Not at all, but they are rational. Rational people don't want their gas cut off during the winter or doubling in price. Not if the alternative is loaning Ukraine a few more billion to buy Russian gas at a higher price. It's not rocket surgery, they can count how much each of the two alternatives will cost them, and decide accordingly.you act as if the eu is a thoughtless and neutral rock
You've got that right, even if no one was really in a position to stop it initially to begin with.I'm sure that the Chinese and Israelis are watching this with keen interest, because the Russian is proving that the UN & NATO have no teeth when dealing illegal land grabs.
Ah, my bad. Coupled with the university bit I thought you meant as a career choice. As I said, I was impressed enough to subscribe for years. These are not generally people who share my own world view, but they write good, informed, in-depth articles well worth the read. It's always good to have one's views challenged by smart people.
Not at all, but they are rational. Rational people don't want their gas cut off during the winter or doubling in price. Not if the alternative is loaning Ukraine a few more billion to buy Russian gas at a higher price. It's not rocket surgery, they can count how much each of the two alternatives will cost them, and decide accordingly.
Not at all, but they are rational. Rational people don't want their gas cut off during the winter or doubling in price. Not if the alternative is loaning Ukraine a few more billion to buy Russian gas at a higher price. It's not rocket surgery, they can count how much each of the two alternatives will cost them, and decide accordingly.
You've got that right, even if no one was really in a position to stop it initially to begin with. Though the UN has always been a bit weak there to begin with and Crimea wasn't a NATO member. One of the reasons Putin went there, he didn't want it to be one and entry had been stalled if he left it alone if I remember right.
I'm sure that the Chinese and Israelis are watching this with keen interest, because the Russian is proving that the UN & NATO have no teeth when dealing illegal land grabs.
Taiwan would be a whole different subject I'm sure if China did that as there are solid existing pacts there I believe.Exactly.
Israel not all too important. But it would definitely be to our detriment if China begins seizing lands. There is a lot of value there, especially in Taiwan, whom China already believes is theirs.
I'm sure that the Chinese and Israelis are watching this with keen interest, because the Russian is proving that the UN & NATO have no teeth when dealing illegal land grabs.
Their side of the border is over populated from what I read.
There is a lot of value there, especially in Taiwan, whom China already believes is theirs.
(China would need at least a few hundred thousand)
fuck no
way too small
Not at all, but they are rational. Rational people don't want their gas cut off during the winter or doubling in price. Not if the alternative is loaning Ukraine a few more billion to buy Russian gas at a higher price. It's not rocket surgery, they can count how much each of the two alternatives will cost them, and decide accordingly.
For now. Eventually other supply will be found. OPEC lost a lot of its power via embargo's in the 70's. They had the west by the balls for awhile until the West found other sources of supply. The result was a loss of power by OPEC. Russia keeps it up and Europe will find other sources of gas.
Personally, they should take a cue from the French and just build nuclear plants all over. The technology's safer than ever, it's emissions-free, it provides relatively inexpensive, stable, baseline power unlike renewables. But that, too, will take many years. Hopefully all this will get Germany to reconsider their idiotic plan to scrap nuclear power.
No. The dynamic between Russia/Ukraine/Crimea is completely different from that of China/Taiwan.
China/Taiwan split because of a bloody civil war, so it is more like North and South Korea. Taiwan is armed to the teeth (with modern Western hardware) and is always-vigilant about a Chinese invasion, which must cross a good stretch of sea. Taiwan is rich, prosperous, and has a large, well-funded, well-trained military, unlike Ukraine. Their military is larger than that of the UK or France. There are active military agreements with Taiwan and the US that Ukraine doesn't have. There isn't a backdoor into Taiwan in the form of a Chinese naval base. Crimea already had partial independence (its status was that of an autonomous region), so Ukraine's power in Crimea was limited to start with, and Crimea's local government was enthusiastically in favor of the break and annexation (it kinda helps when the locals don't view the invaders as invaders, ya know?).
And China has always maintained the Taiwanese government as illegitimate and that it is the rightful ruler of Taiwan, and Taiwan's government views itself as the rightful ruler of China, so these claims and legal arguments aren't novel and Russia's use of them isn't going to change anything here.
The West would much more forcefully respond to Taiwan than to Crimea. First, because the Crimean invasion happened with virtually no shots fired (except for a few isolated cases) and with the Crimeans welcoming the Russians, who were relatively low in number (measured in thousands or tens of thousands), whereas a Taiwanese invasion would necessarily have to be the guns-blazing, missiles-flying, type with lots of violence, and a huge number of troops (China would need at least a few hundred thousand). Taiwan can defend itself, and it's willing to defend itself, unlike the Crimeans, who weren't willing and couldn't even if they wanted to. Second, because there are military agreements in place. Ukraine isn't a member of the EU, nor is it a member of NATO. If Russia invades a NATO country and NATO twiddles its fingers (which would be unthinkable), then we can talk about this being applicable to Taiwan. Third, Taiwan matters. Economically, Ukraine is footnote. Taiwan's economic role in the world is much larger (e.g., TSMC), so there would be far, far, more at stake.
Crimea is a unique case that really isn't applicable anywhere else in the world.
lol. Don't forget the full military uniforms, body armor, and weapons, and some foreign military insignias tattooed on their arms... All at the local police station.Yes, all it takes is a few of these self defense forces to find tanks, helicopters, and entire warships at their local police department.
The head of the Defense Committee of the Federation Council excludes the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the east of Ukraine without an adequate decision from the Security Council of the United Nations.
lol. Don't forget the full military uniforms, body armor, and weapons, and some foreign military insignias tattooed on their arms... All at the local police station.
Russia doesn't want it:
http://english.pravda.ru/news/hotspots/07-04-2014/127286-russia_peacekeepers_ukraine-0/
Russia doesn't want Eastern Ukraine. Eastern Ukraine is a huge consumer of Russian gas, Russia wants them on the Western dole, so they can take the lion's share of that loan money. Of course to keep the dole coming, Russia needs to keep those regions unstable, so that the West is scared of unrest and keeps subsidizing them.
People are confusing Eastern Ukraine with Crimea, when it is totally different math. Crimea was Ukraine's leverage over Russia, as long as it remained in Ukraine, because of the fleet basing rights. Eastern Ukraine is Russian leverage over Ukraine, as long as it remains in Ukraine, because Eastern Ukraine was built around Russian gas by design. So the math in Eastern Ukraine is completely opposite of Crimea. Russia will keep Eastern Ukraine in Ukraine, but will make it a trouble area for Kiev and the West that requires a constant flow of money, most of which will end up in Russia, to pacify.
Pravda? Really?