Fantastic analysis. ordinary Ukrainian citizens occupied the main square to protest against this sale of their country. ... when Yanukovych fired on the crowd ... he fired the shots as Putin’s lieutenant. When Yanukovych fled, Putin lost the first round of the crisis. He immediately set about winning the second round. When the evils that many shrewd observers had predicted following the change of power failed to occur, Putin ensured their spontaneous appearance. The new parliamentary government failed to act brutally or crudely; Moscow denounced the “terrorists” in Kiev. Eastern Ukraine failed to rally to Yanukovych; ... and relatively small bands of thugs seized a few government buildings. In Crimea, Moscow cast aside all pretense ... and simply occupied the province, surrounding Ukrainian military installations, television stations, and the local parliament. ... it may seem that Putin is winning this round. We doubt that he thinks so. He has overreached twice, and the second gamble is still undecided. In most of Ukraine he is hated and opposed. It is...his miscalculation that he had to create his own rebellion there rather than being able to take advantage of a genuine domestic resistance to the Kiev revolutionary regime. ... To intervene further ... risks getting bogged down in a prolonged guerrilla war. To sit tight in Crimea illegally could ... degenerate into an endless crisis between East and West at some unknown cost to Russia in trade and financial sanctions. And to withdraw under cover of diplomacy would be seen as a humiliation.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 20:38:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015