i join with pcr in amazement that the empire seized a russian ship and crickets result;

Russia needs to replace Putin before his endless toleration of provocations results in the final war

Paul Craig Roberts

Russia’s response to the illegal seizure of its ship, Marinera, in the high seas–an act of war–is to demand that Washington ensures dignified treatment of the Russian citizens aboard. Washington could not care less about Russian demands. Putin proved to Washington long ago that Russia’s bark has no bite.

As I have written for years now, the absence of any bite in Russia’s bark is driving the world to nuclear war. By tolerating every provocation, Putin has encouraged the provocations to increase and to worsen. For example, when Russia’s strategic bombing fleet was attacked, Putin refused to acknowledge it as an act of war. When the United States attempted to assassinate Putin in his residence, Putin refused to acknowledge it as an act of war.

Seizing ships on the high seas is an act of war. The United States has acknowledged throughout its history that seizing ships on the high sea is an act of war. In 1801 President Thomas Jefferson sent the US Navy and US Marines to the Shores of Tripoli to stop the Arab seizure of American ships in international waters and sale of the passengers into slavery. When the British seized American ships, it resulted in the war of 1812. Now we have the United States claiming that US law applies to all ships in all oceans, and a federal judge has backed up this ridiculous claim by issuing a warrant for an empty ship under the Russian flag to be seized on the high seas 5,500 kilometers from the United States...........more...........