History Repeats Itself

History has a way of always repeating itself, and sometimes on a speeded up timetable.

In 1936 Nazi Germany hosted the Olympics in an effort to show the world that it had recovered from the First World War and had reawakened as a true world power.  Three years later, in March of 1939 Hitler and his armies marched into the Sudetenland portion of Czechoslovakia under the pretext of protecting the “ethnic German” population living there. The world stood by while England and France signed the Munich Agreement for “Peace in our time,” to guarantee that Hitler would leave the rest of Czechoslovakia alone.  Later the same month (March) Germany moved into the remainder of a weak Czechoslovakia without a fight.

Last month Russia’s hosted the Olympics in an effort to show the world, and mainly its domestic audience, that it had rebuilt itself after the break-up of the Soviet Union.  In a very short time President Putin ordered troops into the Crimea region of the Ukraine under the pretext of protecting the “ethnic Russian” population living there.  How long will it be until Russia moves into the rest of a weak Ukraine ala Nazi Germany?

The rest of the world can complain and take steps to isolate Putin, but he doesn’t care.  His KGB training and political infighting plays to the Russian population and shows his and the country’s strength against the USA and Western Europe. Of course other former territories of the USSR should now worry about Putin’s intentions towards them.

Is it worth going to war over?  Of course not.  But welcome to the Cold War Part II.