Stezza said 'not everything can be blamed on the west'...unfortunately all road direct and indirect still head to the west...the current financial included here...by some 'magic' bulk of hard hard manufacturing done in Asia currently...bulk of profits in Europe\US...money the latest colonial tool...Europs notorious past will always be the standard they will be judged against...however sweet and nice and hop and skip in all pink they do now...
End of the day time will tell...so let's see how things plan out...I'm expecting the 'New-World-Order' cake to be peddled by Europe using all it's satellites soon...as the new age of peace and harmony...but expecting Asia to see it for what it is...another false face of self-superiority-queens(read as Europe) delusion in their own ability to deceive and control thing to their sole benefit that's continuing...and don't think Asia will buy another west organized plan that affects them anymore...
sam
Ps~think the latest west export of feminism and ursurping governing power is the last straw...camels back broken

Quote "According to Reuters, Crimea may nationalize oil and gas assets within its borders belonging to Ukraine, and sell them off to Russia."

All about oil sounds like what the US did in Iraq and other countries.

What is the fuss about? American oil companies supplied fuel to Hitler's tanks, so profits will continue to flow whatever the source.

And Russian authorities killed 30 million of their own people

- including 10 million Ukrainians

- then placed all the blame on Stalin

- after he was safely dead that is

So what's all the fuss about living under Russian rule about?

The central principle of a civilised world, one that millions upon millions died for not all that long ago, is LIBERTY, including the right of peoples to self-determination. Crimea was gifted to the Ukraine by the butcher Nikita Khrushchov. The people were never asked.

And now, for reasons amateur and professional geostrategists speculate over and which do not include the liberty of people to determine their own political future, bang, this opportunity lands in the Crimean people's lap. A referendum of the whole population. A decision through the ballot box. Anyone committed to liberty would be over the moon.

But not the self-styled "international community" (actually the elites who rule the international community). They issue a howl of rage and claw for their gun. And they find they're outgunned!

Now Vlad Putrid, the butcher of captive Chechnya, is no friend of liberty. So why did he do it? My guess is that the Russians are funny about having NATO and an unelected horde of slavering Nazi savages thrust slap bang against their border. When the Wall came down there were specific undertakings, against German Chancellor Kohl’s urging, not to revitalise the Axis and advance NATO to the edge of Russia. The Russians are showing they’ve kept their powder dry.

Sam,
like many others you were misled by your school as most have
Mercadors projection world maps on their walls.
The world is nothing like that, Europe is closer to Asia than Australia is to Asia.
BTW Indonesia & the Philippines are not in Asia.

Russia is the world's largest producer of crude oil.
However, when oil production peaked in late 1980s the economy
collapsed and communism with it. However since then the oligarchs cranked
up the oil business and are now producing about 10.5 Mbd.
However a serious problem is on the horizon and the second peak is looming.
It is probably the desire to keep Russia's grip on Europe's energy
that has prompted the seizure of the Crimea.

Short of engaging in an oil war there is not much that can be done about it.
The current Russian oligarchs learnt their lessons well from the
communists as in the Referendum there was no option to stay with Ukraine, it was Hobson's choice.