Population of Russia: 140 million
Population of EU: 500 million
GDP of Russia: 2.5 Tril
GDP of EU: 16 Tril. And you could get the Norwegians on board if you really wanted to as well.
Plus, if Ukraine is seriously interested in independence from Russia, their 44 million and 300 billion should be sold out for the cause, right?
Why is everyone looking to the US to put slightly-less-corrupt Ukrainians in charge?
We feel bad for some Ukrainians who would like to be our pals, and we are still haunted by the memory that the USSR was once a serious rival. But Russia is just a 3rd world country with nukes and a mean streak now. Not very different from Pakistan, really.
7 comments:
It's seldom I disagree with you, but the big difference is culture. The Russians and Ukrainians are still culturally closer to the EU (and the US) than they are to Pakistan.
Granted. But I don't see the necessity of us rescuing them.
What I think is revelatory is to compare all the angst the world has about the 'peace process between the Palestinians and Israel,' an illegal settlement here, there 'impediments to peace,' and Russia just lops off sections of countries, if not the whole thing with an 'outa my way' attitude and it's kinda no problem.
Yep. You'd think the Palestinians had suffered more from Israel than Ukraine from Russia over the last 100 years.
The deal is, though, that the Israelis aren't coming at them with overwhelming force, and won't, and the Russkis CAN, and likely WILL, as history records.
If the Israelis acted as they are accused of acting, nobody would mess with them.
A report of the Ukranians not being treated by the Russians as having basic economic rights: http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2014/02/27/the-revolution-in-ukraine-and-on-my-site/
The problem Putin has in playing Hitler is that his troops are not the same.
In World War II most historians credit the German infantry with being the best in the worldwide conflict. The Japanese were possibly braver as were the ANZACs but the Nazi troops were the most effective.
The Russians only beat the Nazis by enduring crushing comparative casualty rates. The Nazis had announced more or less that they were going to exterminate the Russian people. Russian troops had nothing to lose fighting to the death.
Since the end of WWII the Russian troops have not performed well. They have lost to ill equipped 'freedom fighters' all over the globe. In contrast American troops, aircraft and ships have almost always prevailed.
Putin knows this. He's the Paper Tiger.
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