Preliminary thoughts are here, I have a very queasy feeling in my tummy over this one.
For historical context, here is Wiki’s summary of developments coming out of the 1938 “Peace in our time” crisis of 1938, which began with German agitation over the claimed plight of the Sudeten Germans living under Czech rule — which turned out to be a first major international use of the turnabout accusation, blame the targetted victim agitprop tactic:
Parallels to the unfolding situation in the Ukraine include Poland as neighbour, with the former East Prussia now a Russian province and enclave (though this time, Poland is a member in good standing of NATO). Airing news seems to have an interesting summary, and provides a useful map (HT):
U/D, Mar 5th: Now, is this about oil, in large measure — shades of “blood for oil”?
HT VJT, here is an oil pipeline map, from World Observer Online :
On BBC news just now (a Caribbean tradition, even though BBC today is nothing like it once was . . . itself connected to the culture-wide confrontation over worldviews and origins) Ukrainians heading to work were stopped by Russian troops in Armoured Personnel carriers on the “front lines” threatening to shoot them in the legs, after three warning shots.
This unfolding crisis is of course not directly on topic for UD, but is worth monitoring in its own right and in light of connexions to the nuke-threshold situation in the Persian Gulf, and Syria’s simmering chaos — both being allies of Putin’s Russia . . . and with Venezuela orbiting in similar circles even as it has its own chaotic situation. Impacts on oil, financial markets and general economic situations practically beg to be drawn out and discussed.
Not to mention, Ms Sarah Palin’s then derided October 21, 2008 “scenario four” prediction (probably rooted in drawing parallels to the 1938 crisis in light of Russian desires for Crimea, where its main Black Sea Fleet base is located):
[youtube GhCh4wkYlCQ]
Where of course, Ms Palin is a capital example of the way the cultural controversies too often play out, including over design theory, in an atmosphere of well-poisoning contempt largely — though obviously not only [can we all agree to disagree without being unnecessarily disagreeable?] — coming from the side that imagines it is the vanguard of scientifically informed progress and too often sees those who differ with them as by and large “ignorant, stupid, insane or wicked.”.
So, why not have a UD thread to allow tracking the development at our favourite site for discussion?
(I don’t find the general coverage particularly well organised or insightful, let’s see if we can do better.)
Also, the unfolding crisis and reactions to it are highly revealing on the cultural civil war across our civilisation centred on issues tied to the debates over origins and linked ethical foundations of culture: if humans are morally governed beings, what does that mean?
Let us ponder, together.
UD regulars and visitors are therefore also encouraged to add links to tracking information below as this story unfolds now that an ultimatum seems to have been given (or was it . . . even that seems fuzzy). END
PS: A question of agent provocation sniping has been raised in thread by JWT which I just saw March 6th, so here is the clip with the taped phone call, reflect on 7:11 on in light of the context:
[youtube OSCmnWw0JeU]
Nasty whichever way it goes, but the geo-strategically pivotal issue is Russian intervention, the illegitimacy of which is seen from the removal of national identification from uniforms.