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June 15, 2015

Comments

Zyme

The US and Canada have an easier time at staying staunch against Russia as they don't live in its vincinity.
We Europeans have to come to terms with Russia however, one way or another.

What about this proposal:

If
- we came to a gentleman's agreement with Russia concerning our sphere of influence and their's combined with
- significant defense spending increase in Germany and a few surrounding states
- which incorporate their forces under "European" command
it might suffice?

Germany could never keep a sphere of influence the size of the EU today with military means for long. Maybe should simply be content with what has been achieved and further its integration instead of additional enlargements in the next 2-3 decades.

The Ukraine would represent the border of both spheres of influence and might eventually be broken up in two. Otherwise, peace would return?

koogleschreiber

Zyme, it would always be a foolish agreement for one or the other side,aslong as you can't determine what you definitely mean with influence and its limits. What really counts are the spheres of responsibility and of interests, both of the are military terms. The sphere of responsibility is where you have boots on the ground, the sphere of interests is the playground of your reconnaissance. These spheres exist on all tactical and strategic levels. Before this background, you can't claim mutual responsibility in military treaty like NATO unless you are willing to deploy troops where ever it is necessary. That's the way we Europeans already have come to terms with the Soviet Union and there is no other way to deal with Russia as well.

David

Russia could have chosen to become part of the West and join the community of democracies. It chose not to.

I don't see why Russia should be allowed to redraw the boundaries of a European nation - the Ukraine - through military force.

Zyme

"I don't see why Russia should be allowed to redraw the boundaries of a European nation - the Ukraine - through military force."

Always look at the bright side: Compare Ukraine to the realm Moscow controlled only 25 years ago?
Now they have to struggle to keep their neighbours in line, which indicates tremendous progress from a German perspective.

Koogleschreiber, if two ideologies as far away from each other as they were in 1939 could come to an agreement, so can we today.

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