Opinion: How to Stabilize Ukraine without Playing Putin's Game

[unhappycamper]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/how-to-stabilize-ukraine-without-playing-gam-a-1016371.html



Russian Air Force strategic Tu-95 bombers fly in formation over Red Square in May.

Opinion: How to Stabilize Ukraine without Playing Putin's Game
By Wolfgang Ischinger
February 02, 2015 – 08:06 PM

For the first time in decades, Russian strategic bombers are regularly approaching the airspace of European countries and testing their readiness. Just this past week, the government of the United Kingdom summoned the Russian ambassador to complain about a Russian Tu-95, code-named "Bear" and a true Cold War icon, that had endangered civil aviation. Some in the West are now proposing that NATO should respond to such aggressive behavior in a tit-for-tat manner, for instance by deploying nuclear-capable aircraft to its Eastern flank.

Such a response would be dangerous, irresponsible and counterproductive. We would only make matters worse by copying such muscle games. Igor Ivanov, a prominent former Russian foreign minister, correctly pointed out recently that the danger of nuclear escalation may be higher today than during the Cold War.

As a report by the European Leadership Network (ELN) has shown, there have already been more than 40 close military encounters between Russia and the West since the annexation of Crimea. Eleven of them were considered very serious and unusually provocative incidents, carrying a high risk of escalation. This is nothing less than irresponsible brinkmanship at a time when the relevant actors do not behave as predictably as during the Cold War period. This must not be allowed to continue, most certainly not by conducting similar activities on the Western side.

Wanted: Military Transparency and Restraint

Moreover, such a response would fundamentally misunderstand the threat we are facing at the moment. It would serve Putin well if Moscow could argue that it is the West that has been keen on a new Cold War and that it is the West that wants to militarily encircle and weaken Russia. These Russian overflights are not our central challenge. Rather, the Euro-Atlantic democracies and their fundamental values today are threatened by a new kind of Russian political power game: revisionism, coupled with "hybrid warfare," which is being played out in Ukraine today.

[DetlefK]

1. This could work. Frame the separatists as the bad guys instead of Russia.

Attack the separatists for being unwilling to consider a peaceful solution. At the same time, ask Russia for more help in getting a peaceful solution, for more observers, for more international cooperation. This would allow Russia to pass the buck to the separatists.

[OverseaVisitor]

2. Do Not Work

It appear the Army do not really want to fight

This is a very strange civil war. Just look at casualties figure. More death from shelling