We have heard so much about historical comparisons regarding Russia and the Ukraine. As many have pointed out this isnt a recreation of the cold war. In the current set of circumstances, their is no mask of ideology separating the two side. This is more analogous to the world situation prior to WWI. The Russians were reacting to threats to their hegemony. The Ukrainians were reacting to a worsening economic situation and the fact that their median incomes have steadily decreased over the past several years. The West has been slowly pushing to expand its sphere of influence and courting former Soviet states (and current Russian client states) to become members of NATO. This grand dance for economic influence and modern versions of empire is not unlike the dance between major European powers in the period between the Franco-Prussian War and the first decade of the 1900s. The right is pushing to expand the military pressure from NATO, including stronger arms for Eastern European countries. Belicose posturing is seen as superior to steady dipomacy. This approach will not serve to solve the problem, but rather complicate it.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 15:45:56 +0000
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