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In reply to the discussion: This is just a heads up. Poland is on alert. [View all]freshwest
(53,661 posts)25. I think the Belarus and Ukraine were seized upon in an opportunistic fashion only. But
Poland is the topic so I went with it. They have a long unhappy history.
But then, so does Ukraine. In one sense, I don't see Ukraine, Crimea, Belarus, Moldovia, etc. as ever having truly left Russia, no matter how the boundaries were drawn up later.
Americans, the UK, NATO and UN work from a post WW2 framework, but I don't think the Russians do. At one time they may have worked to fit in, but they felt they were robbed by the West when the USSR fell.
Support for Putin's recent actions may be greater than we think and are due to the feeling of loss through the hard years following the collapse of the USSR. People need some kind of 'order' to prosper, safety, security - at least for the majority.
It's the minorities that get the short end of it and the Europeans have a much better grasp of historical alliances at work in the region than we ever will.
But then, so does Ukraine. In one sense, I don't see Ukraine, Crimea, Belarus, Moldovia, etc. as ever having truly left Russia, no matter how the boundaries were drawn up later.
Americans, the UK, NATO and UN work from a post WW2 framework, but I don't think the Russians do. At one time they may have worked to fit in, but they felt they were robbed by the West when the USSR fell.
Support for Putin's recent actions may be greater than we think and are due to the feeling of loss through the hard years following the collapse of the USSR. People need some kind of 'order' to prosper, safety, security - at least for the majority.
It's the minorities that get the short end of it and the Europeans have a much better grasp of historical alliances at work in the region than we ever will.
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Why did Russia essentially annex Poland and keep it under its control for so long after WW2?
Cali_Democrat
Jul 2014
#20
Ya...Russia gobbled up a bunch of countries and called it the Soviet "Union"
Cali_Democrat
Jul 2014
#22
The whole situation is very serious. The diplomatic apparatis is almost non-existant
TT_Progress
Aug 2014
#34
They've been on edge since the annexation of Crimea. And it's not like it never happened before...
freshwest
Jul 2014
#5
No, historically they're first on the list! See my edited post that you just replied to above.
freshwest
Jul 2014
#12
I think the Belarus and Ukraine were seized upon in an opportunistic fashion only. But
freshwest
Jul 2014
#25
Good post. Current geopolitics are extremely complicated and we are also making mistakes
TT_Progress
Aug 2014
#37