Well, this is appalling.
So Putin will launch an invasion of Ukraine to avenge Nemtsov's death? Bravo. Bravo. RE https://t.co/f2JSOYyw7x
— Brian Faughnan (@BrianFaughnan) March 2, 2015
Surprise: "Izvestia reports that Russian investigators' main theory is that Ukrainian security services killed #Nemtsov." – @nataliaantonova
— Anders Östlund (@andersostlund) March 2, 2015
Both that the Putin regime thinks that it can get away with this, and that the Putin regime will probably be correct, at least in the short term. Sure, why not? Blame the assassination of one of the few remaining opposition leaders on a country that you’re planning to invade anyway. Who’s around to stop you, these days?
You know, I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen this movie before.
Glenn Greenwald will still approve. Pat Buchanan probably will too.
Pat is just weird.
Glenn hates the USA and the West.
(Funny thing is, the USA and the West are the only places those two cranks are safe in this world.)
Chutzpah is an uextremely useful trait when it comes to foreign relations.
So why is Obama such a failure?
Really, what exactly does Putin have to do to get Obama to arm Ukraine? Take a dump on the White House lawn?
Do donuts on Obama’s favorite golf course with a BTR-80.
….What?!
Fezzik: You never said anything about killing anyone.
Vizzini: I’ve hired you to help me start a war. It’s an prestigious line of work, with a long and glorious tradition.
Sure, we’ve seen lots of movies before. Remakes are all the rage after all. Who was it that said “History doesn’t repeat itself, but darned if it doesn’t *rhyme*”?
You think it will just be for the short term? He will get away with it. Period.
Very likely true.
After all, it would be undiplomatic to call Putin a @$#!ing liar.
Why not? He got away with openly attacking an American ally ( who put troops in Iraq) when he attacked Georgia. He didn’t pretend to simply arm “Russian separatists” he openly invaded the country and engaged his military with theirs.
Obama endorsed his annexations so there is really no reason for Putin to believe the West would ever stop him from doing anything.
I suppose the only upside to this is the Cold War gave us some pretty cool movies (and some pretty bad ones too). I’d love to see Clancy/Bond’s “Red Storm Rising” get the movie treatment (although only a mini series would do it justice). Part of me is wondering if that book was somehow prophetic…