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The Armchair Admiral of the Black Sea

I have been amazed at the restraint that Russia has shown towards the reckless provocation from Washington DC, in the Black Sea recently, through its flunkies in NATO. What a relief it is to think that some countries have grown-ups in charge!

You could belittle Russia's restraint and say that they are just sensible enough to know that NATO is provoking them deliberately and hopes to gain something from it.  Therefore Russia shouldn't fall for the trap. 

Intellectually everybody understands that. But all countries have hotheads who want to respond rather than think. Politicians in any country are going to feel pressure to 'do something' about the 'bad guys.'

How far will NATO's provocations go? Can Russia resist responding forever? I hope they respond in a limited way by blocking or damaging NATO ships, rather than sending them to the bottom of the Black Sea.

NATO needs Russia to be an enemy of course to justify its budget. I almost wish I didn't avoid watching news channels. It would be interesting to see if they ever say, "Hey guys, the USSR hasn't been around for 30 years, so why is NATO acting like we are still in the middle of the Cold War?"

At any rate, this is a chance for Americans to learn a little about the history and geography of southern Russia and the Black Sea. 


 

Comments

Yankeeflyer said…
NATO"s provacation?? Russian takeover of Crimea and troop buildup on the Ukraine border, backing of the Assad regime in Syria,interception of a international flight with a political foe to arrest and imprison === Restraint???
The Tsar of Russia, Catherine the Great, annexed Crimea in 1783.
Ed said…
In the 2014 referendum, the official result from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was a 97 percent vote for integration of the region into the Russian Federation with an 83 percent voter turnout.

The 2016 Brexit referendum resulted in 52 percent of the votes cast being in favor of leaving the EU with a 72 percent voter turnout.

The Crimea referendum was a Russian takeover and the Brexit referendum was democracy in action? It seems to me it all depends on whose ox is being gored.
Ed, I supposed the Pentagon, the CIA, and CNN would tell you the 97% approval wasn't a completely honest election. And of course, the USA is the world authority on having honest elections.