Fast and Furious

Putin

Fresh new threats are coming from Vladimir Putin regarding his Russian Empire expansion dreams. Putin was recently quoted boasting to the Ukrainian president that the Russian Army could be in Kiev in two days, along with Warsaw, Riga, Vilnius, Tallin and Bucarest. That totals to five NATO capitals. Five are former Soviet-bloc cities and unlike Ukraine their countries are now NATO and EU members.

Putin also allegedly touted his ability to squash European Union initiatives through bilateral contacts. Putin claimed he could 'influence and block the adoption of decisions at the level of the European Council', it was alleged.

Former popular Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was just named the new president of the EU Council.  See related blog post

The president of Ukraine this week warned the US Congress of a threat to 'global security everywhere' posed by the Russian aggression against his nation.

NATO's new rapid reaction force should be up and running within a year and Ukraine called on the west to supply them with additional military equipment.

As has been the case throughout the Obama administration, lack of leadership and focus on real solutions to threats across the globe have escalated world affairs into massive disarray.  From Gaza to the Islamic State, Ukraine to the South China Sea and even in the western hemisphere things have reach a dangerous boiling point. 

Shockwaves of fear will continue to reverberate through Eastern Europe for lack of preparation and defensive measures against the Russian threat which started several years ago with the invasion of ethnically Russian areas of Georgia and the downing of a Polish Government jet near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board as officials of the government were making a pilgrimage to the site of the Katyn massacre where thousands of Polish military officers and members of the intelligentsia where executed by Stalin early in World war II.