Done deal

I found it rather odd and without much precedence that the US decided to slam travel- and asset-related sanctions on some high Russian officials as a way to punish Moscow for its last week’s annexation of Crimea.

Moscow reciprocated with sanctions of its own against a selected number of US high officials, in a show of strength directed at Washington.

Other Western nations are either contemplating similar sanctions or have already imposed them on senior Russian officials allegedly close to the decision-making process for the step to annex Crimea in an open defiance of all the Western rhetorical threats.

These measures by Washington and its allies, on one hand, and by Moscow, on the other, sound more theatrical than real and are devoid of legitimate foundation, since they appear to point the gun at the wrong target, against senior officials who may have nothing to do with the crisis.

Why, for example, weren’t the very leaders of the two nations who actually took the ultimate decisions on behalf of their nations made the real target of such punishment or why, more sensibly and effectively, not apply the sanctions at country level?

After all, it is Vladimir Putin who calls all the shots in the Kremlin, and not his subordinates.

As is, Washington is sanctioning several key Russian officials in the Duma or the Kremlin, for being close confidants to the president. 

As a reaction, Moscow does the same to key American officials, including Deputy National Adviser at the White House Benjamin Rhodes, Republican Senator John McCain, Republican speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner and other Republican members of the US Congress.

Why have the two superpowers personalised their quarrel over Crimea instead of upgrading it to the state level?

The only logical explanation for this rather immature behaviour could be that they only wanted to appear as having reacted to the annexation of Crimea, without taking the conflict to its ultimate conclusion, which could have been a war between Russia and the Western nations.

The Western capitals could not do much when Moscow grabbed parts of Georgia in 2008. Why would they now treat Crimea differently? 

The US and its allies are now focusing on containing Russia’s territorial ambitions in Ukraine, rather than on what was done.

The annexation of Crimea is now accepted as a done deal and no side appears to want to trigger a war over it.