Still Free

Yeah, Mr. Smiley. Made it through the entire Trump presidency without being enslaved. Imagine that.

Thursday, March 06, 2014

Ukraine-Russia Treaty (1997)

You may find it here:http://www.jstor.org/stable/41036701?seq=11 Since the US State Department is calling out Russia in part based on the said treaty, let's understand what part of the treaty has Russia concerned.
Each of the Parties shall abstain from in,or High Contracting participation support of,any actions whatsoever directed against the other High Contracting and itself not to enter into with third countries Party, obligates any agreements directed the other Neither of the Parties will its to against Party. permit territory be used to the detriment of the other Party's security
With some of the "new government" parties cooperation with NATO and NATO aligned countries which have been, since it's inception, directed at one of the "High Contracting Parties" (guess which) the alignment with the US particularly with the taped evidence of one Victoria Nuland puts the current Ukraine government in direct violation of Article 6 of said agreement.
In the event that a situation should arise which,in the opinion of one of the High Contracting Parties,creates a threat to peace,violates the peace,or affects the interests of its national and territorial security,sovereignty integrity, it may appeal to the other High Contracting Party proposing immediately consultations. The Parties shall exchange information appropriate information and,where necessary ,take agreed-upon or joint measures in order to resolve such a situation.
The coup in Ukraine was a definitive "situation" that "creates a threat to peace, violates the peace," and "affects the interests of it's national and territorial sovereignty." The US being caught on tape admitting to spending it's time and money in creating an uprising to overthrow the democratically elected leader of the Ukraine with talk of who it wanted in power in a state that borders Russia pretty much defines, threat to national and territorial sovereignty.

Since Russia considers (considered) Yanukovych to be the lawfull leader of Ukraine (as do I) Yanukovych was the "High Contracting Party" legitimately able to confer with Russia. The US is free to dispute that assertion, as it has, but that does not make Russia's claim false. Furthermore claiming that Yanukovych was declared by Russia as politically dead does not make him non-legitimate (under the Ukraine constitution). It does mean that he would not have won a legal and fair democratic election.

The Parties shall use the necessary means, including ratification of appropriate acts,on their territories for the prevention and termination actions that constitute instigation of violence, or violence against individuals or groups of citizens that is based on national, racial, ethnic,or religious intolerance.
Two words: Right Party. The US State Department says that there is no evidence of violence against Russians (or other groups). Given how quickly Russia put it's boots on the ground to prevent such actions I'd say "duh".

In the end the facts of what is happening on the ground are really not in dispute for those interested in them. What we are seeing is politics. Personally I cannot understand how a country 5000+ miles away can claim interest in and penalize a country that borders a place that just had a coup for taking actions to protect it's interests. But saying Russia to an American is like waving meat in front of a hungry dog. Never fails in getting them to act a fool.