Strategic / Political implications of MH 17 shootdown.

[aap1966]

In Australia, the families of 27 people are going through the worse day of their lives. As are, world wide, families of 295 people.
The initial MH17 thread is descending into PARF-dom.

How about we park political comments here (it'll be easier to do the inevitable move to PARF) and leave the initial thread to a technical / non-political discussion of the incident?

Just a thought, from a guy whose brother flies in that area.

[slodave]

Why not just comment on the thread that's already in PARF?

[aap1966]

My bad, from the comments here I didn't realise that it had already PARFed.
I haven't been to that "wretched hive of scum and villainy" today.

[jyl]

More pressure on Russia to reduce support for separatists. More support for sanctions against Russia. I am not sure how much more, however. European governments may not be greatly motivated by Australian deaths. US government has already been leading the sanctions effort. Opposition to sanctions from interests aligned with Russia, which includes much of industry and business, will not go away because of some deaths. Russia is already entering the recession, Russian government (Putin) does not seem overly impressed by that.