Those in the West that shed their tears galore about Russia’s invasion in the Crimea, must cut the fanfare because they are as bad hypocrites as Ronald Reagan was an actor!
What did they do, besides toothless condemnations, after Russia all but annexed Ossetia and Abkhazia just a few years ago? It is chronicled that as Hitler was designing the Holocaust and one of his subalterns voiced concerns about international public opinion, he famously remarked: “Who remembers the Armenians” (referring to the Armenian, Pontic Greek and Assyrian Genocides by the Young Turks)?
Talk is cheap and another divided country, Cyprus, knows it very well after 40 years of an illegal invasion and continuing occupation of half her territory. When you are contortionist-flexible in your own standards and ethics don’t pretend you are appalled when others do the same over those you happen to like!
Most likely Putin, who knows to expect nothing serious in the form of sanctions from the EU and the US, won’t keep Crimea, Russia isn’t in need for more territory anyway. But he will bargain hard “to give it back”, taking in return the whole of the Ukraine, meaning the country’s complete submission to Russia’s interests. Same way, more or less, the Turks are planning “to concede” a “solution” in Cyprus by making sure their de facto control over the entire island will be guaranteed.
In the meantime, it is in the interest of many, including the real American oligarchs, – the defense industry – that the situation remains uncertain and it wouldn’t hurt (them) if it escalates a bit. In Putin they see the perfect aggressive adversary they need in order to start the kind of new cold war that will channel huge taxpayers’ sums to their coffers for new weapons that will never be used. Putin too understands the rules of the game and he sees in such a development the opportunity to further consolidate his own power. In this case, like in many others, one dirty hand washes another…
Besides foreign interventions and machinations, countries, like people, often times fall victims of their own stupidity and naiveté. Especially as they fail to learn from the mistakes and tragedies of others. The Ukraine is such a case and the price she is paying for daring to openly flirt with fickle suitors from the West, while she is completely dependent on her Russian loutish neighbor and relative for survival, is just the beginning…
*Demetrios Rhompotis, a journalist and publisher of NEO magazine (), lives in New York. Follow his blog: neohellenika.com
P.S. WHAT’S IN A NAME:
“Vladimir” in Old Slavonic means “to rule with greatness” but it could also be interpreted as “ruler of the world”. It seems Putin has taken the second meaning far too seriously while disregarding the first one …
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