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2019-12-05 Europe

Germany expels 2 Russian diplomats after killing islamic terrorist

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Posted by Woodrow 2019-12-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11137 views ] Top
File under: Islamic State

If anyone out there in Teevee land knows the identity of these two young Chechen frequent fliers, please call the Boston office.....

Posted by Besoeker 2019-12-05 02:49|| 2019-12-05 02:49|| Front Page Top

#2 "Part of the Russian calculus is to present themselves as being so unpredictable and dangerous that the West really needs to make a deal with Moscow," such as over Ukraine, Galeotti added.

Ok, so the Russians are "unpredictable."
Two Q's:
1) Is the behavior of America's current POTUS "predictable"?
2) Has US policy toward Ukraine since the end of the Cold War been predictable, rational, sober, honest?

Re #2, consider that history. In 1991 our president told the Russian president, and soon thereafter harshly warned the new government of independent Ukraine, that Ukraine should not join NATO and should not pursue an independent foreign policy so as to avoid creating fears in Moscow of anti-Russian encirclement by the West and its proxies.

Then NATO was expanded to include not just Poland but also the Baltics and Romania. Hmmm. Didn't we tell the Russians otherwise?

Then US officials, most notoriously Victoria Nuland, openly involved themselves in Ukrainian political disputes, siding with a government and a movement which, however appealing to Western sympathies, was defined in part by its hostility to Russia.

At least the Soviets' behavior toward the anti-American new Cuban regime in 1960-61 wasn't "unpredictable."

Maybe it's time we looked in the mirror and set about creating an orderly, stable, consistent and intelligent policy toward Ukraine that does not threaten Russia in its back yard for no discernible benefit to anyone.

Posted by Lex 2019-12-05 07:59|| 2019-12-05 07:59|| Front Page Top

#3 I don't disagree with anything you said Lex, except.
(a) Far as Russians are concerned, Ukraine is not their backyard. Ukraine IS Russia.
(b) To some Russians, Kosovo was a rehearsal for attack on Russia.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2019-12-05 08:14|| 2019-12-05 08:14|| Front Page Top

#4 The American intervention in Kosovo was because the Euros (who told Bush they'd handle it) had bungled it so badly, that the facade of NATO was about to collapse and Deep State couldn't allow that.

Posted by Procopius2k 2019-12-05 08:49|| 2019-12-05 08:49|| Front Page Top

#5 I'm not arguing that it was and that it wasn't. I'm saying that Russians thought. For that matter, as an Israeli during the Kosovo war, I was pretty happy about Dimona mushrooms.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2019-12-05 09:11|| 2019-12-05 09:11|| Front Page Top

#6 We have zero national interest in the shithole that is Ukraine any more than Russia has any national interest in the shithole that is Cuba. We should stay out of their backyard and v-v. (Note that the analogy breaks down when you consider that Kieran Rus was / is the cradle of Russian Orthodox Christianity. Maybe Boston, not Cuba, would be a better analogue.)

We gave zero national interest in Podgorica (Q: Where? What? A: Exactly).

Posted by Lex 2019-12-05 09:17|| 2019-12-05 09:17|| Front Page Top

#7 * Kievan Rus (gryaznyi Auto-correct)

Posted by Lex 2019-12-05 09:18|| 2019-12-05 09:18|| Front Page Top

#8 no discernible benefit to anyone.

Seems to be where the previous administration went to get their money laundered.

Posted by swksvolFF 2019-12-05 11:24|| 2019-12-05 11:24|| Front Page Top

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