It’s refreshing to see that, this time, we’re not all falling for the official line, the Washington line that lays the blame for the Ukrainian fiasco at Moscow’s feet. Washington (and Ottawa) would have us believe the fanciful lie that this is all Putin’s doing but it’s not. The late U.S.
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The Disaffected Lib: Could Putin Snap?
Now this is worrisome. It is a transcript compiled from verbatim notes of a meeting between Russia’s Vlad Putin and German chancellor Angela Merkel that led Merkel to conclude her Russian counterpart is not in touch with reality but is living “in another world.” Putin squirmed and rambled. And rambled and
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Is Passive Resistance Putin’s Achilles Heel?
Vlad Putin is strutting about Crimea with a huge chip on his shoulder just waiting for some Ukrainian hot head to knock it off. He’s got bases surrounded, soldiers and their officers confined to their garrisons. Russian forces pretty much have the run of the place. The Russians came geared
Continue readingLeft Over: Intervention and Dissention…
The Ukraine crisis: John Kerry and NATO must calm down and back off The Guardian 2 Mar 2014: Jonathan Steele: The hysterical reaction to Russian military movements in Crimea won’t help. Only Kiev can stop this crisis becoming a catastrophe This was a great analysis of the real issues in the Ukraine,
Continue readingParliamANT Hill: CanadiAnt Gov’t reduced to ‘gestures’ on Ukraine, say former top envoys
Inspired by these stories: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-reduced-to-gestures-on-ukraine-say-former-top-envoys-1.2557882 http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ukraine-standoff-being-monitored-by-canadian-government-1.2558118
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Aghhh. My Head Is Going to Explode!
“You just don’t invade another country on phony pretext in order to assert your interest.” That pearl of wisdom yesterday from the secretary of state of the United States of America, John Kerry. Yes, that United States, the very same one that invaded Iraq on a completely bogus,
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Thoughts on the Ukraine Situation
There has been an enormous amount of speculation around the Ukraine situation on social media today. First, let me be abundantly clear: I do not support the Russian actions towards Ukraine in recent days. Russia would be far wiser to allow the Ukraine to have an open election or referendum
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Putin Flips the Switch – Russian Troops Enter Crimea
Wakin’ the Neighbours, Putin Style The Washington Post reports that U.S. officials have confirmed that Russian forces are across the Ukrainian border. The U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity about internal deliberations, declined to provide numbers or specific locations of Russian deployments. Ukraine’s U.N. Ambassador, Yuriy Sergeyev told the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Look Whose Flag is Flying Over Southern Ukraine
The Russian flag waves over the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol. It’s beginning to look as though Moscow is not going to let Crimea fall to the interim Ukranian government in Kiev. The Crimea is historically Russian. It was transferred to the Ukraine in 1954 by Kruschev but it retains
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Putin Mobilizes His Troops. Is He Bluffing?
It’s just the thing that pro-Western Ukrainians have been fearing – but also anticipating. Russian president Vlad Putin has ordered combat units to mobilize, supposedly for a snap exercise. It appears the Russian force might include airborne troops. With Kiev in control of the pro-West faction, the pro-Russian side is
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Fall of Victor Yanukovych
With Ukraine teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, the country’s deposed ex-president, Victor Yanukovych is finished. The fugitive former prez is being charged with the murders of protestors as he sought to quell the uprising that led to his ouster. To seal his fate, ordinary Ukrainians were allowed in to
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What Befalls Putin’s Potemkin Village?
Now that the Olympics are over and the athletes and tourists – and their wallets – have packed up and left what does the future hold for host city Sochi, Vlad Putin’s Potemkin Village? The facilities will probably wind up in predictable hands. Many already have. Putin, meanwhile, seems to
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Hungary ’56, Czechoslovakia ’68, Ukraine ’14?
Ukraine’s pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, has been sent packing. The parliament has turned on him and proclaimed him constitutionally unable to carry out his duties. It is being reported that jailed opposition leader and former president, Yulia Tymoshenko, has been sprung from prison and reunited with the anti-government faction. Yanukovych
Continue readingLeft Over: Canadian Athletes: Smart Like Tractor, eh, Putin?
Vladimir Putin and the Horror at Canada House http://montrealsimon.blogspot.ca/ Why are you even surprised, Simon? The fact that they are involved in the ‘owe-limp-icks’ tells you everything you need to know..they probably shop at MalWarts, and accept endorsement money from any PR hack from any company (can you say ‘Nike?)
Continue readingLeDaro: Russia: Sochi Olympics 2014 and corruption
Last evening I watched a program on CBC on Sochi Olympics 2014. The corruption in Russia is incredible. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, listens to Jean-Claude Killy, Chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for Sochi 2014, during a February summit. (Alexei Druzhinin/RIA-Novosti/Associated Press ) Russian officials and businessmen have stolen
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Because in Vlad Putin’s Russia, This is Piracy
A few inflatable boats delivering a handful of protesters to a massive Russian oil rig in the Arctic and, according to Vlad Putin, that’s piracy for which they could be slammed up in some dingy Russian prison for up to 15-years. In the non-totalitarian world, piracy has always had an
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Not In Vlad Putin’s Russia You Don’t
Russian artist Konstantin Altunin has hightailed it to safety in France and none too soon. Russian authorities have moved to seize Altunin’s paintings, especially one depicting Vlad Putin, in a woman’s slip, brushing the hair of president Dmitry Medvedev, depicted in bra and panties. Here the boys are in all
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Reading Recommendation
For those appalled by Russia’s rampant homophobia (and I hope that’s everyone, Real Women notwithstanding), The Star’s Judith Timson has a column in today’s paper well-worth reading. By the way, speaking of Real Women, The Star’s David Macfarlane has two choice words for them. Recommend this Post
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Syria: Showdown time between the West and Putin
High noon at 10 Downing Street Politicians are becoming more graphic in their descriptions of the warring sides in the Syrian civil war, with the latest spat leading to a shortened meeting between Prime Minister David Cameron of the UK and Russia’s Putin: Talks on the crisis in Syria between
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Putin’s New American BFF – Mitt Romney
Russian strongman Vlad Putin has a new pet American – Mitt Romney. Putin told Russian reporters he’s grateful to Romney for labeling Russia “America’s number one geopolitical foe.” “I’m grateful to [Romney] for formulating his stance so clearly because he has once again proven the correctness of our approach to
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