Oliver Yurkiw OK, I’m tired of hearing every time Crimea is mentioned that it was once part of Russia. I don’t hear commentators stating every time Kuwait is mentioned that it used to part of Iraq or that Israel used to be part of Palestine, or that Taiwan used to be part of China or that Pakistan used to be part of India. (I’m sure you can come up with more.) I understand mentioning this fact as part of the historical background of Crimea, which ought to also include the fact that it was once part of the Ottoman Empire, the Crimean Khanate, the Venetian State, the Mongol Empire, etc., etc. What bothers me is that the fact is presented as a rationale for why Russia has invaded. Ditto with the fact that 60% of the population are ethnic Russians. 99% of the population of Puerto Rico are ethnic Hispanics and over 95% use Spanish as their first language but I highly doubt that anyone would consider hose facts a valid reason for Spain to invade. Indeed, only those people who live in Crimea and are over 60 lived there when it was a part of Russia and they would have to be over 65 to remember that fact. So let’s stop the knee jerk impulse to continually mention this 60 year old fact each time Crimea is named.