John Kerry: Russia has until Monday to reverse course in Ukraine

I think a Cowboy would send ships just after the Ukrainian president ran to Russia and in that case I am not sure Russia would have annexed Krim so fast, they would know that Ukraine troops in Krim have a strong back so no point trying to kick them away,

No boots on the ground - just ships together with European ships. then the call on war would be on Putin hands unlike now.

 

The US will do nothing about Crimea. The same with Georgia and South Ossetia, where they also did nothing (Georgia was an ally in the war on terror sending troops to the aid of the US by the way)

 

what should we do?

threaten nuclear war?

 

Nothing much they can do now except sanctions but realistically they wont have much effect as Russia can get most of the manufactured goods they need from China. The Chinese are not fans of the Russians either so maybe they should try get China on side. Another option is for the US to trade noninterferance in Syria or something for Crimea. Or maybe the Russians see the trade the other way round.

 

As you infer, the world financially is interconnected in ways that limit Obama's rhetorical flourishes to nothing beyond bluster. One thing I picked up on recently was foreign correspondent John Simpson's reports from the BBC that were far from overtly critical of Russia's actions. Under normal circumstances there is a underlying pro-Western bias in his reports' - Iraq and Libya being two classic examples. This suggests that the grand statesman and purveyor of pro-Western propaganda isn't done topping up his tan while laying back on the deck of Abramovitch's luxury yacht.

I like Craig Murray's take on the situation:

"......The EU I expect to do nothing. Sanctions will target a few individuals who are not too close to Putin and don’t keep too many of their interests in the West. I don’t think Alisher Usmanov and Roman Abramovic need lose too much sleep, that Harrods need worry or that we will see any flats seized at One Hyde Park. (It is among my dearest wishes one day to see One Hyde Park given out for council housing.) Neither do I expect to see the United States do anything effective; its levers are limited.

The truth is of course that the global political elite are in the pockets of the global financial elite, and while ordinary Russians are still desperately poor, the money the oligarchs rip out of Russia’s backward commodity exporting economy is parceled around the world financial system in ways that make it impossible for the western political classes to do anything. Whose funds would the hedge fund managers look after? Whose yacht could Mandelson and Osborne holiday on?

Personally I should like to see a complete financial freeze on the entire Russian oligarchy. The knock on effects would only hurt a few bankers, and city types and those who depend on them (cocaine dealers, lap dancers, Porsche dealers, illegal domestic servants). Sadly we shan’t see anything happen. They won’t let Eton go bust."

http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/03/deconstructing-putin/

 

You made a great point, but I do not see how the US and UN will be able to cripple Russia with Economic Warfare. They have one good thing going for them and that is natural gas. You would have to convince most of the EU to stop producing clean energy, and drop their trade agreements with Russia. There is no way any other country could make up enough resources to deliver to those countries. With the US too afraid to drill, and with Chinas need for the gas as well. I am sure you could get the small Russian banks to close, but we all need to understand that the people who finance the US also finance the UK, EU and Russians. We are already a one world government, perhaps not politically, but as you said, we are already in their deep pockets.

 

Putin knows that no U.S. President would start a war over the Crimea and to send ships just to sit there and do nothing would be worse than not sending ships.

AboveAlpha