Yes, domestically speaking. But what if every bum you vote in increases the military spend? I get what you're saying though. Internationally, various laws and conventions are supposed to act as another bulwark against military adventurism and misconduct. Mixed success, I'd say, especially when the security council is a cartel of those with a monopoly on violence.
Well, ultimately the people do...as you can always vote the bums out!
In Russia, there are literally no checks or balances (apart from sham ones). Putin is a dictator with unfettered power.
I don't think so. The very worst case scenarios (Putin tries to partition Ukraine, sets up a Russia friendly puppet govt. on captured territory, or even take it all by force) will most likely result in huge numbers of civilian deaths, many soldiers killed also [possibly on both sides], and millions of refugees fleeing West from their homes, basically with what they can carry with them in a car/truck.
So that would be a disaster on a larger scale than the Yugoslav wars of the 90s, so by definition the worst violence/warfare seen in Europe since WW2 (but not WW3).
And isolates him almost completely on the international stage. It's almost like he wants to turn Moscow into a version of Pyongyang, power at all costs and damn the consequences.
I mean, it's an opinion but not one that I share.
Putin obviously hankers back to the glory days of the Soviet Union (when he was a pretty insignificant cog in the KGB machinery of disinformation and repression) and wants to reestablish control over the former republics of the Western Soviet Union. He wants to drive apart the EU and NATO.
Now consider if recent events have strengthened our weakened his strategic position. I would contend he has weakened his position considerably.
The Western allies are more united than in decades. The former western republics are turning ever further to the West for protection and solidarity. The Biden administration ahs woken up from its slumber and is playing an absolute blinder. Putin's only ally is that fat fascist thug that he is propping up in Belarus.
This is a strategic misstep of enormous proportions by Putin. So much so that I have wondered aloud and in print if he might be suffering from some sort of mental illness above and beyond the usual megalomania and kleptomania.
Genocide buddy lol, the USA has caused far far more destruction and chaos around the world than anyone else has in the last 20 years, yet somehow the USA has managed to convince people that Xi Jinping is the bad guy.
They kicked nato membership 30 + years already ,and look where that got them
Putin is waiting for his genocide buddy in Beijing to give the green light,just finish the olympics first
Well, still no invasion yet
In a free, open and civilized society it is absolutely essential to ask: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? I had to google that, but we all know what it means: "Who guards the guardians?"
Possible concessions, at the very best a private (or public) agreement from Kiev to kick NATO membership down the road. This crisis places Putin front and center, distracts from any internal domestic issues he may have (notice how Boris has also indirectly benefitted from it), cements his control over the Duma and military (and press), appeases hardliners and nationalists (who form one of his largest voting blocks).
Understandable. But Ireland has a privileged position in all this, given our links with the US. If we were not so privileged and secure, like people in Central and South America where the MIC has been meddling, destabilizing and causing violence for decades, you might have a different view of what that policing entails. It's also easy to support sending young American men and women off to war, when their funerals are so far away. Even at that, I had to be policed by one or the other, yes I would rather choose the US for all its faults.. they make more of an effort to abide by the rules of war.
At the very least, bargaining power for future negotiations. He put the frighteners on all of them and that counts.
This is an interesting point 'A big split!' Vladimir Putin's hidden Ukraine strategy to drive apart US and EU revealed (msn.com)
What is he getting out of it?
Much as I mistrust America I'm glad they police things. If not for them we'd all be speaking Russian or Chinese now.
At any rate, I don't see Russia invading. Putin is getting more out of gaslighting America and dragging NATO by the tail. Why spoil the fun?
It's classic 'hey, look over there stuff!'
Russia has already stolen large chunks of Ukraine and is now preparing to seize the rest by force. Anyone who, when asked if they condem this, does not respond with an unequivocal 'yes!' has a moral compass that is wildly askew.
No.
Bull **** ****. I've been around here a long ass time and America is and always has been massive criticised for aspects of its domestic and foreign policy by all kinds of posters.
It's also kind of funny, a lot of Irish people would have a very close-to-home example of when America's diplomatic efforts made a massive difference. Ya know, in Ireland.
I've asked this question several times, can you explain how it's America's fault that Russia have put thugs in as "separatists" over the last few decades, why it's America's fault that Russia are now getting civilians (the ones they like) out of an area that Russia are gong to invade?
You constantly go on about how "America thinks it can do what it wants" yet you don't criticise Russia for land grabs and the rest. Why is that? Is it just that you feel like you have to cheer for the "underdog", and if so maybe reconsider how you decide who the underdog actually is.
I think you should ask where in St.Petersburg or Zhanggong hes based
Exactly, whether we like it or not, our future is a multi polar one.
Controlling other major powers, and keeping each other in check is one thing.
But the Americans cannot accept that any other nations should have any real power, even in their own region of the world. Their attempts to dominate every other power in the world, will most likely lead to another major global conflict or several major regional conflicts.
Unless someone is brave enough to take the captain's armband off them.
And perhaps that might be something positive that could come out of this conflict. The EU might finally decide to grow a pair of balls, and show some genuine leadership qualities. One can only hope I suppose.
I don't have time to debate... I drop in from time to time... pick apart some arguments by the usual suspects who are mid gaslight and leave... there more to life than arguments on boards
whats with the you LL?
You LL be a long time waiting for a factual reply to your question instead you LL get a whole lot of whataboutery, ending in something about the US.
You LL also find it's mostly these putinbots that tend to get nasty when they are called out, I don't think factually defeating someone in a debate constitutes gaslighting but to each there own.
There will always be a most powerful country, a most widely accepted currency, a most feared military. It just happens to be the US right now. But in a world of several billion, with technology as a great equalizing force, a situation where 330 million people dominate the globe (or a good part of it) is unrealistic and untenable in the long-term.
The hat does seem to fit quite nicely on your noggin Shill-y! ;)
The thing I can't fathom, is why people never seem to lose faith with America's foreign policy. No matter how many times they prove it to be disastrous, certain people still think this time will be different.
Their bull in a china shop approach to diplomatic relations, never seems to bring anything positive. Yet here we are yet again, being led down the garden path. But this time it's not a bunch of poor brown people wearing sandals in the desert, it's Putin with 6,000+ nukes in his backyard.
It's just like their aggressive approach to policing their own cities, and we can all see how well that works!
In 99.9% of conflicts the highest death toll is among the civilian population, not military personnel/fighters. Afghanistan, last time I checked (and I don't think this is a quirk of how the numbers were counted or how poor the Afghan Army were) was an exception. So it's a poor example and honestly I don't think it should lumped in with the likes of Iraq, which is a sin for the ages.
nah, I deal with gaslighters in real life on a daily basis... this stuff is text book.
challenge a gaslighters belief... they respond with counter that loosly relates to your counter, but picks on something you believe.... rinse and repeat until initial point is gone and argument is about you.... if they get caught out, it results in them bigging themselves up while belittling you (doesn't have to get nasty)...
speaking of which @MFPM... you had a post saying you don't spin things, but then had a spiel about Sky news warmongering.... but yet you didn't respond to my post about Russia 1 TV saying Donbass is close to having concentration camps, with Russians being gassed and that its time for Russia to step in militarily....
if not spinning, then why the dodging?
are you going to report on the usual 8+ daily ISR flights over Europe and Ukraine?
edit: the Homer flights come from Souda Bay, so they travel north to get to the Black sea and have been doing similar routes the last year... Likewise with the Brio flights based in Romania... and U2 flights from Akrotiri..
I reckon you regret your "gaslight" post now that you have to directly deal with one of the 3 or 4 prominent putinbots on the thread.
There is a distinct difference between gaslighting and calling out putinbots on there nonsense with facts and truth, there is. Reason so many people are calling out these 3 or 4 posters... Unless everyone is gaslighting these poor innocent putinbots.
Attention!
A Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint has been tracking all night South of Crimea, coming relatively close to Yalta and in range of Sevastipol Airport.
This is the 1st time this aircraft has gone this far South and perilously close to overstepping its line in International Airspace.
It's been gathering intelligence all night, judging my It's flightpath history. See attached picture
You need to cop on with the "my team, your team" crap ... this has been brewing for decades, and to blame it all on "the American war machine" is just silly... and if you're that worried about propaganda, you'll be appalled by what comes out from Russia about all of this..
Ukraine have been looking for dialogue with Russia since 2014.
the crux of it is, Ukraine have wanted to join the EU and NATO for decades now, Russia doesn't like it, with Germany's energy reliance shifting to external sources, it is a weakness in the solidarity of the EU and NATO, Russia knows this.... France did well trying to push diplomacy, because sanctions and war on EU boarders is bad for business, and with them possibly turning into Europe's single source of independent energy, it's in their interest to keep EU cohesion in place until that happens (i.e. keep Nord Stream2 on track).
The US are playing Russia at their own game for once, but after Iraq and Afghan, people are far more sceptical of what they come out with... and Russia is playing the uno reverse card any chance they get because of this.
My personal opinion being, with the amount of ISR assets they are throwing at this situation daily, there is far more to this situation than we'll ever know. The OSINT out there points to Russia escalating this, and if the US wanted a war, there are far far cheaper and easier methods to do so rather than what is being played out currently....
But yeah, no doubt I'll be labelled team USA, get a load of gaslight responses, all for calling a spade a spade.
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