Quote:
Originally Posted by Skybird
Because they think it is in their interest. There were earlier opportunities when they gang in Kiev was not that much interested in "transparency" - when that was not in this interest.
I fear you have no argument there.
Trust nobody, Oberon. And that includes the Russians, the separatists, Kiev - and the Europeans and the Americans as well. TRUST NOBODY. It'S all politics.
"States have no friends. States have interests." -
Jack Kornblum, former US ambassador to Germany.
I could as well refer to Machiavelli, still one of the best political analysts ever. Not perfect and without occasional misjudgements- but still one of the best there ever have been. Because he was a realist who did not let politically correct thinking and emotions or ideals corrupt his observations and conclusions form them , and thus he was - before anything else - a precise observer. |
Well, that's the point I'm trying to make, and by denying the OCSE inspectors access to the wreckage the pro-Russian forces are destroying what tiny sympathy they may have been able to drum up in the west. It's really as if they are just handing the Ukrainian forces a cassus belli on a plate to pull out all the stops against them with western assistance.
Sure, in the short term it makes sense for them to cover up any evidence that they shot the aircraft down, but in the long term it will probably wind up have being easier for them to have just said "Yes, we did it, it was a mistake and the people involved have been punished, and if you like we can comply with a western investigation into the circumstances around it once a cease-fire has been reached with the Ukrainian government" which would then shift the attention back to the Ukrainian government who would be forced to halt military operations or be accused of trying to impede the investigation into the destruction of MH17.
It's all about spin, the manipulation of the situation to ones advantage, something that Russia is very good at, and western europe is no slouch at either.
I really must get around to reading 'The Prince', I do admire what I've heard of Machiavellis works and the reputation around it.
