"Mommy, the boys next
door are fighting again. Why can't they learn to play nice?"
"They're Europeans,
Timmy. They don't know how to play nice."
***
European 'tribes' are no
different from tribes in any other part of the world except that European
tribesmen wear ties. This time it's Ukraine and the world, as usual, has
turned to the United States to assume its customary role as policeman and
haberdasher,
"You have to. You signed
the Budapest Memorandum in 1994. It says you have to protect Ukrainian
sovereignty."
No! Wrong! Not correct!
Nyet, nyet!
The Budapest
Memorandum, which was signed by the U.S., U.K., Ukraine, and Russia, says
that, in return for Ukraine's giving up its nuclear weapons, the signatories
agree to 'respect' the integrity of Ukraine. It doesn't say anything about
'protecting' that integrity. And, besides, it was never submitted to the United
States Senate for ratification, i.e. not legally binding.
Russia may have breached
the agreement but, unfortunately for Ukraine, there is no enforcement mechanism.
(Before buying a used car or giving up your nuclear weapons, it's probably a
good idea to read what you're about to sign.)
And under similar
circumstances, by the way, would we behave any differently from the way the
Russians behaved?
Suppose the United
States were leasing a naval base from Mexico to protect the security of the
Panama Canal (same way the Russian Black Sea fleet based in Crimea is leasing
its base from Ukraine). And suppose the Mexican gov't were overthrown by one
less likely to allow us to continue to use that base (ditto Ukraine). Does
anyone doubt that the Marines would be crossing the border before you could say,
'Remember the Alamo?'
As they say in the
Russian Tea Room, 'One man's taco is another man's pirogi.'
