Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

General Discussion

Showing Original Post only (View all)
 

ND-Dem

(4,571 posts)
Sun Feb 15, 2015, 03:46 AM Feb 2015

Why the Ukraine Crisis Is the West’s Fault: The liberal delusions that provoked putin [View all]

Putin’s actions should be easy to comprehend. A huge expanse of flat land that Napoleonic France, imperial Germany, and Nazi Germany all crossed to strike at Russia itself, Ukraine serves as a buffer state of enormous strategic importance to Russia. No Russian leader would tolerate a military alliance that was Moscow’s mortal enemy until recently moving into Ukraine. Nor would any Russian leader stand idly by while the West helped install a government there that was determined to integrate Ukraine into the West.

Washington may not like Moscow’s position, but it should understand the logic behind it. This is Geopolitics 101: great powers are always sensitive to potential threats near their home territory. After all, the United States does not tolerate distant great powers deploying military forces anywhere in the Western Hemisphere, much less on its borders. Imagine the outrage in Washington if China built an impressive military alliance and tried to include Canada and Mexico in it. Logic aside, Russian leaders have told their Western counterparts on many occasions that they consider NATO expansion into Georgia and Ukraine unacceptable, along with any effort to turn those countries against Russia -- a message that the 2008 Russian-Georgian war also made crystal clear.

Officials from the United States and its European allies contend that they tried hard to assuage Russian fears and that Moscow should understand that NATO has no designs on Russia. In addition to continually denying that its expansion was aimed at containing Russia, the alliance has never permanently deployed military forces in its new member states. In 2002, it even created a body called the NATO-Russia Council in an effort to foster cooperation. To further mollify Russia, the United States announced in 2009 that it would deploy its new missile defense system on warships in European waters, at least initially, rather than on Czech or Polish territory. But none of these measures worked; the Russians remained steadfastly opposed to NATO enlargement, especially into Georgia and Ukraine. And it is the Russians, not the West, who ultimately get to decide what counts as a threat to them.

Sticking with the current policy would also complicate Western relations with Moscow on other issues. The United States needs Russia’s assistance to withdraw U.S. equipment from Afghanistan through Russian territory, reach a nuclear agreement with Iran, and stabilize the situation in Syria. In fact, Moscow has helped Washington on all three of these issues in the past; in the summer of 2013, it was Putin who pulled Obama’s chestnuts out of the fire by forging the deal under which Syria agreed to relinquish its chemical weapons, thereby avoiding the U.S. military strike that Obama had threatened. The United States will also someday need Russia’s help containing a rising China. Current U.S. policy, however, is only driving Moscow and Beijing closer together.

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/141769/john-j-mearsheimer/why-the-ukraine-crisis-is-the-wests-fault

77 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
"Buffer states" are unsustainable. joshcryer Feb 2015 #1
This is Geopolitics 101: great powers are always sensitive to potential threats near their home ND-Dem Feb 2015 #2
All predictable - Maybe wanted? Democracy Now - Ukraine a Proxy War? newthinking Feb 2015 #3
clearly a proxy war. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #4
The US didn't invade Canada when it wanted a pipeline with China. joshcryer Feb 2015 #7
nice strawman you have here karynnj Feb 2015 #25
true but incomplete. guillaumeb Feb 2015 #30
ridiculous karynnj Feb 2015 #31
I did not say that the CIA caused guillaumeb Feb 2015 #32
even more ridiculous karynnj Feb 2015 #33
to claim that what was done in the past guillaumeb Feb 2015 #34
just as it would be wrong to deny proven things like the coup in chilr karynnj Feb 2015 #35
I agree with you guillaumeb Feb 2015 #36
You cannot ignore the role played in the coup in kiev, by the Neocon factions who were there sabrina 1 Feb 2015 #59
Well, you couldn't ignore it if you could actually show what happened was a "coup." Tommy_Carcetti Feb 2015 #66
Alexander Dugan is a Russian extremist and is not embraced by Putin's administration newthinking Feb 2015 #5
Why don't we look at what Russia has done: joshcryer Feb 2015 #6
keeping in mind what the US has done nationalize the fed Feb 2015 #8
Whataboutism. joshcryer Feb 2015 #13
good thing you only talked about post WW2 guillaumeb Feb 2015 #37
The whataboutism--the one sole defense for the indefensible. NuclearDem Feb 2015 #41
you're saying that russia has cut off the uk from europe? how did it accomplish that? ND-Dem Feb 2015 #9
UKIP's rise in the UK? joshcryer Feb 2015 #11
a british right wing political party cut the uk off from europe? i thought russia did. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #14
The bolded are things in process. joshcryer Feb 2015 #15
got some evidence that 'their top guy is a putin fan'? ND-Dem Feb 2015 #26
" Nigel Farage: I admire Vladimir Putin " muriel_volestrangler Feb 2015 #27
A highly qualified admiration, one which doesn't in any way suggest what josh cryer suggested. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #28
Conspiracy theory newthinking Feb 2015 #10
The stuff happened. joshcryer Feb 2015 #12
fuck Putin. stonecutter357 Feb 2015 #16
Good article with a sane perspective. Geopolitics 101 Pooka Fey Feb 2015 #17
Yes, Putin is all the fault of liberals Fumesucker Feb 2015 #18
There's also the nukes MasochisticHistorian Feb 2015 #19
FFS treestar Feb 2015 #20
Well, there are some delusions in that article, all right. Tommy_Carcetti Feb 2015 #21
Kind of amazing Duckhunter935 Feb 2015 #22
the crisis didn't come from nowhere Man from Pickens Feb 2015 #29
So Russia seizing Crimea was all part of Obama's evil scheme? (nt) Nye Bevan Feb 2015 #38
Actually it was shit like this that caused it: NuclearDem Feb 2015 #40
Actually, logic and reason would suggest the opposite. Tommy_Carcetti Feb 2015 #53
Noam Chomsky mentions this article in his discussion of Ukraine and Russia enough Feb 2015 #23
Yup..Knew this was going to be Mearsheimer before I even clicked in... Blue_Tires Feb 2015 #24
It's not "Putin's backyard." NuclearDem Feb 2015 #39
Like cuba successfully chose to ally with russia during the cuban missle crisis. yeah, i get it. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #43
And then later broke their alliance when they found out the USSR sold them out. NuclearDem Feb 2015 #44
what are you talking about? ND-Dem Feb 2015 #45
Yes, the USSR sold them out. NuclearDem Feb 2015 #46
while getting a guarantee they wouldn't be invaded. kinda proves my point, doesn't it? ND-Dem Feb 2015 #47
Imagine that, a country respecting an agreement NuclearDem Feb 2015 #48
minor powers don't "choose". ND-Dem Feb 2015 #51
Simply saying the same thing over and over again illustrates your position as irrational. LanternWaste Feb 2015 #61
Then why do you keep doing it? ND-Dem Feb 2015 #63
I'm guessing you're intoxicated...? LanternWaste Feb 2015 #69
"Minor powers" broke up the USSR. NuclearDem Feb 2015 #70
uh, sure. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #74
Yeah, because Solidarity and the Baltic protests had absolutely nothing to do NuclearDem Feb 2015 #75
with a little help from their friends. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #77
. MohRokTah Feb 2015 #42
Right. And North Korea is just like Baltimore... SidDithers Feb 2015 #49
The IMF/World Bank crowd needed another victim. And they got it, with a coup. sabrina 1 Feb 2015 #50
. stonecutter357 Feb 2015 #52
Damn that FDR! If he had not created the IMF/World Bank/UN/ITO, the world would be free of pampango Feb 2015 #54
NO, DAMN those who decided to USE FDR's policies for their own interests. He would sabrina 1 Feb 2015 #58
Not too may leaders are ousted by "coups" when they control the military and security forces and pampango Feb 2015 #60
Excuse me? Your comment in no way relates to this discussion. The US WAS in Kiev sabrina 1 Feb 2015 #62
The US is pretty much everywhere - Ukraine, Poland, Latvia - you name it. pampango Feb 2015 #64
McCain was not there alone. Do you know eg, who paid for these neocons to travel to sabrina 1 Feb 2015 #68
........... Tommy_Carcetti Feb 2015 #71
What word would that be? I'm an adult, don't waste time on pre-pubescent methods of sabrina 1 Feb 2015 #73
It's been nearly a year now. Tommy_Carcetti Feb 2015 #76
"The US has been responsible for coups in the past... NuclearDem Feb 2015 #72
+1 nationalize the fed Feb 2015 #55
Outstanding -- Thanks for posting Pilger Speech. 2banon Feb 2015 #57
The IMF/World Bank crowd needed another victim. And they got it, with a coup. Mimosa Feb 2015 #67
K&R Geo-Politics 101 Indeed. 2banon Feb 2015 #56
OK, I can go with Putin being concerned about perceived threats at his borders. Brigid Feb 2015 #65
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Why the Ukraine Crisis Is...