Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Not the desired effect

I'm guessing this reaction isn't what the Leader of the Free World had in mind:
Russia’s deputy prime minister laughed off President Obama’s sanction against him today  asking “Comrade @BarackObama” if “some prankster” came up with the list
.
The Obama administration hit 11 Russian and Ukrainian officials with sanctions today as punishment for Russia’s support of Crimea’s referendum. Among them: aides to President Vladimir Putin, a top government official, senior lawmakers, Crimean officials, the ousted president of Ukraine, and a Ukrainian politician and businessman allegedly tied to violence against protesters in Kiev.

It remains to be seen whether the sanctions will dissuade Russia from annexing Crimea, but one an early clue that they will not be effective came just hours later when President Putin signed a decree recognizing Crimea as an independent state, perhaps an early step towards annexation.
Actually, it doesn't really remain to be seen. It's gonna happen. Meanwhile, at least one sanction target seems as amused:
Another Russian on the sanctions list, Vladislav Surkov, also seemed unconcerned.

Surkov, a top Putin ideologue often called the Kremlin’s grey cardinal, reportedly told a Russian newspaper, “It’s a big honor for me. I don’t have accounts abroad. The only things that interest me in the U.S. are Tupac Shakur, Allen Ginsberg, and Jackson Pollock. I don’t need a visa to access their work. I lose nothing.”
I’m with you in Rockland
   where there are twentyfive thousand mad comrades all together singing the final stanzas of the Internationale
I’m with you in Rockland
   where we hug and kiss the United States under our bedsheets the United States that coughs all night and won’t let us sleep

-- Ginsberg, "Howl"

I think I'm a natural-born leader. I know how to bow down to authority if it's authority that I respect.

-- Tupac Shakur

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have almost zero international credibility. Putin knows that Obama won't really do anything substantial. He learned this when we failed to intervene in Syria after the chemical weapons use was documented.

Since he has essentially a free hand, the only real question is how far will Putin take things. Will he stop at the Sudatenland (whoops I mean Crimea) or will he take things farther? If he goes farther how will Chamberlain, I mean Obama respond?

Gino said...

doesnt matter who is POTUS, nothing would or could be done to stop russia from expanding into into previous empire.

Obama's folly was in making believe that his opinion mattered in the first place, and now he looks like the jolly green midget... some 'ho ho ho', but no peas in those carrots.

Mr. D said...

doesnt matter who is POTUS, nothing would or could be done to stop russia from expanding into into previous empire.

Well, there are things that could be done, but it would make things worse. It gets more interesting if (when) Putin moves on the Baltic countries.

Gino said...

he will take the baltics when the time is right, but whats the big deal? its not like russia never owned them before, or that large % of their populations are not ethnic russians anyway.

if he tries Poland, then war begins, but he wont try to conquor that, he'll subjugate it economically and politically hoping to weave it into team of satallite nations.

but this is all beside the point. obama made himself the fool when he didnt have to.

Mr. D said...

he will take the baltics when the time is right, but whats the big deal? its not like russia never owned them before, or that large % of their populations are not ethnic russians anyway.

Well, I suppose the Estonians and the Lithuanians in particular would care rather a lot. And ultimately it will be their battle to win.

Gino said...

well, yeah... they will care a lot. still, not much concern to us.

Mr. D said...

Actually, I stand corrected on one thing -- the Baltics will matter to us, because all three countries are now members of NATO.