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All that is being said is that if...IF....the current FIFA investigations show that the Qatar decision was arrived at by bribes and corruption (and that of Russia also), and as such the process is re-run, then England is prepared and capable of holding it if they are asked to.
After all, we spent £30B (€40B) of public money in preparing our bid for 2018. If, as seems likely, it was a complete waste of money as the bid was decided by bribes, I believe we have grounds for complaint and recourse. Our problem is that we play by the rules.
I meant bidding as in an informal offer. I'm aware FIFA has a formal bidding process.
Members of the government have offered facilities to hold the tournament.
They're saying London may be out of the question for 2022 since 2018 may have to go to a European country.
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'Putin has not killed millions of people (yet), but it's entirely reasonable to consider him in the same general vein. He's a nationalist, a dictator and a violent aggressor, fueled by ahistorical fantasies'
Of course. So far he's made two 'inroads' into geography outside of Russia. No doubt done with calculation but yet there was always the element of chance that cannot be controlled since it is an unknown variable. He obviously went with it considering his analysis.
It appears it has worked out well in the end...so far. But at the last Russian behavior is provocation to everything that is 'orderly' in that part of Central Europe where the adventures are occurring. Apparently, continual disorder is what is wanted contrary to what ideally Europe would like to have. Russia now has the advantage of ISIS running around, the Palestinian question, the Syrian and Libyan chaos plus the immigration revolution on the minds of all Europe and the UN. Consequently the games can be played and are ready to heat up again....after the 'rest'. More death and destruction to come.
Re:
'Putin has not killed millions of people (yet), but it's entirely reasonable to consider him in the same general vein. He's a nationalist, a dictator and a violent aggressor, fueled by ahistorical fantasies'
Of course. So far he's made two 'inroads' into geography outside of Russia. No doubt done with calculation but yet there was always the element of chance that cannot be controlled since it is an unknown variable. He obviously went with it considering his analysis.
It appears it has worked out well in the end...so far. But at the last Russian behavior is provocation to everything that is 'orderly' in that part of Central Europe where the adventures are occurring. Apparently, continual disorder is what is wanted contrary to what ideally Europe would like to have. Russia now has the advantage of ISIS running around, the Palestinian question, the Syrian and Libyan chaos plus the immigration revolution on the minds of all Europe and the UN. Consequently the games can be played and are ready to heat up again....after the 'rest'. More death and destruction to come.
There is no advantage to Russia in any of your 'points'.
1. The CIA created and trained the anti-Assad rebel groups including ISIS.
2. They're largely uninvolved in Palestine. ME governments are largely involved in the various militias and factions in Palestine.
3. Syria's Assad will eventually be removed as the various rebel groups control most of the territory. There may eventually be a settlement leaving an Alawite-led government in place but the Russians stand to lose a naval port.
4. Libya's Ghaddafi had agreed to allow Russia naval base. He's gone as a result of a war with NATO-backed rebel groups.
You largely ignore the use of militias and mercenary groups by the US, NATO, and the ME allies, primarily Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey (also described in the recent DIA report on Syria).
^
On the points noted they would be acting as 'fog' to keep everybody else occupied as Vlad continues to execute his strategy throughout the region. There's only so much that can be handled at one time in an exceedingly complicated world.
Vlad uses all the activity deftly to Russia's advantage to embrace disorder. To suggest Russia would like a cool-down is irrational under the circumstances now that apparently he's got some part of the initiative. Why would he stand down?
I'd say Ukraine has to be thankful it has a large country that an invader would have to cover and plow through. The country would be hard to control militarily with a less than massive invasion. Europe should be very glad for the time being. It gets to hold off some questions which will be needing attending to sometime down the line if the conflict continues.
Yeah, that's more like it. Let's talk about "Putinism."
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'Holy' married with pride married with mission married with 'Russianess'.The behavior in Crimea and Ukraine follows this. And this behavior can lead and perhaps will lead to European war. The stupidity of it amazes me.
You are describing the right symptoms, but you still either can't ( or refuse) to put the right diagnoses.
So let's go over it one more time; how did Putinism came around to begin with?
Let's keep in mind these events - when Yeltsin ( backed by Washington of course) destroyed the nascent democracy ( the kind that doesn't suit American financial interests - imagine that,) and then Yeltsin promptly passes this acquired power concentrated in his hands to Putin - oops, what a bummer))))
The "holy" married with pride, with mission married with Russianess" followed with little delay.
And why wouldn't it? It was all only logical and predictable. Flesh gives birth to flesh, spirit gives birth to spirit. And this was the spirit brought forth by the actions of the West - Americans in particularly.
Now those actions were obviously a stupidity.
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Regarding veracity of news...'truth' in news right now is like a snowball through hell. The bs is flying high. We're gone from the days of perhaps 'objective' news and now the 'news' operates as mud-slinging and to fester in exaggerations and mendacity.
I don't follow the news much any longer. I watch the Youtube for the most part. And what I see there is very telling. I look at Donetsk and what I see there is reminiscent of my Soviet childhood. I don't care who "drew" the borders, where and why. I see part of Russia in front of me and I totally understand why people living there don't want to submit under forceful "ukranianization," and why they don't want monkeys with Right Sector banners running around. That much I can tell.
On another hand - when I am watching something like this
it looks like one of the "Stans" to me - I mean one of the former Soviet Republics, be that Uzbekistan, Estonia or Moldavia ( and I traveled a lot because of my former job.) I mean it doesn't look Russian to me.
So the way I see it, someone doesn't want to be reasonable and leave Donbass alone. Let people in the video above "join Europe" and get a taste of "European happiness."
Why insist on forcing Russians into that "European paradise?" They are not interested in cleaning bathrooms in EU.
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And all of this arguably because Russia is so paranoid of 'losing' in the 'great game between super-powers. She uses that paranoia like a warm, touchy feely lost blanket that kids hold onto for protection from things that go bump in the night.
I too thought for long time while living in the USSR that it was all "paranoia."
After the nineties however I've realized that it was not "paranoia." Their concerns (of the Russians) are very legitimate indeed; always were.
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If countries can go under psychiatric examination the docs I'd think the docs would have a field day with Vlad's land. Curious is Vlad read the book 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'. But that's a Western thing...;-)...
Not only "Western" - it's specifically very Anglo-thing.
I'm sure that initially Vlad was very interested in "winning friends and influencing people" ( I remember all his escapades with Gerhard Shroeder and Silvio Berlusconi, but then the honeymoon was over. I was quite happy about it by the way. )
erasure,
the Russian language thing - I don't know much about it, how it went. I was speaking about
the legal aspects of the Russian intervention and the language is just cultural, no aspect
in international law..
Let's back off a bit. In the previous post you told me that "UNO and such" didn't find any threat to Russian speakers of the East ( and Crimea,) yet I pointed to you the kind of hatred the Ukrainian Nationalists in the parliament expressed to the sound of Russian language. So what do you think their attitude was/is towards those, who *stubbornly* continue to speak that language and retain their own identity?
If you pretend that there is no potential problem there, and from the point of view of "international law" everyone should shut up and submit under the demands of the nationalists from the western part of the country, ( because that suits the interests of the third party- namely the US,) then were are talking about Western hypocrisy as usual. It worked until now, but I don't believe it's going to work any longer in this case.
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Quote:
The Budapest Memorandum -as you quoted- "less than a military guarantee of intervention",
which thankfully hadn't happened. But "assurances, not defined". Ukraine officially asks for
military support and weapons.
And you know what it really means, right? The proxy war between the US and Russia.
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Was Russia forced of intervention wrt. Serbia,
Germany vs.Russia in 1914 etc. -
See, Russia and Serbia had religious and blood ties ( that's why Bismarck, who was well-aware of it was warning that "if there will be another war in Europe, it will be because of silly darn things in Balkans" twenty years before it happened. As for other military/diplomatic unions that were established long time ago in Europe, they usually specified the military ties, which was totally not a case in terms of the US and Ukraine. So I repeat my question again - what's exactly the connection between the US and Ukraine, that the US are "obligated" to supply troops or weapons to Ukraine?
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it's problematic, there are treaties, trustworthyness
of policy, it can escalate. What shall USA+UK do ? Eastern Europe is watching critically
whether/how much NATO would protect them in similar cases.
"Eastern Europe" (separate countries there) are members of NATO - are they not? Ukraine is NOT for a reason. So why do they compare their situation with situation in Ukraine? Do you really think that Putin would be interested to get into direct conflict with NATO?
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Wikipedia and Hitler in his book say that he was (really) afraid of a Jewish world conspiracy to
rule the world.
A lot of people are talking about it ( Russians including.) However they don't plan to exterminate six million of them methodically, milkmen and shoemakers including. It's "Jewish bankers" that rule the world (according to great conspirologists of course,) so you obviously have to have something more sinister in mind, if you are determined to go after the whole "tree."
^
On the points noted they would be acting as 'fog' to keep everybody else occupied as Vlad continues to execute his strategy throughout the region. There's only so much that can be handled at one time in an exceedingly complicated world.
Vlad uses all the activity deftly to Russia's advantage to embrace disorder. To suggest Russia would like a cool-down is irrational under the circumstances now that apparently he's got some part of the initiative. Why would he stand down?
I'd say Ukraine has to be thankful it has a large country that an invader would have to cover and plow through. The country would be hard to control militarily with a less than massive invasion. Europe should be very glad for the time being. It gets to hold off some questions which will be needing attending to sometime down the line if the conflict continues.
But those were your points to support your argument. Every one of your points was completely wrong.
The sanctions come up for review at the end of June at the next EU summit. They've ruled out automatic extensions. Russia gains nothing by doing anything provacative to keep the extensions in place.
erasure,
--------------------------------
wrt. the language problem
launch a formal complaint to UNO, let an independent group of experts
examine,elaborate,consider the language issue. Write scientific papers about it.
---------------------------------------
wrt. Serbia in WWI
I'm surprised that you argue with religious and blood ties now, after all that racism debate ....
It leads to nothing. Others will use the same arguments.
What we need are clear rules, that withstand the propaganda from both sides.
------------------------------------
wrt. NATO countires in Eastern Europe
they joined NATO because they were afraid of Russian invasion or political pressure
with threat thereof. Russia has a history of doing such things, as you know.
Whether Putin wants a conflict with NATO ? No. But you know how it goes ...
there may be some problems ...just an example ... say nationalists kill the Russian ambassador,
Estonia does little to find and punish or deliver the suspects, there is an ultimatum etc.
Or a Russian spy airplane is shot or a "fascist" coup or ... whatever.
I can well imagine that there is a point where the Russian public -influenced by propaganda, parades -
will demand invasion, as they did in 1914.
-------------------------------------
wrt. Hitler and Jews,
I don't understand what you mean.
Re:
'The sanctions come up for review at the end of June at the next EU summit. They've ruled out automatic extensions. Russia gains nothing by doing anything provacative to keep the extensions in place'
I'd say don't worry they'll do something ramshackle regardless of pending behaviors. Russia usually acts first then leaves it yo others to respond to their boiling of the te leaves. They bring in the sullied 'partners' then to work out how to pick up the pieces. Am I too upfront on this? I say no. Actions always speak louder than words.
Re: 'cleaning bathrooms in the EU'
Now that didn't sound too enticing but it does bring up an interesting point. What does Russia do if countries who perhaps wish to not be resigned to only having a relationship with them but with the EU as well? It would seem to me the logical choice would be to lean both and take the best of both.
I have the feeling Vlad fears that. Thus that Eurasian Union which would link all in some great eco union to better the quality of life for Russians.
That's great but it does cutoff populations from Western fare and presents sort of an either or situation. Why is that? Is Vlad perhaps afraid ethnic Russians wherever they will be will be poisoned with Western culture or something?
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I was quite happy about it by the way. 
)
