Monthly Archives: March 2014

Ukraine – Once again

Politics

Over the weekend, while the ‘fair and open’ election in the Crimea to have the Crimea be annexed into the Russian Federation, I got to listen and read all of the talking bobble-heads tell how it is all the Presidents fault.  I have always been fascinated by the ability of self proclaimed experts to boil down extremely complex and convoluted events into simple ideas expressed in simple sentences.  Or in this case, sound bites.

First, be aware that what I’m going to do now is going to really ‘dis’ all those people out there who find it best to “just blame Obama”.  I am not writing to/for them, I long go learned that there is nothing I can say that will effect people who like blaming the current POTUS for what is going on.  Who I am reaching out to are all those people out there who might be convinced that what is going on in the Ukraine can be solved with simple actions.

Now, lets start with some historical facts….Except since the  1950’s the Crimea has not been a part of the Ukraine.  Historically the Crimea has either not been a part of any of the Russias or been a part of what is sometimes called Great Russia.  With the founding of the USSR the Crimea was first  the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic which was a part of the Russian SFSR.  In 1954 the Crimea was made a part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. When the USSR fell apart the Crimea eventually ended up a part of the Ukraine.  Got that?  Good, now onto what I want to talk about, the comparison of what is happening now and what was happening in Europe in the late 1930’s.

While there are superficial similarities between then and now it would be a great mistake to draw any close comparisons.  Europe of the 2010’s is not the same as the Europe of the 1030’s.  Just off the bat nether the USA nor Europe are in an economic depression that was gripping both Europe and the USA in the 1930’s.  We need to remember  just what a dominating effect the Great Depression had on all political thought.  To get a nice feel for just how dominating the Great Depression was I recommend “Since Yesterday” by Frederick Lewis Allen.

In any case, if one must draw similarities between the two decades we would be best to draw the closest.  I submit that the correct comparison is the Austrian Anschluss  for what is happening in the Crimea.

Ukraine

International Politics, Politics, , , , , ,

I had planed to write about the 60’s and domestic politics this week but it would seem that Russia and Putin had other ideas.  All I really want to point out is just how silly all of the anti Obama people are acting.  These are the same folks who decried the people who dared questioned the reasons for the 2nd Iraq war.  They told everyone that we should support the President when we were in an ‘international crisis’.  Even one of our own making.  It was the patriotic thing to do, the right thing to do.

Well, now we are in an international crisis that was non of our doing and these same people are telling everyone who will  listen that it is all Pres. Obama’s fault, that he is weak, that he is not acting strong enough with Putin and the Russians.  All this even before we know just what we and our allies in Europe are doing or trying to do.  These same people who have forgotten that G.W. Bush said that he had looked into the eyes of Putin and saw his soul and this was a man we could work with.

I expect that the response to this observation is that GW was talking about himself & the GOP working with Putin, not Obama and the Dems.  I say this, I feel that all Presidents speak for the US in international politics and not for themselves and definitely not for any one political party.  I believe that GW Bush was speaking for the US.

Inclosing I just want to point out that this is a great opportunity for the anti-Obama folks who felt we should to support the President in time of international crisis to tell tell all those folks now attacking the President to sit down, shut-up and let the President do his job with out all there carping.