Ukraine

[TomServo]

Re: Ukraine

Useful primer on Ukraine: http://reconsideringrussia.org/2014/...at-is-ukraine/

[Artashes]

Re: Ukraine

Personally, I think Crimea is going to get emmediate & large financial & physical attention from Russia.
Relatively small and concise piece of real estate . And extremely well positioned geopolitically.
We will see, but I think the Crimean population is going to be grinning from ear to ear for the coming boom.
Russia is going to race to tie this up and bring infrastructure to efficient utilization.
The west handed Russia a golden opportunity and they are going to take full advantage FAST IMO.
We'll see.

[Mher]

Re: Ukraine

All of those expences you mentioned are investments that pay off big time. Investments like that are what build nations and what i wish was being done everywhere and is badly needed almost everywhere. The money invested in this way will come back to you 100 fold in time. Yes China is doing things in a smart way and i hope it will continue to be smart for it is poised to be one of the leaders of this world and good leadership on a world scale has been badly lacking.

we'll see how things develop. But I have a feeling both sides will gently abandon their respective pet projects, EU with Ukraine and Russia with Crimea.

Sarkisian like all Armenian leaders has done nothing for the majority poor but this phone call was correct
NATO must be told of its hypocrisy in bombing Yugoslavia in support of Kosovo but opposing self determination in Crimea and Karabakh

agreed on both ends. It's politics as usual. But Russia has much more of a right to get involve with its own population than the West did with a random E.European ethnicity.

[lampron]

Re: Ukraine

SARKISIAN BACKS CRIMEAN REFERENDUM IN PHONE CALL WITH PUTIN

Wednesday, March 19th, 2014



But Sarkisian's latest phone call is likely to draw negative reactions
from Europe and the United States as it places Armenia squarely on
the Russian side of the equation.

Sarkisian like all Armenian leaders has done nothing for the majority poor but this phone call was correct
NATO must be told of its hypocrisy in bombing Yugoslavia in support of Kosovo but opposing self determination in Crimea and Karabakh

[Haykakan]

Re: Ukraine

All of those expences you mentioned are investments that pay off big time. Investments like that are what build nations and what i wish was being done everywhere and is badly needed almost everywhere. The money invested in this way will come back to you 100 fold in time. Yes China is doing things in a smart way and i hope it will continue to be smart for it is poised to be one of the leaders of this world and good leadership on a world scale has been badly lacking.

No doubt Russia's involvement in Ukraine was more justified than the West's, but however you want to look at it, economically it will be an expensive acquisition:
3 billion dollars for a bridge to create an actual land connection between Russia and Crimea
2 billion dollars a year that Ukraine paid just to keep Crimea afloat, Russia already wrote the first $400 million check the very first day
billions is the total transformation in legal system, political system, currency, banks, etc
the issue of all water. electricty, and other key infrastructure coming through Ukraine
and much more

I think China's air space situation is still very much justified, and more of a western created "controversy", considering its still a fraction of that of Japans and more importantly an issue regarding its own borders. China though assertive on issues regarding its own sovereignty, does a good job of not creating unneeded alliances and enemies.

[Mher]

Re: Ukraine

Crimea is Russia thus you might as well consider this operation within Russia's borders. China is just now becoming strong enough to flex its muscles on the international stage and it is doing just that for example it is making airspace over contested territory with Japan its own..steps like this one are an example of how China is starting to act more like Russia-a imperial power. China has handled its growth rather well and will be flexing its muscles on the international stage more and more as it gets more and more powerful. Her problems will be finding ways to protect her environment and getting resources for her enormous population and its rising affluence.

No doubt Russia's involvement in Ukraine was more justified than the West's, but however you want to look at it, economically it will be an expensive acquisition:
3 billion dollars for a bridge to create an actual land connection between Russia and Crimea
2 billion dollars a year that Ukraine paid just to keep Crimea afloat, Russia already wrote the first $400 million check the very first day
billions is the total transformation in legal system, political system, currency, banks, etc
the issue of all water. electricty, and other key infrastructure coming through Ukraine
and much more

I think China's air space situation is still very much justified, and more of a western created "controversy", considering its still a fraction of that of Japans and more importantly an issue regarding its own borders. China though assertive on issues regarding its own sovereignty, does a good job of not creating unneeded alliances and enemies.

[Haykakan]

Re: Ukraine

There is no way Ukraine stays afloat. This is not a country like Georgia, Armenia, or Moldova where they can pump a billion or two into, and make a massive transformation. They are asking for 35 billion dollars during 2014-15 just to not go bankrupt. There is no country in the world whose leaders can justify giving even a fraction of that sort of a money to a country with a history of failing to meet its loan and debt obligations. It seems to me all sides bit more than they could chew. The West just pushed a bit a more, and saved Russia a lot of headache. But Russia is going to have its own mess in Crimea. It seems to me though that Ukraine will crawl back to Russia soon, given Russia doesn't continue on its own destructive path. Notice that China, the country that will soon become the worlds largest economy continues to stay away from all global adventures, and all international issues, unless having to do with issues within its borders. It seems to pay off rather well for them.

Crimea is Russia thus you might as well consider this operation within Russia's borders. China is just now becoming strong enough to flex its muscles on the international stage and it is doing just that for example it is making airspace over contested territory with Japan its own..steps like this one are an example of how China is starting to act more like Russia-a imperial power. China has handled its growth rather well and will be flexing its muscles on the international stage more and more as it gets more and more powerful. Her problems will be finding ways to protect her environment and getting resources for her enormous population and its rising affluence.

[Mher]

Re: Ukraine

.
I think the West’s biggest blunder was to have wanted Ukraine to move into their fold.
Ukraine’s economy is such a fruit cake, and considering its size ( a big fruit cake!!), their best bet would have been to actively push it towards Russia.
The sums that Russia had offered PLUS the favourably priced gas supplies would not have been enough to get them out of the shoot but given them a breathing space.
Europe is struggling to come up with even a fraction of those sums.
Considering the state of the population in some of the European member countries its just embarrassing.
.

There is no way Ukraine stays afloat. This is not a country like Georgia, Armenia, or Moldova where they can pump a billion or two into, and make a massive transformation. They are asking for 35 billion dollars during 2014-15 just to not go bankrupt. There is no country in the world whose leaders can justify giving even a fraction of that sort of a money to a country with a history of failing to meet its loan and debt obligations. It seems to me all sides bit more than they could chew. The West just pushed a bit a more, and saved Russia a lot of headache. But Russia is going to have its own mess in Crimea. It seems to me though that Ukraine will crawl back to Russia soon, given Russia doesn't continue on its own destructive path. Notice that China, the country that will soon become the worlds largest economy continues to stay away from all global adventures, and all international issues, unless having to do with issues within its borders. It seems to pay off rather well for them.

[Haykakan]

Re: Ukraine

Sounds like you are under the false impression that the west cares about Ukraine and its people.

.


I think the West’s biggest blunder was to have wanted Ukraine to move into their fold.

Ukraine’s economy is such a fruit cake, and considering its size ( a big fruit cake!!), their best bet would have been to actively push it towards Russia.

The sums that Russia had offered PLUS the favourably priced gas supplies would not have been enough to get them out of the shoot but given them a breathing space.

Europe is struggling to come up with even a fraction of those sums.

Considering the state of the population in some of the European member countries its just embarrassing.


.

[londontsi]

Re: Ukraine

.


I think the West’s biggest blunder was to have wanted Ukraine to move into their fold.

Ukraine’s economy is such a fruit cake, and considering its size ( a big fruit cake!!), their best bet would have been to actively push it towards Russia.

The sums that Russia had offered PLUS the favourably priced gas supplies would not have been enough to get them out of the shoot but given them a breathing space.

Europe is struggling to come up with even a fraction of those sums.

Considering the state of the population in some of the European member countries its just embarrassing.


.