My point is more "The parallels to World War Two are concerning and I hope they're meaningless so could you please prove my fears wrong?"
Your fears are wrong because the West is not going to intervene militarily. Worst case scenario is Crimea becoming a part or a satellite of Russia and a civil war in Ukraine, possibly resulting in a break-up. Still I have my doubts how far Putin really wants to risk escalation, he needs Ukraine for his Eurasian Union project.
The West didn't intervene when Hitler invaded the Sudetenland, either. Not right away.
Oh wait, I'm getting Poland and the Sudetenland mixed up, aren't I?
If we keep the Sudetenland analogy, the problem is not a war now, but an emboldened Putin doing the some thing again, probably in the Baltic state.
Its simple, we kill the Putin!
Actually in all seriousness is there any prediction on what would happen if Putin was assassinated? I'm guessing Russia would be pissed the fuck off and shit would escalate even quicker.
World War I?]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria]World War I?Seriously, though...best-case scenario is the new leader being more levelheaded and ending the aggression. Worst-case scenario, the new guy makes Kim Jong Il look sane and starts a global ABC (atomic/biological/chemical) war. Thankfully, that's not terribly likely.
I have to say I find it highly amusing how all the russian troops in Ukraine are all wearing masks and just going around silently. Reminds me of some random hapless mooks waiting for an all-american sledgehammer-chinned action hero to show up and gun them down.
PR never was Mother "Zerg Rush" "Vodka-Drinking Bear" "Filthy Poor Commie" Russia's strong suit.
Will there be an independent Crimea as there was an independent Finland?
Wait, Finland isn't independent?
If the comments are anything to go by, ukrainians are as bloodthirsty and rabid as russians.
If there's one lesson a deep look into history can teach us, it's that the "good guys" and the "victims" are at heart not so different than the "bad guys" and the "aggressors".