Alciete HarlessTeacher ClassDate The speech given by Russian President Vladimir Putin from the Kremlin to Moscow on March 18, 2014 is now referred to as “Putin's Crimea Speech”. In the speech, Putin justifies the annexation of Crimea from Ukrainian control to that of the Russian Federation. The indicated target audience were members of the Federation Council, deputies of the State Duma, Russian citizens, inhabitants of Crimea and Sevastopol, the United States and European countries. Although the named audience was included in his target audience, it is precisely the unnamed audience that most of President Putin's rhetoric was aimed at. President Putin clearly stated that this is an internal matter which is not further reinforced when he addressed everyone at the opening by referring to them as his friends, he stated: "Dear friends, we have gathered here today in connection with an issue which has vital and historical significance for all of us.” This once again states that it is their problem and no one else should be involved or concerned. However, when he says: “On March 16, a referendum took place in Crimea in full compliance with the democratic procedures and international norms.” It addresses the world at large simply by using the phrase “international norms” while appealing to Western ideals by referring to the democratic processes through which Crimean citizens chose to leave Ukraine counter example that could be given for an American to truly relate to this would be if Texas wanted to return to Mexican control and voted to do so and then the Mexican government brought in their military to enforce that decision. President Putin then gives greater legitimacy by stating that "more than 82% of the electorate took part in the vote". and of these 96% were in You could say “my ancestors belonged to a tribe that lived here ten thousand years ago and therefore it should be under the control of those peoples. In other words, is it a prescription that should rationally be taken into account? The answer to this question is for others to decide, but the rhetoric used by President Putin is convincing to his audience. The injustice towards the people of Crimea, President Putin implies, has been made even more shocking by the sudden changes in which, as he himself puts it, “millions of people went to bed in one country and woke up in others different, becoming overnight ethnic minorities in the former federated republics, while the Russian nation has become one of the largest, if not the largest ethnic group in the world to be divided by borders”. We can all imagine the shock we would face if we too one day woke up and another country was in control of our destinies and we were in a new minority class. This was the appeal he intended in his