http://www.spiegel.de/international/...706-druck.html
A - longer - narrative documentary on the events 2010 to winter 2013 that led to the splitting of the Ukraine. The story being told last but not least is that of a massive failing of German foreign policy due to
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a clash of two different foreign policy cultures.
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Also, massive ignorance for the Russian to-be-expected reactions and the Russian interests as well as a good dose of arrogance were used to create this unneeded drama.
One should have seen Ukraine as a bridge between Europe and Russia, instead of forcing it to choose for Europe over Russia. One can argue in holy ideals or principles of Western and Central Ukrainians wanting to be associated with the EU (and one wonders what weighs heavier here: the idealistic undertone - or the promise of huge amounts of foreign tax money being channeled to the Ukraine) for as long as one wants: it does not change the facts of reality. And the facts of reality are that Russia has vital own-interests that must try to prevent the Ukraine turning all-West.
This to recognise is where the EU and Berlin have failed miserably. And Washington? Traditionally anti-Russian for the sake of being anti-Russian, probably from all beginning on saw the Ukraine as an opportunity to once again push borders towards Russia and move alliances closer to its borderposts.
That Russia would not just sit on the side fence and watch it, could have been forseen. But Germany and the EU chosed to deliberately not wanting to see it from Russia's point of view.
Things to be learned from all this: it is a stupid thing to demand a rival/opponent to act stupidly and in violation of his own self-interest. The price of this is paid in the main by people living in the Ukraine, then mostly by the German economy who has losses in the high billions due to the sanctions while being epxetded to be Europe's paymaster nevertheless, and also the ordinary people in Russia facing mounting prices and shortages of consumer goods.
America is cheap off in all this. And due to it dominating the IMF sees the free bonus chance to force not necessarily "freedom and liberty" but its own views becoming realsisied in the future forming of the Ukraine.