Tassos Symeonides
(RIEAS Academic Advisor based in Seattle, USA)
Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) based in Athens, Greece. (Publication Date: 23 March 2014)
Crimea has voted overwhelmingly to break away from the Ukraine and join Mother Russia. Mr. Putin has declared Crimea a part of Russia. Should this be cause for a generalized crisis between Moscow and the West with undertones of Cold War-like “punitive action” against the Russians?
From the outset of this crisis the West’s clamoring for “punishing” Russia over this “breach of international law” appeared lukewarm to anyone watching closely the capitals of both the US and Europe. As usual, opponents of Russian “aggression” against the Ukraine waved various tomes of international legal text like broadswords in an obvious effort to appear holding the higher moral ground. However, to the eyes of somber observers -- but, also, many ‘average’ citizens, who pay attention to international news -- these (not so convincing) belligerent calls sounded hypocritical, to say the least..... Read more
