Monday, March 17, 2014

Crimean Referendum: Mr Putin and the Threat of a New Cold War


THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: Through a series of interventions in civil liberties, Mr Putin is turning a soft autocracy into a highly repressive state

The referendum that took place in Crimea is both irrelevant and deeply significant. Irrelevant because it has no standing in the law of the country to which it applies, and because it took place while the autonomous region was under military occupation. International bodies are unlikely to recognise its outcome: the UN security council voted by 13-1 to condemn it on Saturday, with only Russia voting against. The referendum is significant, however, because it represents a giant step on the road to Russian annexation, and because it reveals a little more of the nature of that country's president, Vladimir Putin. » | Editorial | Sunday, March 16, 2014