Once again we have an essay purporting to be even-handed, but upon reading showing the same anti-Russian and pro-Western bias as other pieces of media propaganda printed since the West loosed the dogs of war on Ukraine as soon as they turned down the offer of closer alignment with the EU and looked east to Russia for help.
But to the author's credit, he does expose the rational behind the West's move. Argentina, Australia, Canada, the US and Ukraine are indeed the world's wheat fields. And the only one not controlled by western corporate agri-businesses? Ukraine. Geo-economic, indeed,

The article invents the Bosnia straw man and can't sustain it.

This propaganda may inadvertently serve to inflate Putin’s already overblown ego, but it obscures the incontrovertible fact that Putin did not engineer the Kiev coup- and this reduces the post to Walter’s bias.

Hi Leslie,

The people of Ukraine 'engineered' the coup, and what has Putin done since ? Who is throwing whom off balconies ? Who is blockading legitimate Ukrainian army and naval barracks and airfields ? Who has committed a potential act of war by scuttling ships to prevent Ukrainian ships from pursuing their lawful rights to exit harbors and patrol ?

Has Putin exceeded the numbers of Russian soldiers allowed by the 1994 Treaty ? Have Ukrainian flags been torn down on Ukrainian soil, an act of treason ?

If the West has a dog in this fight, then it is still outside the ring. Putin has sooled his onto Ukraine, and committed innumerable acts of interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. Yes ? No ? Not just in the Crimea but in eastern Ukraine as well, which - surely even you would concede - is part of a sovereign Ukraine.

So all Putin needs now is an 'Incident'. No, maybe he won't even bother, he'll just stack this coming illegal 'referendum' and thumb his nose at the world.

So what will be next ? His aim is to re-conquer the whole of Ukraine and other ex-colonies as well, all once part of the Tsarist empire.

Perhaps there are still English imperialists who hanker for getting 'back' Ireland and India and more besides. Perhaps there are Spanish imperialists who hanker for getting 'their' colonies in the Americas back again. Would you go into bat for them too ? Has imperialism suddenly become a 'good thing' ?

Useful idiots, indeed.

Joe

Australia should use it leadership position at the UN Security Council and in the G20 to support Ukraine and help it avoid becoming another Bosnia. Australia can facilitate peace and economic development in the region and help both sides to cool down and focus on the bigger picture. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop should also open an Embassy in Ukraine along with a Consular Office to cater for unmet needs of Australians with Ukranian links as well as local people and institutions that need to engage with Australia. The Ukranian disapora in Australia like the Macedonian diaspora expect more support and informed debate in Canberra.

if Crimea is wrested from Ukraine, what's next?
Estonia, with 40% of its population Russian: will they be next to be 'liberated'?

or Gibraltar, maybe Spain will feel emboldened?

and maybe Argentina will liberate las Malvinas?

and maybe Quebec will secede from Canada and 'liberate' other parts of francophone speaking areas while they're at it?

and maybe the Chinese navy occupying the whole of the islands of the South China Sea?

where will this madness end?