than the Ukranian-speaking West and is likely to support Russian-favoring candidates in any free election). He won't risk a full-scale invasion of Ukraine; that's not what he wants or needs. Even if he loses the rest of Ukraine what does that matter? Ukraine was already on it's way to the EU.
March 5, 201412 yr Obama could solve world hunger, have every American employed, and lower gas prices to $.99 a gallon and mountain ref would find a way to bash him. Trying to have a discussion with him about Obama is remarkably impossible. Save your time. I think the same can be said for the other extreme for some of his supporters on here. He hasn't made any progress on any of those items above, but he remains staunchly defended.
March 5, 201412 yr Even if he loses the rest of Ukraine what does that matter? Ukraine was already on it's way to the EU. Losing them is exactly what he didn't want. This is a last-ditch effort to save things after his puppet Yanukovytch was tossed out. Poland and Ukraine would have been the Westernmost pieces of his Eurasian Union; two relatively wealthy and populous centers of economic activity. Russia, Belarus and several of the -Stans don't make for a very power economic alliance.
March 5, 201412 yr Losing them is exactly what he didn't want. This is a last-ditch effort to save things after his puppet Yanukovytch was tossed out. Poland and Ukraine would have been the Westernmost pieces of his Eurasian Union; two relatively wealthy and populous centers of economic activity. Russia' date=' Belarus and several of the -Stans don't make for a very power economic alliance.[/quote']Wouldn't Russia alone make them a pretty powerful economic alliance?
March 5, 201412 yr Wouldn't Russia alone make them a pretty powerful economic alliance? You're right, but a Eurasian Union isn't very useful to Russia if it's, well, just Russia. Putin needed not only a few larger, influential states, but he needed them strategically located to guard against European encroachment, or at least to rival the European Union. Poland would have been his crown jewel, but that was already lost, and with Ukraine nearing accession to the European Union he was desperate to keep them in Russia's realm, yet that backfired as well.
March 5, 201412 yr Even if he loses the rest of Ukraine what does that matter? Ukraine was already on it's way to the EU. It matters to him because it puts Europe on his doorstep whereas before Ukraine provided a great buffer state for him. Ideally this is just chest thumping hear me roar steps to preserving some semblance of control or influence over the rest of the region. Maybe him and the Mrs are having issues and he's just acting out? Might need to visit the local massage parlor. Not that I condone are have any experience with that. A prior bgp thread I've read sheds light on the subject :loll:.
March 6, 201412 yr Can someone tell me what Obama did wrong and what should have been done in US foreign policy that would have prevented this situation in the Ukraine? I see a lot of finger pointing with no explanation.
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