WikiLeaks Cables Foreshadow Russian Instigation of Ukrainian Military Action

Now that Russia has sent troops to seize the Crimean Peninsula, international politics are tense and frantic. An anonymous reader notes an article from Joshua Keating at Slate, which points out that some of the diplomatic cables on WikiLeaks illustrate how this situation is not at all unexpected. Quoting a cable from October, 2009: "... pro-Russian forces in Crimea, acting with funding and direction from Moscow, have systematically attempted to increase communal tensions in Crimea in the two years since the Orange Revolution. They have done so by cynically fanning ethnic Russian chauvinism towards Crimean Tatars and ethnic Ukrainians, through manipulation of issues like the status of the Russian language, NATO, and an alleged Tatar threat to 'Slavs,' in a deliberate effort to destabilize Crimea, weaken Ukraine, and prevent Ukraine's movement west into institutions like NATO and the EU." The article points out another cable from a few days later, which was titled, "Ukraine-Russia: Is Military Conflict No Longer Unthinkable?"

Sarah Palin

[Vinegar Joe]

Predicted the same thing in 2008.

Re:Still far from...

[Anonymous Coward]

Ha, jokes on him, You can't destroy mass.

Re:Sarah Palin

[amiga3D]

Today Ukraine, tomorrow Alaska? They've been bitching about getting ripped off back in 1867 when they sold it to the US for 7.2 million dollars. After the discovery of Gold and Oil there it looks like they got fucked over. No wonder Palin is nervous.

Re:Sarah Palin

[sumdumass]

I think you have Tina Fey and Sarah Palin confused. [newsbusters.org]

Unless you are thinking about the short run hit "Who's Nailin' Paylin?".

Re:"pro-Russian forces in Crimea"

[K. S. Kyosuke]

And so what? If Ukrainians decide to go west, that's fine with me. Certainly more fine than when Russia decides that Ukrainians will go east. If Ukraine tried to do the same to Russia, they'd get invaded too. In fact, whenever X has problems with Russia or Russia has problems with X, the end result is always that Russia invades X. We've seen this.

Re:"pro-Russian forces in Crimea"

[ilguido]

Well, it usually works. Don't fix it, if it ain't broken.

More seriously, Ukraine is a failed state at the mercy of the shenanigans of both western and Russian shills. And, more importantly, neither party, Russia and West, act for the better of the Ukrainian people.

Re:"pro-Russian forces in Crimea"

[argStyopa]

I have to admit, It's kinda cool that Putin posts on slashdot.