Since you appear reluctant to assess your own sources critically, let me deconstruct it for you.
But a belligerent response aimed at “punishing Putin,” even if confined to economic measures, will probably just escalate the crisis.
But landing troops in Crimea, visiting during the Victory parade, arming separatists and moving troops to the boarder isn't? One-sided trash
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.
Rubbish, defending the sovereignty of a nation state is the prerogative of all nations in the United Nations - Russia has repeatedly violated that, which puts them in contravention to the UN's Charter. Again, one-sided trash, acting as if the US/NATO are the only actors in this crisis.
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
Again, what utter trash - why are the US and EU the ones who should step down? How are teh policies not "realistic" or "sober" - Russia annexed a part of a foreign nation with European leanings, violating their sovereignty and reigniting the conflict, but when the US and EU apply economic sanctions, suddenly they're "drunk" on power?
Although Moscow’s actions in Afghanistan were largely defensive (albeit brutal), that is not how U.S. officials portrayed the situation to the American people and the world.
This is what your source thinks. Is this your opinion? Was the invasion of Afghanistan defensive? Is its brutality somehow excused by US funding of the Mujahedeen? Does that mean that Vietnam was a defensive war of the United States due to Chinese and Russian backing of Ho Chi Minh?
After the overthrow of pro-Russian Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovich in late February, Vladimir Putin’s government moved quickly to implement ambitious policy goals regarding the Crimean peninsula.
He sure did, moving troops into Crimea, funding and arming separatists in the region, and violating the treaties it held with both Ukraine and the International community.
n March 1, 2014, following an appeal by Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov, Putin asked Russia’s Federation Council for permission to “use the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine until the normalization of the socio-political situation in that country.”
Self appointed! He was deputy of the Supreme council, representing Russian Unity, a party that had
only 4% of the vote in the last election. Where did his legitimacy come from?
There is little doubt that the secession and change of sovereignty was widely popular among the reported 83.1% of Crimeans who voted... ...The presence of Russian troops likely discouraged opponents of secession from voting.[5]
Your source isn't even consistent - how can it have "little doubt" given the presence of Russian troops and the boycott of the Crimean minority and other dissenters? What the hell counts as a free and fair election to the author? There's a reason even those countries not ideologically aligned with Russia voted in favour or abstained on the vote against the UN resolution condemning the 'elections'.
That's enough time that I'll waste on the article - it's written by hacks, has no attempt to look at the source objectively, and doesn't even attempt to back up its arguments with evidence. This is exactly what I charged you with in your selection of sources - you must be more critical in the sources you trust on topics like this. You have swallowed the Russian media blitz hook-line-and-sinker without pausing to consider any of the most important issues in this crisis.
But I'm sure the new Russian law instituted today making it a criminal offence to "Publically call for the violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation" is to protect teh democratic rights of the Crimeans, and definitely not to criminalise discussion about Crimean succession. I mean any news outlets publishing such evil definitely deserve the 5 years imprisonment or forced labour...
Nothing to see here, definitely don't translate from Russian