This next one will be a threesome and my money is on China for the win.
China and Russia have been getting quite cozy. And this was last summer, before the US-Russian relationship iced up even more over the Ukraine. With the glaringly ineffective responses from the Obama administration, they know they have the US balls in their pockets.
Acording to Kerry, that button must have reset time back to the 19th century.
quote
"You just don't in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped-up pretext," Kerry told the CBS program "Face the Nation."
Earlier in the "crisis", Kerry was pretty macho sounding for a man with a long face: Earlier, Kerry brandished the threat of economic sanctions on Russia, calling Moscow's moves on Ukraine an "incredible act of aggression" and saying that "all options are on the table," diplomatic code for the possibility of military action. Of course, Kerry crawfished and returned to reality today.
quote
But, doing the rounds of Sunday morning television news shows to stress U.S. disapproval of Russia's actions, Kerry emphasized Washington's desire for a peaceful resolution and analysts saw little chance of a U.S. military response.
The EU is likely to take a much less threatening posture than the US administration has. [url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/02/us-ukraine-crisis-eu-idUSBREA210YI20140302EU not seen matching U.S. threat of sanctions against Russia[/url]
The short version: (I cut a lot of already posted "old" news from the text below) (Reuters) - The European Union is unlikely to match the United States in threatening sanctions against Russia when its foreign ministers meet to discuss Ukraine on Monday, instead pushing for mediation between Moscow and Kiev, officials say.
But many Europeans are concerned about pushing Putin too far, mindful of their deep economic links with Russia, including a heavy dependence on Moscow's gas and oil exports. There is also concern about the time and legal hurdles sanctions require.
Moscow has said it is merely protecting the lives of Russian-speaking nationals, and appears to be calculating that the West cannot afford to risk a wider conflagration by taking anything approaching military action.
CLOSE RELATIONS
Russia is the EU's most important trading partner after the United States and China, with 123 billion euros ($170 billion) of goods exported there in 2012. It is also the EU's most important single supplier of energy products, accounting for more than a quarter of all EU consumption of oil and gas.
One decision that could be agreed by EU foreign ministers is asset freezes against Ukrainians accused of misappropriating public funds, similar to measures taken by Austria, Switzerland and Lichtenstein last week.
Austria announced on Saturday that it was blocking the bank accounts of Yanukovich and 17 others, following a request by Ukraine's new authorities. Ukraine's new leaders have accused Yanukovich of embezzling as much as $37 billion in three years.
"One option we still have open is asset freezes against Ukranians," said an EU diplomat. "To make sure money doesn't disappear over time. This may be a track that can be explored by all of us."
Don't bite the hand that feeds ya I suppose.
Either way, Obama's "threat" was discarded by Putin the moment it was stated and now looks like Kerry is backed off his hard stance as well. So--what's next in the world, since this cold war seems to have been settled before it ever really got kicked off?
Originally posted by Pyrthian: yup. #1 requirement: a boogeyman
Yeah, like you don't check your closet and look under your bed before you go to sleep. So full of fail, . Wouldn't the number one problem be people who need a boogie man ? I am your huckleberry boogie man.
[This message has been edited by cliffw (edited 03-03-2014).]
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01:56 PM
cliffw Member
Posts: 37877 From: Bandera, Texas, USA Registered: Jun 2003
It would be much less embarrassing for you guys if Obama just kept his mouth shut rather than continuing to spout off his idle threats. His latest statement was "If the Russian Navy threatens the Ukrainian fleet it will be considered a dangerous escalation". Wow - you tell the Russians, Mr. President. No mention of a response, or possible action, just that it would be considered a dangerous escalation. This is what happens when you put a country led by a sissy community organizer up against someone like Putin who is more like a alpha male mob boss. He might as well tell the United States to go pound sand, he knows your spineless president isn't going to do anything except draw imaginary red lines for the Russian's to dance on.
[This message has been edited by loafer87gt (edited 03-03-2014).]
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05:40 PM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
Two worlds collide Rival nations It's a primitive clash Venting years of frustrations Bravely we hope Against all hope There is so much at stake Seems our freedom's up Against the ropes Does the crowd understand? Is it East versus West Or man against man Can any nation stand alone
In the burning Heart Just about to burst There's a quest for answers An unquenchable thirst In the darkest night Rising like a spire In the burning heart The unmistakable fire
In the burning heart
In the warrious code There's no surrender Though his body says stop His spirit cries - never! Deep in our soul A quiet ember Know it's you against you It's the paradox That drives us on It's a battle of wills In the heat of attack It's the passion that kills The victory is yours alone
In the burning Heart Just about to burst There's a quest for answers An unquenchable thirst In the darkest night Rising like a spire In the burning heart The unmistakable fire
In the burning Heart Just about to burst There's a quest for answers An unquenchable thirst In the darkest night Rising like a spire In the burning heart The unmistakable fire
In the burning Heart Just about to burst There's a quest for answers An unquenchable thirst In the darkest night Rising like a spire In the burning heart The unmistakable fire
In the burning heart....
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09:44 PM
cliffw Member
Posts: 37877 From: Bandera, Texas, USA Registered: Jun 2003
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been emboldened by the Obama administration’s diplomatic strategy of containment, which has given room to Putin’s push for geopolitical dominance.
Rep. Mike Rogers (Image source: Fox News via YouTube) Rep. Mike Rogers (Image source: Fox News via YouTube)
“I think Putin is playing chess and I think we’re playing marbles,” the House Intelligence Committee Chairman told Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace. “And I don’t think it’s even close.”
“So if you look at the nuclear negotiations, we got our fanny handed to us. They took tactical nukes out of the equation. Huge mistake, especially for our allies in the Baltics. When you move down the list in Syria, the Russians got everything that they believe they needed in Syria.”
Rogers added: “And so they’ve been running circles around us, and I really think it’s the naive position on the National Security Council and the president’s advisers that if we just keep giving things to Russia, they’ll finally wake up and say, ‘Boy, the United States isn’t all that bad.’ That is completely missing the motivations of why Russia does what Russia does.”
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10:37 PM
PFF
System Bot
avengador1 Member
Posts: 35468 From: Orlando, Florida Registered: Oct 2001
Barack Obama’s National Security Team met at the White House Saturday to discuss the deepening crisis in Ukraine, which now includes Russian troops entering Crimea and occupying government buildings.
Those in attendance were: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, and CIA Director John Brennan.
Those not in attendance were: Barack Obama.
Unbelievable? Yes, but not to worry, as White House reporter Zeke Miller tweeted:
Capture
Briefed by Susan Rice. Susan Rice. Is the irony not lost here? The same Susan Rice who not only went on five Sunday Morning talk shows and falsely blamed the attack in Benghazi on an obscure YouTube video, but said just last week that she has “no regrets” for doing so.
This is a quintessential example of why Obama is often ridiculed over foreign policy. The White House calendar showed he had no scheduled events on Saturday. Even Joe Biden joined the meeting via teleconference. Yet, the Leader of the Free World couldn’t find time to attend his own National Security Team meeting on the quickly deteriorating events in Ukraine, relying instead on being “briefed” by Susan Rice, of all people?
Along with Obama’s inability to distinguish between campaigning and governing is his inability to understand that sometimes perception is more important than fact. This was a meeting that he needed to not be reported as one he did not attend.
The russians murdered 100,000,000 people,, they starved to death 14.000,000 in the caucasus & Ukraine,millions were frozen to death in trains on the way to the concentration camp,,thousands of starving hungry babies had thier chest crushed under Russian boots !! millions of women were gang raped then killed many were machine guned to fall back intothe mass graves they had dug many here need history lessons ,,we are repeating history right now !! only Bush kept Putin from taking Tbilisi & all 0f Georgia 2008..
in the 1930s Starving Ukrainian farmers made thier way to the ethnic russian cities ,many were skelitons & crawled along the streets begging for a scrap of bread untill they died of hunger or were kicked to death!! while this happen.. many million tons of food rotted in silos & storage centers forbidden to the people who had grown it
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