Risking a Major War

"Crimea, that is, The Autonomous Republic of Crimea, is part of Ukraine; Sevastopol is a major city in Crimea, thus in Ukraine; and the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is based in Sevastopol, that is, in Crimea, is part of Ukraine. The question is: Do Obama administration policymakers actually think that it would be possible to try to “integrate” the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea, into the NATO military alliance without threatening a major war with Russia?

Suppose Russian (or Soviet) policymakers had issued documents for Fiscal Year 1941 in which they asserted their intention to “attain” the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and “integrate” it into Russia’s economic, political, and military dominion. At the time, Hawaii was an American colony which, unlike Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia, had no ethnic, cultural, or historical affinity with the mainland United States. Wouldn’t most Russians have assumed that by simply issuing such goals it was risking a major war with the United States?

Suppose further that Russia had spent millions of dollars in FY 1941 on subversive activities in Hawaii under the guise of a “National Endowment for Democracy” and an “Economic Support Fund” to effect the economic, political, and military integration of the Pearl Harbor naval base with Russia?" - The Siege of Sevastopol By Howard Friel Source: New York Times Examiner March 13, 2014