There are a number of elements to consider. First, millions of ethnic Russians have married millions of ethnic Ukrainians! That young Russians in the east have had a good long hard look at Putin's Russia, and don't want a bar of it, nor do the remnant Muslim Tarters. Therefore, a new iron curtain is impossible!
The prize for the new parliament, which the west has already recognized, is easy immediate entry into NATO, which has clearly protected the Baltic nations, even as Georgia, was reabsorbed back into Mother Russia; and is now an independent state in name only.
The Poles who share a common border with the Ukraine have less than found memories, of Russia and Russian influence. And may be more than willing to supply huge, if covert military aid and or material; and or, become a conduit for the west to do the same on an even larger or virtually endless scale?
The basically bankrupt Ukraine has one of the largest armies in Europe and would be a force to be reckoned with if the Ukrainians could somehow recover the 78 billions residing in secret accounts, stolen from their treasury, by the previous administration? And use those stolen funds to fully rearm and modernize?
Perhaps an almost equally bankrupt Russia, thinks it can get its grubby hands on some or all of this money?
After all, it has quite a history of annexing/resuming other poeples' money and or assets?
That said, the greatest imperative here is to do nothing, and for Russia, having secured it's port facilities for now, to withdraw, before it rouses, any more nationalistic fervor or opposition!
Rhrosty.

It's a short read with a 30 minute video at the end and well worth the time:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article37833.htm

it seems a bit rich for the U.S. to be lecturing Russia for aggression:
what about Grenada, Panama, El Salvador, Chile, Cuba (Bay of Pigs), justified by 'manifest destiny' and the Monroe Doctrine?

Of course there seems little justification for invading another sovereign nation (Tibet?)(East Timor), but let's have no more of this 'being on the wrong side of history' malarkey: history, like justice, is blind to favorites, but only time will tell.

As for the complicated situation in Ukraine, there are not only the obvious Russian and geographically and culturally distanced American perspectives - as well as the two Ukrainian positions, more or less torn between these two Cold War alternatives that should not be any more - but also a (continental) European way of seeing things, perhaps best summarised in the German Foreign Minister’s warning “not to pour more oil on the fire”, see e.g. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/angela-merkel-plays-central-role-in-russia-diplomacy-over-crimea-a-956834.html.

It is true that Putin and the German Chancellor Merkel “have a difficult personal relationship” (certainly more difficult than the personal friendship that existed, and apparently still exists, between Putin and Merkel’s predecessor Gerhard Schroeder). After all, Merkel comes from former East Germany and Putin spent five years in Dresden as a KGB “translator and interpreter” (so that not only Merkel speaks Russian but also Putin speaks German).

We shall have to wait to see what, if any, fruit will their recent numerous phone discussions bear. At least Putin seems to have accepted Merkel’s proposal to set up a "contact group"(http://bigstory.ap.org/article/germany-putin-accepts-merkel-contact-group-idea). Maybe this is already indicative of something, because economically EU and Russia desperately need each other.

I also think a reasonable British assessment of the situation can be found in http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/why-president-putin-will-do-everything-he-can-to-prevent-a-normal-ukraine-9169253.html).

Oh god, another war in the Balkans.

I wonder if we could rustle up enough horses for another Charge of the Light Brigade.

Nah, no need, we've got KRuddy charging over there to fix things.

Heaven help them all.

Hi Hasbeen

A good comparison. The Crimean Wat of the mid 19th century had all the ingredients for a World War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War

With KRudd - World Diplomat and Savior - "fixing" this current Crimean War could WWIII be far away?

Pete