UPDATE: Russia to Expel 60 U.S. Diplomats; Tensions Are Worst in Decades

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: New York Times

LONDON Intensifying Russias clash with Europe and the United States, the Kremlin on Thursday announced that it would expel 150 Western diplomats and close the United States Consulate in St. Petersburg.

The action was in retaliation for the expulsion of more than 150 Russian officials from other countries which was itself a reaction to a nerve-agent attack on British soil that Britain and its allies have blamed on Moscow.

The United States ambassador to Russia, Jon M. Huntsman Jr., was summoned to the Kremlin, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov announced. Sixty American diplomats will be expelled from Russia the same as the number of Russian diplomats whom Washington has expelled.

The crisis over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter has driven tensions between the Kremlin and the West to their highest pitch in decades. The tit-for-tat responses raise the prospect of further, more serious escalations, either public or clandestine.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/world/europe/russia-expels-diplomats.html

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Original headline: Russia Will Expel 150 Diplomats, as Tensions With West Reach Fever Pitch

Wonder if Huntsman is having 2nd thoughts on his posting.

[PaulX2]

1. Boycott Russia Altogether

Europe can go solar and wind.

Suck on it Putin.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Unfortunately instantly going "solar and wind"

ain't happening. Especially with something like this happening. But they really need to think about doing some sort of transition.

[TranssexualKaren]

3. And just when theres a traitor in the white house

[DFW]

4. I'm not sure that last sentence is accurate

"The tit-for-tat responses raise the prospect of further, more serious escalations, either public or clandestine."

The end of a dispute is often the expulsion of a like number of diplomats (or whatevers posing as diplomats) by the offending country. It counts as a "we know that you know that we know that you know." Only if there is more suspicious death in NATO-land of people Putin considers non-grata will there be grounds to call this an escalation. If it's only tit-for-tat expulsions, that is usually the end of a dispute.

On the other hand, if some further prominent Russian who is not part of Putin's clique is the object of a serious assassination attempt, and the weapon of choice is obviously of Soviet/Russian origin, then Putin is already waving to us from the other side of the Rubicon.

[Initech]

5. Why? It was their fault.

They're the ones who elected a terrorist, and one who repeatedly commits terrorist acts. Don't be surprised when we retaliate.

[machoneman]

6. The media does overdo the whole tensions rising thingee!

Example: North Korea, our enemy for sure, has allowed zero U.S. diplomats or even embassy staff (let alone an embassy itself) for just about forever, last I looked. So, we've done the same to them.

So, if Russia is an equal enemy (and has been since 1945) what real difference does it make that they kick-out our staff, we do the same, etc., etc.?

Sure, I know we have zero trading with the North Koreans unlike the former USSR but I don't think they are strategic to our interests. The EU and other non-aligned eastern countries, sure. But not us.

Comments?

[Igel]

11. Russia / N Korea.

Okay, there's trade.

But N Korea until the last year hasn't really had nuclear weapons.

It doesn't have a seat on the UN Sec Council.

We don't have a lot of treaties with N Korea. Nor does N Korea provide a lot of our military allies' energy needs.

N Korea doesn't have a lot of sway with dozens of countries; the best we can point to is that they have decent connections with countries that we often are too fond of, but which are mostly united by being anti-US (even if we don't think they're anti-us).

N Korea hasn't invade a couple of countries in the last 15 years or so, with threats, tacit and sometimes not quite so tacit, to reclaim more.

[Delphinus]

7. Fever pitch?

Headline seems a bit over the top to me.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Ha! I think they must have thought the same and changed their headline

Adding the new one now.

[Blue_Tires]

9. LOL they mad

[FakeNoose]

10. Russians can hack our systems from the other side of the globe

They don't have to be in the States to do a lot of damage to us. The poisonings and assassinations are certainly a good reason to expel Russians, but don't think it will make us safe by doing that.

[TheFrenchRazor]

12. trump will be sure to make it up to Putin somehow... nt

[mpcamb]

13. "Tensions Are Worst in Decades" Good. They oughta be.

Screw with our election and put this brainless, preened little worthless candidate in charge!
We ought to be opposing every move they make.

[bluestarone]

14. As far as i'm concerned RUSSIA made it's bed NOW

They can lay in it!!! I want NOTHING from these assholes (PUTIN THUGS)

[Calista241]

15. If they didn't kill people with obvious and traceable chemical weapons

None of this shit would be happening. They could just shoot someone, or use a knife. If they’d done either, this would have made the local news in England, but that’s probably it.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. I think they do it so overtly

yet deny it, so they can send a public warning to their far flung spies without directly contacting them.