Early in the Ukraine crisis when the Europeans were working on bringing Ukraine into the EU system and Vladimir Putin was countering with threats and bribes one British analyst lamented that we went to a knife fight with a baguette."
That was three months ago. Life overtakes parody. During the Ukrainian prime ministers visit to Washington last week his government urgently requested military assistance. The Pentagon refused. It offered instead military ration kits.
Putin mobilizes thousands of troops artillery and attack helicopters on Ukraines borders and Washington counters with baguettes American-style. One thing we can say for sure in these uncertain times: The invasion of Ukraine will be catered by the United States.
Why did we deny Ukraine weapons? Because in the Barack Obama-John Kerry worldview arming the victim might be taken as a provocation. This kind of mind-bending illogic has marked the administrations response to the whole Crimea affair.
Why after all did Obama delay responding to Putins infiltration military occupation and seizure of Crimea in the first place? In order to provide Putin with a path to de-escalation an offramp" the preferred White House phrase.
An offramp? Did they really think that Putin was losing that his invasion of Crimea was a disaster from which he needed some face-saving way out? And that the principal object of American diplomacy was to craft for Putin an exit strategy?
Its delusional enough to think that Putin in seizing Crimea threatening eastern Ukraine destabilizing Kiev shaking NATO terrifying Americas East European allies and making the West look utterly helpless was actually losing. But to imagine that Putin saw it that way as well and was waiting for American diplomacy to save him from a monumental blunder is totally divorced from reality.
After Obamas Russian reset" missile-defense retreat and Syria comedown Putin had already developed an undisguised disdain for his U.S. counterpart. Yet even he must have been amazed by this newest American flight of fantasy. Putin reclaims a 200-year-old Russian patrimony with hardly a shot and to wild applause at home Putins 72 percent domestic popularity is 30 points higher than Obamas and Americas leaders think he needs rescue?
Putin made it clear that he preferred Sevastopol to good reviews from the international community." Yet Obama and Kerry held off doing anything until the Crimean referendum after which they ominously threatened there would be consequences."
Obama unveiled them Monday in a four-minute statement as flat-toned as a legal notice in the classifieds. The consequences? Visa denial and frozen assets for 11 people seven of them Russian.
Seven! Out of 140 million. No Putin. No Dmitry Medvedev. No oligarchs. Nor any of Putins inner circle of ex-KGBers. No targeting of the energy sector or banks Russias industrial and financial lifeblood.
This elicited unreserved mockery from the targeted Russians themselves. One wondered whether the presidents statement had been written by a prankster. The Duma voted that it should be sanctioned -- all 353 members whod voted for annexation. And the financial markets which abhor disruptions and crave nothing but continuity responded with relief: Russias spiked 3.7 percent; the Dow Jones rose 1.1 percent (180 points).
Putin responded with appropriate contempt. Within hours he recognized Crimeas secession. The next day he signed a treaty of annexation. (Two days later Obama expanded the list of sanctioned Russians and added one bank. It will make no difference.)
Europes response was weaker still sanctioning a list of even lesser Russian functionaries. The irony is that for two decades weve encouraged Russias integration into the world economic system including Obamas strong support for Russian accession to the World Trade Organization thinking those ties and the threat of losing them would restrain Russian behavior.
On the contrary. It restrained European behavior. Europe has refused to adopt any measure that might significantly affect its commerce and natural gas imports from Russia.
Whats our excuse? We import no Russian gas and have minimal trade with Russia. Yet our president appears strangely disengaged. The post-Cold War order of Europe has been brazenly violated and Obama is nowhere to be seen.
As Ive argued here before there are things we can do: Send the secretary of defense to Kiev tomorrow to negotiate military assistance. Renew the missile-defense agreement with Poland and the Czech Republic. Announce a new policy of major U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas. Lead Europe from the front to impose sanctions cutting off Russian enterprises from the Western banking system.
As we speak Putin is deciding whether to go beyond Crimea and take eastern Ukraine. Show him some seriousness Mr. President.
Read more from Charles Krauthammers archive follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Early in the Ukraine crisis when the Europeans were working on bringing Ukraine into the EU system and Vladimir Putin was countering with threats and bribes one British analyst lamented that we went to a knife fight with a baguette."
That was three months ago. Life overtakes parody. During the Ukrainian prime ministers visit to Washington last week his government urgently requested military assistance. The Pentagon refused. It offered instead military ration kits.
Putin mobilizes thousands of troops artillery and attack helicopters on Ukraines borders and Washington counters with baguettes American-style. One thing we can say for sure in these uncertain times: The invasion of Ukraine will be catered by the United States.
Why did we deny Ukraine weapons? Because in the Barack Obama-John Kerry worldview arming the victim might be taken as a provocation. This kind of mind-bending illogic has marked the administrations response to the whole Crimea affair.
Why after all did Obama delay responding to Putins infiltration military occupation and seizure of Crimea in the first place? In order to provide Putin with a path to de-escalation an offramp" the preferred White House phrase.
An offramp? Did they really think that Putin was losing that his invasion of Crimea was a disaster from which he needed some face-saving way out? And that the principal object of American diplomacy was to craft for Putin an exit strategy?
Its delusional enough to think that Putin in seizing Crimea threatening eastern Ukraine destabilizing Kiev shaking NATO terrifying Americas East European allies and making the West look utterly helpless was actually losing. But to imagine that Putin saw it that way as well and was waiting for American diplomacy to save him from a monumental blunder is totally divorced from reality.
After Obamas Russian reset" missile-defense retreat and Syria comedown Putin had already developed an undisguised disdain for his U.S. counterpart. Yet even he must have been amazed by this newest American flight of fantasy. Putin reclaims a 200-year-old Russian patrimony with hardly a shot and to wild applause at home Putins 72 percent domestic popularity is 30 points higher than Obamas and Americas leaders think he needs rescue?
Putin made it clear that he preferred Sevastopol to good reviews from the international community." Yet Obama and Kerry held off doing anything until the Crimean referendum after which they ominously threatened there would be consequences."
Obama unveiled them Monday in a four-minute statement as flat-toned as a legal notice in the classifieds. The consequences? Visa denial and frozen assets for 11 people seven of them Russian.
Seven! Out of 140 million. No Putin. No Dmitry Medvedev. No oligarchs. Nor any of Putins inner circle of ex-KGBers. No targeting of the energy sector or banks Russias industrial and financial lifeblood.
This elicited unreserved mockery from the targeted Russians themselves. One wondered whether the presidents statement had been written by a prankster. The Duma voted that it should be sanctioned -- all 353 members whod voted for annexation. And the financial markets which abhor disruptions and crave nothing but continuity responded with relief: Russias spiked 3.7 percent; the Dow Jones rose 1.1 percent (180 points).
Putin responded with appropriate contempt. Within hours he recognized Crimeas secession. The next day he signed a treaty of annexation. (Two days later Obama expanded the list of sanctioned Russians and added one bank. It will make no difference.)
Europes response was weaker still sanctioning a list of even lesser Russian functionaries. The irony is that for two decades weve encouraged Russias integration into the world economic system including Obamas strong support for Russian accession to the World Trade Organization thinking those ties and the threat of losing them would restrain Russian behavior.
On the contrary. It restrained European behavior. Europe has refused to adopt any measure that might significantly affect its commerce and natural gas imports from Russia.
Whats our excuse? We import no Russian gas and have minimal trade with Russia. Yet our president appears strangely disengaged. The post-Cold War order of Europe has been brazenly violated and Obama is nowhere to be seen.
As Ive argued here before there are things we can do: Send the secretary of defense to Kiev tomorrow to negotiate military assistance. Renew the missile-defense agreement with Poland and the Czech Republic. Announce a new policy of major U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas. Lead Europe from the front to impose sanctions cutting off Russian enterprises from the Western banking system.
As we speak Putin is deciding whether to go beyond Crimea and take eastern Ukraine. Show him some seriousness Mr. President.
Read more from Charles Krauthammers archive follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
