U.S. Threatens To ‘Bleed’ Russia If It Disrupts Ukraine Vote

[Purveyor]

Source: Agence France-Presse

Kiev (AFP) 5/15/2014, 1:42:10 PM

The United States warned Russia on Thursday of stepped-up Western sanctions to make its economy "bleed" if it disrupts a crucial presidential election in Ukraine just 10 days away.

Ukraine's interim leaders are battling to keep the country together for the May 25 vote in the face of a bloody insurrection in the east and a tense standoff with former master Russia.

--SNIP
A US official told reporters in London that Washington and its allies are working "to send a unified message to pro-Russian separatists and Moscow that any disruption of these elections will result in the next round of costs for Russia including sectoral sanctions".

--SNIP
"There are a lot of things we can do to create bleeding," the official said, adding that the aim was "to use a scalpel rather than a hammer".

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/05/15/u-s-threatens-to-bleed-russia-if-it-disrupts-ukraine-vote/

[Warren Stupidity]

1. hmmm... the Russians know a lot more about bleeding than we do.

I'm thinking this is not the best approach to conflict resolution.

[ballyhoo]

4. Not a half hour ago I just watched the 3-hour

remake of The Battle of Stalingrad. The Russians sure do know a lot about bleeding; I'll vouch for that.

[Strelnikov_]

11. What show are you referring to?

The 3 part German documentary from 2003?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376899/

[ronnie624]

12. Every time you turn around, they're being attacked by a Western power,

in some way or other. People who believe Russia has no need to worry about its security, are rather clueless.

[crim son]

14. +1 n/t

[salib]

2. This is not my government.

Well, that's Oligarchy

[olddad56]

3. I don't think that bogus threats will get the job done.

[joshcryer]

7. There has already been $220 billion of capital flight.

Russia would be in bad shape if the US just clipped a few oligarchs here or there.

[go west young man]

13. Your right in some regards...for a change....

just ask John Deere, Caterpillar, Visa and MasterCard how that's working out for them.

In the 1980's Jimmy Carter put sanctions on Russia and in so doing totally destroyed the farm industry as we knew it, then set about to coming very close to bankrupting America. So sad that USA can not or will not learn from past mistakes. i lived through it once I was hoping not to have to live through it again.



http://www.cnbc.com/id/101675707

Excerpt:

The economic sanctions the United States imposed on Russia over the Ukraine crisis don't hurt only the Russian economy. They hurt some U.S. companies that do business in Russia, too.

John Deere, which makes heavy farm equipment and has two factories in Russia, was the latest company to blame weaker sales on economic sanctions. Despite beating its fiscal second-quarter earnings by 16 cents, the company best-known for its green and yellow tractors, cut its full-year outlook, saying sales of its tractors and harvesters would fall "significantly" in Ukraine, Russia and other ex-Soviet republics. The company cited credit restrictions by its customers there for the weak outlook.

There is also a Russian boycott in place against American products....they have specifically chosen to start with "Heinz". Pretty creative if you think about it in relation to John Kerry's wife and the Ukranian/US nepotism going on.


And I do believe we just officially gave up our rides and rockets to space. Great policy!!!!!

[MisterP]

5. "make the economy scream" again, eh?

[go west young man]

6. Kartina Vanden Huevel now speaking out on the stupidity of it all.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/katrina-vanden-heuvel-ukraine-needs-russia-and-the-west/2014/05/13/1f269790-da19-11e3-bda1-9b46b2066796_story.html

http://www.thenation.com/blog/179830/ukraine-needs-russia-and-west

Excerpt:

If the United States is to help stabilize Ukraine and prevent a much larger European crisis, then the American political establishment and much of the mainstream media will need a sober reassessment of reality.

U.S. actions over the past several months have defied common sense. Given the deep divisions in Ukrainian society and the vital interest Russia has in the country, it was a provocative step for the United States to immediately and unconditionally recognize as legitimate the government erected out of violent protests and in violation of the negotiated agreement for a peaceful transition. And it makes no sense to treat Russia’s actions as an existential threat to the post-war international order, given that the West needs Russian cooperation to stabilize Ukraine both politically and financially.

Not only have the media and political class egged on the administration in a rash and destructive foreign policy, but the debate, shamefully inadequate as it has been, has had an Alice in Wonderland quality to it. Voices across the political spectrum have scorned the president as weak, fulminating about forceful action while forswearing any use of U.S. military forces, knowing the American people had no appetite for another conflict on the other side of the world.




She misses a few new realities as far as the now fully divided Ukraine goes (East Ukraine is a foregone deal) but overall she has the most level headed assessment from any major MSM voice thus far. Also she fails to see that Angela Merkel is tanking on all fronts.

[Comrade Grumpy]

8. She sounds pretty good in her analysis.

I think the West gravely miscalculated and overreached. Poking the bear is fun sport, until the bear pokes back.

[jakeXT]

9. If Europe & Russia go down in flames, that will leave China & US /nt

[davidpdx]

10. Why should Russia be allowed to interfere with the presidential election

I've heard people bitch and complain that they need a legitimate government. Let them elect one. If those in the areas that have "declared independence" choose not to vote, then that's their business. That's why the presidential election was set in May. There should be no issue with it.

[go west young man]

15. It won't be a legitimate election....it'll be a farce....check this out..

Ukranian Rada May 15th....

They are more blatantly corrupt when it comes to getting vote than our Republicans.

This is why it's illegitimate:

1)There are two candidates...neither represents the interests of the people in the East.
2) The country is now on a war footing.
3) The people conducting the election are in bed with neo-nazi's that want to eradicate half of the country.
4) The people of the East have already chosen their path....it isn't with Kiev. They like Russia.
5) The May 25th US funded election will be boycotted by between a third to a half of the country.

The US will still declare their chosen guy the winner and then blame Russia and instigate a war against the people of East Ukraine, thereby attempting to force Russia to take action. It hasn't worked thus far and if the US does instigate that war and Russia doesn't join in then in the long run it will serve to weaken the US in the eyes of the world. Look how these inept policies have already led to the loss of Crimea.

We are relying on a neo-liberal foreign policy being conducted by amateurs with grand egos and very little ethno-historical background and understanding. They simple worship uncle Zbigniew who at this point seems to have played everyone for fools and landed them in a neo-nazi shit ditch.

Notice that the US narrative is to continue to frame it as about Putin......it really isn't, it's about our own neocons and powers that be (Obama admin included) playing us all for fools so they can fund the MIC, the 1%, Wall Street, Big oil and gas, and everything we at DU used to stand against. My how times have changed!.... when the website that helped expose the lies of Iraq is predominantly on board with this shit.....especially after we have all seen the pictures of the regular peaceful citizens of East Ukraine voting their right to self determination in droves.