Riots in Ukraine

[Chang Elephant]

"An inspired act of God should happen here and put a Texan in the White House!"

 

[peteblue]

Lord Raglan will be spinning in his grave.....

 

[Toffeelover]

Mate you make it sound like he locked up his opponent pre election as a way of winning, in fact she only polled aroun 20% of the vote anyways, and it was after the. election she was arrested on corruption, btw she's also a billionaire oligarch, who made her money the same time all the other russian ones did, but presumably you reckon she's the nice honest oligarch, she is corrupt as fook, the thing about her trial that was most criticised wasnt about her innocence it was about not following judicial practise in the arrest/prosecution.

About the reason for the uprising, your right, opinion polls suggested that the majority wanted closer ties, but newsflash mate, after the election in a democracy the leaders make the decisions, and they dont have to go on opinion polls on every decision like, see our own country for evidence of that.

The popular uprising was actually a weztern ukranian uprising centered around kiev and other more pro eu cities, how about the crimea and eastern ukraine who wished to keep their elected leaders hence not revolting against them, or do the views of those protesting always matter more?

As for the protesters who died, the exact people to blame is unclear, no investigation from the new ruli.g authorities, and a leaked conversation from an ambassador and senior politician places the deaths of both sides upon the same perpetraitors, leading a wise person to investigate who actually gained out if the situation in the immediate aftermath

Thanks mate for that info, much appreciated on clarifying issues. It is an absolute mess over there and I trust we do not get too involved.

 

[Brennan]

Bush cheney and rumsfeld would sort them out wouldn't they Bill and kill us all along with it .

We need the psychopaths back in charge now .

Touching a nerve there mate, i remember Bill saying Romney was defo getting in. Good times.

 

[chicoazul]

 

[bluestevon]

Thanks mate for that info, much appreciated on clarifying issues. It is an absolute mess over there and I trust we do not get too involved.

No probs mate, and yeah i agree on the fact its such a mess that getting involved from the uk is a non starter, theirs enough problems of our own that adding political problem with russia on top is plain stupid, especially so as the other side is no different just more appealing to western trade.

My biggest worry from a pure selfish perspective is that it may mess up the timing of my temp residency in russia being processed as theirs been a massive surge in ethnic russians in the ukraine applying for russian passports and citizenship...

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I wonder if Russia getting frisky isn't going to prompt/force Germany to reassess it's constitution. I mean you've got the continents biggest economy, yet because their constitution is pacifist in nature, they don't contribute a great deal to defending the EU economy militarily (other than selling weapons to those that do). The British military budget is being slashed, and I can't see France wanting to go it alone more than they do already.

At the moment, Merkel seems content to play the diplomatic card. 'If' that doesn't work...

 

[magicjuan]

Germany will change when it can dictate the terms with other involved countries, and, considering the paucity of bollox from any other nation's leader, that could be fairly soon.

 

[SerenityNigh]

@bluestevon do you read The Economist? Excellent piece on 1 March. Granted, it's certainly a Western view, but very good nonetheless.

 

[bluestevon]

@bluestevon do you read The Economist? Excellent piece on 1 March. Granted, it's certainly a Western view, but very good nonetheless.

Yup i read it from time to time mate, not seen that article yet but will look it up, i try not to limit myself with one POV even some of the ultra extreme views can can shed some light on situations, also interesting to see just the kind of lunatics out their with influence (see american tea party etc)

On a side note, currently reading a lot about the 70's-80's american involvement in asia/central & latin america, some truly reprehensible things done in the name of 'freedom' and 'democracy'

Cheers for the heads up on the article btw

 

[Heisenburg]

http://scgnews.com/videos-from-ukraine-that-the-us-media-will-never-show-you

The first video on that link is shocking, you'd think they'd have guys lined up to put out the flames instead of having the Chuckle brothers running around.

 

[Librarian]

Ukraine should come out as gay and change their national anthem to the crying game, that'd fairly knock the horn off Putin.

 

[Billy Dean]

Yup i read it from time to time mate, not seen that article yet but will look it up, i try not to limit myself with one POV even some of the ultra extreme views can can shed some light on situations, also interesting to see just the kind of lunatics out their with influence (see american tea party etc)

On a side note, currently reading a lot about the 70's-80's american involvement in asia/central & latin america, some truly reprehensible things done in the name of 'freedom' and 'democracy'

Cheers for the heads up on the article btw

I'm developing an interest in that area - any books on that that you could recommend?

 

[SerenityNigh]

The Russian peacekeeping appears to be increasing. From NYT:

MOSCOW — Russia’s Defense Ministry announced new military operations in several regions near the Ukrainian border on Thursday, even as Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany warned the Kremlin to abandon the politics of the 19th and 20th centuries or face diplomatic and economic retaliation from a united Europe.

The operations came as Ukraine’s acting president, Oleksandr V. Turchynov,said in a statement on his official website that he believed Russian forces massed near the border were “ready to intervene in Ukraine at anytime,” and that he hoped diplomatic efforts by Ukraine and sympathetic nations would “stop the aggression.”

 

[Fuleco]

This essay is well worth a read from James Meek in the London Review of Books

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n06/james-meek/putins-counter-revolution