Crimea: Whose land is this?
In order to understand the conflict in Crimea, one has to know the history of the peninsula.
![Sevastopol was established by Russian Empress Catherine II as a port for the Russian Black Sea fleet [EPA]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/201432010245433580_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
![The US domino theory holds that if the US lets go of just one country from their orbit of influence, then the whole world would instantly fall apart, writes Khrushchev [EPA]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2014314279499734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Is it fair for the US to expect unconditional obedience from Russia against its own national interests?
In order to understand the conflict in Crimea, one has to know the history of the peninsula.
The lack of a credible alternative to Putin in the upcoming Russian elections leaves voters ‘a choice without a choice’.
Despite the government’s best efforts to write off protesters, the public discontent is likely to keep growing.
The Russian parliamentary elections ‘differ little from those in the Soviet times’, says the author.
