Putin called his invasion of Ukraine a "peacekeeping" mission. Remember when that excuse was used by the US?

Yes it is. Putin is not fooling anyone by calling it this. I am genuinely shocked by the lack of concern by our media, this is a serious situation. Not as much for Ukraine but for the rest of the world if he gets away with it.

Yes, to both questions.

Russia has done this with South Ossetia and Abkhazia (and obviously going further in Crimea by annexing it) and now eastern Ukraine.

I don’t think there is going to be a war. Russia will likely get away with this as they’ve done before at least three other times.

“Peacekeeping” is not jargon for “starting a real war” or any other armed situation. After all, “To each his own” and “different strokes for different folks.” If one doesn’t learn from the past, one could be doomed to repeat it.

Putin is trying to bring back the USSR. He says it is a “peacekeeping” but he wants the extra power.

The similarities between Ukraine today and Vietnam fifty years ago are uncomfortably close. LBJ and Putin seem equally cynical in describing their actions as peaceful. Putin may at least hope he can get his own way without violence but we have an obligation to Ukraine. We gave it security assurances against threats or use of force against its territorial integrity or political independence when it gave up its nuclear weapons..

Of course Putin called it peacekeeping. And I bet it went over just as well with his public as WMD did here.

Nobody fights wars anymore. They go on peace keeping missions. We have a secretary of defense, not war.

I hope that if Putin is no longer the leader of Russia then hopefully they get a good guy in there.

Again, just who other than an equally or more repugnant devil would you expect to inherit the throne in hell?

I don’t study much on Russia.