Sanctions alone sent Putin a message that the West is weak

 As we watch with increased concern the Ukrainian crisis play out, we can’t help but feel great empathy for their citizens. They have been bullied and beaten down by Putin for years. In 2014, he annexed Crimea without anyone laying a hand on him. Since then, in a bloody rebellion

Crimea Uncensored: A Look from Inside the Peninsula

 Photo courtesy: Igor Mazurov, Flickr In 2014, on a sunny August day, my spouse and I were on our way to Crimea. We were driving along the shorelines of the Black Sea, curving green hills of the Caucasian Mountains. I have been following the Crimean crisis from home in Ottawa, watching