Russia seizes Ukrainian ships near Crimea after firing at them

[dead0man]

I refuse to believe that humanity is so pathetic that this could cause a world war.

If not this, then something similar within the next few months, or a couple of years at the most. We are living on borrowed time.

It doesn't mean we are living on "borrowed time" just because all your previous bad predictions didn't come true.  Perhaps your ideas and biases suck?

[dead0man]

President Big Boy will do nothing if they do.

Only the US is supposed to care about this?

[dead0man]

President Big Boy will do nothing if they do.

Only the US is supposed to care about this?

Well we are contractually obliged to defend Ukrainian sovereignty. I think it was the same deal that made them denuclearize.

The UK signed that deal too.  To a lesser extent, France as well.  And to much lesser extent, so did the PRC.

[dead0man]

Actually a surprise a thing like this hasn't happend long before.

The point here is that the conflict on Crimea is almost unsolvable. If the West ever accepts the annexion, it would send horrible signals to the world and autocrats. That we once again can move borders with force and that agreements such as the Budapest agreement from 1994 are not worth the paper. On the other hand, the West can't free Crimea without starting a third world war. Russia is not just giving it back to Ukraine.

If the leaders in the west had shown any balls at all when Russia invaded Georgia they wouldn't have invaded Ukraine.  Russia can't win a war against the west and they certainly aren't going to start a nuclear exchange (which they wouldn't win either) over a Black Sea resort and port.