Ace sums it up nicely:
Why wasn’t the EU doing “more” to pressure Yanukovych, Putin’s choice for President?
Here’s the thing: Because the EU was thinking hard about the Ukraine and realistically about itself.
The EU didn’t want to force Yanukovych out of power, nor encourage the Maidan movement to force him out of power, because they knew that Russia would react as Russia has in fact reacted.
And the EU knew this about themselves: They were not prepared to do a damn thing about a Russian invasion.
So the EU made a cynical, self-serving decision to not encourage or support the Maidan movement, because they knew they would not be doing anything down the road to support the Maidan movement when the movement actually needed support.
This was an unpopular decision, and it makes them seem cowardly and weak… but it did have the benefit of comporting with reality.
The EU was clear-minded enough and had an honest enough appraisal of its interests and capabilities to make the honest, accurate assessment that they would do nothing in Putin but offer him diplomatic protests were he to invade Ukraine.
And the EU crafted its own policy response based on that accurate, honest appraisal of its own weakness and cowardice.
You can call them cowards, but you cannot call them self-deluded fools.
At least they understood themselves.
