How do you recognize a military coup in Egypt and remain silent when the

[ProSense]

23. Any way

"How do you recognize a military coup in Egypt and remain silent when the democratically elected President in locked up by said military and then say a referendum is a violation of international law and is illegal."

...you slice it, Putin's actions were illegal. From an editorial posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024675127

Russia’s dispatch of military forces to Crimea is a clear violation of international law. Putin justifies the invasion as necessary to protect Russian citizens and allies, but this is a fig leaf. The Obama administration is right to condemn it, although much of the world will grimace at the irony of Secretary Kerry denouncing the invasion of a sovereign country even as the United States only now winds down its “war of choice” against Iraq, which is thousands of miles away from US borders. Crimea, of course, not only abuts Russia but houses its Black Sea Fleet, which, by treaty agreement between Ukraine and Russia, is set to remain there until at least 2042. Crimea historically was part of Russia until 1954, when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred it to Ukraine in what many viewed as a gesture of good will.

People are focusing on hypocrisy, when it's also hypocritical to condemn the Iraq invasion, and then try to use other events to justify Putin's illegal invasion.

The editorial's point that the "world will grimace at the irony" isn't relevant to the fact of the illegality. In fact, the UN voted to condemn Russia, and even China left Russia out in the cold.