PUTIN IS NOT CRAZY!

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-03-05/putin-isn-t-crazy-he-s-kgb

We say thumping our chest "Our nation reserves the right to seek and destroy our enemies who harm us, in whichever country they might be hiding". We did so when we killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. We sent our troops into Iraq and started a bloody war in which thousands from both sides were killed.  In between Pakistan and Iraq there have been so many occasions where we cared tuppence for the sovereignty of other nations.

Now Putin says the same thing in different words: "Our nation reserves the right to enter and occupy any land wherever Russians live, to protect their lives and properties." Why are we opposing him and threaten him with sanctions? Why things have come to pass like this?

We believed in our strength, our army and our wealth. Like an emperor of centuries past, we proclaimed what is right like the lord of all that we survey. Being a new nation we did not recall the history of nations in the last several centuries. Nations much greater than ourselves came into being and crumbled to dust in decades or soon after. Never it enters our mind that a nation hardly 2/300 years old, however mighty it has come to be, can go the same way of past empires. While talking about democracy incessantly for everybody, we never seriously believed in co-existence, but believed in befriending rich nations and used, yes, used other smaller and poor and undeveloped nations as our markets, nothing but our markets and consumers who enriched us.

When WWII was over, only USSR and China, together as communist nations, were second to us as the most powerful nations. Did we seriously thought about 'democracy', not as a tool for ourselves, but as a powerful thought which can abolish war for ever and bring development everywhere? No, we wanted to win the 'cold war'. We plotted day and night and in a few decades divided USSR and China and after some more years, even divided USSR into several nations. Imagine, some of the GOP States down South raising again their own flag and wishing to secede. How will our Federal Government react? Will it accept the popular sentiment or put down any such talk with a heavy hand? USSR has been seeing one after another, their various States getting out of its rule. If it is forced to keep quiet and allow that to happen, before long more and more nations consisting of different ethnic communities will wish to separate. Where will it all end?

Not long ago UK was a United Kingdom in reality, where, its Prime Minister Winston Churchill boasted the sun never sets. The sun was shining in one nation or the other where UK was ruling 24 hours a day. What is its state now? India was extending from Afghanistan to Burma / Sri Lanka, which has divided into several independent nations now. If things go the way it has been going there, shortly it will also divide further into several nations.

Incidentally, China has been claiming several States of India as its territory and Pakistan has been claiming a part of Kashmir. Why does not the USA publicly support or oppose India? Everyone knows China took over Hong Kong against the will of its people, while the USA and UK looked on helplessly because some good old agreement said it was right. History is replete with examples of 'big powers' supporting or opposing anything which suits them. They support Kingdoms in Saudi Arabia now.  But shortly I expect Saudi Arabia will also face the same fate as happened to the Shah of Iran, Shah of Afghanistan and the King of Egypt who all had the whole hearted support of the USA as long as it suited its plans.

What would be right in the current situation? A nation or a part of nation, wants to go on its own way only when it does not get justice (read enough financial support for its development) for a long time from its 'parent' nation or its wealth is being exploited or its citizens are being discriminated too much. That will clearly mean it is being mistreated. If it happens for a long period and if it has clear border, its own language, culture and also a majority religion, its demand should be supported and allowed to separate. In the absence of any serious discrimination or apparent exploitation any demand for its separation should not be encouraged or supported. I do not know why Ukraine wants to separate. But one should think twice before supporting any change in an established long term arrangement in any field just because the demand is 'democratic' or fits any modern line of thought. suman1938@gmail.com