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A REAL SOLUTION FOR UKRAINE

IT'S TIME TO STOP FIGHTING AGAINST DEMOCRACY FOR THE CRIMEAN AND UKRAINIAN PEOPLE

We call on all reasonable people to allow an internationally supervised plebiscite in Ukraine to help the different ethnic groups decide their own future.

The conflict in Ukraine is a complicated situation. What many Western people don't understand is that this is not simply a situation about Russia fighting the Ukrainian people. This is a civil war between ethnic Ukrainians and ethnic Russians within Ukraine's borders. If you look at the map below, you will see that there are a large number of ethnic Russians to the south and east of Ukraine. The mostly brown area on the bottom is Crimea.

AN ETHNIC MAP OF UKRAINE

RUSSIA'S HISTORY WITH UKRAINE AND CRIMEA

RUSSIA AND CRIMEA

What needs to be understood is that Russia, Ukraine and Crimea have an extensive history together. Crimea was part of Russia for 250 years, it was absorbed into the Russian empire, along with most of Ukraine, by Catherine The Great in the 18th century. Russia's Black Sea naval base at Sevastapol was founded soon afterwards. More than a half million people were killed in the Crimean war of 1853-1856 between Russia and The Ottoman Empire, which was backed by Britain and France. Because of this war, Crimea a site of emotional significance and national pride for the Russians. The Crimean War reshaped Europe and helped pave the way for WWI. Crimea only became a part of Ukraine in 1954, and still has many ethnic Russians today.

RUSSIA'S MILITARY ASSETS IN CRIMEA

In addition to having an extensive history with Russia, Crimea contains Russia's only warm water naval base, The Naval Base at Sevestapol. Without this base, Russia will have no way of extending force through The Mediterranean. Without Crimea, Russia would be severely crippled as a military power. The Russians are not going to let this happen.

RUSSIA AND UKRAINE

While Russia and Ukraine may have an extrensive history together, we need to understand that different parts of Ukraine have been under the control of various empires over the last few centuries. In many ways, the modern day borders of Ukraine are an artificial creation.

We also need to understand the troubled history between Ukraine and The Soviet Union. When Stalin came to Ukraine he imposed the Holodomor, which was a man made famine that killed up to 7.5 million Ukrainian people. As a result, there is still a strong distrust of Russia among ethnic Ukrainians today, which explains the violent protests that erupted in the Maidan upon hearing about possible plans for Ukraine to join Russia.

The U.S. and the EU need to understand Crimea's historic and military importance to Russia, as well as the Holodomor in Ukraine, if they are to have a complete picture of the conflict currently taking place.

Read About the History of Ukraine and Russia

Read About the History of Crimea

A MAJORITY OF CRIMEANS VOTE TO JOIN RUSSIA

Considering that Crimea was part of Russia for most of its history, it is not a suprirse that the Crimean people have voted to rejoin Russia.

In an unprecedented turnout, unmatched by any Western election, Crimea has voted 95.7% to leave Ukraine and join Russia. Even a majority of the Tartar's who voted supported the choice. (Read Results on RT.com).

WASHINGTON IGNORES CRIMEAN DEMOCRACY

If the Crimean public votes over 95% to join Russia, then the U.S. should respect their autonomy as a country. Instead, President Barack Obama has made an executive order to that anyone who "undermines the Democratic process in Ukraine should have their financial assets frozen."

President of the United States, Barack Obama, has issued an executive order “blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine.” This order states that support for Crimean self-determination constitutes “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat.”

Read The Executive Order Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine on White House.gov.

There is also a further analysis of this executive order on Global Research.ca

So anyone who undermines the Democratic process in Ukraine should have their financial assets frozen? By this logic, the regimes in both the EU and the U.S. should have their own assets frozen. Was it not the EU and the U.S. who undermined the democratically elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, by supporting the Coup d'état against him?

WHAT CAN BE GAINED BY ANTAGONIZING RUSSIA?

Another question we must ask is what can be gained by antagonizing Russia?

Conflict between Russia and the EU will also cause a great deal of financial friction, considering that a pipeline in Ukraine is responsible for delivering Natural Gas from Russia into the European Union.

One reality that the United States needs to accept is that Russia is NOT the Soviet Union anymore. The U.S is locked in a Cold-War mentality regarding Russia. Hillary Clinton herself said, “There is a move to re-Sovietise the region (The Financial Times).”

Yet having a Cold War mentality with Russia could backfire for the U.S.

Russia is a nation that has anywhere between 2,000-9000 nuclear warheads, not to mention that Russia is a member of the United Nations Security Council. At a time of financial instability, can America really afford to agitate Russia?

The U.S. should also think about the future of its Space Program. The United States currently gets its Spy Satellites and astronauts into space with Russian rockets.

The reality is that we live in a geopolitically inter-connected world, not the Cold War era. The United States and The EU cannot afford to pick fights with a major world power, especially if they have an interdependent economic relation with this power. The EU needs natural gas from Russia. The U.S needs to get its astronauts into space.

It's time for our world leaders to work together on smart, practical solutions for the good of the future economy, not to pick fights. This is why we go back to importance on letting an internationally supervised plebiscite help the different ethnic groups of Ukraine decide their own fate. This solution will help support a lasting peace in Ukraine.

PUTIN'S SPEECH ACCEPTING CRIMEA AS PART OF RUSSIA