This entire issue has been quite eye-opening for me in the sense that the Western mainstream media has been almost entirely one-sided wrt to its coverage. Barely a murmur has been made about Russia actually having a case for its intervention, correct or otherwise. Instead it's been an almost unremitting warble of hysteria, especially in the UK/US. In fact, were it not for Feanor's superb efforts to keep us all informed, I'd still be almost entirely clueless.
Further, all this talk about punishing Russia else it'll think the West 'weak' is deeply unsettling. If only because to do so would be to force Russia and China together. In all of this, I think Merkel's position has been the wisest: condemn in a specifically vague way (if that makes sense), stay engaged with Russia and look for ways to de-escalate.
Yeas. Things have been portrayed with the basis that " Saint 'Murica needs to kick ass in a good way, as the children won't behave otherwise, and Herr Putin will slaughter them because he likes child murder in his black communist heart", or in the UK, that 'civilised Britain is shocked and appalled that Putin did this, as part of his plan to create a soviet reich at the expense of the holy disciples that had a peaceful sit-in, which had toppled the Gestapo state of the Russia controlled dictator Yanukovitch. Thank god (a peaceful Englishman) for for the saints like Tymoshenko, and that Britain is the worlds moral judge and world power' or in Russia that "Martyr Putin, in a Gandhi meets Mandela meets Moses move, saved Russians from mass murder and genocide on a vast scale, by the remnants of the third reich in Kiev'
When the media reports are predicated on one of these assumption or world views, there is no hope of objective reporting or a focus on the facts at all. The media here in the UK have at no point disseminated information, but have had visuals and graphics of anything racy, loud, aggressive and inflammatory in a heartbeat. I bet the Cartoon Network accidentally had more facts about it in its shows than sky put in its in-depth reports.
The only two highlights of this sad situation for me have been watching Kerry act shocked and outraged that sovereignty could be violated in the 21st century (he must have laughed till he cried when he read his prepared text), and the restraint of troops on both sides in the Crimea. Their conduct there was an impressive act of tight rope walking. Both sides there were better men than those who issue their orders I feel. The Ukrainians for being peaceful etc even with no orders, help or anything and after a coup. The Russians for restraint in what must have been a very tough and tense situation for them too.
If it were the case that Kiev issued the orders for the men from Baalbek to march unarmed at the Russian control point in front of cameras, I would hope that it could be made known. Those who issued those orders from far don't deserve anonymity. I would also question what they hoped to happen. If it were the local troops doing it on their own, credit to them frankly.
