Mine's bigger than yours (political)...

[Raffles]

Here we go again... testosterone to the fore... Mods please delete this instantly if not appropriate, but I had to make a comment as it could affect us all.

Ukraine... A huge, beautiful country that has very different views on their self determination, but on a very definate line between East & West... so why don't they just split the country between their beliefs? And stop all this 'drum beating' and heightining of the tension for everyone. Have we ever really moved from pre-historic times, and all that stands between us and some **** with a finger on the button?

Sorry, but needed to get it out!

[ionian]

Scary times Raffles - the Cold War divisions and mistrust has never gone away. This is about the EU (and therefore NATO) courting Ukraine, giving the appearance of threatening the security of Russia. This escalated to a coup, with strange timing as an election was due later in the year and it was expected that Yanukovych would be voted out anyway, and exasperated the split in the country as it stands.

Russia will certainly reclaim the Crimea, the only question is whether the tanks will roll all the way to Kiev. The west will talk rhetoric and relations will turn chilly but no one is stupid enough to challenge the country with the most nuclear weapons, that recently rescinded their commitment to second strike only. Are they?

[OneDay]

The players have changed, but the game remains the same

[ionian]

Just to clarify, I'd misunderstood Russia's nuclear policy which (according to Wiki) is:
"Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies, and also in case of aggression against Russia with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is threatened."

Not directly relevant, but thought I should correct my statement above.

Obama's currently speaking about Ukraine...

[a1laserboy]

I have someone very close to me in Dnipropetrovsk - right on the border between east and west and they are having a terrible time. Shops are empty, banks are shut, people are panicking.

I don't do politics, but this is bad for everyone there. Seeing what is going on upsets me deeply.

Whatever happens to Crimea, it's not going to stop the suffering of the rest of the country for a long time