Resolved: The West should recognize Crimea as under Russian Sovereignty

To truly understand the important role that Crimea plays in Russian politics and development, one must look to the historical context. Crimea was initially colonized by the Russian Empire in 1783. Russia developed Crimea into an important strategic asset with the growth of Sevastopol into a naval port. Sevastopol became important to Russia as it was the only year-round warm water naval port on the Atlantic. The Crimean War saw the deaths of over 140,000 Russians in defense of the peninsula. Later, WWII saw the deaths of thousands more over Crimea. There were two major sieges over Sevastopol in WW2 and the Nazis regularly carried out acts of genocide against ethnic Slavs both in Crimea and other Soviet states. During the Cold War, the USSR regularly used Sevastopol as a major naval port with its warm water access. The current conflict regarding Crimea and Ukraine must therefore be viewed as an attempt to "reunify" with Russia. Considering the region of Crimea has historically been Russian. Justification 1: Demographics Crimea is ethnically Russian due to the history of colonization. Ethnically, 58% of Crimea's population is Russian. This is key because it means the majority of the Crimean people have ties to Russia either through language, ethnicity, or even family. Even more important is that only 24% of Crimea's population is Ukrainian. Therefore, recognizing Crimea as being Ukrainian does not represent demographics. Justification 2: Representative Democracy A 2014 Gallup poll found 82.8% of Crimeans said yes to succession and ultimately annexation by Russia. In addition, it was the Crimean parliament, elected by Crimeans, who voted for succession from Ukraine. Therefore, it is within the desire of the Crimean populous to be annexed by Russia. These numbers make sense considering two things: 1. The demographics of Crimean (Being predominantly Russian) and 2. the Ukrainian political unrest at the time that demonstrated dissatisfaction of the Ukrainian government and Ukrainian politics. By recognizing Crimea as a sovereign territory of Russia, the West upholds the will of the local Crimeans instead of playing a geo-political game of hegemony. Representative democracy is an inherent principle within Western Liberal democracies. Not supporting it would undermine the very principles of these nations. Justification 3: Regional Conflict There are no egregious human rights abuses within Crimea committed by the Russian government that would warrant international intervention of either a military kind or a diplomatic kind. Because there is no international justification for intervention on the basis of human rights, this classifies as a regional conflict. The world is witnessing a movement within the populous of Eastern Ukraine (and now somewhat Moldova as well) towards reunification with Russia. Therefore there is no imperative to not recognize Russia's sovereignty in Crimea. Justification 4: Human Life By regarding Russia's annexation of Crimea as being illegitimate, the West promulgates the revolutionary fervor in Ukraine. By supporting the Ukrainian government in response to Russia's Crimean incursion, the conflict continues without resolution. People are dying due to a lack of that resolution. Therefore, Western intervention in a proxy war against Russia costs human life as well as money. It is important to note that the annexation of Crimea and the war in Ukraine should be viewed as two separate problems and thus be addressed individually. I am not arguing about the legitimacy of Russian intervention in Eastern Ukraine. This debate specifically relates to Crimea. Both sides, however, can make arguments that the events of Crimea can IMPACT Ukraine.