Hypothetical Politics: Help!
Let's play a game of hypotheticals, shall we?
Angry at the ravages of the economic crisis and the increasing westernisation of their country, a wave of anti-capitalist protests sweep across Turkey. The protests are entirely constrained to central Turkey, given the imbalance of the state's financing - the regions to the south enjoy money flowing in from the oil-rich regions of the Middle East and the north west gains the same benefits from Europe, whereas central/eastern Turkey saw its already high poverty and unemployment rise when the crisis hit. Over time, the two regions grew more and more opposed to one another - the wealthier parts of Turkey favouring globalisation, western immigration, and secularisation, and the impoverished regions calling for increased protectionism, massive state intervention, and a return to its more Islamic ways. At the last election, a candidate won who was very in favour of Turkey joining the EU. The government was very western in its thinking, and ignored the increasing anger in its central and eastern regions, and this led to the protests. Following months of protests, the anti-capitalist protesters take control of Ankara. The prime minister flees along with the majority of the government. Blaming the downfall of the government on the protests, many in western Europe consider this a marxist Islamic coup.
Question: would anyone be surprised if, in this hypothetical situation, the United States sent reinforcements to their military bases in the south of Turkey?
Next hypothetical: take the story above and tweak some of the details. Invert the politics perhaps, replace Turkey with Ukraine and the US with Russia.
Question: do you see where I'm going with this?
I don't pretend to know much about the politics or history of the region, but on my initial reading of the situation I can't quite see why increased Russian activity in Crimea is surprising or even to be criticised. I'm fairly certain that any other nation would do the same in similar circumstances. If political disturbance resulted in a change of government in an independent Scotland, I'd expect rUK to reinforce its nuclear bases that remain there. I'd expect this even more if the military bases were in regions predominately populated by rUK ex-pats.
Does anyone have more information on the ongoing situation in the Ukraine that can help me understand the overwhelming condemnation of Russia? I feel like I must be missing something if I have a different opinion to almost everybody.
Angry at the ravages of the economic crisis and the increasing westernisation of their country, a wave of anti-capitalist protests sweep across Turkey. The protests are entirely constrained to central Turkey, given the imbalance of the state's financing - the regions to the south enjoy money flowing in from the oil-rich regions of the Middle East and the north west gains the same benefits from Europe, whereas central/eastern Turkey saw its already high poverty and unemployment rise when the crisis hit. Over time, the two regions grew more and more opposed to one another - the wealthier parts of Turkey favouring globalisation, western immigration, and secularisation, and the impoverished regions calling for increased protectionism, massive state intervention, and a return to its more Islamic ways. At the last election, a candidate won who was very in favour of Turkey joining the EU. The government was very western in its thinking, and ignored the increasing anger in its central and eastern regions, and this led to the protests. Following months of protests, the anti-capitalist protesters take control of Ankara. The prime minister flees along with the majority of the government. Blaming the downfall of the government on the protests, many in western Europe consider this a marxist Islamic coup.
Question: would anyone be surprised if, in this hypothetical situation, the United States sent reinforcements to their military bases in the south of Turkey?
Next hypothetical: take the story above and tweak some of the details. Invert the politics perhaps, replace Turkey with Ukraine and the US with Russia.
Question: do you see where I'm going with this?
I don't pretend to know much about the politics or history of the region, but on my initial reading of the situation I can't quite see why increased Russian activity in Crimea is surprising or even to be criticised. I'm fairly certain that any other nation would do the same in similar circumstances. If political disturbance resulted in a change of government in an independent Scotland, I'd expect rUK to reinforce its nuclear bases that remain there. I'd expect this even more if the military bases were in regions predominately populated by rUK ex-pats.
Does anyone have more information on the ongoing situation in the Ukraine that can help me understand the overwhelming condemnation of Russia? I feel like I must be missing something if I have a different opinion to almost everybody.