In only 5 years Obama managed to build quite a portfolio of failed attempts, or their lack of, to stop the bloodshed during protests, uprisings and revolutions around the world. The most notable was silence, and some "golf time" (just like this week), during the Iranian protests in 2009. It was recently revealed that the Iranian opposition leaders asked Obama directly for help, something the administration strongly denied.
I think it is safe to say that if Obama was a president in 1989 the revolutions in Eastern Europe, Autumn of Nations, would end in the most bloody events since the WWII. The Soviet troops were ready to intervene but their leaders were afraid of what the US and NATO would do. Not anymore. When in 2009 Hilary Clinton offered Russians the "reset button" they laughed in our faces, and yes, they knew exactly what we wanted despite goofed translation.
When you watch those horrific pictures and videos from Kiev please remember, there was enough time to prevent that. It all started in November of last year with peaceful demonstrations but the message was clear. They had enough.
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| There was enough time to prevent that. |
Here is a short timeline from the start to first blood on the streets:
- Nov. 21, 2013: President Yanukovych announces that an agreement to strengthen trade ties with the EU is abandoned, and will instead seek closer ties with Russia. Protests begin that same night.
- Nov. 24, 2013: 100,000 people attend a demonstration in Kiev, the largest protest in Ukraine since the Orange Revolution (also against Yanukovych).
- Nov. 30, 2013: Police launch their first raid on protesters, arresting 35.
- Dec. 1, 2013: Protesters occupy Kiev city hall and Independence Square turning it into a tent city.
- Dec. 8, 2013: The largest demonstration yet sees 800,000 people attend a protest in Kiev.
- Dec. 14, 2013: Rival pro-government protests are held in Independence Square, but with far fewer numbers.
- Dec. 17, 2013: After talks with President Yanukovich, Vladimir Putin agrees to buy $15bn of Ukrainian debt and to reduce the price of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine by about a third.
- Jan. 16, 2014: Ukraine's parliament passes restrictive anti-protest laws, which opponents call "draconian".
- Jan. 22, 2014: Two people die from gunshot wounds after clashes with police. The body of a high profile activist, Yuriy Verbytsky, is found in a forest after he was reportedly abducted earlier in the week.
- ...
- Feb. 20, 2014: 77 people killed (many by a police sniper fire). Police didn't allow medics to provide help to wounded demonstrators. Some of them died. "We could save those people" - said doctor who was not allowed to provide help.
