Monday, April 14, 2014

Will Putin Force Obama to Abandon NATO?

The United States continues to warn Russia to retreat from Ukraine or suffer another round of financial sanctions. This may seem inevitable, since military force has long since been ruled out, bizarre as that may be. But, the US has another problem - trying to get an agreement for stronger sanctions from a reluctant Europe, which is trying to balance its desire to punish Moscow against its fear of its own economic hit from the effects of a new, harsher round of Western trade sanctions. Economists say the US will appear to be weak without EU support, because Europe is Russia's largest trading partner and therefore has huge sway over Russia's already shaky economy. But Europe is thus far hesitant to issue sanctions against Russia that would weaken its own financial stability and risk its largest source of energy. President Barack Obama already has signed orders that would allow the US to sanction key Russian industries, and European Union foreign ministers will meet again this week to try to decide what new penalties should be put in place if Moscow continues to ignore the West's warnings. ~~~~~ And as if that hurdle were not enough for an already self-weakened American President, fighting intensified in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, claiming lives on both sides in confrontations between heavily armed pro-Russian paramilitaries and Ukrainian forces. Ukraine launched an operation on Sunday to clear pro-Russian separatists from state buildings in the east, with deaths reported on both sides as Kiev fights back what it calls an act of aggression by Moscow. Ukraine interior minister Arsen Avakov called Sunday's government actions an "anti- terrorist" operation. "There were dead and wounded on both sides," he said. The Russian news agency RIA reported that one pro-Moscow activist was killed. NATO described the appearance in eastern Ukraine of men with specialized Russian weapons and identical uniforms, but without insignia, similar to what was previously worn by Moscow's troops when they seized Crimea, as a "grave development." NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen expressed concern about similarities in some of the separatists' appearance to that of the Russian troops who seized control in Crimea and called on Russia to pull back its large number of troops, including special forces, from the area around Ukraine's border. Rasmussen said : "Any further Russian military interference, under any pretext, will only deepen Russia's international isolation." Moscow says the troops are on normal manoeuvres. Ukraine faces multiple rebellions in the east that it says are inspired and directed by the Kremlin. But action to dislodge the armed militants risks tipping the stand-off into a new, highly dangerous phase since Moscow has warned it will protect the region's Russian-speakers if they come under attack. ~~~~~ Kiev accuses Moscow of trying to increase the violence and chaos in Ukraine, a former Soviet republic it once ruled, in order to undermine the legitimacy of presidential elections on May 25, which aim to stabilize the country after months of turmoil. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Kiev was "demonstrating its inability to take responsibility for the fate of the country" and warned that any use of force against Russian speakers "would undermine the potential for cooperation," including talks due to be held on Thursday between Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union. Lavrov said it was Ukraine's Western-leaning government, viewed by the Kremlin as illegitimate, that was feeding tensions. Former Ukraine prime minister Julia Timoshenko said the unrest in eastern Ukraine was the work of Russian state security agents, designed to wrongfoot the EU and United States, which have imposed sanctions over the Crimean annexation : "There is an ulterior motive for this aggression, because in a few days there will be big negotiations in Geneva which Russia, out of weakness because of financial sanctions, asked for," she was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. Russia’s foreign ministry called the planned Ukraine military operation a “criminal order” and said the West should bring its allies in Ukraine’s government under control, suggesting that it is up to the West to prevent violence in Ukraine. ~~~~~ Senator John McCain said on a US Sunday TV news program that President Obama is abandoning the Ukrainian people's fate to the Russian troops amassing on Russia's border with Ukraine. McCain described the tactic as "shameful," blamng the clashes in eastern Ukraine on Obama's inaction when Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to the Crimean peninsula, before annexing it. McCain said there is no doubt Putin is behind the current action : "The question is now, what do we do, and what does he do?" McCain said. Nothing "meaningful or important" was done by the United States during the Crimean action, according to McCain, who said Putin was encouraged that the United States placed sanctions only on a few Russian leaders and businessmen. But, now, McCain said, the United States must supply weapons to Ukraine so that they can defend themselves. Although they did not fight in Crimea, McCain believes Ukrainians will defend themselves if given firepower now that Russia appears to be behind moves to sweep up eastern Ukraine and make it a Russian ally. McCain is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who has traveled to Ukraine recently and plans to return. The Senator said Russia has been described as a country with a first-world military and a third-world economy. But McCain called Russia "a gas station masquerading as a country." ~~~~~ Dear readers, no one will benefit from a war in Ukraine, with its potential to spill over into eastern Europe, including EU countries that are also members of NATO. Such an enlargement of hostilities would necessarily activate NATO military action and that would force President Obama to decide whether the United States under his presidency will honor its North Atlantic Treaty obligations. Europe is not Syria or Afghanistan. Europe and NATO are the lynchpins in the post-World War II Western alliance. The creation of the NATO military presence was meant to protect Europe and America from rogue state aggression. At that time, the rogue was the Soviet Union. Today, the rogue is Russia under Vladimir Putin. Not much difference, one might add. President Obama may choose not to act in Ukraine, but he must realize that in so doing he risks even greater US military involvement in eastern Europe if he continues to believe that economic sanctions will stop Putin's push through Ukraine and into eastern Europe. Surely not even Barack Obama would effectively withdraw America from NATO and sit back watching as world order collapses. I sincerely hope that I am not whistling in the dark.

10 comments:

  1. Surely Obama wouldn't do that. Even he would have to realize what it would do to the free world.

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    1. Concerened CitizenApril 14, 2014 at 5:15 PM

      That's about all that Obama has left to do to the free world isn't it?

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  2. De Oppressor LiberApril 14, 2014 at 5:14 PM

    I do not want to see a war over the Ukraine no way, no how. We would be involved in a confrontation of two Eastern Bloc Russian countries – that would quickly deteriorate into several countries all with different agenda’s against Mother Russia.

    Have we learned nothing about the strength and feebleness after Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Iran of wars with feuding relatives?

    There’s an old story, fable, etc. that goes something like this … An African nation is about to run out of foor, water, money, etc. The ruling tribal chief calls in his Harvard educated son and ask him what should be done. The son without hesitation says Father I learned in various History classes that we should declare war on the United States! The father says what! The son replays the second day we surrender, and the third day the United States will come in and rebuild our country and give us foreign aid.

    The lesson here is let’s be sure of the intentions of Ukraine before we jump into their problems.

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  3. While it is true that the United States should not have to fight all of the world’s battles, it would be wise for Great Britain, France, Germany, and the United States to assist the Ukraine militarily and assemble an allied military force in the Ukraine now as an obvious military force to deter Russia. The lessons of 1936 with Hitler are clear. Allow a dictator to invade one weaker nation and the invader will proceed to grab much more. Putin has no conscious and no reservations whatsoever about what he is doing. His actions should be seen for what they are – probing to see what the West breaking point is.

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  4. “Ukraine's president says a full-scale operation involving the army will be launched in the east after pro-Russian militants seized government buildings.”

    Many of the units (I use the word advisedly) involved in the initial takeover of buildings in several cities in eastern Ukraine look like organized, professional military forces.

    When the Russians started their onslaught for the Crimea and the deep sea ports we saw exactly the same men in like uniforms with no insignia, but the noticeable actions of well-trained military. The action in the Ukraine appears to have increased in severity, with attributes again of well-trained military forces.

    There is some who are speculating that the Russians are simply conducting disturbances that are not synchronized in order to put time on their side and have facts to back up their actions; and all along threatening the Ukrainian forces to stay out of their way.

    A simple passage as a word of advice to Ukraine (acting) President Turchynov (sp)… “Don’t articulate a fight you don’t intend to wage and cannot win.”

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  5. “President Obama told Russia's Vladimir Putin on Monday that the U.S. had "grave concern" about Moscow's aggression in Ukraine -- as pro-Russian protesters stormed government buildings in what U.S. officials said appears to be a coordinated effort backed by Moscow.”

    Well I sure that put the fear in Putin. Obama is a man who uses words as though he plans to back them up and stand firm – ala his “line in the sand” statement a few months ago. And then he immediately backed down.

    President Obama told Russia's Vladimir Putin on Monday that the U.S. had "grave concern" about Moscow's aggression in Ukraine -- as pro-Russian protesters stormed government buildings in what U.S. officials said appears to be a coordinated effort backed by Moscow.

    Putin is playing a game of chess – except Obama thinks they are playing 1 on 1 basketball.

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  6. A Stanch ConservativeApril 14, 2014 at 7:54 PM

    Obama has done nearly everything else that was unexpected – but can he by executive order withdraw us from something that the senate voted on. Out of NATO - that is one scary thought.

    How long would it take for the Islamic armies to be in the major cities of Europe?

    I think that impeachment articles would appear out of nowhere very fast. America wouldn’t sit by and let that happen. Or better Americans wouldn’t let that happen

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    1. The President can't just wave his hand and take us out of NATO can he?. After the United States, NATO if the last and only deterrent left in this world for the preservation of peace, and the stoppage of aggression.

      NATO even with it's somewhat questionable leadership right now is a must have.

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  7. What seems to be apparent here is that President Obama has absolutely NO vision of the world situation or therefore NO policy towards Foreign Policy. He is “naive” as to what needs to be done and/or how to do it.

    I read an article just this past Sunday which was titled “Obama’s Circle of bad Advice”. It’s foundation was that in the world of presidential foreign policy and Global leadership activist experts make bad ambassadors, especially when diplomacy is most needed.

    Looking at that statement one realizes that is all Obama has is his small, intimate circle of Social Activist advisors who have no experience in the Global politics and have also validated their lack of real world domestic knowledge. They all think that if they say it then it is fact. Look around Obama’s inner circle of advisors – none are true visionaries in the realm of self-proclaimed expertise. Their experience is in academic circles and/or social welfare work for various Progressive Socialist organizations funded by the likes of George Soros.

    Obama and his “team” arrived in Washington DC with one single stated plan … “To make the Federal Government more transparent.” Well that sounded good, but the truth is in the pudding as the saying goes and the transparency of this administration is cloaked in mystery, lies, fraud, deception, a vigorous plan to destroy the financial pillars of this country, and lastly the destruction of the Constitution.

    Now certainly none of this can be accomplished with a transparent administration. But as we converse this is exactly what the Obama administration is up to.

    So the idea of an American president fostering the idea of the United States dropping out of NATO completely or on selected ventures is well within the realm of possibility.

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    1. While I don't feel that every US President can win each foreign policy issue during his tenure it's amazes me to see that Obama has basically won none.I mean seriously folks,we have tons of issues here at home to address for sure.But the USA is looked to for guidance by numerous countries around the world and for the past 5 years there has been none.Eastern Europe is a mess,the whole Asian Pacific region is also,and we could talk for days about all the issues in the Middle East alone! Case in point,how's that Libya situation working out Obama?

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