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Page added on July 31, 2014
Russia And India Begin Negotations To Use National Currencies In Settlements, Bypassing Dollar
Over the past 6 months, there has been much talk about the strategic proximity between Russia and China, made even more proximal following the “holy grail” gas deal announced in May which would not have happened on such an accelerated time frame had it not been for US escalation in Ukraine. But little has been said about that other just as crucial for the “new BRIC world order” relationship, that between Russia and India. That is about to change when yesterday the Russian central bank announced that having been increasingly shunned by the west, Russia discussed cooperation with Reserve Bank of India Executive Director Shrikant Padmanabhan. The punchline: India agreed to create a task group to work out a mechanism for using national currencies in settlements. And so another major bilateral arrangement is set up that completely bypasses the dollar.
From the Russian Central Bank:
First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation KV Yudaeva and Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India G. Padmanabhan at the twentieth meeting of the Subgroup on banking and financial issues of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation discussed the current state and prospects of cooperation between banks.
The meeting was attended by representatives of central banks, ministries and agencies, credit organizations in Russia and India.
During the meeting dealt with the problems faced by the branches and subsidiaries of banks in the two countries and ways of addressing these problems.
As a priority area discussed the use of national currencies in mutual settlements. Given the urgency of the issue and the interest of commercial structures of the two countries, the meeting decided to establish a working group to develop a mechanism for the use of national currencies in mutual settlements. It will consist of representatives of banks and, if necessary, the ministries and departments of the two countries to coordinate its activities will be central banks of Russia and India.
What is curious is that now that China has sided firmly with Russia when it comes to geopolitical strategy (not least when it comes to recent development surrounding the downing of flight MH-17, recall “China Blasts “One-Sided Western Rush To Judge Russia” Over MH17“), and thus Russia behind China when it comes to claims by the world’s most populous nation in its territorial dispute with Japan, Japan too is scrambling to secure a major ally in Asia, and it too is trying desperately to get on India’s good side.
Bloomberg reports that “Japan’s Sasebo naval base this month saw unusual variety in vessel traffic that’s typically dominated by Japanese and U.S. warships. An Indian frigate and destroyer docked en route to joint exercises in the western Pacific.”
The INS Shivalik and INS Ranvijay’s appearance at the port near Nagasaki showed Japan’s interest in developing ties with the South Asian nation as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government faces deepening tensions with China. Japan for the third time joined the U.S. and India in the annual “Malabar” drills that usually are held in the Bay of Bengal.
With Abe loosening limits on his nation’s military, the exercises that conclude today showcase Japan’s expanding naval profile as China pushes maritime claims in disputed areas of the East and South China Seas. For newly installed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan’s attention adds to that of China itself, in an opportunity to expand his own country’s sway.
Japan’s involvement in Malabar underscores its interest in helping secure its trade routes to Europe and the Middle East. The Indian Ocean is “arguably the world’s most important trading crossroads,” according to the Henry L. Stimson Center, a foreign policy research group in Washington. It carries about 80 percent of the world’s seaborne oil, mostly headed to China and Japan.
…
“The Japanese are facing huge political problems in China,” said Kondapalli in a phone interview. “So Japanese companies are now looking to shift to other countries. They’re looking at India.”
So on one hand Japan is rushing to extend a key olive branch of the “insolvent western alliance” to India; on the other Russia is preparing to transact bilterally with India in a way that bypasses the dollar.
Which means that just as Germany has become the fulcrum and most strategic veriable in Europe (more on this shortly) whose future allegiance to Russia or the US may determine the fate of Europe, so suddenly India is now the great Asian wildcard.
Let the courting begin.
35 Comments on "Russia And India Begin Negotations To Use National Currencies In Settlements, Bypassing Dollar"
Plantagenet on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 10:55 am
India is apparently ignoring the sanctions on Russia and Russian banks set up by Obama and the EU.
Northwest Resident on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 11:11 am
“Russian banks set up by Obama…”
Good one, Plant. You’ve taken Obama-blaming to a whole new level.
I tried to Google and find articles/info related to Russian banks that Obama “set up”, but couldn’t find not even one link that referenced that topic. Where do you get your Obama-blaming info from? Some deep dark corner in your mind? Or can you perhaps provide a link to substantiate this most recent of example of your full-retard hard-on obsession with blaming Obama?
penury on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 11:45 am
NR While I appreciate pedological correctness in misplaced modifiers as much as anyone perhaps you should also consider that leaders of countries are often held responsible for the actions of said country despite their leadership or lack thereof. I’ll bet that you did not object to labeling Iraq GWBs war, If the President wants to make daily speeches touting the sanctions which he placed upon other countries, then perhaps he is comfortable with the blame he also receives when they fail. The important take away from the article is that with the addition of India into the plan of utilizing local currencies instead of dollars the proportion of people dropping the dollar starts to look like a tsunami. You can blame whoever you prefer (and there are enough candidates to appease everyone)but custon would favor the blame going to the President.
Northwest Resident on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 12:04 pm
penury — For those who want to blame Obama or any president for whatever is happening in the world under that president’s “watch”, I say, go for it. That keeps it real simple, no further thought or analysis required, which is why it appeals to some people more than others. On the topic of the world moving away from the dollar, that has been in motion for many years and is attributable to a vast array of factors that were there long before Obama’s name even became publicly recognized. But sure, blame Obama for it, fine by me. When it comes to Plant and my admittedly sarcastic and condescending response above, the motivation derives from the fact that Plant is a one-trick pony — no matter what the article is about, he finds a way to blame Obama. In this case, he accuses Obama (and EU) of having “set up” Russian banks. I’m asking for his source of that info, knowing before hand that Plant is just doing his usual blame-Obama thing without any connection to fact or relevancy. It has been pointed out to Plant numerous times that this is a peak oil topic forum, and that he is extremely off-topic (most of the time) with his Obama-blaming obsession, to which his response has always been to cook up yet another absurd Obama-blaming post. The problem is, people come here to read about peak oil and related topics, not some loony idiots compulsive Obama-blaming one-liners.
BTW, I do not blame GWB for the Iraq war. GWB, like Obama, is/was merely the public face of a vast behind-the-scenes power. GWB, like Obama, just does the talking and the public appearances, but they both are being worked like puppets by forces much more powerful and in control of actual events than they could ever hope to be.
Davy on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 1:10 pm
One basket Bric to another. India with generally a few weeks of forigne exchange and Russia an international pariah. I guess they swap caviar for curry.
Plantagenet on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 1:17 pm
@ NWResident
Your ignorance is showing.
Obama announced new sanctions on Russian banks a couple of days ago.
Its understandable if you missed the news, but you just show yourself to be a fool when you claim this didn’t happen based on nothing but your ignorance about current events.
And even that might be understandable, but then your expose your incompetence about something as simple as doing a search on Google. You are evidently so technologically illiterate that you don’t even know how to google. I can’t imagine any other explanation for your failure to find even a single news account of this event, unless you are lying about even trying. When I did a Google search on this topic, I got 17 million hits by searching on the topic “Obama sanctions Russian banks”
You dope—don’t you even know how to google?
Sheesh!
Perk Earl on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 1:19 pm
These deals that are being forged which move away from the dollar as the exchange currency are a bigger deal when consider it also includes establishing bilateral currency exchanges that previously did not exist. Once set up, other types of trade can be made between these two countries quite easily and quickly.
My personal opinion is the battle for the Ukraine as the apparent pivot point, i.e. middle ground between East and West, is turning into a kind of war footing in which both sides will do damage to the other. I’m not of the opinion so far that the Ukraine is worth it to the West. Sure maybe if we we’re talking about one of the major European country’s, but the Ukraine? It’s just a money sink hole.
Do others see the sort of sad irony here? While the West (US & EU) and Russia stake claim to the Ukraine (in part because of hard feelings about losing Crimea and all that supposed offshore oil, that will probably only feed the world enough oil for a few weeks) we lose sight of the fact we are only a short period of time away from descending from peak oil. Once that ensues in earnest, the Ukraine will be looked back as the male testosterone packed battle for the (let’s put this politically) sub-par girl.
Plantagenet on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 1:25 pm
@Perk Earl
The “West” has never “made a claim to the Ukraine” as you suggest. The Ukraine decided to turn away from integration with the Russian economy and instead decided they wanted to integrate with the EU. Sure the people of the Ukraine should have the right to make that decision? But Russia has responded by invading Crimea and undermining eastern Ukraine.
I agree with you that the sanctions that Obama and the EU have imposed on Russia are misguided and will damage both sides. Already Putin has responded to the sanctions by threatening to raise energy costs for the EU.
Northwest Resident on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 1:42 pm
Plant — Now I get it. You’re blaming Obama for the sanctions against Russian banks, not accusing Obama of having “set up” Russian banks. Yeah, I have heard about those, in fact I posted a few times yesterday on articles explaining how shallow and meaningless those sanctions are.
And now that you mention it, I see how your poorly worded Obama-blaming sentence is intended to blame him for the sanctions, not for setting up Russian banks. I guess I’m so used to you making absurd accusations against Obama that I sometimes can’t decipher exactly what it is you’re blaming him for.
Since I have your attention, can you explain how sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama admin and EU relate to Russia and India beginning negotiations to use national currencies in order to bypass using the dollar? I’m sure that there is a direct connection in there somewhere, I just don’t see it — you know, being the ignorant incompetent dope that I am. Can you explain it in a way that a simpleton like me can understand?
Or, if you prefer, it’s okay to just admit that there is no connection, and that you’re completely off-topic once again, simply using this forum to spread your political anti-Obama lunacy, as usual, and being exactly what you accuse me of being.
Russia And India Begin Negotations To Use National Currencies In Settlements, Bypassing Dollar
Nigel on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 1:57 pm
” ….Russia has responded by invading Crimea and undermining eastern Ukraine.”
! do you really believe that tripe? If so then that’s seriously scary.
penury on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 2:01 pm
NR I know that you are trying to bait Plant into answering your silly question but in case you ere serious let me explain simply: if the U.S. dollars are not used in commerce the U.S. cannot enforce sanctions on world banks. Simple eh?
Northwest Resident on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 2:02 pm
Nigel — If it’s Plant and it’s a crazy distorted version of the facts that don’t even come close to describing reality, then it is pretty much a guarantee that Plant believes it. But if you really want “seriously scary”, just ask Plant what problems in the world Obama is to blame for — or to simplify matters, maybe just ask him what problems in the world Obama is NOT to blame for.
Northwest Resident on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 2:10 pm
penury — Good answer. I was giving Plant a chance to come up with a good answer, but you beat him to it. It isn’t often that Plantagenet substantiates his claims on this forum, mostly it’s just blame Obama tripe non-stop, so I admit I was interested to see how he handled the question. Dude, you ruined my experiment.
Plantagenet on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 2:29 pm
Now Nigel and NWResident are claiming that Russia didn’t invade Crimea and that Putin isn’t undermining eastern Ukraine.
Call the men in white suits!
Maybe NWResident is’t lying when he claims obama didn’t institute sanctions on Russia Banks. Maybe he also isn’t lying when claims Google searches don’t show anything on that topic. And now maybe he isn’t lying when he joins Nigel in the nutty claim that Russia didn’t invade Crimea and Russia isn’t actively undermining eastern Ukraine now.
Maybe NWR is completely out of touch with reality instead? Or perhaps he is just posting nutty stuff to “bait” other posters, as Penury suggests?
No— I think he is out of touch with reality.
AND a PS: Congrats, Penury. Your points are well-reasoned and well taken.
Northwest Resident on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 2:49 pm
Plant — Your idea of an “invasion” is very different from mine. See the BBC News story below which explicitly states that the Russian takeover of Crimea was NOT an “invasion”.
Where did I “claim” that Obama didn’t institute sanctions on Russia banks??? Where, Plant? Where!? Cut/paste the direct quote so we can all read it, or admit that you’re just making stuff up, as usual.
Plant — It is clear who here is out of touch with reality. Go back to your off-topic Obama-blaming one liners, keep polluting this discussion forum with your off-topic political crap. That’s what you’re “good” at it, and you should stick with it.
From BBC News:
In modern times, Moscow has staged three major invasions: Hungary in November 1956 and Czechoslovakia in August 1968, when the Communist governments there began showing dangerously Western tendencies; and Afghanistan in December 1979, when the pro-Communist regime was on the point of collapse.
These were huge and brutal operations, involving large numbers of tanks, and sometimes great bloodshed.
The takeover of Crimea has been completely different. This was an infiltration, ***not an invasion***. And unlike in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan it was welcomed by a large proportion of the local population.
bbc dot com/news/world-europe-26644082
JuanP on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 2:54 pm
Plant. Your comment about the banks was not clear. NWR misunderstood it. I understood it because I was aware of the most recent sanctions applied by the USA’s government against 4 Russian banks. But how could anyone not aware of that understand what you were trying to say?
If you had said the US’s sanctions against the Russian banks applied yesterday instead of Obama setup the banks, it would have been easier to understand and instructive. Not trying to be an ass.
Keith_McClary on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 2:55 pm
Not to worry:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/john-kerry-excited-about-narendra-modi-seeks-india-us-reboot/articleshow/39362523.cms
He said the US supports India “getting a place in the Nuclear Supply Group. We are also supporting a permanent place for India on the UN Security Council”.
…
And we believe that American companies have a role to play in that rise, and so part of the discussion over the next two days is really going to be focusing in on what are the shared priorities and shared goals that we want to focus on,” the official said.
Plantagenet on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 3:05 pm
@JuanP
This isnt’ just a misunderstanding—NWResident was clearly lying when he claimed there were no sanctions on Russian banks. I agree with you that this might be excusable if he were simply ignorant of current events, and I said so above, but NWResident also claims he googled the topic and found nothing about Obama sanctioning Russian banks. NWR’s “google” lie is particularly absurd as a google on the topic “Obama sanctions Russian banks” brings up 17 million hits, including dozens of recent news stories on this topic, some with titles reading “Obama sanctions Russian banks”
No—its pretty clear that NWResident is just lying about this.
Northwest Resident on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 3:06 pm
JaunP — Actually, I was aware of the sanctions against the Russian banks — but I just completely misread Plant’s statement. The way it worded, and Plant’s well documented efforts to blame all problems on Obama no matter how absurd, just lead me to believe that he was accusing Obama of somehow being involved in “setting up” (as in, creating, starting up) Russian bank(s). I jumped to conclusions. Part of the problem obviously that as I take a few minutes to scan articles and read posts on this site, I am multi-tasking in the extreme, currently writing Linq Queries in C#.Net to connect with SQL Server and pass data models back to the calling JavaScript on the web page I’m working on — something that any ignorant incompetent dope can do, so maybe it is a poor excuse. My ONLY issue with Plant is that he pollutes this forum constantly with his silly Obama blaming. Yes, I can ignore it, the same way I could ignore piles of dog shit laying around in my front yard.
Northwest Resident on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 3:07 pm
Plant — Answer the question. WHERE did I claim there were no sanctions on Russian banks? WHERE?
Plantagenet on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 3:14 pm
@NWResident:
Your claim that Russia didn’t invade Crimea is ridiculous.
I suppose its possible that as Penury suggests above that you are posting these lies merely to provoke, but I don’t think you are that clever. I think you actually are so out of touch with reality that you believe what you post.
Yes, the BBC said in one news article that Russia had “infiltrated” Crimea, but you what you don’t understand is that infiltration is the military strategy Russia used in their invasion.
Here—check out this BBC story about the Russian invasion of Ukraine’s Crimea—-and note that contrary to your lies the the BBC does indeed call it in an invasion.
CHEERS!
JuanP on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 3:16 pm
NWR, just a technicality, the wars you claimed Moscow started where during the USSR’s days. While the capital was Moscow, you must remember Nikita Kruschev was Ukrainian and he was the man in charge during the Hungarian invasion. Leonid Brezhnev was the next USSR leader, also an Ukrainian, and was in power during the Czeschoslovakian and Afghan incidents. Maybe we should blame the Ukrainians, too, for these three incidents? After all it was Ukrainians, not Russians that gave those orders to invade and the soldiers were from all USSR nations, not just Russia. We can and should blame them, too. Just being fair. Isn’t history the shit?
Nikita Kruschev, the Ukrainian, was also the retard that gave Crimea to Ukraine as a brotherly gift, without consulting the Russians, not even the Crimeans.
Plantagenet on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 3:18 pm
HI NWResident:
I’m happy to point out where you claimed Obama didn’t sanction Russian banks.
I posted that Obama had set up sanctions on Russian banks—the first post in this thread— and you launched into your dishonest rant. I quote you:
“I tried to Google and find articles/info related to Russian banks that Obama “set up”, but couldn’t find not even one link”
You lying dog. A google search on the topic “Obama sanctions Russian banks” brings up 17 million links!
Northwest Resident on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 3:25 pm
JuanP — Good points. I was just quoting a BBC article that clearly states the Russian takeover/annexation of Crimea was *NOT* an invasion, at least not by any reasonable interpretation of the word “invasion”.
Plant’s reading comprehension is that of an idiot. He just doesn’t get it. My efforts to persuade him to stop posting silly anti-Obama comments are once again in vain. I’ll just have to live with it, and so will everybody else I suppose.
Plant — The conversation is over. You just don’t get it. I never said that Obama didn’t sanction Russian banks. I Googled for “Russian banks that Obama set up” — as stated in your poorly worded original sentence. Never mind. You can’t understand. I thought we might have a reasonable debate, but it looks like that isn’t possible. Go back to blaming Obama for everything — I’ll try not to disturb you.
Plantagenet on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 3:46 pm
@NWResident
You are still lying. A google searcg on the phrase that you claim you googled and you claim you got no links brings up 11 million hits, with the lead link being a NY Times story about the sanctions that Obama set up on Russian banks.
You are a lying dog, NWResident, and you just lied again.
Have a great day!
JuanP on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 3:47 pm
I use the words annexation and reunification when talking about what happened in Crimea. Crimea was Russian until 1954 when USSR Secretary Kruschev, an Ukrainian, gifted it to Ukraine against the local population’s wishes without consulting anyone. It should have been returned to Russia in 1991, IMO. But when the USSR broke up Russia was too weak and couldn’t claim it because the USA was against it and Gorbachev was a testicle lacking useless alcoholic. As far as I am concerned Crimea is where it belongs.
Northwest Resident on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 4:07 pm
JuanP — I agree. Crimea belongs WITH Russia. And it was much more of an annexation and reunification than it was an “invasion”. That’s how probably almost all Russian and most Crimean people feel about it. Secretly, hidden behind all the political bluster, I’m sure that the Western and European political leaders feel that way too.
Oh, and Plant, true, 11 million hits returned with that search phrase, none of which have anything to do with Obama setting up Russian banks — just sanctions against Russian banks which is not what I am talking about, not what I was looking for and not what I understood your poorly worded Obama-blaming post to be about. It’s okay Plant, I realize you’re impaired. Blow off some more steam — call me whatever you want, I don’t give a damn what you think or say. I now fully realize I’m dealing with a retarded individual, so I give up. Do your thing, Plant. You are beyond reason.
Arthur on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 5:07 pm
In a sane world, self-determination should be the rule. Nobody really questioned the outcome of the Crimean referendum. So everything is fine. Oh wait, not so fast. In the kosher NWO you first have to ask permission from mr Kerry and he is not going to waste this opportunity for conflict. Mr Putin is well-advised to support the rebels in Donbass as long as he can, because if the rebels would be defeated, the Ukr army will focus on the Crimea and Putin will no longer be able to avoid direct combat. And the west will line up to support the Ukr army whereever it can.
Davy on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 5:22 pm
Art, the Ukr have zero chance of getting the Crimea back with or without Nato help. Russia is a significant military power. It would be Ukr suicide. Another issue is the Crimea does not want to be back with Ukr. Any move on Russian soil is grounds for Nuk war and nobody that stupid or like the old days MAD.
JuanP on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 5:34 pm
Art, I think Putin decided several weeks ago to let the Donbass resistance lose, and just keep Crimea. That will keep Ukraine fighting, divided, bankrupt, and collapsing. Ukraine had been costing the Russians a pretty penny for a long time. Putin probably believes that the continuing deterioration of Europe and the USA means that Ukraine stands to lose a lot more than they will win from an economic point of view by joining the West. And considering the coming collapse of BAU, he might have decided to let others foot the Ukrainian bills for some time, while he focuses Russia’s dwindling resources elsewhere.
Makati1 on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 9:38 pm
World War 3 is already underway. Currently, it is a financial war, with occasional hacking attacks.
China is threatening US communication satellites with the ability to take them down any time they want.
Russia is threatening the EU with a cold winter after an economic collapse caused by lack of NG and dropping trade.
Obama (et all) is blustering and drawing lines in the sand with disappearing red paint. Frustrated with his inability to command obedience outside of his home country.
The international corporations and billionaires are moving their tax base out of the high tax US, cutting the much needed government income.
The ME is a basket case of unknowns that will definitely cut oil exports in significant amounts soon.
All of the Western countries are bankrupt, and printing ‘Charmin’ to keep BAU going until the elite can skim the last cent out of the serfs. Then it will be allowed to crash.
The East is buying gold by the multi-tons, preparing for the collapse. The West cannot prove that it even has any gold in it’s vaults.
So, turning one more country away from the dollar isn’t important? What will be the straw that breaks the Western back? We shall see.
Makati1 on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 10:02 pm
Missing form the above article:
“…Perhaps a very important hint of which way India is headed came moments ago from Reuters, which said that India has raised the issue of U.S. surveillance activities in the South Asian nation with Secretary of State John Kerry, the foreign minister said on Thursday. “Yes, I raised this issue (U.S. snooping) with Secretary John Kerry … I have also conveyed to him that this act on the part of U.S. authorities is completely unacceptable to us,” Sushma Swaraj said at a joint news conference in New Delhi. In response, Kerry said: “We (the United States) fully respect and understand the feelings expressed by the minister.”
Thank you Snowden for helping move the geopolitical tectonic plates that much faster.
Now let the real courting begin….”
peakyeast on Thu, 31st Jul 2014 11:01 pm
@Plantagenet&NWR:
I also misunderstood the O-blaming – it was not clear at all – even when I knew about the sanctions. Also NWR searched for banks that were “set up” which is why he didnt get results.
And blaming Obama for anything is rather silly – he is just another actor, like Ronald Reagan or Arnold Schwarzenegger. – Democracy in the US does not even try to hide that the “leaders” are just acting out other peoples intentions behind the curtains.
But concerning the article:
It will be interesting to see if it actually happens and scales up to a significant number. If so, then we are probably in for a response from the US in some way.
turningpoint on Fri, 1st Aug 2014 11:51 am
@Perk Earl
The “West” has never “made a claim to the Ukraine” as you suggest. The Ukraine decided to turn away from integration with the Russian economy and instead decided they wanted to integrate with the EU. Sure the people of the Ukraine should have the right to make that decision? But Russia has responded by invading Crimea and undermining eastern Ukraine.”
Plant, you have turned a complicated situation in which neither the West , the Ukraine or Russia clean hands, and managed to simplify it into an anti-Russian rant.
You speak of the Ukraine as though it were unified. It is not. For large parts of Ukrainian history, different regions of the Ukraine were part of different empires. As a result, they are not a unified people. If the Ukraine were unified, there wouldn’t be much of an issue right now, or a tug-of-war between the East and the West.
The people in the western part of Ukraine would love to integrate with the West, Many people in the East do not. Some people in the west would probably love to Join NATO, most people in the eastern part of the country do not.
Russia and the eastern part of the Ukraine share a long history together. Russians refer to the Ukraine as “Little Rus’, or Kieven Rus’.” This is where Russian culture developed. The Ukraine is far more important to Russia than it should be to us.
I do not like Obama and consider his foreign policy a mess. At best he’s a mediocre President who may be worse than George W. Bush. I do not think repeatedly sanctioning a country with thousands of thermonuclear warheads is a good idea. It just seems like a stupid thing do. Obama should realize Russia and Eastern Ukrainians have legitimate complaints.
Obama seems to understand the situation in Iraq which led to the emergence of ISIS, A lack of representation for Sunnis in the new Shiite government; but doesn’t seem to realize that the Ukraine is a similar situation. Eastern Ukrainians would like to be able to speak Russian, not be treated as second class citizens and would like to have actual representation in Kiev. Autonomy or Federalism would help. The U.S. is a Federal Republic. I don’t know why this administration insists the Ukraine must be centralized. The only way to make the Ukraine work is to make it a Federal Republic or to carve it up.
I have seen your comments on many other threads and would generally prefer not to get involved in a discussion with you since you seem to like to get personal with your attacks, but I rarely comment anyway. I’m here to listen and learn from what others have t o say, not put anyone down.
Davy on Fri, 1st Aug 2014 12:43 pm
Turning, Good summation of the Ukr crisis, thanks for your input.