NSA Spies Domestically, While Putin Remains A Mystery
For all of the NSA's surveillance prowess, the United States remain baffled and bewildered over Vladimir Putin's intentions toward Ukraine. Unable to verify (with certainty) if Moscow's men in black or Eastern Ukraine's guys in green, are stoking the flames of dissent, Western powers can only respond with unsubstantiated accusations.
Perhaps the Russians have better, stronger, impentrible encryption software, because the West seems clueless as to conditions on the ground in Eastern Ukraine. No one can say for sure who is behind the black masks, how strong is their number, where they're coming from, how long they've been there or most importantly, what their true mission is,
In order to respond quickly and effectively, the West has to have some idea of what the hell is going on. So far, Russia's Eastern Ukraine strategy has proven so perplexing, the Obama administration and his Western European allies have been reduced to scrambling military assets just to look busy. Besides quietly pressuring the European Union to bite the bullet and get behind some serious sanctions, there appears to be few options available to change the current trajectory of events.
Actual proof of Russian meddling will be difficult to provide since the welcome has been laid out for Russian intervention. Vladimir Putin's ground game has been so thoroughly integrated throughout Eastern Ukraine, determining domestic dissidents from imported Russian rabble rousers is all but impossible. After months of the deteriorating conflict, the West is no closer to understanding Moscow's mission in Eastern Ukraine, than it did from the onset of hostilities.
Although being encouraged by loudmouths in the United States, Ukraine "officials" need to proceed with extreme caution since no military assistance has been publicly promised. Those in the White House are fully aware selling the American people on the idea of providing anything more than bread and borscht for the battlefield during this 2014 election cycle would be politically suicidal.
Still awaiting desperately needed billions from the European Union and the IMF to hold international bill collectors at bay, those in Kiev would be wise to keep what little powder they have dry until the check has cleared before begging for surplus bullets and bombs. Otherwise, they could find themselves on the wrong end of a Russian ass kicking.
Bottom line: With Ukraine forces making an effort to engage ethnic Russian resistance, the first reports of Russian bloodshed could invite a Russian military response. This of course will be the beginning of the USA-Russian proxy war the world should avoid at any cost.
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