Tuesday, March 4, 2014
U.S. strategy for Ukraine crisis: Money talks
President Obama's stance on handling the crisis currently unfolding in Ukraine is clear. He does not want conflict. Instead, he is taking a diplomatic route by sending Secretary of State John Kerry to Kiev. The two are formulating a plan to push Russia's forces out of the Crimea region by the force of money, not troops. What do you think of this strategy? What is your reaction to Russia starting conflict almost immediately after the Olympics?
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Although I appose the role of the United States as the "Worlds Police Officer." I feel like we are making empty threats. It seems to me that we need to act in order to show Russia, and Putin that we are not messing around. As Obama has clarified, he is not looking for confrontation, but he wants Russia out of Crimea. I am not suggesting military action, but if Russia is not compliant it will be important that we follow through with the "isolation plan."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that we are doing something to help calm the crisis that is occurring. It is good to take action like it is spelled out under the category "What are U.S. Options." However, I do not want any further escalation of the problem from our interference, so we should tread lately. I find it especially surprising that this is all happening directly after the Olympics in Sochi.
ReplyDeleteI'm really disappointed in not getting immediate support from some of our allies, such as Germany and England. I hate being the world's police, but without the support of other countries that's what we're forced to be. As far as dealing with Russia I believe it's completely necessary to block them from the G8 group until they begin to put an effort into talking wi the Ukrainian government. If this issue is to be resolved any time soon, the USA can't be the only country helping out.
ReplyDeleteI am inclined to agree that the economic path is the path that should first be taken in order to deal with Russia. I do not know, however, if that is enough. After all, North Korea, with all of its sanctions, is still propped up by China (which would not happen in the case of Russia). Given my limited knowledge on the situation, I have a hard time judging the true value of the President’s plan. I am interested in knowing what Mitt Romney would have done in this situation (especially given the fact that Romney spoke quite openly of the danger of Russia during the 2012 campaign).
ReplyDeleteI think that it is very important to try all other options, diplomatic and economic, before they begin to use military force. The last thing the United States needs right now is for a military situation in which they are fighting in to escalate right now in the Ukraine. I hope that the sanctions placed on Russia by the United States, and hopefully other countries to follow, will be enough to stop Russia from sending in more troops.
ReplyDeleteI personally prefer the diplomatic route to resolve conflict, for I believe that military action should be our last resort and only for the most serious and dangerous conflicts. Like my classmates, I agree that being the world's police can be viewed as annoying, but sadly it is necessary as a world super power. Russia starting conflict directly after the Sochi Olympics does not surprise me because they foreshadowed this type of behavior while the Olympics were happening.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Obama's diplomatic actions so far concerning Russian troops invading Ukraine. I disagree with some of the article's calls for a more "robust" response from the Obama administration. One if the defining characteristics of the Obama administration is diplomatic resolution, so it would be completely out of character to follow the suggestion for a more robust response. Like my classmates, I agree that military action should be used only in the most extreme circumstances.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Obama's diplomatic actions so far concerning Russian troops invading Ukraine. I disagree with some of the article's calls for a more "robust" response from the Obama administration. One if the defining characteristics of the Obama administration is diplomatic resolution, so it would be completely out of character to follow the suggestion for a more robust response. Like my classmates, I agree that military action should be used only in the most extreme circumstances.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is a valid argument to try economic and political sanctions before moving towards direct confrontation, I don't think we are really doing this. We, and our allies, are scared of what would happen if we had any real confrontation with Russia, and rightfully so, it could be very bad. But all we are doing is issuing empty threats, we know it, our allies know it, and Putin knows it.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that President Obama is first trying to diplomatically solve the issue rather than go right to threats of war. With almost every country against Russia's decisions, I don't think this issue will be in the news much longer. Even though Putin has his own agenda, I think he will be pressured by the international community to remove his military. However I am concerned with one thing from the article. In our current financial position, I don't think that it is the best decision to give out loans to countries that won't be paying us back anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree that a lot of what has been done so far includes empty threats, I don't know if there's much more that we could be doing at this point. A lot of what needs to happen now is helping Ukraine get back on its feet economically. I think lessening the country's dependence on Russian energy is a good solution to this. This way, as Lydia said, military action would only become an option as a last resort, because there are many things that can be done by the United States and our allies before that.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it seems like some of the things the US has been making empty threats, taking action by not taking action is a good idea. In other words, the idea of isolation - not confrontation - is a good idea. Isolating Russia from the rest of the world in any ways, such as economic sanctions, like what Senator Royce suggested, is a step in helping Ukraine to improve its situations and hopefully help to "punish" Russia for its actions on this matter.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea of isolation - not confrontation. Although most of the U.S.'s actions have been considered empty threats, I don't think it's necessary for us to interfere much more with the issue at the state it's in. Like Sam said, I think that, with almost every country against Russia, this crisis shouldn't be an issue much longer.
ReplyDeleteI think that this seems the best option at this moment. America should help some, but not become too involved. Obviously Ukraine's reliance on Russia has hurt Ukraine's economy, but I think these loans will help them somewhat. I also think that any alternatives to military action are the best choices. I think Obama's choice to remain only as a diplomatic force is very intelligent and well-thought out.
ReplyDeleteWhat Kerry asserted really stuck out to me in the article, "[This] is not 21st century G8, major nation behavior." According to polls, as the article pointed out, the public generally is opposed to U.S intervention as “global policeman.” But like what other articles on this topic have warned, this type of invasion is a threat if it becomes a precedent. Also, the type of intervention role that the U.S would take in Ukraine seems to be quite different than the imperialistic “global policeman” of the 20th century. So overall, I think that taking action is necessary, and the idea of isolation sounds like the best way to avoid confrontation while still stopping this potential dangerous trend.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the fact that President Obama seems to be trying to be diplomatic in his approach instead of confrontational, especially considering the fact that Russia has nuclear weapons. However, I think to be successful, the US will need the full support of the other countries in the G8 group. We shouldn't undertake this dangerous and risky task alone.
ReplyDeleteThis article was interesting because it shows the U.S. at the other end of a situation that is very similar to what happened between the Bush administration and the rest of the world as moved to use military force in Afghanistan. The imperialistic followings we now deny to Russia as we take the role as the "police" of the world once again, it shows the hypocrisy that allows sway with the attitudes of the public. What Kerry said in Ukraine shows how we are preparing for another run at trying to solve the worlds problems.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Obama's diplomatic actions on this problem. Like Lydia, I think that military action should be the last thing that we do and that it is kind of upsetting that the US is seen as the world's police. I also think that economic sanctions on Russia are a step in the right direction to improve the situation.
ReplyDelete