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The situation in Ukraine is about two things: vanity and racketeering.
Putin's vanity says no more eastward expansion of NATO or the EU. Knock that crap off, stop absorbing former USSR satellites. He really doesn't care much beyond that. Just leave all these former USSR nations alone to be neutral and to be a buffer between him and NATO/EU.
Biden/Dem/Neocon/DoD_oligarchy vanity says we were humiliated by a bunch of goat herding militia in Afghanistan, and we need a military/defense/kickass PR win where we acted tough and got someone to back down and do what we say. We look like ineffectual, feckless assclowns in the world tough guy theater, and damnit, we need someone to act scared of us!
Next comes the rackets.
Both sides want to make sure the other side doesn't gain control of Scummy Switzerland. Too much oligarch money laundering takes place in Ukraine for either side to be cool with the other having the lion's share of control over the rackets. That's why Obama sent Biden to orchestrate the coup of Yanukovych in 2014. Think of Ukraine as 1955 Vegas, the US as the Corleone family, and Putin as Moe Green. Along comes a new head of the Nevada Gaming Commission who is Moe Green's cousin. Would it really be a shock if all of a sudden, something bad happened to that guy?
Thing is, Putin is cool to just let the Russian part of the country be Russian, not invade or take over, and just keep the neutrality going so long as everyone gets paid. But the US and NATO want control. Putin also knows he does better financially with everyone backing off and letting Ukraine stay neutral money laundering site, but if the US presses things, he has a relationship with China that will only get stronger from US nonsense. He's in a decently "can't lose" space, but would prefer to keep the NATO/EU land and meddling buffers in place.
The US has no win here. None. If we put sanctions on Russia, China swoops in as guardian angel and provides whatever we take away. Russia has no net loss, and China gains. If we put troops in Ukraine and actually go to war with Russia, the whole world loses because NATO is required to side with us or essentially disband, the EU loses because Russia provides like 40% of the energy used in the EU as well as opening the door to armed conflict that Putin could then use to justify capturing a huge EU energy sector provided by Estonia, Ukraine loses because war on your own soil is never a winner, and Russia loses because their economy doesn't need the cost/aggravation of conflict. Only winner? China.
Biden and the Congress should do what Pat Buchanan suggested last week - just declare NATO membership closed, give Putin the vanity win on no more absorption of former USSR nations, and go back to the Scummy Switzerland status quo. Leave it alone, gtfo, back away.
Same here. Except "let NATO handle it" means the US is involved since we provide most of NATO's muscle. Let EU handle it.
Now I don't care for Putin, and I think the Ukrainians are in the right here. So I support using our economic power, such as sanctions, to moderate Russian behavior, if possible. But no US involvement in any military action, including proxy wars.
How is Ukrainians in the right? A very corrupt government and letting the West use them in building their military on Russia's border. Imagine if Russia did that with Mexico, Cuba or Canada and props up their corrupt governments against us in weapons and money. You think the U.S. would allow that on their border?
Since the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991, We promised Russia We wouldn't expand NATO near them. NATO started with 12 countries and today they have 30 and putting the military closer and closer to Russia's border and We are shocked when Russia reacts.
If Moscow is willing to launch a major war, invading the second-largest country in Europe with a population of over 40 million, all while absorbing tremendous economic punishment from the West, then it is unlikely to be deterred by whatever U.S. military assistance can be delivered in the coming weeks.
In normal times, there are many good reasons for the United States to provide military support to Ukraine. But these are not normal times. Military assistance now will at best be marginal in affecting the outcome of the crisis.
It might be morally justified to help a U.S. partner at risk of aggression. But given the scale of the potential threat to Ukraine and its forces, the most effective way Washington can help is to work on finding a diplomatic solution.
And here is a good explanation why: https://www.rand.org/blog/2022/01/us...er-bullet.html
Ukraine is very flat. No harsh terrain. When push comes to shove, the Ukrainians will just surrender peacefully, and the Russians will accept them. It will be like the old Tsarist Russian Empire or Kievan Rus. They are cousins afterall.
Let me get this straight...the left and the MSM (Wash Post, NY times CNN and MSNBC) were telling the American people that Trump was a warmonger for four years and we would be getting into war with numerous countries at any time and now the media and military contractors (duh) are urging the Biden administration to defend Ukraine at all cost. Even sending billions of taxpayers money and troops to Eastern Europe in preparation for a possible war.
This BS is nothing but a distraction from the many crises in our country like the never ending Covid, border and inflation where Biden is totally inept and unable to do anything to fix.
Only the DC politicians and the military complex wants this, because the American people don't want to get involved in some place the majority of Americans couldn't find on a map.
That was certainly the Germans' take on it. Anyone in class remember what happened after a well-armed country with an authoritarian government was allowed to expand its borders after some saber-rattling? Anyone?
We've seen this film before, guys. The ending sucks.
So, the Ukraine occupies Polish, Lithuanian, Hungarian, and Russian territories.
Russia and before that the Soviets has a long history with Ukraine, and has constantly interfered and Russian separatist forces have been trained in Russia and armed by Russia, and they were involved in the shoot down Malaysian airliner MH17 over eastern Ukraine conflict zone, killing all 298 people on board in 2014. The airliner was shot down using a Russian Buk missile system, which was quickly smuggled back over the border in to Russia.
Of the 289 dead, 193 people were Dutch nationals, the rest being Malaysian, Australian, Indonesian and British.
It's not some Neo-Nazi's versus Pro-Russian forces, as the OP would like people to believe, and the situation has constantly been manipulated by the Russians.
Russia has been stocking the flames of conflict for far too long, and could indeed end up with another Chechnya on it's hands, and a bloody nose.
Nothing that comes from BBC is a "true story" lately, but a lot of propaganda, alas.
Same goes to practically ANY major Western media outlet BNW.
I think Putin's intentions are quite clear. Everything he does is to stay in power and extend Russia's influence. I'm just puzzled by Americans these days. Democrats seem to want China to win while Republicans favor Russia. Everyone seems to have given up on America already.
Let me get this straight...the left and the MSM (Wash Post, NY times CNN and MSNBC) were telling the American people that Trump was a warmonger for four years and we would be getting into war with numerous countries at any time and now the media and military contractors (duh) are urging the Biden administration to defend Ukraine at all cost. Even sending billions of taxpayers money and troops to Eastern Europe in preparation for a possible war.
This BS is nothing but a distraction from the many crises in our country like the never ending Covid, border and inflation where Biden is totally inept and unable to do anything to fix.
Only the DC politicians and the military complex wants this, because the American people don't want to get involved in some place the majority of Americans couldn't find on a map.
Now you understand why the big drama about the Russian hoax and the Ukraine impeachment. You can't make this up even in Hollywood and make it believable.
We are talking about lots of money for the industrial military complex and lots of weapon deals to NATO and Ukraine and other buffer states. Somebody is making lots of money filling those orders.
Trump didn't want the U.S. to keep spending mad money over there and to slowly get out of there and the establishment didn't like it and had to take him out. They will do the same with Biden if he doesn't follow orders.
I think Putin's intentions are quite clear. Everything he does is to stay in power and extend Russia's influence. I'm just puzzled by Americans these days. Democrats seem to want China to win while Republicans favor Russia. Everyone seems to have given up on America already.
Win what? please be specific We are not children. Win what ?
China is an issue because they do have power, a big one and it's economic and leverage. Russia doesn't, not even close. Russia reacts to NATO aggression of getting closer to their borders and building military arsenal in Soviet former states. Why NATO even exists? It started with 12 nations and today is 30 and the Soviet Union hasn't existed for over 30 years.
If Russia builds Mexico and Cuba corrupt governments with money and lethal weapons on our borders and it gets higher and higher each year. You think the U.S. will be ok with that?
Same here. Except "let NATO handle it" means the US is involved since we provide most of NATO's muscle. Let EU handle it.
Now I don't care for Putin, and I think the Ukrainians are in the right here. So I support using our economic power, such as sanctions, to moderate Russian behavior, if possible. But no US involvement in any military action, including proxy wars.
I don't care for Putin either, but the ONLY Ukrainians that are in the right here, are those from the LDNR.
They saw their democratically-elected president deposed with the help of the foreign power, their cities bombed and their children killed.
They are the ones who took the guns to protect their freedom from all this BS, so they are the only ones in the right here.
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when Russia reacts.
