News & Events Could you place Ukraine on a map?

[Smiling Buddha]

Before you read any further, I ask you to look at the following map and mentally pick where you think Ukraine sits.

Apparently, when asked to do this, only one in six Americans picked a place within Ukraine's borders. More alarmingly (but not altogether surprisingly), the further from Ukraine they guessed that country to be, the more inclined they were to support US 'intervention' in that region.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...location-the-more-they-want-u-s-to-intervene/

Few people in this thread are going to admit to being oblivious as to the whereabouts of Ukraine. What I would like to know is if you personally would support an 'intervention' by US/NATO forces in the region, if you would support Australian participation in such operations, if you care much about what is taking place over there, and how knowledgeable you feel you are about that part of the world and its current troubles.

Over to you, bigfooty.

 

[The Passenger]

Even prior to the Crimean problems I knew where it was but my European geography is very solid.

I haven't been able to follow what has happening close enough to make an informed decision, but on the face of what I've seen I would much rather it be left internally to be handled.

 

[Smoooothy]

got belarus instead

 

[Quivorir]

I knew it

But I have played a lot of this game which really helped me learn this s**t.

http://www.kongregate.com/games/crafics/globetrotter-xl

 

[YAZZ#13]

Got it. My geography is pretty solid, knew it borders Poland and Mother Russia. Plus I had a young lass from FHM in a bikini on my wall as a teenager from Kyiv so that's what instantly comes to mind when thinking of Ukraine

 

[Hawks1523]

I picked it but wasn't confident at all. I had a general idea and took a guess at which one it was.

 

[Upgrayedd]

I thought it was that big one above the USA?

 

[Keys]

Well I failed and I will admit European geography is not a strong point of mine

That said no matter where it is, we should be keeping our noses out of any military action. No problems working towards a diplomatic solution but the deployment of troops in the area is just outright dumb.

A major failing of the USA since the end of WWII has been it's inclination to get involved in the affairs of other countries via various means, covert or otherwise. Too often we've tagged along for the ride, something that both major parties have been complicit in as well

 

[Gough]

Russia have their cold weather port now and have used the referendum, however flawed that may have been, to claim that it has been annexed legally, so I think NATO would have a hard time justifying intervention. I think that what is happening in Donetsk at the moment is Russian sabre rattling. The west have sort of looked away over the Crimean annexation, sanctions and turfing Russia out of the G8 are token punishments in my view, I'm not sure that they would be so inclined to if Russia attempted further land grabs. Putin is a pretty hard to read though, which makes situations like this that little bit more dicy.

 

[Hate]

Can safely say I honestly had no clue, just picked somewhere close to the middle of the map.

I knew it

But I have played a lot of this game which really helped me learn this s**t.

http://www.kongregate.com/games/crafics/globetrotter-xl

Aye. This is great, reminds me of this old Facebook game which was based on guessing flags and the whereabouts of locations.

 

[Gibbsy]

Got it, but only because I have a heap of atlases/flag books at home. Had a particular fascination with flags as a kid, they're still pretty cool now

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

Got it but geography is a strong point of mine. Knew it bordered Russia and the Black Sea.

 

[LukasTheGreat]

America invades a country no one bats an eye.

Russia invades a country and everyone loses their minds.

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

Anyone could miss Ukraine, all tucked away down there.

To answer the questions: yes, I do know where it is. And no I wouldn't support us sending troops.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

America invades a country no one bats an eye.

Russia invades a country and everyone loses their minds.

It actually looks more the opposite way around to me.

 

[Scotland]

So it's not floating just South of NZ? Damn.

Nah, I knew where it is. Useless geography is one of the general knowledge areas my brain is hard wired to focus on.

 

[Plugger35]

Got it, but only because I have a heap of atlases/flag books at home. Had a particular fascination with flags as a kid, they're still pretty cool now

Yeah the same with me, we had a big Atlas book at home when I was a kid with lots of different maps of the world, continents and countries and I used to spend hours pouring over them imagining myself travelling on journeys to different places so geography has always been a strong point of mine.

 

[Scotland]

http://www.kongregate.com/games/crafics/globetrotter-xl

This is tough!

Could identify the countries and had a rough idea where the major cities were but it's tough to get the locations precisely right.

Best effort was about 30km.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

Pretty bad that I only knew because of Shaktar Donetsk.

 

[FootyJunkie]

I knew it

But I have played a lot of this game which really helped me learn this s**t.

http://www.kongregate.com/games/crafics/globetrotter-xl

 

[checkraiseulite]

Don't know that the majority of Americans not knowing where Ukraine is on a map can be said to be alarming. This sort of thing has been done ad nauseum.

Would be confident a similar number of Australians would have no idea where Ukraine is on a map, or where Iran, Iraq, Syria, East Timor, Washington dc etc are.

But really, of what use is this knowledge?

*knows where Ukraine is, does not support intervention in the region.

 

[Copernicus]

South and west of Russia, north-east of Romania and Moldova, north of the Black Sea, south of Belarus.

Then again I do deal in geography for a living.

Anyone who thinks intervention is an option needs a swift booting.

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

I knew it

But I have played a lot of this game which really helped me learn this s**t.

http://www.kongregate.com/games/crafics/globetrotter-xl

Great game.

Mid-western American ones kill me.

 

[HBF]

Yep, but really only because we have a guy at work who is from Ukraine and we have been talking about it for a while now.

 

[TheWoodenSlug]

I picked Kazakhstan

Do not support intervention.