Far from thinking that its incursion was a foolish blunder, Russia appears to be acting in the belief that it has inflicted a humiliation on the West and made solid gains on the ground in Ukraine. It is doubling down on the policy, and as far as one can read the mixed signals from the Kremlin, appears to be saying that the West must swallow the annexation of Crimea or watch as Russia further destabilizes eastern Ukraine.Or maybe the West must swallow both.
Speaking of isolationist mindsets
No doubt we've all been reading starry-eyed editorials about how Putin grasps the enormity of his error and is only seeking a face-saving exit strategy. Here's another view:
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One, I'm not sure who these folks who think he's blundered and looking for a way out are. But they're terribly mistaken. And two, I think the best outcome we're going to be able to hope for is that he completes his Anschluss of the Sudatenl... I mean eastern Ukraine without also swallowing the western half. I wouldn't bet on it, but like I said, it's the rosiest outcome I think possible.
Off-ramp blather:
http://www.dw.de/steinmeier-sees-some-crimean-hope-merkel-discusses-russian-off-ramp-with-obama/a-17476362
http://outfront.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/04/merkel-obama-talked-about-off-ramp-options-for-putin/
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/04/would-putin-be-interested-in-an-off-ramp-to-end-the-ukraine-crisis/
So in other words, just people who fundamentally don't understand what it means to deal with an actual dictator. Got it.
the mixed signals from the Kremlin
?? What mixed signals? I guess I'm just an inadequately nuanced [ahem] Conservative. I'm not seeing any mixing.
The only...confusions...I'm seeing coming out of the Kremlin are of a piece with the laser light spot teasing the kitten. And for largely the same purpose.
Eric Hines
The Lightbringer is getting mixed signals but, to be fair, many of them are arriving through the fillings in his teeth.
Sarah Palin could see Russia from her house, and I get get WLS on my braces.
She was right on Russia, and I enjoyed my tunes in history class.
Eric Hines
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