Thoughts On Ukraine and Putin

No Resolution Readily In Sight

As we watch the news we hear about the standoff and the buildup of troops along the Ukraine Crimean border.  Diplomats hustle and bustle to try and find a solution, while the people on the ground basically just try to survive.  Is this anything new? Well, no. If you read the Bible, or even any text of history as far back as any written record exists, it really isn't.

I thought about the people's reaction to their corrupt president,  the interim government's response and Putin's response.  The Ukrainian people reacted with protest to the corruption, which they had every right to do, even if they had voted for him.  Still, when he turned out to be a corrupt S.O.B., they had a right to protest, but could they have perhaps sought major reforms?  They could have, had he agreed to go into business with the EU, but fear, distrust by the Ukrainians took hold and that made any hopes of anything other than what happened inevitable I think.  Once they had hold of the government and the power, what was their reaction? Not the wisest perhaps.  Eliminating Russian as the other official language when the Russian population there already felt as if they were treated like second or third class citizens was not the smartest political or diplomatic move.    Could they have handled things better, more diplomatically?  Perhaps.  Would the Russian population have been willing to negotiate reforms if made to feel like part of the fabric of Ukraine? Could very well be.  They weren't made to feel that they were part of the fabric of Ukraine and I think that is part of the problem, a big part of it, one that has not just now come on the scene.   One that will have to be addressed very wisely, very carefully.  The Baltic States have to integrate speakers of other languages, have to make all feel welcome and that all thwir citizens have a stake in that nation, all have input politically and otherwise.  They have to do this for the safety and unity of their nation.

What about Putin?  He's a bully, a big baby bully paranoid KGB..... and he longs to see the Empire revived.  He was going to respond to the opportunity given to him by the Russians of Ukraine to step in and "protect" what he sees as his assets, period.  This is not rocket science or that complicated.  The Russian people of Ukraine and the Crimea as far as Putin goes and Russian people all over the Baltic states, the Baltic states belong to Mother Russia, so any excuse he can use to go in and "protect" he will.  That's his mindset and the world has two choices: stand back be weak and let him re-buld the empire, or impose harsh sanctions from the get go, take the lumps that come with it, nip this thing in the bud pronto.  

Shalom and Amen.