Article

2014-03-26 International-UN-NGOs

Obama Says Russia Behavior Sign of Weakness, Comparing Crimea to Kosovo Makes 'No Sense'

Of course he did. He's The Smartest Man In The Room.

[AnNahar] U.S. President Barack Obama
My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it...
on Tuesday hit out at Moscow's expansionism as a "sign of weakness" after Russia took control of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, fueling fears of further intervention in the region.

"Russia is a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbors, not out of strength but out of weakness," Obama told journalists after a nuclear security summit in The Hague.

Obama said that while the U.S. also has influence over its neighbors, "we generally don't need to invade them in order to have a strong cooperative relationship with them."

The Crimean crisis has sparked the most explosive East-West confrontation since the Cold War era and fanned fears in Kiev that Russian President Vladimir Putin

...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...
now intends to push his troops into the heavily Russified regions of southeast Ukraine.

"The fact that Russia felt (the need) to go in militarily and lay bare these violations of international law indicates less influence, not more," Obama said, rejecting Putin's claim that Russian speakers had been threatened in Crimea and in Ukraine.

"There has been no evidence that Russian speakers have been in any way threatened," Obama said, the day after a Group of Seven summit suspended Russia from the grouping of rich nations.

"I think it is important for everybody to be clear and strip away some of the possible excuses for potential Russian action," he said, before heading for his first European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
-U.S. summit in Brussels.

Ukraine's parliament on Tuesday sacked the crisis-hit country's defense minister, after his forces undertook a humiliating withdrawal from Crimea without firing a shot against Russian forces who claimed the Black Sea peninsula.

Crimea's effective loss -- though recognized by no Western power -- has dealt a heavy psychological blow to many Ukrainians who have already spent the past years mired in corruption and economic malaise.

Ukraine's ground commanders in Crimea had complained bitterly of confusion among the top brass in Kiev since Putin's decision on March 1 to seek the right to use force against his neighbor in response to last month's fall in Kiev of a pro-Kremlin regime.

Some 228 deputies in the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada parliament supported Igor Tenyukh's dismissal after the acting defense minister tendered his resignation in an emotional address broadcast live to the nation of 46 million people.

"I have never clung on to my job, and I don't intend to do so now," Tenyukh said. "I have honor."

Tuesday's session gave politicians a chance to voice growing frustrations with how the new Western-backed leaders have handled their jobs since coming to power on the back of three months of deadly protests whose ultimate aim was to eliminate the corruption and Kremlin dependence that have weighed on Ukraine throughout its post-Soviet history.

"We gave up Crimea to the Russians thanks to our unprofessionalism," independent politician Igor Palytsya fumed. "We gave up Crimea thanks to our indecision."

Tensions between the two neighbors seemed ready to spike further when Russian television aired what it claimed was a tape of former Ukrainian premier Yulia Tymoshenko -- an opposition leader released from jail after the pro-Kremlin regime's fall -- urging the "wiping out" of Russians over the seizure of Crimea.

Tymoshenko admitted that her voice was on the tape but insisted that her comments had been manipulated.

Obama's G7 summit in The Hague sought to ward off the threat of further Russian expansion with a more forceful response after two rounds of only targeted sanctions that hit only specific officials but left Russia's broader economy untouched.

The G7 agreed on Monday to deepen Moscow's isolation and meet on its own -- without Russia -- in Brussels instead of gathering in Sochi in June.

Obama on Monday said the group was "united in imposing a cost on Russia for its actions", in reference to the travel bans and asset freezes imposed by the West on key members of Putin's inner circle.

Russia's loss of the right to host the G8 summit is a moral blow to Putin -- a leader whose 14 years in power have focused on resurrecting the Kremlin's post-Soviet pride.

But the Kremlin on Tuesday shrugged off the seven world leaders' decision as "counter-productive" but otherwise harmless.

"When it comes to contacts with the G8 countries, we are ready for them, we have an interest in them," Kremlin front man Dmitry Peskov told the ITAR-TASS news agency.

Posted by trailing wife 2014-03-26 00:00|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 Russia's loss of the right to host the G8 summit is a moral blow to Putin

How will he survive?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2014-03-26 00:42|| 2014-03-26 00:42|| Front Page Top

#2 Someone please explain to the man this is not the faculty lounge in academia.

Posted by Procopius2k 2014-03-26 00:51|| 2014-03-26 00:51|| Front Page Top

#3 "Russia is a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbors, not out of strength but out of weakness."

The person who wrote, read and spoke this statement is living in an alternative reality, disconnected from the continuum of contemplative focused people.

Sign of weakness ?

Please look in a mirror at your next opportunity, weakness is who you will see... have you focused upon yourself yet ?

Here take a look

Posted by Au Auric 2014-03-26 00:59|| 2014-03-26 00:59|| Front Page Top

#4 Why is everybody thinks of O as an academic?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2014-03-26 01:00|| 2014-03-26 01:00|| Front Page Top

#5 Black is white. Up is down.

Posted by gorb 2014-03-26 02:26|| 2014-03-26 02:26|| Front Page Top

#6 Russia is imposing her will on others, using armed force.

Post 9/11 the US has not imposed her will on any adversary.
Huge concessions were made to the 9/11 attackers' associates and accomplices.
I.e. others imposed their will on the US, using armed force.

Making use of one's power by committing an act of explorative and opportunistic aggression may be immoral. Objectively it is a demonstration of actual capability, not weakness.

Posted by Elmerert Hupens2660 2014-03-26 08:36|| 2014-03-26 08:36|| Front Page Top

#7 Why is everybody thinks of O as an academic?

Well -

Wizard of Oz: Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the Earth or slinks through slimy seas has a brain. Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have. But they have one thing you haven't got: a diploma.

- though today, the term accreditation more apply describes would academia does (ie paper mill). The 'centers of higher learning' they've long ago left for the pastures of self selection promotion and financial enrichment. Up till now, its been confined enough to the reservation to limit the damage they do.

Posted by Procopius2k 2014-03-26 08:39|| 2014-03-26 08:39|| Front Page Top

#8 It is a sign of weakness, but not on the part of Russia.

Posted by Iblis 2014-03-26 10:04|| 2014-03-26 10:04|| Front Page Top

#9 Why is everybody thinks of O as an academic?

In fact I find him quite ponderous.

Posted by swksvolFF 2014-03-26 11:20|| 2014-03-26 11:20|| Front Page Top

#10 Obama said that while the U.S. also has influence over its neighbors, "we generally don't need to invade them in order to have a strong cooperative relationship with them."

Even better. Obama lets our neighbors invade us!

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2014-03-26 11:50|| 2014-03-26 11:50|| Front Page Top

#11 P2K, I call that the "Scarecrow Principle". You don't need an education any more, all you need is a diploma.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2014-03-26 12:22|| 2014-03-26 12:22|| Front Page Top

#12 Jerry Pournelle recently added: of course President Obama will reward China and Russia with increased control over the Internet by letting ICANN go to the UN which means fall under the control of Russia and China. ICANN aint broke but President Obama will fix it. See NPR

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2014-03-26 13:18|| 2014-03-26 13:18|| Front Page Top

#13 EPA does its own land grab. Declares authority over private property that has any form of water on it.

Posted by Omavising Ebbemp9815 2014-03-26 14:19|| 2014-03-26 14:19|| Front Page Top

#14 From the article:

"'If EPA is not careful, this rule could effectively give the federal government control of nearly all of our state -- and prove to be a showstopper for both traditional access and new development,' [Murkowski] said."

That's the idea, honey. >:-(

Posted by Barbara 2014-03-26 15:33|| 2014-03-26 15:33|| Front Page Top

#15 Can someone explain to me where the line is that once crossed demands a response of armed insurrection?

Personally.................

Posted by AlanC 2014-03-26 17:50|| 2014-03-26 17:50|| Front Page Top

#16 So my driveway would be under EPA regulations since it sometimes has a puddle of water on it. The EPA needs to be utterly destroyed and the land where it's offices sits salted so nothing will ever grow there again.

Next: the EPA declares authority over all land which has air in, above, or below it under the Clean Air Act.

Posted by CrazyFool 2014-03-26 17:55|| 2014-03-26 17:55|| Front Page Top

#17 ..just a theory:

Mr. Putin has beaucoup information, courtesy of Mr. Snowden, that Mr. Obama does not want made public. Therefore, Mr. Obama reverts to a turbocharged version of shrinking violet in fear that Mr. Putin will drop a dime on him.

Again, just a theory..

Posted by Uncle Phester 2014-03-26 18:51|| 2014-03-26 18:51|| Front Page Top

#18 Hat tip to you UP.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-03-26 19:45|| 2014-03-26 19:45|| Front Page Top

#19 As TV station Rossiya 1 graciously reminded us, Russia is the only power that can wipe out the U.S.

Sute they won't survive to see it but they CAN.

So much for regional power.

Is there ANY part of the world Obama hasn't messed up with his incompetence?

Posted by European Conservative 2014-03-26 20:00|| 2014-03-26 20:00|| Front Page Top

#20 Now that Europe realizes that they can no longer rely on the now leftist dominated United States of America, the EU will have to focus on developing a military that will be the next major force in the world.

Posted by Omavising Ebbemp9815 2014-03-26 21:34|| 2014-03-26 21:34|| Front Page Top

12:21 swksvolFF
12:19 swksvolFF
12:13 Grom the Reflective
12:10 Airandee
12:01 Super Hose
11:56 swksvolFF
11:56 Angstrom
11:55 SteveS
11:49 Elmerert Hupens2660
11:43 Besoeker
11:41 M. Murcek
11:38 NN2N2
11:36 Skidmark
11:26 Besoeker
11:25 Abu Uluque
11:25 Deacon+Blues
11:21 Besoeker
11:17 Besoeker
11:15 Abu Uluque
11:10 Silentbrick
11:04 swksvolFF
11:02 swksvolFF
11:00 M. Murcek
11:00 SteveS