Issues Under Fire: Struggling For A Response, Western Powers Challenge Putin’s Sanity - Info and Reading Options

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style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;"><strong style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://retrovisionmedia.com" rel="nofollow">Issues Under Fire:</a> Struggling for a Response, Western Powers Challenge Putin’s Sanity:</strong></div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;"></div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">Far from screwy, Vladimir Putin is way ahead in the sane game as he’s out maneuvered the West in every foreign policy engagement for the last decade. Putin has a plan, plotted a course and is preparing the Russian Federation for the next level of global influence. Greatness is Vladimir Putin’s goal.</div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;"></div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;"><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">As long as the West remain in reactive mode, it’ll never be able to counter Putin’s ambitions. Because Western powers simply don’t understand Putin’s strategy, they can’t follow his logic or anticipate his next moves. Hence, the Russian leader must be delusional and operating within an alternate reality. Now that’s crazy!</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">Since some are clearly having difficulties comprehending Putin’s motives and messaging, I’ll try to explain how the Russian leader saw events unfold and why he took the actions he did. Putting myself in Putin’s place, when he answered that “three AM Call” it was Viktor Yanukovyck on the line pleading for help.</p></div><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;"> </p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">Because Yanukovych had just been chased out of his country by a bunch of marauding maulers accusing him of war crimes, the ousted president needed backup and he needed fast. When Putin turned on cable news and saw Ukrainians casually touring President Yanukovych’s home, after burning down anything and everything local authorities couldn’t protect, he felt compelled to offer assistance in restoring order before the madness spread. After all, Yanukovych was a useful neighbor.</p><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;"><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">President Yanukovyck may be a loser, but as far as Putin is concerned, he was Ukraine’s elected loser and should have been voted out of office and not sent packing in the middle of the night like a common criminal. From Putin’s view, the newly self installed President and his hastily assembled government was a sham and consequently not to be taken seriously.</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">Simply because Western Powers showed up in Kiev in support of the rowdies, that did nothing to established the legitimacy of those who claimed control by force. Until open fair and internationally monitored elections could be held, from where Putin stands, President Yanukvych is still the Ukrainian leader. BTW, this attitude is consistent with Russia’s long standing stance of letting the political process rule, not mob violence. If you think about it, the message was the same in Syria. To be accused of hypocrisy is a stretch at best.</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">Sensing opportunity, Putin activated Moscow’s “mystery men” to meet Ukraine’s marauding maulers head on. While managing assets and events from afar, Putin was able to secure Russian interest by reestablishing connections with the locals in Crimea. So far, those actions are paying significant dividends. Apparently, Putin’s calculations of any Western response have already been factored in and whatever cost he might have to pay will be well worth the investment. Where is the crazy in that?</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">As for those Sanctions:</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">Newton’s Third Law of: “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” should be applied here. Tightening Russia’s access to international banking, isolating Russia from the G-8 and G-20, wrecking Russia’s economy by tanking the ruble and freezing global  a la Iran may sound cool to a domestic audience, but the U.S. needs to mindful of how Russia can react to those threats.</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">Apparently the Europeans are recalculating the pros and cons of joining the U.S. in crashing Russia’s economy for fear of the economic ripple effects it would cause. The U.K. and Germany may be talking hard but they’re walking softly around the issue of tough sanctions.</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">In fact, at an emergency meeting in Brussels the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy and Spain openly resisted calls for trade sanctions against Russia. Instead, Europe seems content to limiting discussions to freezing long-running talks with Russia on visa liberalization that would have made it easier for Russians to visit Europe. Whoa, now that’ll bite em!</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">While the Europe vacillates, the United States should worry about needing Russia’s cooperation getting the hell out of landlocked Afghanistan. Remember, Hamid Karzai will be giving the U.S. and NATO the old heave-ho at the end of the 2014. Between navigating hostile Pakistan and the opportunistic Taliban, the United States must rely on Russia for its exit strategy. With GOP assholes like John McCain and Lindsey Graham upping the ante without carefully considering the consequence makes no sense at all. Some could even call them crazy.</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;font-size:14px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;">Bottom line: The thought of Western critics making Vladimir Putin  out to be crazy, while the United States promises a questionable  government (at best) a billion bucks it doesn’t have and pledging support it can’t deliver, could actually be viewed as crazy too.</p></div></div>

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