I have to say I'm beginning to wonder what Obama and the G7 are trying to accomplish with sanctions against Russia over Ukraine. The Obama administration makes toothless threats that the EU seemingly won't back up. Too many European countries are dependent upon Russian natural gas to forcefully enact anything meaningful and back up the USA position. Ukraine is in a civil war, akin to the endless Sunni-Shiite fighting, that is killing people, destroying infrastructure and ruining economic sustainability. It also seems ironic that the USA seeks economic sanctions yet we don't dare touch the elements of rocketry and space station operations. I don't know what the answers are, but I don't think the current administration has them either. Putin and Obama toss grenades at each other, contributing to the market malaise. (Yes, I know, add in the Fed rate business, tax policy, energy, the strong dollar...)
So... let me see if I understand you.. because you did say that "can't enact anything meaningful". Are you saying that, in your opinion, these economic sanctions haven't affected the Russian economy at all? Or simply implying that, once again in your opinion, the economic sanctions should be much more severe? And of course the USA doesn't bring the space station into this, for one the WHOLE IDEA of the space station is to unite different nations in the exploration of something much bigger than our tiny little planet that we are always fighting about. The other, possibly more important, reason is that the US currently does not posses the capability to launch human beings up there. You can't really kick the driver out of his own car....
Given this board's focI are investing and markets, I 'm saying my retirement investments and the lives of my children and grandchildren are threatened by geopolitics and global economics. I believe the current process of calming nerves in that area of the world is untenable. Building consensus among partners? How is hope and change working for you? G7 comes to the conclusion that global warming is of paramount importance, and will devote its energies to limiting delta temperature change to 2° C by the year 2100 or thereabouts. Really? I believe that the current occupant of the USA presidency has lost respect of many of the world powers, the WH academia advisors doesn't listen to the DoD to protect us, cities are bereft of common sense and civility, the economy has bifurcated, and IS seems committed to destroying the world. Excepting September 11, 2001, I have not felt so unsafe in this country since the unrest of 1967 and 1968.
The sanctions were imposed because Russia supported and is directly involved in the Ukraine crisis though they deny it. The point was to force Russia to leave Ukraine but because of "national pride" or something akin to that they wouldn't do what the West demanded. The leaders wouldn't allow the world to think Russia was weak. But imposing the sanctions was counter-productive because new alliances [http://rt.com/business/173008-brics-bank-currency-pool] forged aim to isolate the U.S. When all is said and done, the U.S is or will be the big loser.
