Sorry, IMO you are dead wrong here. North Korea is a isolated, broken country, their only outside income stems from the South Korean joint industries. Russia is a bit different because of their energy holdings and relatively robust economy, prior to the current sanctions. The only way they will work long term is for the West to stay the course, one or two countries buckling under the pressure will not help Russia much.

 

Just think for a couple of minutes.
What does Russia stand to gain and what do they stand to loose.
They stand to gain another country, their people and their economics.
They stand to loose nothing in the long term. They may loose a little from other countries that do not matter that much. Other countries depend on them for their power. Name a country that is going to ruin their economy just to punish Russia, who will not really be hurt.
We need to learn something from Russia. Stop electing politicians by a popularity contest and elect politicians who can see into the future and actually get things done.

 

Hate to say this but I do not see any chance of Europe staying the course: they need Russian natural gas, winter is approaching, and they have not taken any noticeable measures to prepare for a long winter or time of need. If at the very beginning of the Ukraine crisis they had done so, then yes, I would figure that Europe would see it through.

This is one case where Putin holds all the cards, and the Russian chess master has outfoxed, outfought, and outsmarted Obama completely.

 

[h=1]More senators seek military aid to Ukraine[/h]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic senators joined their Republican colleagues Wednesday in calling for some U.S. military aid to Ukraine after receiving a closed-door briefing from senior Obama administration officials.
Sens. Carl Levin, the Armed Services Committee chairman, and Bill Nelson added themselves to the small but growing chorus of lawmakers favoring weapons deliveries to Ukraine's military to fight Russia-backed rebels in the east of the country. Thus far the Obama administration has said it doesn't believe U.S. military assistance is necessary.
Levin said he supported transferring certain types of defensive equipment.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, said he noted widespread bipartisan "unease" with the current U.S. policy at the briefing.
The belief of the administration, he said, is that Russia is prepared to join the war to protect Ukraine's separatists. In contrast, he says, the U.S. doesn't have a strategy.
Officials couldn't provide any estimation on how long they thought sanctions would take to change Russia's behavior, Graham said, or how long they believed they had before Russia was drawn fully into the conflict.
"The bottom line is this administration is afraid of confronting the Russians," Graham said.
In addition to lethal aid, Graham said sanctions must get much tougher, targeting Russia's massive natural gas sector and President Vladimir Putin personally.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, called the administration's failure to provide weapons "shameful." Bob Corker, a Republican, complained that Ukraine hasn't even received much of the nonlethal assistance the administration has promised.

 

[h=1]In Slaviansk, rebels leave behind trail of Russian expertise – and Ukrainian ruin[/h]
Slaviansk, Ukraine — Tucked in a corner of the College for Aviation Technology in Slaviansk sit piles of wooden ammunition boxes. Affixed to one box is a label: “Battle for Donbass & Angry Russians.”


“The weapons would arrive in humanitarian shipments,” says Fridan Vekouah, who received rebel convoys from Russia – and was an undercover agent for the Ukrainian government.


The rebels have fled now, as the government's campaign rolls toward the regional capital of Donetsk. There, say Ukrainian and US officials, the rebels' “Donetsk People’s Republic” is still being supplied with advanced weaponry from Russia.



But the evidence the rebels left in Slaviansk is a case study in who the rebels are, how their separatist rebellion has gripped eastern Ukraine, and why it may be losing the fight.


Initially, the rebellion was welcomed by much of the Russian-speaking population. The 5,000-7,000 rebels had a distinctly Russian flavor. Before fleeing on July 5, units here were commanded by Igor “Strelkov” Girkin, a Russian from Moscow. There were also rough-hewn recruits from Kazakhstan and Chechnya.


But residents and officials say commanders expressed concern that “normal people” were unwilling to take up arms.


"People didn’t support these rebels,” says Anna, a resident who says that just one person in her neighborhood of 2,000 participated in the rebellion. “All the rest were sitting at home afraid.”


Now, the relief is palpable that rebels are gone.


Says Anna, “I can’t imagine how people in Donetsk have ... the example of Slaviansk, yet still support this 'Donetsk Republic.' "

 

[h=1]Ukraine president urges assembly to amend budget to fund army[/h]
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko appealed to parliament on Thursday to back legislation needed to fund an army offensive against separatists in the east and shore up the energy sector.


Prime Minster Arseny Yatseniuk tendered his resignation last week over the assembly's refusal to back amendments to the 2014 budget in an initial vote but it is possible he will stay on if deputies support the changes now.


"The laws the government is insisting on are unpopular and difficult but very necessary," Poroshenko was quoted as saying by his press service in an appeal to deputies.


"The parliament's decisions today are needed not only to finance the army, although that is question number one. The parliament's decisions are needed to enable the economy, the state as a whole, to function and for people to feel confident and protected."


Yatseniuk offered to quit last week after parliament blocked moves that would release extra money for the army as it battles pro-Russian rebels and to allow consortiums with European or U.S. companies to operate the ageing gas distribution system.


But he later urged lawmakers to hold another vote on passing the budget amendments, saying the release of further funds under a $17-billion International Monetary Fund bailout depended on them being passed.


Parliament has not voted on his resignation but a vote of confidence was included on Thursday's parliamentary agenda.

 

No doubt North Korea is a country ruled by a totalitarian regime. I don't think the citizens of NK would be any better off had the US no sanctions in place. China keeps the people in charge happy with enough money and commodities to insure their hold on power.

The people of North Korea live no worse than 2/3's of the people in Africa. However, the US and the rest of the world ignore Africa for the most part.

The EU's sanctions are only symbolic. They need Russia's oil and gas and will buy it regardless of what the US does or says. The EU is no real ally of the US, especially when it comes to economics and Putin knows this.

 

First, North Korea has every resource available to it that South Korea has. The same people, the same work ethic, the same natural resources, what they do not have is the same allies. The people of North Korea are very much effected by the sanctions against the regime that hold them captive.

There are few similarities between the North Korea and poor African nations, except for their despot leadership. But, far more importantly, the poor of Africa are not ignored by the US or other developed countries. Billions have been sent to help them, millions of tonnes of food have been given to them, thousands of health professionals have been sent to help them.

The US has no direct dog in the Russia/Ukraine fight, except for a pesky treaty called the Budapest Memorandum, in which we, Russia and the EU pledged support for the independence of Ukraine, if they gave up their nuclear weapons and other WMDs. Russia is violating it, the EU has the biggest dog in the fight because of their proximity to the bear, what they do is governed largely by that fact.

 

Indeed, and we are doing next to nothing to aid the Ukraine. One more prime example of what happens when we have a wishy-washy wimpy flip-flopping narcissistic coward for a President.

 

[h=1]Ukraine says suspends attacks to let experts reach crash site, rebels deny[/h]
KIEV/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine said on Thursday it had suspended offensive operations in its military campaign in east Ukraine to help international experts reach the downed Malaysian airliner's crash site but separatists were continuing to attack its positions.
Kiev said on the Facebook website of what it calls its "anti-terrorist operation" (ATO) against pro-Russian rebels in the east that it was heeding calls by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to stop fighting near the plane crash site.
"On July 31, troops involved in the active ATO phase are not conducting military operations apart from protecting their own positions from attack," it said. "But mercenary fighters of the Russian terrorists are not respecting any international agreements and requests."
The rebels have accused Kiev of blocking access to the Malaysian MH17 flight crash site by fighting in the area.
"Ukraine continued to violate the ceasefire in the MH17 crash area, not allowing OSCE observers and experts from the Netherlands and Australia to enter the area," said Sergei Kavtaradze, an aide to top rebel leader Aleksander Borodai.
"We hope Ukrainians will adhere to the decisions of the U.N., allow observers and experts to reach the crash site and facilitate security of the place," he said.

 

Why should we do anything to aid Ukraine?

 

For one simple reason: to stop a lesser evil from becoming a greater one. Putin would have halted his actions in the Ukraine, as with the Crimea and elsewhere, it Pres Obama had taken a firm stand and even provided arms to the Ukrainians.

 

[h=1]Ukrainian parliament votes to keep PM Yatsenyuk[/h]
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's parliament has voted not to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.





Yatsenyuk had said last week he was resigning after two parties left the coalition supporting him and parliament balked at passing laws he said were essential to fund the country's war against pro-Russian separatists.


But the parliament had to accept the resignation, and decided not to Thursday. The vote was 16 for accepting and 109 against, with the rest of the 450-member parliament either absent or not voting.


President Petro Poroshenko had urged legislators and the government to find a compromise and keep the parliament working even as he pushes for new elections.

Under Poroshenko's prodding, parliament finally passed the bills Yatsenyuk had been pushing. The vote keeps Ukraine on course for fulfilling its obligations under its bailout loans with the International Monetary Fund and ensures added funding for the military.


Parliament had balked at passing budget revisions to spend more money on the war and on reconstruction of shattered infrastructure. That legislation passed; legislation on allowing the sale of a minority stake in Ukraine's gas pipeline system was sent for another vote at a later session.

View gallery

Alexander Hug, deputy head of the OSCE mission to Ukraine, left, his colleagues and a pro-Russian re …



Poroshenko said that "today the attitude of the people's deputies of Ukraine toward the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian army, does not depend on whether there is a governing coalition or not."


He said that new elections would be "a reality" but did not specify what steps he would take to bring that about.


Meanwhile, a delegation from Russia's state aviation body hopes to visit the site where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed in east Ukraine two weeks ago, an agency spokesman said Thursday.


Sergei Izvolsky told the AP that a delegation of Russian specialists from Rosaviatsiya was due in Kiev Thursday to participate in the investigation. He said the delegation would attempt to reach the crash site if it was safe to do so and that Russian specialists would hand over all relevant materials to the Dutch delegation.

Representatives of the Dutch and Ukrainian commissions would not comment on the arrival of Russian officials. Continuing fighting has hindered access to the crash site, located in rebel-controlled territory in east Ukraine.

 

[h=1]Ukraine MH17: Forensic scientists reach jet crash site[/h]

International forensic scientists have reached the site of the flight MH17 crash in east Ukraine after the government halted military operations.
Australian and Dutch police experts arrived in a convoy of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitors.
Fighting between government and rebel forces had prevented them getting there for nearly a week.
Australia believes that around 80 bodies remain at the crash site.
Explosions were reportedly heard near the site after their arrival.
A journalist for AFP news agency heard several "powerful" blasts and saw a plume of smoke less than 10km (six miles) from the crash site.
Russian aviation experts are also in Ukraine, hoping to visit the site.


The Malaysia Airlines plane crashed on 17 July in eastern Ukraine, with the deaths of all 298 people on board.
The rebels deny that they shot it down with a missile by mistake.
Officials in Russia, which has been accused by the US and others of supplying the rebels with advanced weaponry, suggest that Ukraine's own armed forces downed the jet - a charge rejected by Kiev.
Russia has come under increased pressure to end its support for the rebels despite having continually denied claims that it is arming and training them.
In other developments

• Ukraine's parliament backed the potential deployment of up to 950 Dutch and Australian "armed personnel" at the crash site
• The parliament also rejected the resignation of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk after the recent collapse of his coalition
• A new round of EU sanctions was revealed on Thursday following similar action by the US. Billionaire tycoon Arkady Rotenberg, a former judo sparring partner of President Vladimir Putin, is among those affected by EU travel bans and asset freezes
• Separatist rebels are reportedly due to meet a Ukrainian delegation on Friday in Minsk, as Belarus hosts talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE

Rebel control OSCE monitors on the ground said in a tweet that they had reached the crash site with the Dutch and Australian investigators after using a new access route.
Getting out of their cars, they stopped for a minute's silence in remembrance of those killed almost two weeks ago to the hour.


The Dutch justice ministry told AFP the Dutch-Australian team was so far only a "reconnaissance" mission but would hopefully pave the way for more experts to visit soon.
It remains unclear when larger teams of police and forensics will be deployed, despite getting backing from the Ukrainian parliament, says the BBC's Tom Burridge in Kiev.
The Netherlands lost 193 of its citizens in the crash while Australia lost 27 and Malaysia 43.
Closure Speaking on a visit to Kiev, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she had been told that 80 bodies could still be at the crash site.
"We are determined to access the site, so that we can collect the remains with some dignity and return them to the Netherlands where they can be identified," she said.
"And then the grieving families across the world who lost 298 people can have some closure."


Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on a visit to the Netherlands that a team of 68 Malaysian police officers had arrived in Kiev to help with the investigation.
Speaking at a news conference, he and his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, said they were united in mourning.
The Dutch prime minister outlined their three shared priorities: to repatriate the rest of the passengers' remains from Ukraine, to establish the cause of the crash and to bring those responsible to justice.
The crash area appears to be still under the control of rebel fighters, an AP news agency journalist at the scene said.
A Russian delegation led by Oleg Storchevoy, deputy head of Russia's federal air transport agency Rosaviatsia, arrived in Kiev earlier.
"Russian experts intend to meet the head of the investigative commission... and hand over all the materials that the chairman of the commission had previously asked for," Rosaviatsia said in a statement.

"Today, the Russian representatives will also try to reach the crash area of the Boeing 777 and together with specialists from the international investigative commission examine the state of parts of the aircraft at the site."
There was no comment on the Russians' involvement from Ukrainian and Dutch officials approached by AP.
The press service for Ukraine's "anti-terrorist operation" said troops would refrain from combat operations in the Donetsk region, except in self-defence, in order to allow investigators to do their work on Thursday.
Well over 1,000 civilians and combatants have been killed since the new Ukrainian government sent troops into east Ukraine in mid-April to quell the insurgency.
The rebels have been forced back towards their strongholds in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, which have come under heavy bombardment.

 

You know here's the real deal and also the reason President Obama has played Putin perfectly.

[h=1]Ukraine’s War of Independence[/h] [h=2]Vladimir Putin has unleashed forces that even he can’t control.[/h]
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_..._the_russian_president_can_t_control_the.html

 

To the contrary, Obama has been played perfectly by Putin due to Obama's incompetence and flip-flopping and outright cowardess.

 

No its Putin who is being internationally condemned. Its President Obama who got the EU to go along with sanctions. Its Putin who is meeting resistance among his own supporters. And its also Putin who can't do a damn thing except sit there and take it as the Ukraine military kicks ass on his surrogates.

And you would not right from wrong if it came up and kicked you in the ass you raving hypocrite.

 

Whose the hypocrite - you follow a mad man who is bent on destruction of this nation as a Republic and transforming it into a socialist nightmare under his control.

 

You are and I will prove that with your own hilarious words.

Fucking hilarious.