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Originally Posted by NC_Skins
You straight avoided the answer. I'll ask it again.
In what ways do you think Putin outmaneuvered Obama and the US? Also, what exactly were you looking for in response to counter these Russian moves?
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Using Crimea as an example. Russia physically took over/annexed land of another country that we had a treaty with Ukraine, Russia and us as guarantors. And they hold that land today. I would consider that an example of outmanuevering us.
As for the response, that goes to my thread on economic sanctions. Did we want to create an equivalent to the cuban missile crisis in Russia's backyard? Obviously Pres Obama did not - and I do believe public sentiment backed him in not. But would a different President, say Reagan, have found a pressure point that might have worked.
Here is one that we know Russia doesn't like, and who knows how the events would have played out, but you asked for a counter response other then what we did:
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February 27th, 2014 is when Crimea's parliament was seized. March 1st the US announces in response to instability in the region, and the threat of "unknown actors" seizing Ukrainian warships with suspected cruise missile capabilities, we are moving THAAD anti-ballistic missile technology to Poland, and immediately beginning work on the long delayed abm shield.
The Russians still don't want ABM tech in Poland, and you would have put a risk to Russian goals, without dropping bombs.
Another, much more risky option, would have been blockading Kaliningrad, using the risk to Poland and Lithuania's borders as the rationale. Sure everyone knows it's really about Crimea, but again, diplomacy doesn't only mean that you roll over and let the other countries walk over your interest.
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Would either of those worked, would they have sparked WW3. I don't know. Depends on how crazy Putin is, but I would bet you Crimea would be part of Ukraine again.