Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a passenger plane carrying 295 people was shot down yesterday by a ground-to-air missile, according to U.S. officials. Both the Ukrainian government and Russian separatists deny involvement, with Russian President Vladimir Putin placing the blame on Ukraine and Ukraine’s Minister of Interior Defense arguing that Russian weapons fired the shot. Rescue workers in the debris field have begun a sweep of the large area -- there are thought to be no survivors of the flight. In a press conference yesterday, Malaysian Airlines’ European vice president Huib Gorter revealed the nationalities of the plane’s passengers; a majority were Dutch and European, with 23 Malaysian passengers, not including the crew.
What are the potential motivations behind this incident? If it was an accident, will it make a difference, diplomatically? How will the involved parties deal with the situation? Will the U.S. potentially be involved?
Guests:
Robert English, Director of the USC School of International Relation; he’s an expert on Ukraine and the politics of Russia and former Soviet states