https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_Security_Treaty_Organization
Come to think of it, why should Poland put up with the CTSO on its border? Or indeed Ukraine?
If we're willy waving about security treaty organisations, surely the CTSO is as troublesome for neighboring states as NATO is for Russia?
Or is it that NATO is a thorn in the side of Russia's malignant revanchist ambitions? One has to wonder.
Sounds like bullshit to me, but will post anyway
His aim seems to be to drive NATO and the west back. It's not just about Ukraine.
He'll use all the crazy rhetoric he has to with his own people. I wouldn't read too much in to that tbh.
The question what is the west going to do when it's Moldova or the Baltics? We aren't there yet thankfully but that would spark a real crisis.
Actually, I would go further and suggest Putin annexed Belarus the other week and nobody's mentioning it. He gave their fat oaf of a 'leader' a lowly colonel cosplay uniform as payment.
Holy shitballs in an understatement .
He's needs to be put down
They validate whether it is a legal command. They have zero legal say on whether its a good idea or not.
Again, I highly doubt that an irresponsible order would get through - but the system is fundamentally no different from the Russian one. Putin is no more connected directly to the Launch button in a silo then the US President is. There have been numerous discussions in US precisely about this and advocating restricting the authority of the president. It is certainly not a system I would be advocating as an ideal to aim for.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Nuclear-button-U.S.-has-no-way-to-stop-president-s-legal-order
A president who decides to take the nuclear option would communicate the intention through a device known as the "nuclear football" -- a suitcase carried by a military aide who is always near the leader. The president can choose the target from a book filled with prepared war plans. If the intended target is not in the book, the U.S. Strategic Command, or STRATCOM, will quickly prepare an alternative plan.
When a decision is made, the president identifies himself or herself to military officials at the Pentagon using codes noted on an ID card known as the "biscuit." The order is given, and the weapons are fired.
"Nobody can veto a president's order to release nuclear weapons unless it's illegal," said Vipin Narang, a professor of nuclear security and political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Just passed diesel priced at 1.86...holy f**
Roll on a few months from now the way things are going and we could be saying just passed diesel priced at 2.86...holy f****
Hint hint...Ukraine is ours
We might all be working from home for a while yet because we can't afford to drive to the office instead of covid.
For anyone that missed it some of the bollocks he came out with:
Moldova is inevitable. Same with Georgia. This is what is baffling about the whole thing. This crisis will go on for months more. Then they'll for Moldova and Georgia, again more time.
How long does he think Russia will survive what is turning into an entire trade, diplomacic and cultural embargo. He can't even open the stock market ffs
He's always believed that. He thinks the same of pretty much all ex-soviet states.
He even told the west a few weeks a go - back to the strategic military position of 1997.
They all laughed but he always believed that.
The steroids part is definitely correct. He looks positively weird for a man his age. The germaphobia thing seems accurate too.
This got me thinking of something which we may have missed earlier with the threat of a Russian false flag of firing on itself, a good way to officially have the war move from Russia vs Ukraine to Armenia/Belarus/Kazakhstan/Krygystan/Tajikistan/Russia vs Ukraine, what would the impact of all the CTSO countries be on the war with Ukraine I wonder?
Not a chance. Putin would have to pay the 10 euro airport charge if his missile lands there and he is notoriously tight with cash.
This is basically Putin, now.
If things get too hot for Putin back in Russia, he and Sergei Lavrov can always abscond in the Spruce Moose.
You keep on talking about a nuclear strike by Putin. This is the same lad who sits 50ft from his own staff for fear of dying from a virus. Do you really think that someone so fcuking cowardly would voluntarily sign his own death warrant by launching a nuclear strike.
At the risk of going Godwin, wasn't old Adolf essentially a meth amphetamine addict?
If Pootz has a steroid abuse problem, he's projecting big time talking about Ukraine being run by drug addicts (is he trying to say Zelensky is one? I don't get it)
Admits that civilians are fleeing the Russian forces - doesn't quite tie in with them going in to "liberate" the country from Nazism.
I personally think the talk of NATO on both sides is a red herring. Putin's already got NATO on his doorstep. As Bayonet noted above adding Ukraine to his Russia will add more borders to the NATO presence. The talk of NATO is a boogyman for Putin to frighten his subjects.
Again personally I think the EU is much more of a threat to Putin. He can try to paint it as a boogyman, but he doesn't want his subjects looking too closely, or worse going West. If Ukraine was left to join the EU in say five years, ten years later it would almost certainly look and be a much nicer place to live and do business in than it was and a much nicer place to live and do business in than his precious Russia. Threats of NATO aggression can twist people in panic, but a vision on their doorstep of what to them was a 'part of Russia' with free elections, better rule of law, less corruption, clean streets, better infrastructure, more amenities, better jobs, a better future for their kids and two shiny new VW's in the drive of their little house is a much much bigger threat to Putin's Soviet dreams.
Except is isn't that simple.
If the President has given an order for the nuclear option to be used, it has to be within a legal framework. That generally means that the US would have to be at war with the country he wants to nuke. Other than that, you fall afoul of a whole lot of previous treaties and conventions. This is where the President's order can be legally over ridden by the chain of command. It's whole point of Command and Control.
It's absolutely not the case that one man gives an order and its automatically carried out, no questions asked. Such a scenario is absurd.
Deleted - I think it's fake news. Apologies.
So far having the opposite effect.
Moldova is one thing, but the Baltics is NATO, completely different kettle of fish.
He already tried to call in a favour from Kazakhstan requesting troops, but they refused.
Doubt any of the other treaty countries really want to throw their sons into the meat grinder for his lunatic war. The organisation could fall apart as they may be more nervous about his intentions for their country.
He could well get the security map redrawn, but not in the way that he thinks.
This was reported earlier but by unofficial sources
Now it's the Associated Press
1 General down.
The Ukrainian army just delivered a massive blow to the russians.
The current Russian invasion shows just how right the Baltic nations were to join NATO. Would not be surprised to see Finland as a NATO member soon as well as a direct result of this Russian invasion maybe even Sweden too.
If any of you watch Oliver Stone's Putin interviews which conclude in 2017, he still has that charm that helped him win over the Russian people earlier. He is, of course, very selective about the truth but he defends himself ably. The best part for now is the final part where Stone pushes, a little at least, on how power can corrupt a person. This is the one point where I did not see him able to reply clearly, and he basically had no prepped answer for this other than "the people will decide".
On the balance, while capably of cruelty, he is calm and collected. He enjoys the good questions and the small talk, and occasionally breaks out into English and makes jokes. He is very sharp and an expert in one-to-one discussions, quickly making witty responses or understatements, or subtly owning his achievements. Other times, like the car-driving part, likes to play down his own importance as an individual. I just don't think he is the same person now. Had he retired before the last elections and nominated a successor, he would have been untarnished for Russians.
As a lifelong servant, and master, of the State, he cannot live outside of it and now it has corrupted him too much and it shows.
Called this earlier in the thread
Vladimir Putin has accused Ukrainian forces of using civilians as “human shields”.
Next in the playbook is to start referring to them as "terrorists". If the conflict prolongs, every dirty propaganda trick will be used. "Nazi's" will be discovered, any Ukrainian atrocities will be zoned in on (atrocities inevitably happen in conflicts), possible false flags (Russians shelling Russian villages and claiming it was a Ukrainian attack), you name it
"Vladimir Putin says Ukraine and Russia are 'one people'
"We have a long history of exterminating our own people, and I have every intention to continue that great tradition."
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/v2/e050b53be62f0ae2404c620976170938.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://wb.vanillicon.com/v2/bd89cdce15309a6ec2dff928c865017a.svg)
