Russia's Invasion of Ukraine - A New Cold War?

 Is there a new Cold War? The situation in Ukraine is escalating with Russian troops invading the Crimea, and with concerns about Russian soldiers potentially advancing further. There has been a dip in world markets in response to this news. The United States has halted trade and investment talks with Russia and the planned G8 summit in Sochi looks to be in trouble.

In the 21st century, an era of globalization and trade, a post-Cold War era, this talk is shocking, and really does sound like another Cold War could be upon us. Hopefully not, hopefully this situation will de-escalate soon and Putin will come to his senses. Though Putin seems mad with power - with Czarist delusions - and seems determined to recreate the Russian Empire. Thankfully the United States is more cautious, and does not have a desire for military confrontation.

The timing is ironic, soon after the over-priced $50+billion Sochi Olympics, an overpriced Olympics rife with corruption and mismanagement. Many in Sochi were displaced as Putin embarked on the absurd project of hosting a Winter Olympics in a subtropical climate.

Though not everyone in the West is off the hook, John Baird used shockingly provocative language - in a situation that should call for diplomacy - by saying Putin's invasion of Ukraine was like Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia. Over-using the Hitler analogy - as Baird did - marginalizes the suffering of the Holocaust, the brutality of WWII.

In all this, de-escalation is needed. Let's hope this situation calms down soon, that we are not pulled into another Cold War.

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Vladimir Putin and his soul, or soles

What was he looking at when George W. Bush said that he looked into Putin’s eyes and got a sense of his soul? He must have been looking at his feet and saw a sole or soles. Now Putin is whipping Bush’s butt through Georgia and there is nothing much Bush can do about it. Bush is already stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan. This monkey Bush is a poor judge of anything, but he being a judge of a person’s character is scary.

By pushing missile defence into Eastern Europe and now into Poland, Bush was daring the Russian bear. Now we can see the consequences. All we need is another arms race and another cold war as it might be the final straw on the camel's back for some of the struggling economies around the world.

We definitely do not need a war between the US and Russia. Given their destructive arsenals it may be the end of the globe as we know it. Some sensible leader needs to reverse this trend. Bush is not that sensible leader and neither will McSame be. Putin has proven that he can be very ruthless and hence sink the global ship.

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