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Putin is a de facto dictator in Russia. I'm not sure what influence we have ever had in Eastern Europe. The Europeans showed us their resolve during the Balkan crisis I don't think anything has changed.Originally posted by lawpoke87:
I'm not sure how many friends we still have in NATO aside from England. Getting caught spying on Merkel was a huge blunder. Putin will gladly trade a few sanctions for the resources of the lands he's now brought back into Russia. Our influence in both Eastern Europe and the middle east has dropped dramatically in the last few years. Expect more of the same as Putin no longers fears a U.S. response as he tries to rebuild the Soviet empire.
Bingo!!!Originally posted by old_goat_23:
I agree that the power vacuum left by our withdrawal from the world stage contributes to a host of geopolitical issues. However, in the specific case of Ukraine and Crimea my thought remains that there is little we can or could do. Putin understands this so he probably would have acted in the same fashion regardless of our leadership or actions.
Europe has made too many concessions to spending on social programs and "green" initiatives, leaving them helpless in the face of Russia's ability to manipulate their gas supplies. It would be nice if all the windmills and solar panels actually produced enough power to let them break free of fossil fuels. Conversely, it would be nice if the Euros had invested in their own natural gas exploration and production instead of caving in to the environmentalists and becoming hostage to Russia. Oh well. Maybe we can learn from their mistakes.