The Russian Bear is Up and About

Image credit: http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/3593811-cypriot-lessons-courting-russian-bear

In the aftermath of the ouster of Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, Russia swiftly moved in and reclaimed Crimea. 

The Europeans and Americans can protest and even threaten all they want but that did not stop Vladimir Putin from doing what he thinks he must do. The latter has decided to flex his muscles and the gloves are already off. 

Sure, Russian-speaking Crimea gave the Russians some good reasons to take action. But in reality, it is Europe (and American) belligerency that made Putin take action. Equally important is the fact that post-USSR, Russia still sees itself as a country that is a counterweight to the West and it is not about to let the latter dictate terms. 

Some say the Cold War is returning. I am of the view that the Cold War never ended. Aren’t American tactical nuclear arms still sitting in Europe? Rightfully, they should only be deployed in the territory of the states possessing these weapons. Certainly, not on the continent.

I say, NATO must take the blame. The military alliance’s eastward enlargement meant it brought into its fold the former USSR territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. And in its wake, troops and military equipment, air and naval bases, and missile shield installations are being stationed very close to the Russian border. This is terribly insensitive. And provocative. 

The Europeans with American backing have taken advantage of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the tearing up of the Warsaw Pact and a greatly diminished and truncated Russia, to showcase their power and influence. Furthermore, it has subordinated almost an entire continent under a Washington-dominated military bloc. Surely, you cannot expect Russia to sit still. 

Coming back to Ukraine – after Crimea, Putin is already eyeing the country’s eastern half. Who dares to stop him? In fact, he can take all of Ukraine if he so desires. And nobody will do anything. 

Barack Obama and Europe are only good at expelling hot air. 

Meanwhile, the Russian bear has awakened and it is unsheathing its claws. 

On Saturday, Celtic edged towards touching distance of the Scottish Premiership title with a comfortable 3-0 win over struggling St Mirren.

Norwegian midfielder Stefan Johansen gave Celtic their first goal with a close-range header a minute before the interval. Striker Leigh Griffiths grabbed the second goal in the sixty-first minute before strike partner Anthony Stokes grabbed the third in the final seconds to put a true reflection of Celtic's superiority on the scoreline.

The Reds triumphed again when Luis Suarez equaled Robbie Fowler's 28-goal record for a Liverpool league season with a hat-trick (16, 60, 90) as they kept the pressure on EPL leaders Chelsea by thrashing Cardiff 6-3. 

Liverpool went behind on two occasions in the first half as Jordan Mutch (9) and then Fraizer Campbell (25) struck for relegation-threatened Cardiff. Luis Suarez's effort from close range leveled the score and Martin Skrtel did the same in the forty-first minute.  Then the latter's 54th-minute header from a corner put Liverpool ahead for the first time, and after that an audacious back-heel by Daniel Sturridge gave Suarez all the room he needed to make it six league wins on the bounce. 

And Sturridge completed a second-half masterclass when he scored in the seventy-fifth minute to continue the Reds' winning form and keep Cardiff in deep trouble. Mutch claimed a consolation goal two minutes from the whistle but there was still time for Liverpool to score again as Suarez pounced deep into injury time.