Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Russia simply needs to learn, as Germany, Austria, Hungary and Turkey learned with difficulty, and as the UK and US learned more easily: when an empire is gone, it’s gone. Period.
I also see that a few Russians have escaped to Alaska to avoid the draft. Ship them back.
The only person who bears any responsibility for the current mass murder in Ukraine is Vladmir Putin.
Ukraine has every right to be independent and to join any alliance that it wants.
Despite that, Ukraine was not a candidate for NATO membership (other than being a member, like Russia, of the Partnership for Peace).
Ukraine is a democratic, peaceful country that was attacked despite that.
If Putin didn’t like Ukraine turning away from Russia, Putin ought to look in the mirror. Being allied with a murderer is generally unappealing. Perhaps Russia should become a peaceful democracy. Then perhaps it would have friends.
Cuba missile crisis? What if Russia wanted to put a military base in Montreal!?
It goes both ways….
I'm wondering if some of the constituent republics in Russia might find this an opportunity to break away from the country which would be pretty ironic.
Cuba missile crisis? What if Russia wanted to put a military base in Montreal!?
It goes both ways….
First, the US never had any plans for a military base in Ukraine. That makes this not the same as Russia in Cuba.
Second, the US wouldn’t attack.
If a democratically-elected government in Canada freely and voluntarily had wanted to join the Warsaw Pact, the US wouldn’t have attacked.
The most that the US did (both for Cuba in the 1960s and Nicaragua in the 1980s) was to fund native insurgents against the local government. I guess that’s like Russia did in Donbas.
When France effectively pulled out of Nato, the US didn’t attack.
The more relevant comparison is how the UK, France, US and postwar Germany deal with losing their empires. All have accepted the loss and aren’t trying to get their former colonies back. Russia, to the contrary, has used military force to try to recover lost territories. The UK, France, US and postwar Germany wouldn’t ever do that, once lands were lost.
First, the US never had any plans for a military base in Ukraine. That makes this not the same as Russia in Cuba.
Second, the US wouldn’t attack.
If a democratically-elected government in Canada freely and voluntarily had wanted to join the Warsaw Pact, the US wouldn’t have attacked.
The most that the US did (both for Cuba in the 1960s and Nicaragua in the 1980s) was to fund native insurgents against the local government. I guess that’s like Russia did in Donbas.
When France effectively pulled out of Nato, the US didn’t attack.
The more relevant comparison is how the UK, France, US and postwar Germany deal with losing their empires. All have accepted the loss and aren’t trying to get their former colonies back. Russia, to the contrary, has used military force to try to recover lost territories. The UK, France, US and postwar Germany wouldn’t ever do that, once lands were lost.
Exactly....good post...
For example ...Kaliningrad Oblast....that is actually former German territory...
it was East Prussia.....was german speaking ...not russian speaking....
Germany lost it to Russia/Soviet Union at the end of WW 2
and unlike Russia, accepted the loss and moved on from there....
Russia should do the same. Ukraine is not theirs to take by force.
For example ...Kaliningrad Oblast....that is actually former German territory...
it was East Prussia.....was german speaking ...not russian speaking....
Germany lost it to Russia/Soviet Union at the end of WW 2
and unlike Russia, accepted the loss and moved on from there....
Russia should do the same. Ukraine is not theirs to take by force.
Agree, Russia should not take Ukraine back.
The post was about having military agreements that are at odds with your country being posted at your border.
First, the US never had any plans for a military base in Ukraine. That makes this not the same as Russia in Cuba.
Second, the US wouldn’t attack.
If a democratically-elected government in Canada freely and voluntarily had wanted to join the Warsaw Pact, the US wouldn’t have attacked.
The most that the US did (both for Cuba in the 1960s and Nicaragua in the 1980s) was to fund native insurgents against the local government. I guess that’s like Russia did in Donbas.
When France effectively pulled out of Nato, the US didn’t attack.
The more relevant comparison is how the UK, France, US and postwar Germany deal with losing their empires. All have accepted the loss and aren’t trying to get their former colonies back. Russia, to the contrary, has used military force to try to recover lost territories. The UK, France, US and postwar Germany wouldn’t ever do that, once lands were lost.
To be fair western powers did fight many wars and conflicts to resist decolonization movements, but yes as you state once they lost they respected the treaties that were signed and haven't gone back on their word.
Russia simply needs to learn, as Germany, Austria, Hungary and Turkey learned with difficulty, and as the UK and US learned more easily: when an empire is gone, it’s gone. Period.
I also see that a few Russians have escaped to Alaska to avoid the draft. Ship them back.
Russia was a an empire, but long time ago it's weird to consider the recent development as a nostalgia towards the empire. Maybe if you include USSR, but the USSR was similar to the EU, it's like calling Belgium empire today, it's pseudo-empire so to speak. America was never an empire, it's a larger version of North Korea, people take it seriously since it has nukes but that's about it. Meanwhile UK is the only one from your list that deserves credit since it was easy for them to concede their subjects maybe because they've retained the Commonwealth and left a huge impact with the language and religion.
Russia was a an empire, but long time ago it's weird to consider the recent development as a nostalgia towards the empire. Maybe if you include USSR, but the USSR was similar to the EU, it's like calling Belgium empire today, it's pseudo-empire so to speak. America was never an empire, it's a larger version of North Korea, people take it seriously since it has nukes but that's about it. Meanwhile UK is the only one from your list that deserves credit since it was easy for them to concede their subjects maybe because they've retained the Commonwealth and left a huge impact with the language and religion.
Vladmir Putin says that the end of the USSR was a catastrophe. What can be more nostalgic about an empire than that?
The US had colonies (such as the Philippines, Cuba, land in Panama, islands in the Pacific). They’re long-gone. Most Americans probably don’t even know that and surely don’t care, and nobody much would want those areas back.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
