General Discussion

MineralMan

(151,359 posts)

31. More thoughts:

Sat Mar 1, 2014, 11:38 AM

Mar 2014

Ukraine and Russia have been dealing with all of this for a very, very long time, even pre-Soviet era. Ukraine has lots of natural resources of value. Lots. It also is on the Black Sea, which has shipping and naval implications. Today, the majority population of Ukraine is ethnically and linguistically Russian.

This is a local conflict, really, and it's far from a new one. The US is not in a position of strength here, and doesn't have any particular insight into the situation, beyond what is obvious.

What we will do, no doubt, is apply some rhetoric and discuss this in the U.N. Beyond that, we'd be foolish to mess with the situation in other ways. It's not our problem to solve. Expect some violent confrontation in the area, some incursion by Russian forces, and considerable upheaval and unrest for some time to come. There's no quick or simple solution there.

We have no real business interfering in the situation, aside from diplomatically, so that's about all we will do, I'm sure.

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What do we do if Russia invades Ukraine? [View all] edhopper Mar 2014 OP

"i don't think we can sit by and let Russia invade and occupy" jberryhill Mar 2014 #1

The United States. edhopper Mar 2014 #3

They in Russia are, I believe, Russians jberryhill Mar 2014 #110

But but but ...there are WMD's in the Ukraine. We don't want to wait for the mushroom cloud. L0oniX Mar 2014 #42

Probably not much. Adrahil Mar 2014 #2

Your post is spot on 30cal Mar 2014 #92

Same as we did in the last Administration: invade Iraq, of course! randome Mar 2014 #4

Best response ever, randome! Glorfindel Mar 2014 #10

Or Afghanistan. Russians had already been there, done that, got the Go Home T-shirt. libdem4life Mar 2014 #61

Absolutely.... no1uno Mar 2014 #101

A mild public rebuke. Let Russia get bogged down all by itself. Glorfindel Mar 2014 #5

Except Russia has not been handling the situation. randome Mar 2014 #13

So that treaty we signed in '94 is meaningless? Adrahil Mar 2014 #64

There will be no "bogged down." Igel Mar 2014 #86

You're right, of course...Ukraine is not Afghanistan Glorfindel Mar 2014 #103

Same as they did when we invaded Iraq and Afghanistan elehhhhna Mar 2014 #6

Good answer. libdem4life Mar 2014 #62

We will take Venezuela FarCenter Mar 2014 #7

No troops. Send in all of those "well regulated" militia's instead. JaneyVee Mar 2014 #8

Ted Nugent and Chuck Norris should be able to handle the situation fine by themselves. randome Mar 2014 #20

Blame Obama. earthside Mar 2014 #9

Oh, sweet Jesus, I hadn't even thought about that Nevernose Mar 2014 #27

They are doing that already. Mz Pip Mar 2014 #96

Nothing. This is Russia's step, not ours..n/t monmouth3 Mar 2014 #11

I don't know. We're going to have to leave that MineralMan Mar 2014 #12

Strongly worded disapproval. and that's it. cali Mar 2014 #14

The Ukraine only had 1 of the 1%. Did ya see that palace he lived in? L0oniX Mar 2014 #44

Stay the F out of it! tech3149 Mar 2014 #15

That was why I was terrified about the proposal at the time exboyfil Mar 2014 #79

Do? 1awake Mar 2014 #16

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. LisaL Mar 2014 #17

THIS is the main reason the UN was formed...they...NOT the US should respond. Drew Richards Mar 2014 #18

Russia has a seat on the security council and will veto any measure. If anything it will probably okaawhatever Mar 2014 #46

And why should he care about having NATO on his doorstep? randome Mar 2014 #51

No, the UN declining to take action does not mean it's "left to NATO". Scuba Mar 2014 #52

Who will it be left to then? nt okaawhatever Mar 2014 #65

The Ukranians. Scuba Mar 2014 #67

This is just idle speculation edhopper Mar 2014 #19

No B2G Mar 2014 #21

He spent $50 billion to make Sochi edhopper Mar 2014 #26

Clearly you didn't speak with athletes malaise Mar 2014 #32

You're wrong about Sochi. Despite the initial press feeding frenzy, the games Warren Stupidity Mar 2014 #34

He and his cronies stole most of that money. alarimer Mar 2014 #63

Animals roaming the halls of hotels? LisaL Mar 2014 #69

the wolf in the halls was nate night TV RedstDem Mar 2014 #84

And grain. Ukraine is the breadbasket over there; 3rd largest exporter of grain in the world. DebJ Mar 2014 #93

He's pretty embarrassed about the Ukraine situation, actually. TwilightGardener Mar 2014 #33

Okay edhopper Mar 2014 #39

Putin would be invading Canada. After all, they were the ones who took the "big one" okaawhatever Mar 2014 #47

LOL! Nnnnnnope. cherokeeprogressive Mar 2014 #81

There isn't much we can do. LuvNewcastle Mar 2014 #22

Nothing military but alot ecconomically and geopolitically PFunk Mar 2014 #23

Not a damn thing. HappyMe Mar 2014 #24

Russia has a seat on the security council. They can block just about any measures. It will okaawhatever Mar 2014 #48

Well, it does give Obama an opportunity to be the worst president in U.S. history, if he quinnox Mar 2014 #25

Agree...n/t KoKo Mar 2014 #107

We'll do two things. Lizzie Poppet Mar 2014 #28

True! A good bottle of 'Jack Daniels' goes a long way toward solving any problem! randome Mar 2014 #30

Not a damn thing seveneyes Mar 2014 #29

More thoughts: MineralMan Mar 2014 #31

The majority are not ethnically Russian. Only 17% are ethnically Russian. More than that speak okaawhatever Mar 2014 #49

The Crimea is part of Ukraine. MineralMan Mar 2014 #54

the Crimean penninsula was only made part of the Ukraine SSR in 1954 independentpiney Mar 2014 #73

Western Ukraine was absorbed after WW II FarCenter Mar 2014 #85

The areas you mention in your first two paragraphs Jenoch Mar 2014 #104

Rural areas and small villages may have been Ukranian FarCenter Mar 2014 #105

I was in Moldova in 1999 and the people I worked Jenoch Mar 2014 #106

Nothing. We are not the world police as hard as it is to Cleita Mar 2014 #35

"Cold War" ...don't make the NSA laugh. L0oniX Mar 2014 #38

I absolutely trust Putin to do the right thing Nevernose Mar 2014 #36

It's not up to us to do anything. Who made us the world police? L0oniX Mar 2014 #37

It's a grave threat to world peace that calls for an immediate weapons embargo or something jsr Mar 2014 #40

We could start by ceasing to try to push NATO to Putin's doorstep. Democracyinkind Mar 2014 #41

In the long-term, however, it's in everyone's best interests to have a more united world. randome Mar 2014 #43

I know of about 5 billion people that strongly disagree with that. Democracyinkind Mar 2014 #45

Oh, I agree we have no moral claim to anything outside our borders. randome Mar 2014 #50

I agree with your general point. Democracyinkind Mar 2014 #55

You may be more well-versed in the political realities than I am. randome Mar 2014 #66

If you idea is for the world to become more united mazzarro Mar 2014 #78

The veto powers should be eliminated, I agree. randome Mar 2014 #91

Democracy didn't win, our version of capitalism did over their state capitalism TheKentuckian Mar 2014 #77

But the best aspects of Democracy still inspire others. randome Mar 2014 #94

Thank our lucky stars George W. Bush is out of office. gulliver Mar 2014 #53

Nothing. Ukraine is clearly in their sphere of influence LittleBlue Mar 2014 #56

Withdraw all diplomatic personnel from Russia, for starters. alarimer Mar 2014 #57

Steal and hide Obama's comfortable cowboy boots. Tierra_y_Libertad Mar 2014 #58

Posture, whine, and not much else is my guess. bemildred Mar 2014 #59

Probably not much now elfin Mar 2014 #60

I call it the re-purposed Manifest Destiny now Global Manifest Destiny. That might be troubling libdem4life Mar 2014 #76

"and the Crimea is felt to be crucial to Russia's need for a warm water port." EX500rider Mar 2014 #82

The warm water port idea driving Russia elfin Mar 2014 #98

Strongly worded letter TheKentuckian Mar 2014 #68

What did we do in 2008 when Russia and Georgia fought over S. Ossetia & Abkhazia ? kenny blankenship Mar 2014 #70

My sentiments exactly exboyfil Mar 2014 #80

What can we do? nilesobek Mar 2014 #71

Give the Ukraine back its nuclear weapons that it gave up in kiranon Mar 2014 #100

Get with the other G8 members and skip summit, deny trade agreements that Russia has asked for davidn3600 Mar 2014 #72

I guess Putin is trying to get back the USSR Rosa Luxemburg Mar 2014 #74

Stay out of it. bigwillq Mar 2014 #75

Every time a conflict has appeared the last several years Jazzgirl Mar 2014 #83

I plan on buying lots of beer and popcorn. AAO Mar 2014 #87

Start the Cold War over again? enlightenment Mar 2014 #88

We get blamed for it all treestar Mar 2014 #89

If ? it's already happened 30cal Mar 2014 #90

Keep pushing the Swiss and other safe money states to freeze suspect accounts. msanthrope Mar 2014 #95

Reason with both parties to the full extent of our abilities and call for a ceasefire. another_liberal Mar 2014 #97

You do know Crimea is Ukraine don't you? DevonRex Mar 2014 #99

Nothing. Its none of our business. bowens43 Mar 2014 #102

Put every Russian in a torture camp? Arrest all war protesters as "terrorists"? Corruption Inc Mar 2014 #108

Party like it's 1999 postatomic Mar 2014 #109