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Stand by to rewrite the backstory, again......


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Heh. If that was the only news I'd say it is business as usual for Russia since Sept. The bigger concern is the Ruble is tottering at a near panic decline state. If it goes, all bets are off as to what Putin might do.

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I think Russia is starting to panic at the prospect of being stuck in the field with winter coming on. The Ukrainian gov has been hastily restocking its artillery shell supply and has been turning out refurbished tanks at about 40 a week in anticipation of Russia trying something. I hear Russia's former satellite states are going on a veritable shopping spree for ATGMs in anticipation of Putin trying to expand his 'empire' in their back yards.

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Well, the last time someone decided to put tanks and men into another sovereign state, and then annex part of it for their own the whole of the world ended up at war...

Not the first time it happened. Mr Shickelgruber had to persist in poking the sleeping lions before they woke up and started the process of bringing the hyena to heel.

Yet Putin has not been properly brought to account for simply 'taking over' the Crimea... pretty amazing really!

Not amazing at all, really. War is expensive and requires commitment. In my eyes, the Russians have declared a low-intensity war (started back at Georgia/Ossetia) and the West hasn't realised it yet or is only just realising it. The sane option at that point back in 2008 (or earlier; it's not like Putin's ambitions weren't obvious) was to start finding other supplies for natural gas and making arrangements for their delivery, so the Russians couldn't use that as a Damoclesian spear over Western Europe. But sanity is also expensive, for politicians.

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Well, the last time someone decided to put tanks and men into another sovereign state, and then annex part of it for their own the whole of the world ended up at war...

I don't think the Israeli annexation of the West Bank led to a world war.

Neither did the occupation of Tibet by China.

Or the conquest by Pakistan of parts of Kashmir.

I may have missed some other cases.

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I think you know where I was coming from.... Regardless, Putins' actions are repugnant, and he needs his knuckles rapped... hard!

Not going to happen though as modern democratic countries are just to soft.

What's needed is a bit of good old British gunboat diplomacy.... wait... I forgot, we don't have an empire anymore! :)

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Ever since WWI people have been suffering from what I call "world war syndrome". That's the odd notion that smaller wars don't really count if they're not capable of reaching the threshold of worldwide conflagration. Hardly worth calling it a war at all if one country just invades its neighbor with an army to grab territory! Pshaw! We killed as many people in one night over Dresden as war-X has killed! My theory about neocons is they're envious of their father's generation and its involvement in WWII - the Great Crusade. They keep casting about looking to find themselves another 'good war' that would be as prestigious as their fathers'.

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I think you know where I was coming from.... Regardless, Putins' actions are repugnant, and he needs his knuckles rapped... hard!

Not going to happen though as modern democratic countries are just to soft.

What's needed is a bit of good old British gunboat diplomacy.... wait... I forgot, we don't have an empire anymore! :)

Or 'gunboats' to spare ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_Royal_Navy_ships

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My theory about neocons is they're envious of their father's generation and its involvement in WWII - the Great Crusade. They keep casting about looking to find themselves another 'good war' that would be as prestigious as their fathers'.

I think you may be onto something there, Mikey. I would caution though that "Neocons" used in this context can be found in both parties, maybe not in the same proportions and maybe not as loudly vocal, but still...

Michael

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Yes, indeed. SHould have read more comments. :)

But it seems there is something planned - maybe more truth in this:

http://www.euractiv.com/sections/europes-east/germany-send-troops-ukraine-308957

Heh there is no guarantee the comment was accurate :D. The other news about French and German troops being deployed to protect the OSCE drone teams is a bit old now. Note sure if they were deployed or not, but the drones themselves aren't surviving too well from what I have read.

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