mess of Ukraine

[meridannight]

Ukraine and NATO

have to agree with Forbes on this one. as much as the idea of Russia getting away with intruding into Ukraine is also uncomfortable, right now is not the time to talk about Ukraine and NATO in the same sentence. it wouldn't be able to start anything in that direction until the conflict in the eastern Ukraine is resolved anyway, and it doesn't look like that's gonna happen any time soon.

anyway, i feel sorry for Ukraine, but i don't see the NATO or the EU ticket happening or put into motion in the foreseeable future, with things being the way they are.

what are your thoughts on this?

[Rareboy]

Eventually, the western half of the Ukraine will tilt to the west......the eastern half....the part that was Russia until Kruschev gave it away...will tilt to Russia.

The Ukraine has a lot of shit to sort out. Until it can demonstrate that the government is not a corrupt nest of profiteers and that it can be trusted as a NATO partner....it isn't a good thing to give them the keys to everything.

But the sooner that the Ukraine is a member of NATO and moves to be a part of the EU in some form, the less likelihood there is for Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.

[Hardheaded1]

There are spheres of influence and there are spheres of influence. It is obvious that Eastern Europe and Eurasia have been of dubious worth to the USA for some time, as we allowed the Iron Curtain to fall without intervening except for Berlin.

That nations operate in self-interest is no Epiphany to most, present season notwithstanding. But, what is more compelling is that Europe, despite all the EU foo-fa and hooplah, is again failing to act as any great power would, and secure the border from instability. Whereas warfare is always costly, there is obviously a greater cost of inaction. An airliner has already been shot down. We shall see how long the Europeans are willing to allow this brawl on their doorstep, or do they continue to view the Slavs as some sort of poor neighbors who can be left to subjugation at the hands of the Russians? "Oh, look at the beautiful crafts of these peasant people." How quaint.

[James]

Watch, some of those peasant people are my friends that I talk to on a regular basis, the regular people of the world just want to be safe and get along with everyone else, Jim