

The prospect of a full blown new cold war, and perhaps even an armed clash, with Russia is all too real, if the United States and the European Union powers do not adopt more sober, realistic policies soon.In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Fantagraphics’ flagship series, this prestigious box set presents bound facsimiles of the original fifty issues of the Love and Rockets comics magazines. There is an even worse scenario than growing disorder in Ukraine, however. That requires a decent working relationship with Moscow. An especially crucial step is to help preserve Ukraine’s unity and prevent the outbreak of a civil war. The most important goal should be to prevent current East-West tensions from getting any worse. If the United States and NATO violate international law as they have in the Balkans, Iraq, and other locales, other states will feel entitled to do so as well. The Crimean annexation should be a wake-up call on another level. Military measures, such as deploying NATO, especially U.S., ground troops on Russia’s borders, staging military exercises, and sending military aid to the unelected interim government in Kiev are even more counterproductive and dangerous. Such actions increase ill will, freeze vital channels of communication, and damage the U.S.

But a belligerent response aimed at “punishing Putin,” even if confined to economic measures, will probably just escalate the crisis. Executive Summary: In the weeks following the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, both the United States and European Union have issued a range of sanctions to punish the Putin administration.
