I have to agree to disagree to Political Nonsense The Ukraine is a sovereign country and has been since 1991. You don't just invade a sovereign country and take it over, or even get it "annexed" into your country, especially if that country has not committed any type of military action toward you or your allies. If the people of Crimea really wanted to be a part of Russia then they need to move onto Russia soil.
You are right in respect to Obama and the majority of the U.S. citizens not knowing the culture of eastern Europeans, however that does not play a large role into this when there are INTERNATIONAL LAWS, in which the "laws" have been "understood" or "recognized," by other countries abroad. We do not have to understand their way of thinking, nor do they have to understand ours. As long as we respect one another and have "agreed" on these "International laws," it should be well understood that you do not take action as Putin has.
As much as I disagree with Obama on a LOT of things he says, I do agree with him about Putin being upset about the fall of the Soviet Union. Putin wants it back, and always has. If anyone is stirring up Cold War anxieties it is Russia, not the U.S. We were not the ones to invade a country with tens of thousands of armed military personal, take control of Airports and Military bases, and then ask the people, "Hey, what country do you want to live in?" It does not work like that w/out resistance from other countries, especially the U.S. as we have been established as a "World Leader" since the end of WWI. If the U.S. did not get involved with this at all, then that would be ridiculous at best, and I am 100% against Unnecessary military action. If the U.S. "let it be" as you previously stated, any/all countries at that, then who the hell is going to stop Putin when he sees (which he already has w/Crimea) that not a single country is going to do anything about it. What if he gets to England and starts a war with them along the same lines as they did with Crimea. Is the U.S. just supposed to set here a twiddle our thumbs while one of our main allies are getting killed over this guy with a war rage? Its international checks and balances. However you look at this situation, Putin has committed an act of war on the Ukraine.
The U.S. did not "take over' or "annex" Libya, we took military intervention to aid anti-Gaddafi rebels with air strikes against the Libyan Army. Also, according to a 2012 poll conducted by Gallup, 54% of Libyans approve of U.S. leadership, compared to only 22% and 19% respective approval for China and Russia's, and 75% of Libyans say they approved of NATO's military intervention in the civil war.
Afghanistan, really? September 11, 2001. Thousands of American murdered at home, from terrorists abroad. Al-Queda. Osama Bin Laden. Taliban. Enough said.
Im not suggesting here that borders are "set in stone" and can not be moved, however, it needs to be done as civil as possible. The last thing that Russia is doing is acting in a civil manner. Putin currently has tens of thousands of troops on the borders of eastern Ukraine, he obviously is not done yet after seeing what other countries have NOT done about him taking over Crimea by breaking international law in doing so. If he does not stop what he is doing, then it will bring on a much larger issue in the very near future. Sanctions are always just the beginning.
