Crimea is not worth nearly as much as Putin seems to think. This is in line with his assault on Georgia for the puny prize of South Ossetia. He was more on the right track with the costly corrupt Olympics at Sochi just a few weeks ago, and the current Paralympics which goes on during all this. Cultivate a worldly image and keep up the energy exports. But now Russia has magnified its sometime role as crass brutal bully
The Black Sea fleet could have been maintained merely with the threat of invasion, but exactly how worthwhile to Russia is the maintaining of a Black Sea fleet? Nobody cares about it, except the former Soviet republics that border Russia, and how much can Russia gain from bullying Ukraine and Georgia that is worth more than their commercial relationships with Europe?
Putin must be surrounded by yes men who echo 1980's considerations that expired in the 1990's. An isolated boss without reality checkers, whose main purpose is to maintain the corrupt advantages of power.
The Crimean War of 1854 is best remembered if at all by the unintentionally ironic poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson "The Charge of the Light Brigade", a celebration of the misguided valor of British light cavalry, specifically the 4th and 13th Light Dragoons, the 17th Lancers, and the 8th and 11th Hussars (don't you love these obscure archaic names?) under the command of the Earl of Cardigan, he of the sweater, on the wrong target by a confused British headquarters. They assaulted a dreadfully deadly wrong position, and their lack of tactical tact was celebrated as the bravery of dying just because somebody says go for it.
This Crimean War II may be a possible verification of one of Karl Marx's better quips, that history repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.
The Black Sea fleet could have been maintained merely with the threat of invasion, but exactly how worthwhile to Russia is the maintaining of a Black Sea fleet? Nobody cares about it, except the former Soviet republics that border Russia, and how much can Russia gain from bullying Ukraine and Georgia that is worth more than their commercial relationships with Europe?
Putin must be surrounded by yes men who echo 1980's considerations that expired in the 1990's. An isolated boss without reality checkers, whose main purpose is to maintain the corrupt advantages of power.
The Crimean War of 1854 is best remembered if at all by the unintentionally ironic poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson "The Charge of the Light Brigade", a celebration of the misguided valor of British light cavalry, specifically the 4th and 13th Light Dragoons, the 17th Lancers, and the 8th and 11th Hussars (don't you love these obscure archaic names?) under the command of the Earl of Cardigan, he of the sweater, on the wrong target by a confused British headquarters. They assaulted a dreadfully deadly wrong position, and their lack of tactical tact was celebrated as the bravery of dying just because somebody says go for it.
This Crimean War II may be a possible verification of one of Karl Marx's better quips, that history repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.
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