Putin will hold Crimea, it's a decent SC and there's no way the EU can risk their alliance.

It's none of your business.

The good news is that we can call out Putin if Krim joins Russia.

Putin33 that is.

Really Putin33, none of our (or my) business? Surely stability in the world, the suffering of other people and energy supply to europe are all my business. What happened to the global solidarity of the worker of the world? We're all in this together!

It won't be recognized without some kind of acceptable referendum which can't happen while Russia occupies Crimea. So this will be merely another example of Russia attacking its neighbors. Nothing will stop it except giving Russia a very strong kick in the teeth. Freezing all Russian assets abroad and kicking Russia out of the WTO and imposing sanction would be a start.

I think there is very little doubt that, should Crimea have a free and fair referendum, that joining Russia would be the popular choice.

Russia will not take it though. They are just letting everyone know they could take it if they wanted to so that when they don't Obama and the EU can claim a victory. What Russia want is their military bases to remain where they are and for the EU and NATO to be kept out of the Ukraine, and good trade deals. What they will get is all of it, but because the Ukraine will, on paper at least, keep its borders we will have"won".

Another example of attacking neighbors - pay no attention to Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Mali, CAR, etc, etc, etc ad infinitum. Anyway a message will be sent to cease with the color revolution bs, stop instigating insurrections and then whining when Russia puts out the fire. Meanwhile more and more European states will be peeled away from Germany's orbit.

"What happened to the global solidarity of the worker of the world? We're all in this together!"

NATO's notion of 'solidarity' is meddlesome interference and puppeteering, followed by bombing when they don't get their way. I've had enough of their solidarity. And if the Irish don't give a damn about the north of their own country why do they care about Crimea? Liberate your own homeland first.

Apparently cognitive dissonance doesn't bother the putschists, they charged poor Pavel Gubarev with "actions aimed at an overthrow or toppling of the constitutional system or the seizure of state power, and seize of government and public offices".

LOL!

@Octavious, i disagree, i think we'll find Crimea as 'independant' just as South Ossetia is, that was something Russia proved they could do recently, irregardless of a lack of international recognition. Russia will guarentee the military independence of Crimea, and keep their naval base, but also have proved a willingness to use force to protect Russian citizens - that is their win. They could give a shit about the EU and US, Putin will be more popular in the eyes of his people, they will feel more safe, and ignore any damage he might do to Russians because he has proven once again to be a protector of the people.

And he will partly be right. I mean, we can't go back to pre-1954 when the Crimean tartars were deported from their land and ethnic Russians settled it. So Putin's right by facts on the ground.

@Putin33, i'm not a member of NATO, nor a citizen of a country which is, and i decry much of their wars... I'm a european, but just because there is one big evil military organisation (ie NATO) doesn't mean the Russian federation is not also capable of the same shameful actions.

'And if the Irish don't give a damn about the north of their own country why do they care about Crimea? Liberate your own homeland first.' - We do care, we care so much we signed a treaty to secure peace and a democratic solution. We have gotten the British to agree to let Northern Ireland leave the Union if the vote for it. And everyone in the Republic is happy with that victory, because it means peace on this island, which is more fucking important than jurisdiction. What the fuck do you know about it?

In the 60s/70s the civil rights movement had goals of equal rights between Nationalist and Unionist in Northern Ireland, and today we have a power sharing agreement where Nationalist politicians and Unionist politicians run their own country together - which is the best way to actually achieve those goals. It is only a pity that it took 30 years of bloodshed to get to this point.

When obstructionist DUP leaders are singing the praises of the partitionist Dublin political class then you know the north is not a concern. Fine Gael is a unionist party and they run the show in Dublin.

Shows how little you know about Ireland, eh? But what in fact does the fact of my state's peace agreement with a NATO member have to do with Crimea? Is it not possible for me to hold an opinion on Crimea because the island i was born on is partitioned? When you might think to look to people who have experience of this kind of partition for advice...

No? And 'the partitionist Dublin political class' voted overwhelmingly to repeal the constitutional claim over Northern Ireland and support the peace agreement, along with the overwhelming majority of the rest of the citizens of Ireland. So, yeah, we totally have a (few) political party which represents the people, at least on this.

The people of [insert country here] should have the right if self determination.

One may wish to include, Scotland, Tibet, the Falklands, the UK, Gibraltar and the Crimea in the above sentance.

Any referendum that seeks to demonstrate the will of the people will, of course, need to be free and fair.

I would be happier recognising a country's status based on the will of its people, rather than accepting than a country's status should be decided by someone gifting a region and it's people to another country.

To claim that Northern Ireland has plebiscitary power to decide which state to belong to but the people of Crimea do not is rank stinking hypocrisy.

Unlimited self-determination is a recipe for disaster. However since the West already sought fit to impose this on other countries they have no right to complain now.