Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Russia Takes Over Ukrainian Miltiary Bases
Russia, that sneaky devil, took over three Ukrainian military bases, as well as a military hospital. These seizures started early Monday morning when Russian soldiers broke in the compounds, swiftly and silently taking over the bases. Needless to say, the Ukrainians were a little surprised. As usual, the Western countries have condemned Putin's actions, to no avail. Personally, I think the Western countries should actually do something if they say Putin's actions are illegal. Ultimately, I think this conflict will end in war. What do you think the Western countries should do?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It is my belief that western military forces should act in accordance with its constituency's needs. As of yet, I have yet to be convinced that Russia's involvement in Ukraine has any tangable negative impact on the American people, and therefore does no necesitate action on our part.
ReplyDeleteRussia's aggressive tactics are no surprise to me. I am sure the situation in Ukraine will culminate in violence. Western countries can condemn Russia's actions all they want but Russia's not going to listen. Personally, I think the Western countries should stay away from conflict with Russia and the Ukraine for as long as possible. Ukraine's situation is extremely delicate, but I believe if the country needs help it will ask for help. We need to give it time to find its own ground before we swoop in and immediately tie ourselves down into another war.
ReplyDeleteThe United States needs to cripple Russia economically—that is the way to go. Thus, the United States needs to cut off all trade with Russia, while also freezing bank accounts. Additionally, we should begin harnessing the natural resources that we have (and then sell it to Europe). The price of oil will drop, and the Russian economy will be in shambles. When this happens, Putin is stripped of his power.
ReplyDeleteWe do not need to start Cold War II. It is completely unnecessary. Putin is being aggressive, and frankly, I would too if I were him. Obama needs to have a face-to-face sit-down with Putin and sort things out diplomatically where both sides walk away from the table happy.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Russia makes aggressive attacks that either a) threaten the liberty of innocent Ukrainian citizens, or b) attempts to invade and take over the capital, then I feel that the US should start taking more serious measures.
There are two things, we do nothing and Putin continues to take Ukraine, or we get involved and essentially spark a war. The last thing people want right now is another war, after what happened with the war on terror. It would not be received well. Some other countries should take action, especially Europe, considering the conflict is closer to them.
ReplyDeleteThe situation in Ukraine is definitely a messy one that the western countries should be very weary about getting involved with. That being said, there is definitely not an easy solution. Getting involved could result in another never-ending war with no real goal in sight. Inversely, by not getting involved we are basically turning a blind eye to Russia's wrongdoings which could set precedent for future decisions made by not only the US but also by Russia.
ReplyDeleteI see what Emily is saying. Originally I would have said heck no let's not get involved at all, after all we still have troops in Afghanistan. It wouldn't make sense for us to just leave the situation alone though. Like Emily said, we don't just want to turn a blind eye. It may seem like the best decision now, but it will certainly come around and bite us in the butt later. I feel like Andrew's idea of economic sanctions would be the most logical route. We wouldn't be jumping in entirely, but showing our disapproval to Russia's actions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emily Meyer and Andrew (to a certain extent). The US has to think very carefully about the next move because it could start a major conflict between us and Russia. I still think that trying to stay out of it as best as possible would be the most beneficial route because with Crimea already filing a request to be a part of Russia, there's into much we can do now. Andrew wants to "strip Putin of his power" which I believe is an asinine idea. Cutting off trade with Russia is fine, but why start something so big if there's really need to?
ReplyDeleteI believe that we should let Russia take Crimea, but we should take measures to protect the rights of those living who still identify more with Ukraine. If Russia can't guarantee the rights and safety of people such as the Tatars in Crimea, who have been persecuted recently, then we should impose economic sanctions on Russia until Putin feels it is worth it to compromise. It's important for the countries of the West to make it clear that Russia can't just do whatever it wants, but some concessions might need to be made in order to prevent increased violence or war.
ReplyDeleteUkrainian bases do not seem well equipped to hold out against Russian forces, so it seems, if Russians try to invade, they will succeed. This being said, I don't think the United States should intervene by sending troops or equipment to them. We need to stop Russia from wanting to invade, and make the costs not worth the regions they want to take.
ReplyDelete