I remember well when I was a little boy I was goaded into a
fight with an older and bigger boy at the behest of my cousin. Those types of
learning experiences can happen and the only damage for me was hurt feelings
and a sore nose. And even as a little boy I learned something valuable about my
cousin. When the going got tough, he didn’t have my back.
The leaders of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova would do well
to search their childhood memories for circumstances similar to mine before
they listen to the sweet nothings being whispered in their collective ears by
Secretary Kerry and the European Union.
Europe and the United States are playing in the Russian backyard as they
attempt to lure Georgia and Moldova toward the EU and the West. While this
diplomatic and economic wooing by the West looks like the gold at the end of
the rainbow for the three countries the gold is protected by a real giant. Even though the Ukraine uprising seems
like it might be settling out, the ink is not dry on any of the paperwork yet
and the demographics of the country are roughly half and half of pro-Europe and
pro-Russia. Losers seldom go peaceably into that good night. Now add to the mix
how quickly Putin mobilized 150,000 troops along those borders in a military
exercise. This is probably just a show of force but prior displays such as this
have been the prequel to invasions by Russia.
All of these former Soviet satellites have the right to
determine their own national directions, to do what is in their best interests.
They just need to walk softly with Russia and take a cold hard look at the
United States and the EU. Europe is militarily broke and in no mood to expand
their own defense spending. President Obama has just signaled to the world by
cutting our forces back to pre-WWII size what he wants to do with his saber.
And besides, the fiasco with Iran and Syria should be ample warning to our
allies about the foreign policy expertise in this administration. In short, the
West will not have their back.
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