re: So Russia might have just invaded the Ukraine, kind of

The Ukraine should hire consultants from Texas A&M on how to break away from big brother

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It's certainly going to get ugly. Ukraine is split ethnically east vs west. The pro Russia east would welcome much closer ties with Moscow. The western side of Poles and Ukrainians want to be aligned with the EU.

This is how civil wars get started and I doubt Russia will be shy about jumping in to support the ethnic Russians.

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The peoples feelings and division are being used to distract from the larger agenda.

This is about bringing Ukraine into NATO, getting western military bases on the Russian front, it's about getting Ukraine on the western banking block, making them a puppet state for western interests, it's about controlling their oil and gas pipelines, it's about money and power. It's about western world powers vs easter powers. This is about positioning for the great war.

Pretty good background on how Crimea was transferred to Ukraine.

LINK

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Everything is a conspiracy with you.

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There is no conspiracy in that at all..

It's always about Money and power. The divisions are how you get the people galvanized to act.

We may disagree about the evils and virtues of centrap banking. Even over the negative influence of the western banks. That being said, I don't doubt they have quite the stake in this.

ETA: obviously NATO wants Ukraine.

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That being said, I don't doubt they have quite the stake in this.

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Who buys the Ukraine's debt is the central issue in this.

Russia offered a no financial strings attached loan, the anti Russian west in the Ukraine got upset.

The EU's offer was full of strings attached, signing it would essentially mean they are owned by the western banking block.

Russia threatened to raise tariffs if they sign the EU deal.

It's a key area for money and military strategy.

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It's a huge grab for the west if they can get the Ukraine to take their bailout offer. Getting the Ukraine into NATO is a big deal, it puts western military bases right on the Russian border.

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Yes but the vast majority of the Ukraine wants to be in the West just as Poland yearned to break free decades ago even within Crimea the pro-Russian contingent is outnumbered. They're substantial in number but nonetheless a minority.
Both West and East have competing interests here but it shouldn't be forgotten that Ukrainians have their own interests - the ideal situation for them would be becoming somewhat of an arbiter between both sides (not that Putin would go along with it but that would be the ideal - a nation with both Western and Eastern connections). Instead it seems we have Ukrainian interests, Western interests, and Russian interests with some overlap on all sides but the interested parties all have a great deal to gain/lose.

As to the military bases... we already have ones close enough to where bases placed any closer is more an insult reminding Putin of dwindling Russian power an influence than a real military threat. It would be a matter of seriously wounding Russia and Putin's pride given modern weapons. I think the bigger loss for Putin/Russia would be that if Ukraine breaks free from Moscow's influence a Western aligned Ukraine could send their submarine base in Crimea packing.

Putin and his party very much still Russia through the eyes of the empire they grew up in and want to retain and establish the kind of influence based empire the US has now that the days of land based and martial based empires are over, or at least, less common or important (even when wars are fought it's less about occupation than establishing influence and contracts in another nation). And of course, the US and Western nations are still very much about growing and retaining their sphere of influence around the globe.

I just saw one of those starving african kid commercials and the background song was swing low sweet chariot. Did I just witness racism?

Thanks to both of you.

Ukraine is now pleading for the UK and US to honor our 1994 agreement to protect them.

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The new Ukrainian government says it has been invaded by Russia and has appealed for the United States and United Kingdom to protect it, as guaranteed under a 1994 agreement.

The parliament also called for guarantees of the memorandum signed by Ukraine, Britain, Russia and the United States in Budapest in 1994.That agreement guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty and current borders in exchange for surrendering the nuclear weapons that were left after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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LINK