Essay by Eric Worrall
Back in March, George Soros wrote that the Ukrainian defeat of Russia was vital for progressing the global green revolution. The Republican Congress may be about to refuse Biden’s request for more military aid.
Playbook: McCarthy’s latest gambit falls flat
By RACHAEL BADE, EUGENE DANIELS and RYAN LIZZA
09/18/2023 06:04 AM EDT
…
IS UKRAINE AID DEAD? — Which brings us to the bigger picture: Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY heads to Washington later this week in a last-ditch effort to shore up American support for his war-torn nation. But while there’s a broad bipartisan coalition keen on continuing aid to Kyiv, it increasingly looks like that assistance could become the latest casualty of the battle inside the GOP.
To recap: The White House and Ukraine’s bipartisan allies in the Senate have plotted for weeks to advance $24 billion in supplemental Ukraine aid alongside whatever temporary funding patch moves around the Oct. 1 shutdown deadline. House conservatives have erupted at the notion of attaching Ukraine aid to a CR, and even McCarthy’s gambit of moving it separately with border security legislation has gotten a chilly reception.
Now the notion of moving any Ukraine aid has appeared on the litany of grievances the hard right is using to threaten McCarthy’s speakership. And even Greene, one of McCarthy’s top allies on the right, told Playbook recently that no amount of border funding could compensate for another injection of U.S. taxpayer money overseas.
“It’s getting to be a very taboo issue in our conference, and the American people don’t support it,” Greene said, calling the battle against Russia’s invasion “a war that should be over.”
…
Read more: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2023/09/18/mccarthys-latest-gambit-falls-flat-00116484
Soros’s article from March;
Russian defeat is inevitable, and will allow world to focus on our real problem — Climate change
The countries of the former Soviet empire eagerly await defeat of the Russian army in Ukraine, and the world will be able to focus on climate change, writes George Soros
THU, 23 MAR, 2023 – 01:28
GEORGE SOROSIt is just over one month ago that I gave a speech on the eve of the Munich Security Conference. Since then, so many remarkable things have happened — and have happened so fast — that it is worth comparing my predictions of a month ago with actual developments.
…
The countries of the former Soviet empire, eager to assert their independence, can hardly wait for the Russian army to be crushed in Ukraine. At that point, Putin’s dream of a renewed Russian empire will disintegrate and cease to pose a threat to Europe.
The defeat of Russian imperialism will have far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world. It will bring huge relief to open societies and create tremendous problems for closed ones. Most importantly, it will allow the world to concentrate on its biggest problem, climate change.
…
Read more: https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-41098510.html
If the opportunity to do the opposite of what Soros wants isn’t convincing enough, there is an additional problem which must be considered.
There is evidence Europe is spending a lot of cash on interfering with US domestic politics, by attempting to bypass US politicians who oppose the extreme European green agenda, and by providing substantial support to US politicians who share Europe’s green ideals.
We don’t often get to glimpse behind the curtain with European politics. Quite apart from the language barrier, European politics is generally a lot less open than US politics. But European politicians occasionally let important information slip.
One such slip was a public boast by then British Climate Change Minister Claire Perry, about all the good they were doing, reaching out to elected US politicians, and helping them to coordinate and sabotage President Trump’s America First agenda.
UK bypasses Donald Trump to discuss climate change with US city mayors directly
Claire Perry, the Climate Change Minister, says British Government is now speaking to ‘other players’ in US about how to fight global warming
Ian Johnston
Environment Correspondent
Tuesday 25 July 2017 14:21The UK has started bypassing Donald Trump over climate change, talking directly to city mayors and other officials committed to trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the new Climate Change Minister has revealed.
Claire Perry, who was appointed to the post after the general election last month, said that British ministers had not “missed an opportunity” to tell the US President that they were disappointed he had decided to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the news service Bloomberg reported.
She said she had been speaking to “other players” in the US, including the mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, who visited the UK last week.
…
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/uk-donald-trump-climate-change-us-city-mayors-talk-direct-paris-agreement-houston-sylvester-turner-a7859291.html
If you want to know why US politics today is so messed up, I suggest a potential explanation for what went wrong is good people in the USA are experiencing collateral damage from an ongoing and well funded European effort to destabilise and reshape the political landscape of the United States. These are the people Biden wants US taxpayers to help.
Stopping US financial aid to Ukraine, forcing Europe to step up and commit their own resources to stopping Russia, instead of treating the people of the USA with contempt, yet still expecting the USA to pay all their bills, would not only impede George Soros’ global green revolution, and potentially save the people of Russia from a completely unnecessary replay of the 1990s post Soviet social chaos and economic and political collapse, it would hopefully also draw resources away from whatever nasty games state sponsored European influencers are playing on the ground inside the United States.
For more information on climate politics click here.
Update (EW): Just published, UN Zelensky speech confirming climate action is a key reason for supporting Ukraine.
… We know the possible effects of spreading the war into the cyberspace. The artificial intelligence could be trained to combat well – before it would learn to help the humanity. Thank God, people have not yet learned to use climate as a weapon. Even though humanity is failing on its climate policy objectives – this means that extreme weather will still impact the normal global life and some evil state will also weaponise its outcomes.
And when people in the streets of New York and other cities of the world went out on climate protest – we all have seen them… And when people in Morocco and Libya and other countries die as a result of natural disasters… And when islands and countries disappear under water… And when tornados and deserts are spreading into new territories… And when all of this is happening, one unnatural disaster in Moscow decided to launch a big war and kill tens of thousands of people.
We must act united – to defeat the aggressor and focus all our capabilities and energy on addressing these challenges.
…
Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/20/full-text-zelenskyys-speech-to-the-un-general-assembly
My opinion, European climate activists are desperate for Russia to be utterly crushed, and soon, so they can turn the billions of dollars of resources they are currently spending on Ukraine against the political opponents of their extreme green agenda. Every dollar the USA sends to Ukraine brings that opportunity closer to their grasp.
Update (EW): Like I said, glimpses behind the curtain. US citizen in jail in Ukraine, facing 5-8 years for the crime of journalism. Claims he has been beaten and extorted in prison. No contact since July. I wonder how long any of us who have ever criticised Zelensky would last, were we to ever set foot on Ukrainian soil?
Voting down any further funding of Green Shirt’s war effort would be a welcome first step on a path back to rationality. Therefore, I have no confidence that it will happen, although I am hopeful.
Every letter to your congressman helps.
My Congress members are all leftists or far-left leftists. Their staff just presses delete, or tosses my letters in the trash.
Ditto.
My Senators are atrocious–Patty Murray and Maria Cant-Vote-Well. However, if you vote in every election, they will not usually toss your letters and emails. They don’t know who you voted for, but they know if you voted.
His war effort OF SELF DEFENCE. This way could be over tomorrow, if Putin would only withdraw to the internationally recognised border and cease his attempts to annexe the land of yet another neighbour.
Very true. If only Zelensky hadn’t been persuaded to rip up the agreement that Putin signed to do that, if only the EU, UK and USA governments hadn’t been hell-bent on using Ukraine to ‘punish’ Russia then thousands of people wouldn’t have died in this war.
Which “agreement” did Putin “sign”?
Kiev pulled out of the negotiations when it became clear that Putin’s terms were Ukraine’s surrender of all the territories claimed by Russia, along with the dismantling of its military and surrender of any independent foreign policy. There was also no guarantee that Russia wouldn’t simply resume its conquest of Ukraine at a later date.
The “peace treaty” would have handed most of Ukraine’s heavy industry, oil and gas fields to Russia, and rendered it a mere puppet of the Russian state, in much the same way Finland and many other border nations were rendered puppets in the 1950s. Ukraine was entirely justified in rejecting it.
At the time Ukraine withdrew from the negotiations, Russia held Kherson and lands to the north of it, and had Kharkiv and Chernov surrounded. Ukraine subsequently regained those territories, without western assistance it should be noted, and has continued to make slow but steady gains against the Russian invasion ever since.
The pro Russia fifth column kept repeating, last year, that Putin’s objective was to demilitarize Ukraine. (Or denazify, they keep switching talking points.)
So obviously they love imperialism, as long as it isn’t US imperialism. They are just recycled pro Soviet agitators/NPC.
You help Ukraine stop Russia in Ukraine or you help Georgia stop Russia in Georgia.
Or you help Moldova stop Russia in Moldova.
Or you help Hungary stop Russia in Hungary.
Or you help Poland stop Russia in Poland.
Or you help Germany stop Russia in Germany.
Or you just admit that the processed cheese eating surrender monkeys in the Republican party are only interested in making Russia great again and let the USA fade into deserved oblivion.
The free world is praying for a strong leader in the USA or, failing that, any Democrat will do.
At least Benedict Arnold was trying to make things better for the people in the Americas when he went over to a foreign power. The current lot are just doing it for cowardice and avarice.
Totally meatheaded. Benedict Arnold was motivated by personal pique, and his new wife being a Tory.
Forcing the Europeans to pay for their own defense, rather than pouring money down a Net Zero rathole, is a different issue than your chronic TDS.
So you plead avarice rather than cowardice?
Russia doesn’t care. You are still useful.
BTW: Ukraine is paying for their own defence in blood and lives. That’s the diadems they have and they are not cheap.
Walking away from negotiations, especially before most of that blood was shed, was a bad move independent of which side of the table one was on.
After Russia breached the Budapest Memorandum by invading Crimea… what could be negotiated?
Any country that breaks treaty obligations, to the extent of invading a neighbour, is not a reliable partner in negotiations.
Consider a shopkeeper who is charged protection money by the local mob in exchange for not having his shop damaged. He pays up and the mob still smash up the shop.
Next time he doesn’t pay as there’s no benefit. He stands and fights instead. Is that folly when the mob tries to smash up the shop again?
I think the shopkeeper is trafficking women and children.
Slander of a whole nation.
Guess that’s the best argument you’ve got for being frit.
It’s common knowledge.
https://www.usaid.gov/ukraine/fact-sheet/dec-16-2022-trafficking-persons
Which country allowed the film Cuties to be produced, again?
“Any country that breaks treaty obligations,”
You mean like allowing NATO to set up bases etc.. against the express wording of a treaty ?
You’re lying. There was no treaty to this effect. There was an informal discussion of the possibility, but there is no treaty preventing NATO from placing bases or inducting new members.
Consider: why did almost every former Warsaw pact nation leap at the chance of joining NATO at the first opportunity? They’ve lived under Russia’s sphere of influence. They don’t want to do so any more
The Budapest Memorandum wasn’t a treaty. It was a memorandum that has long since been satisfied AFAIC.
Russian tanks couldn’t even make it to kyiv , 200 miles from the border or 80 miles from Belarus without any money
These are the same tanks that are supposed to take Warsaw, Berlin Budapest et al
Too silly for words.
We had 40 years of the Cold war and that didn’t happen either for obvious but different reasons
I don’t understand your point.
When was negotiations broken and what was the agreed upon world view of the negotiators at the time?
You are conflating two issues, and trotting out the zombie of Russiagate. Funding the Ukraine war by the US is a separate issue from Germany preferring to cater to green fantasies rather than subsidize Ukraine.
You have a point. Europe should carry most expenses needed to defend Ukraine from Russia. Before they even start, there would be no Ukraine. Or, fast forward 15 years, no Alaska.
It is more that Democrats and Republican squishes did not hold the rest of NATO to their agreements, and went ballistic when Trump tried to. Biden has returned to squish form, so the EU feels safe shorting defense.
I think NATO nations should definitly be paying their fair share of this defense.
Republicans would be on the right track demanding that NATO pay up, and doing audits of what has already been paid. They would not be on the right track tryng to cut all American aid to Ukraine.
A majority of Americans support Ukraine. Repubicans would be making a big mistake trying to cut all funding there.
It’s really kind of amazing to watch as some, and I emphasize some, Repubicans are running away from Ukraine as fast as they can, when they are on the winning side. I believe that’s called “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory”.
Tucker Carlson started this anti-Ukraine movement among Republicans and Laura Ingraham now carries this banner on Fox News.
Tucker and Laura’s pacifist views are not widely held in Republican circles, or in Democrat circles. Republicans will not be able to cut off the funds to Ukraine, unless they shut down the government. Then all funds are cutoff .
Guess who is going to be blamed for the shutting down the government stupidity? Answer: Republicans.
Republicans are their own worst enemies. They always do stupid stuff like threatening to shut down the government, when they don’t have the numbers to do anything like that and make it stick. All they manage to do is make all Republicans look stupid and extreme and put Republcian election prospects at risk.
Hey Repubicans! There is something much more important than any of your petty budget problems, including the Ukraine war: The radical Democrats are about to steal our Republic away from us right in front of out eyes, and here you Repubicans are squabbling over this insignificant item or that insignificant item. All of them are insignificant if you lose your political power. What good are all your good budget intentions going to do if Joe Biden or his ilk continue to govern?
In that case, everything good you wanted to do for the country is out the window. It won’t happen because you were too intent on focusing on the small stuff and let the Big Stuff go.
You can’t cut the budget or make America Great Again if you don’t have any political power, and the radical Democrats are working real hard to retain their political power in perpetuity, by hook or crook, and you idiots are not even paying attention.
God Help Us.
A big problem for EU defense is the US dumping its military supply at a discount and forcing countries to buy American.
Seriously, are you OK with the F35 being sold to many countries except Israel? How does that make sense? Which country except Israel would possibly need such a costly plane?
If you think the USA should be responsible for Germany’s policies stand by your convictions. Follow Putin’s lead and call for the conquest of Germany.
Or accept that the USA should be responsible for the USA’s policies and back those fighting for their country.
So Germany has only given old Leopard tanks. So what?
The USA does not need to bow to Europe’s standards.
The current Republican Party may think USA has had its day but that’s not necessarily so.
Ukraine will stand against a mighty power. The USA can too.
A treaty of alliance and mutual defense is a conditional agreement. You seem to consider Germans have no agency, and no obligations under NATO. Only domestic politics seem to matter to you, as foreigners are doughy blobs who only act as our victims?
I don’t think its near worth starting a nuclear war for yet. Russia’s non-nuclear stats are not impressive – Low GDP, short life expectancy, cold climate. One might ask: Why live there?
Russia has lots of natural resources.
Europeans have had about a hundred border disputes in the past thousand years; most of which were decided without U.S. interference. The Eastern Ukraine/Russia border conflict pre-dates WW II, and especially from 1954 when the USSR ceded limited control to Ukraine. Fourteen years ago, it escalated into an armed conflict when the heavily ethnic Russian populous in the breakaway provinces sought “independence” (arguably more of a Russian affiliation than independence).
Ukraine only exists and gained that control because Khrushchev was from Ukraine territory. And he and everyone else assumed it would never mean anything.
Yes, in 1954, absolutely. some American’s think “history” started sometime in the 1990’s,
But then Ukraine
1) got help from McCain (Euromaidan)
2) interfered in US elections, against Trump, again and again and again (also did not help re: impeachment)
3) each of these cases is an act of war following McCain words
Ukraine must follow McCain and consider having provoked a war against a super power. No choice here.
Yep, step up USA, Europe needs you to spend your blood and treasure on Europe, protecting Europe’s borders, instead of helping people who really need help in the USA.
and (different city) https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/09/12/extreme-poverty-usa-the-true-cost-of-climate-madness/
Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, DC, San Francisco, are just a few of the dem shithole cities of the WEF C40 cities.
https://slaynews.com/news/phoenix-mayor-moves-enforce-wefs-ban-meat-dairy-private-car-ownership/
Saw this today, what a nutter.
Eric, do you really believe that to support local parasites is more important than supporting our friends? Soon out only choice left would be to support parasites.
I’m watching a Netflix while I read these comments so I lost the context…. which are which?
South Ossetia and Abkhazia were exercising their right to self-determination when Sakashvilli illegally tried to retake them by force. What happened next, on Russia’s borders, was fairly inevitable. Perhaps if the international community, including the USA, EU and UK, had supported South Ossetia and Abkhazia’s right to independence and not to be persecuted by the Georgian government all of that unpleasantness would have been avoided.
Twice in the last 100 years we have tried that policy of accepting larger neighbours slicing off parts of their neighbours due to cultural and ethnic similarities in those regions.
A) The Sudetenland and Austria were taken by Germany in the 1930s. This policy was negotiated by the great powers of the day to provide “Peace in our Time!”. It was not successful.
B) The Crimea was invaded by Russia eight years ago. Along with regions on the east of Ukraine. The world looked away hoping the Bear was hungry no more. This policy was hoped to provide “Peace in our Time!”. It was not successful.
At which point will you stand up for your borders? When the threat reaches your own borders or before, when others will fight alongside you? Or in the case of Ukraine, will fight for you?
We haven’t been standing up for our own borders since 21 January 2021.
https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/operation-lone-star-stops-criminals-at-president-bidens-open-border
It probably goes back to Bush I if not before but it’s certainly accelerated since 2021.
Could even take the start back to Ronald Reagan… But the transition from accommodation to invasion was on 21 January 2021.
I got a phone call from a friend that morning. “Biden’s getting inaugurated today. We’re going to buy some guns. Wanna come?”
Yep – bought my Colt AR.
They said that in obamas time too.
Most gun deaths are from owner suicide or against own family
Too sad
More people crossed in Trumps time than Bidens
They fell considerably after Biden had agreement with mexico this yearto take back most hatians, nicaruguans venezuelans cubans
“At which point will you stand up for your borders? “
Maybe you ought to ask Biden. !
Russia is no threat except to those using Ukraine to try to subvert Russia.
Certainly no physical threat to the USA.
Their conventional capabilities are limited but they have the largest nuclear arsenal. The leadership of both parties seem to be willing to risk WW III and mutual destruction.
Instead of risking WWIII, we’ll just surrender one country at a time.
No one is risking WW3 but the west.
Ukraine is not a NATO member, yet NATO is supplying the country with arms free of charge.
NATO trained and provisioned a 400,000 strong Ukraine military which went on to attack and kill 14,000 mostly civilians in eastern Ukraine between 2014 and 2022.
Where was NATO then? Where was the UN then? Where was America then?
When the good old west stands up for poor little Ukraine it’s all fine. But when Russia sticks up for the ethnically Russian eastern Ukraine little guy, that’s all bad.
Russia signed a draft peace deal in March 2022 with Ukraine. The agreement included Russia withdrawing to pre February 2022 positions, entirely out of Eastern Ukraine.
Biden despatched Boris Johnson to Kiev to order Zelensky to tear the deal up.
Why did Biden and Johnson do that?
Biden has expressed that his objective is to cause regime change in Russia. Yet that’s not legal under international law. But he’s doing it anyway.
What evidence is there of Russia wanting to march across Europe? Not even the USSR did that, eastern Europe was handed to them after WW2 by the allies.
You have uncritically swallowed Russian propaganda lies.
Ukraine did not kill 14,000 Donbas Ukrainians. That’s the total number of people on both sides killed in the Donbas war started by Putin.
Fewer than 3500 Donbas civilians have been killed since 2014, with about equal numbers killed by Russians and pro-Russians and by the legitimate government of Ukraine.
Looks a lot more like 1914 than 1938.
Are you nervous?
Biden told the world the US is out of 155mm artillery shells.
Why would Russia use nuclear weapons in Ukraine? It already has the 20% of the country it didn’t want in the first place.
Russia signed a draft peace deal in March 2022 with Ukraine. The agreement included Russia withdrawing to pre February 2022 positions, entirely out of Eastern Ukraine.
Biden despatched Boris Johnson to Kiev to order Zelensky to tear the deal up.
I agree that at this point there is no reason for Russia to use nuclear weapons. But U.S. politicians from both parties are hawkish and escalation historically is met with escalation.
There’s a time for war but negotiation and peace is generally preferred in my opinion.
Peter Zeihan has some interesting opinions on this very situations.
Putin has repeatedly made plain his desirew for all of Ukraine. He told Bush the Younger that Ukraine isn’t a country in 2001. Before his 2022 invasion, he wrote a long essay to that effect.
In his opinion, Ukrainian isn’t even an East Slavic language independently descended from Old East Slavic, indeed older than Russian, but Russian polluted by Polish.
His fractured fairy tale version of Slavic history is a cartoonish lie. He might really believe it, but it’s a lie. Had he been able to occupy all the oblasti he invaded last year, he’d have annexed them as well.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/world/europe/russia-ukraine-peace-talks-istanbul.html
How come these peace talks early in 2022 had nothing of the kind
Boris Johnson on Bidens orders scuppered those talks as the Ukraine delegation disappeared from Istanbul when he arrived in kviv
Was that the draft of the Istanbul agreement where the Ukraine delegation returned home suddenly when Boris Johnson turned up in kyiv ?
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-aims-make-100000-artillery-shells-per-month-2025-us-official-says-2023-09-15/
Yes, Putin has no reason to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. He has a lot of reasons not to use nuclear weapons in Ukriane.
I heard Zelensky say yesterday that Ukrainians were not going to stop unitl all of Ukraine was reclaimed from Putin, including Crimea.
I hear the Ukrianians have been making breakthroughs in Putin’s defense lines. Lack of ammunition is the only thing slowing them down.
Ukraine is trying to subvert Russia by forcing the Russians to invade the Ukraine?
Obviously I meant NATO and its expansionist policies.
Pay attention
Unsettled Ukraine Conflict: Russia agreed to sign treaty to settle the issue, says Sergey Lavrov | News – Times of India Videos (indiatimes.com)
HotScot is exactly correct on this point.
“Russia signed a draft peace deal in March 2022 with Ukraine. The agreement included Russia withdrawing to pre February 2022 positions, entirely out of Eastern Ukraine.”
(We really don’t stand up for our borders)
Do you think any of your recent or illegal immigrants want to stand up for your borders? What percentage?
First things first.
As long as your leaders trash your own culture, and you continue to push for a solid socialist state, then fighting with/for Ukraine is just like using the little blue beach bucket to throw the water back into the ocean to mitigate the tide. It will make no difference in the end, and you are lost regardless.
Someone else still with their head still stuck in the cold war.
Red’s under the bed.
“Twice in the last 100 years we have tried”
We? I was not there either time. Russia is really really geographically large and not densely populated.
Have you heard about that obscure place called Palestine….I hear they have had border problems for 70 odd years
What’s holding that up or is it something about ancient borders will still apply 2000 years later let alone stolen land and ignoring UN decisions
No. South Ossettia and Abkhazia wanted independence of both Georgia and Russia – they found out that any rights of self-determination, much lauded and upheld by the international community, are completely worthless. The international community, including USA, were firmly behind the illegal invasion by Saakashvili, now a war criminal and Ukraine citizen.
“right to self-determination”
plus
“if the international community… had supported”
equals
“huh?”
Doesn’t sound like self-determination if it requires someone else.
It didn’t require anybody else until Saakashvili started his illegal invasion; then despite the South Ossettians and Abkhazians fighting and dying, it required intervention. It’s a shame that many countries sided with Georgia instead – Saakashvili is now seen as a war criminal in Georgia except for Ukraine who welcomed him, made him a citizen and made him governor of the Odesa region, then presidential adviser to Poroshenko and Zelensky. I believe he is now serving a long prison sentence in Georgia.
It really is fascinating how socialists actually believe the lies they tell each other.
There was never any evidence linking Trump or Republicans to Russia, but since the goal is pushing socialism in the US, any lie that advances that agenda is pushed.
Yes there was evidence . Muller said so, just not enough for conspiracy charges to stick but many other convictions or indictments such as this
The special counsel issued three separate indictments against Manafort. In the third, prosecutors implicated Kilimnik for the first time, charging him with conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice.These charges concern communications between Manafort and Kilimnik regarding messages they exchanged with two journalists who were potential witnesses in the case against them.
Other times various communications between Trumps team and Russian operatives
You know who Manafort was do you? So maybe you would like to walk back the never any evidence
“Russian colluuuuuuuusion!”
Yer still a clown, nothing has changed.
Fantasy. No evidence for this whatsoever.
When Trump promoted fossil fuel extraction and safer (pipes NOT trains) fossil fuel transport, did you or did you not applaud?
I did applaud, so I now can speak.
If you did not, please STHU.
Mccourtney
Russian Imperialism? Over a chicken s&&t border dispute over lands that were Russian since Catherine the Great until less than 100 years ago populated with a high percentage of Russian speaking people that were in military conflict with Ukraine for 14 years before “The Special Military Operation”? Imperialism? My left foot.
copy
Catherine II… most commonly known as Catherine the Great,[c] was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III. Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Russia experienced a renaissance of culture and sciences, which led to the founding of many new cities, universities, and theatres, along with large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe and the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe.
In her accession to power and her rule of the empire In the south, the Crimean Khanate was annexed …With the support of Great Britain, Russia colonised the territories of New Russia along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas. In the west, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth—ruled by Catherine’s former lover, King Stanisław August Poniatowski—was eventually partitioned, with the Russian Empire gaining the largest share. In the east, Russians became the first Europeans to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America.
Many cities and towns were founded on Catherine’s orders in the newly conquered lands, most notably Yekaterinoslav, Kherson, Nikolayev, and Sevastopol.
hmm, Crimean Khanate, Kherson, sounds like some familiar places in the current
Yes.
The Russian Empire ruled its neighbours.
Now Russia has lost its Empire.
It is Putin and the US Republican Party who want to make Russia great again.
And its the free people of Ukraine and other neighbouring countries who are being attacked to make that happen.
We agree on the facts. Just disagree about the right of stronger nations to crush their neighbours.
Obama stole the election from Trump in 2020 after failing to steal it in 2016.
Obama was the very opposite of a strong leader.
I have no sympathy for the pro Putin trolls/agitators/NPC that have overwhelmed the nationalist crowd in France. It’s sad to see.
Good comments by Eric on a complex and tangled issue. The Republicans are faced with the issue of profound corruption in Ukraine (Burisma, anyone?) while wanting Russia defeated. Enter UK, EU, and Soros et al and the monies flow around to entirely the wrong places. The latest news indicates Zelensky has fired several Cabinet members in a belated attempt to control corruption, but maybe that is finally a good sign. Russia has been shown to have a pathetic military, so why doesn’t China make a move? Bear and Dragon?
China is already making a move, but you know, oriental patience. Millions of Chinese live illegally in the Russian Far East. No need to stage a flashy invasion if you get what you want anyway, right under the noses of Russian authorities.
The countries that China resents most:
1) Japan (because Nanking and the Boxer Rebellion).
2) The UK (because Opium, Unequal Treaties and the Boxer Rebellion).
3) Russia (because the Manchu lands were annexed).
4) USA (because they are in the way).
5) France (because Unequal Treaties and the Boxer Rebellion).
Watching Russia bleed out is no tragedy for China.
How do you know that Russia is bleeding out?
War is always costly, except in children’s games.
Russia recently withdrew most of it’s troops from the Norwegian border.
Either Russia was lying about regarding NATO as a major threat, or Russia desperately needs those troops elsewhere.
Russia has been going to countries like Iran and N. Korea trying to buy weapons. With N. Korea they are trading technology rather than cash.
No one has enough artillery shells, even ukraine
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/13/us/politics/russia-sanctions-missile-production.html
Tank production has doubled, missiles have increased as well above pre war levels.
Artillery shells had jumped to 2 mill per year , well above pre war levels and even what they though it would increase too.
I don’t know how reliable this all is
Relying on Syrian and Cuban mercs to replace Wagner’s convicted murderers? Begging North Korea for ammunition?
Agreed, but in the short term at least they are allied with Russia.
Aiding 1 against 4 looks like an ally.
But they don’t want a win.
That’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Not sure what you mean exactly.
I worked for a Chinese company for a few years and early on my Chinese colleagues clearly regarded the U.S. in a generally positive light as that was the government narrative. They wanted more foreign investment.
By the time of the end of my employment, a greater Chinese nationalism and growing displeasure of the U.S. was palpable.
Anyway, all countries have problems but I think the U.S. has the most potential for a better future. For example, China’s birthrate has collapsed by something like 70% over the past few years.
They have – a very subtle and devious move; China has redrawn maps of several disputed areas in India, South China Sea and Russia as chinese territory. The next step will be to move people in and take de facto control. It’s a slow process, but might work in some areas while people are looking in the wrong direction.
China is already occupying Russia’s Far East, the Manchurian land acquired in the Unequal Treaty of 1860, and plundering its resources.
“Zelensky has fired several Cabinet members in a belated attempt to control corruption,”
But not himself ? !
ouch!
Zelensky want to make sure he is control of all the corruption… 🙂
Biden, very willing to help.
10% to the big guy.
Let’s face it, Zelensky is making a motza out of continuing the war.
He will walk away a muli-millionaire, at least. !
Exit stage left.
He already was a multi-millionaire before being elected president.
‘Zelensky has fired several Cabinet members in a belated attempt to control corruption …’
were they taking more than him, or taking more than their share, or just being too blatant about it?
If anything, Russia is more corrupt than the Ukraine. At least Zelensky’s political opponents don’t have a history of conveniently dying.
No, they just get put in jail…
Ukraine is just as much of a dictatorship as everyone says Russia is..
Zelensky nationalizes TV news and restricts opposition parties (yahoo.com))
Now doesn’t that sound familiar !!
Or are you cheering for that, as well.
The usual first step has been to send a group of masked men to the persons house, beat the cr@p out of them and trash everything in sight. Since the war, however, anybody caught publicly airing anti-war or pro – Russian views is labelled a ‘dissident’ and quite a lot of dissidents have disappeared in Ukraine recently.
I’m not so sure. It almost seems like political assassination in the Ukraine has a long and storied history and up to the present.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Assassinated_Ukrainian_politicians
Your list includes those killed by Communists and Russians. The few killed by Ukraine recently were legitimate targets, like the DPR leader and Russian agent.
Yes, good comments by Eric, except it’s not a complex and tangled issue. The simple explanation is that the same out of control Federal government that has been encroaching on our liberties for 30+ years has also been pushing NATO eastward, notwithstanding the collapse of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact. And let’s not kid ourselves that we’d not have been in a hot war with the USSR many years ago if the shoe had been on the other foot.
It is indeed tragic that the common people of Ukraine are paying a horrible price for the arrogance of the globalists who run our government. But they also elected a leader who didn’t lift a finger to stop the Democrats from impeaching Trump, nor our media from hiding the Biden family’s systematic participation in Ukraine’s corruption from view of US voters. So now we have Biden and Ukraine has a war.
in other world let Ukraine war continue longer, or worse, let them be annihilated, because you have political agenda… Its like people saying this cant thing things trough… or they dont care about consequences..
That is not what I said. What I am saying is Europe should pull their weight, if they want to help Ukraine, and stop expecting the USA to ride to their rescue all the time. Europe has no right to expect help from the USA, given Europe seems to be expending significant resources on actions which are harmful to the political stability of the United States.
I lived in Britain, I know exactly how European leaders feel about the USA – their elites look on the USA with contempt, they think the USA is an inferior culture, but useful for cannon fodder in a war, or for paying the bills.
true, we should had spend more on defense and we will now.. but easter europe already send everything we can and energy crisis hit us pretty hard.. We also buy loots of new weapons from US in next few years.
US is doing a lot, but its is still doing bare minimum and support must be greatly increased on, otherwise this will be long war.
We can clearly see Russians are willing to expend loots of lives and they need to be pushed from Ukraine territory, otherwise cease fire will only lead to new round.
Without more equipment, there wont be quick maneuver warfare and only way to defeat them is to grind down Russia army until they couldn’t sustain looses, thats require eliminating 20k russia soldiers per month atm..
I’m not totally opposed to the idea of the USA or Europe helping Ukraine, but I firmly believe that if the USA continues to help Ukraine in the current political landscape, there will be dire consequences for the USA. European leaders are not acting like friends and allies.
This is readily apparent to anyone with their eyes open. The EU is NOT our friend ultimately unless you think yourself as an official chattering class stooge like most of the DC mafia.
Sure, our time is not running out 🙂
It’s not just the EU bypassing official channels to influence U.S. policy.
China pays U.S. media companies to push climate change, and pays lobbyists to spread cash among U.S. Congress members.
Both China and Russia fund U.S. “environmental” activist groups.
Heard of Radio free Europe and Voice of America funded by us taxpayers
In fact RFE was a CIA front organisation disguised as an independent group
Sorry guys. I strongly disagree with this post sentiment on multiple grounds. Even tho popular with conventional conservatives who are also climate skeptics. Ex US Army here. Ex global CSO here. Been China ‘dealing’ more than most.
First, Ukraine has almost nothing to do with ‘Green’. False image. It has everything to do with hydrocarbon rich Putin fantasizing he can be the second coming of Peter the Great reassembling the fallen Soviet empire.
Second, Ukraine is fighting to regain its lawfully established territory Putin then forcibly seized—twice (Obama did NOTHING concerning Crimea and eastern Donbas in 2014). They seem to be doing a reasonable job against terrible odds. Obama shows what happens when you do not stand up to a bully. You get bullied more. My military officer WW2/Korean War dad taught me an invaluable bully lesson. “Son, you never start a fight. But when it happens, you finish on top.” Actually applied his advice twice, winning both disciplinary proceedings after bullies were forcibly subdued on public school grounds, by 8th grade. By then bullies in my not so great neighborhood had learned a lesson. Same here now.
Third, EU/US equipment support to Ukraine is STILL less than foolish AGW mitigation expenditures. Plus is exposing our own ammo manufacturing shortfalls.
Fourth, the equipment we are sending is either second rate (Mostly Leopard 1 not 2, Abraham tank 1, not 2) or old near expiry (Stinger, Javelin) stuff. So we benefit by renewing /upgrading, and Ukraine benefits by expending old stuff still better than what Russia can mostly field.
Fifth, maintaining Ukraine support will be an object lesson to China about potentially attacking Taiwan (despite the ‘strategic ambiguity’ figleaf). Ukraine is a breadbasket for Africa. A short term probably solvable food problem. Taiwan is semiconductor manufacturing ground central. Were it disrupted by a China attack, short term globally insoluble and VERY disruptive of several key industries.
If Russia collapses, I believe the resources liberated by the collapse will be used to destabilise the United States, to advance Soros’ green left agenda. Soros makes no secret of his intention to use the collapse of Russia to progress his green agenda.
Given Europe has no problem with massive interference in US politics, liberating more resources for their agenda of interference could have a catastrophic impact on the US political landscape.
What you say about Ukraine and China is true, though there are other perspectives, such as Azov persecution of ethnic Russians before the war.
But if the USA helps Ukraine, I believe there is evidence resources liberated by the Russian defeat will be used to hurt the USA.
So it boils down to a choice, which is more important? Protecting Ukraine or protecting the USA? Because you can’t have both.
I don’t get you. Do you actually believe that Russia is stabilizing the United States? And what resources would be liberated by a collapse of Russia? What collapse?
Rud Istvan is entirely correct in his post.
Your response is a non-sequitur.
Russia will not collapse if they fail to conquer their neighbours.
If that were so Russia would not be a viable state. But it’s lasted centuries, fought and won a world war, even fought and lost a world war and bounced back.
Ukraine is the state in peril.
Ukraine and everyone else next to a larger neighbour, if we don’t stand by those fighting for their right to exist.
Read what Soros said again:
Couple that with the British Government’s apparent attempts to interfere directly in US politics, boasting about “bypassing Trump” when he was in power, and you don’t need to be Einstein to figure out how a significant portion of those resources liberated by the defeat of Russia will be used.
European interference in US politics will continue, whether or not Russia wins.
I don’t see how countries breaking free from Russian domination frees up anything.
As to what Soros wrote, I know of anyone who considers him to be a geo-political genius.
Meeting mayors ..how dare they be so open about it
They met with a few leftwing mayors. Big deal.
I bet nobody could name one of them right now without googling it.
Obama blatantly attempted to interfere in UK politics, presumably the UK green activist MP’s thought it was allowed after that.
Yes, Obama was going to put the UK at the back of the line.
Trump came in and put the UK at the front of the line.
I see that many people here fail to see the history back to the early 1990’s when Russia gave up the Warsaw pact and liberated nations they had taken back in the 1940’s.
The West/NATO told Russia they would NOT expand to the east in the early 1990’s but they did over the protest of many leaders who predicted correctly that it would destabilize the region.
Russia after 1991 showed no indication they wanted to expand the empire yet NATO/West paranoia caused them to break several treaties and surround Russia with missiles, membership and troops.
Here is the article that explains this in some detail:
Eisenhower Media Network,
The U.S. Should Be a Force for Peace in the World
TIMELINE
1990 – U.S. assures Russia that NATO will not expand towards its border “…there would be no extension of…NATO one inch to the east,” says US Secretary of State James Baker.
1996 – U.S. weapons manufacturers form the Committee to Expand NATO, spending over $51 million lobbying Congress.
1997 – 50 foreign policy experts including former senators, retired military officers and diplomats sign an open letter stating NATO expansion to be “a policy error of historic proportions.”
1999 – NATO admits Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic to NATO. U.S. and NATO bomb Russia’s ally, Serbia.
2001 – U.S. unilaterally withdraws from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
2004 – Seven more Eastern European nations join NATO. NATO troops are now directly on Russia’s border.
2004 – Russia’s parliament passed a resolution denouncing NATO’s expansion. Putin responded by saying that Russia would “build our defense and security policy correspondingly.”
2008 – NATO leaders announced plans to bring Ukraine and Georgia, also on Russia’s borders, into NATO.
2009 – U.S. announced plans to put missile systems into Poland and Romania.
2014 – Legally elected Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, fled violence to Moscow. Russia views ouster as a coup by U.S. and NATO nations.
2016 – U.S. begins troop buildup in Europe.
2019 – U.S. unilaterally withdraws from Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty.
2020 – U.S. unilaterally withdraws from Open Skies Treaty.
2021 – Russia submits negotiation proposals while sending more forces to the border with Ukraine. U.S. and NATO officials reject the Russian proposals immediately.
LINK
A lot more in the link.
Actually it was NATO and the West who precipitated the civil war in 2014 in Ukraine then continues to encroach a nation that has been invaded many times through history including France in 1814 Germany twice in 1916 and 1941 all of them unprovoked.
It was NATO who lied to Russia about no more expansion plans. It was NATO who supplied Ukraine for the singular purpose of starting a war with Russia who because of this and the refusal to negotiate a settlement in 2022 realized they must invade to survive as recent statements makes clear it was to eventually take down the nation.
actually total BS and Russia mafia/FSB was busy to shape events in Ukraine to enable them to split ukraine.
It appears you are going to ignore the many links I posted that are well documented which is why I made the post in the first place.
Your anti Russia bigotry might be a problem for you, try going with the evidence instead.
The problem is that YOU keep ignoring the HISTORY of the region it is why you fail to understand WHY Russia made that invasion after years of being insulted by the numerous NATO expansion lies and coverts attacks (overthrow of the Ukraine leader) by the west which could have been prevented if the idiots had tried to settle their differences in March 2021.
Soros latching on to current events, to push his agenda, does not make his words the motivation for those events.
“George Soros: The defeat of Russian imperialism will have far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world.”
Good consequences, imo.
“George Soros: It will bring huge relief to open societies and create tremendous problems for closed ones.”
I think that’s true.
“Most importantly, it will allow the world to concentrate on its biggest problem, climate change.”
I think that is wishful thinking on the part of George Soros.
Eric: “Couple that with the British Government’s apparent attempts to interfere directly in US politics, boasting about “bypassing Trump” when he was in power”
This is a non-issue.
As the article says: “The UK has started bypassing Donald Trump over climate change, talking directly to city mayors and other officials committed to trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the new Climate Change Minister has revealed.”
I would call this virtue signalling rather than interfering in US politics. At best, it was/is a failed attempt to interfere. Nobody in the US pays any attention to this. It doesn’t make them vote one way or the other.
A non-issue over here.
“Because you can’t have both.” Even with an inept administration, we are having both. Let Ukraine fall, and see how friendly Russia immediately becomes 🙂
The nearest historical parallel is Hitler’s occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938-39. And see how much good it did to France and Great Britain. And the promised eternal peace lasted less than two years.
FWIW
“The history of the destruction of the Russian Galicia”
https://www.veteranstoday.com/2022/03/14/the-history-of-the-destruction-of-the-russian-galicia/
If the Ukraine collapses, Russia will use the resources liberated to destabilize the whole world, starting with the US.
US is doing a great job of destabilising itself.. No help needed. !
Kind of an understatement.
I don’t believe that losing in Ukraine will destabilize Russia. Putin my lose power, but some other oligarch will take over and Russia will continue on, only with a much smaller military.
I agree Rud. I visited Ukraine a number of times; all the cities along the Dneiper river plus a number in the western Ukraine. No visa, safe, generally nice people. Yes there was and is corruption. It looked for a time that Zelensky could do something in that regard. The problems on the eastern border were caused by Russian partisans and of course the conflict killed a number of soldiers and civilians. Putin the thug that he is decided he wanted the breadbasket that is Ukraine. He used that conflict as an excuse to invade of course thinking it would be over in a few weeks at most.
I have also been to Russia a number of times starting about 20 years ago. The 3 month visa was $150. Walking out of customs at the airport I was somewhat shocked at the number of uniforms everywhere in the arrivals. Travel in the country is monitored. The Russian people I met were also generally very nice and some expressed their dissatisfaction with the government. But Russia will never change it will always be an autocratic society/government.
I was married to a Russian woman for 10 years but she went back to Tula to care for her mother. She has occasionally commented on the body bags arriving back. The war has caused significant pain also through high inflation and the inability to access goods from Europe and the US.
The tourist industry has also been hurt badly. St Petersburg is a wonderful city for a tourist with the Hermitage,Pushkin and other museums. I loved wandering around that city.
I think Ukraine deserves support particularly from Europe. Eastern Europe in particular and Germany are very wary of Putin and his ambitions as he has stated his desire to reconstruct the Soviet Union (which will never happen).
As you said,the US needs to be very wary of China and its ambitions as well (though the present admin will not confront China; that is evident.
Ukraine gave up its inherited nuclear weapons at the urging of the United States, in exchange for guarantees of its sovereign borders by the U.S. and Russia. We see what the Russian guarantee was worth. We shall see the value of the U.S. commitment.
Ukraine will continue to fight the Russians whether we send them ammo or not. If we don’t, more Ukrainians and fewer Russians will die.
If Russians are not made sick by all the returning body bags, then Putin will continue his aggression, in Ukraine, and in other regions. That is what might trigger the nuclear conflict everyone seems so worried about.
To the point that only Russia, not Ukraine, had the keys to those nuclear weapons:
Building a nuke is mostly easy. Instructions are on the internet. The hard part is getting the uranium or plutonium. The Ukrainians had the ability to remanufacture those weapons to make them useable.
No they didn’t the triggers etc is very difficult. Plus Ukraine wanted the money same went for the ballistic missile technology especially the rocket motors which Ukraine sold to north Korea
Mike, I agree. That was a sufficiently disastrous mistake by Ukraine that no country not in existence will ever make that mistake again. If you have nuclear weapons and give them up, you are asking to be invaded and attacked.After Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2021, the prospect of any other nation surrendering their nuclear weapons shrank to zero.
there’s another related issue. The former USSR was the fifth member of the UN Security Council. By what right was that seat taken by Russia? Russia was not the USSR. Or can we chalk this one up to another spectacular blunder by George Bush Sr?
Peace through strength really is an effective strategy.
Agreed. Israel has been pursuing this since the end of their 1949 war of independence, and it’s never let them down in more than 70 years. Whereas the 1930s demonstrated exactly how not to handle a militant aggressor. Everything France and Britain did after the advent of Hitler was simply one calamity after another, symbolized by the disaster that was Munich 1938. I can perhaps excuse Chamberlain because of his greatly worsening health condition.
This is true, which is why Israel is the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons.
Russia was the continuing country in hundreds of global agreements. It wasn’t George bushs gift to give
The states of the former Soviet union decided Russia was to get the UN seat at a meeting at Alma Ata
China was another successor state situation
Britain also might face that situation if the united kingdom loses one of it’s main parts , Scotland
Your claim is just Ukraine propaganda
Us of course has done a number of special military operations not approved by UN , especially Iraq
China? Really?
No guarantees at all. It was very very loosely ‘ respect’ or some such and we’ll tell the UN if any body is naughty
So don’t say guarantee unless you can back it up with exact words from the ,’memorandum’ …yes that’s what they called it
Ukraine got handsomely paid for these defunct warheads, Russia like Us have a centralized system of arming the weapons which kyiv never had the codes. Some of this tech was provided by US as they wanted a secure system too
It was to remove the fissile material that Ukraine was paid for
Your first and second points completely ignore the role of NATO’s expansion despite the collapse of the USSR and dissolution of the Warsaw Pact. Re. your third point, I’m not sure why we should be thrilled pouring treasure into a meat grinder on top of what we’re pouring down the climate change sewer. As for your fourth point, you might want to review Bastiat’s broken window fallacy. And finally, if one is really suspicious of China’s intentions toward Taiwan, it probably would have been a good idea not to have pushed Russia into China’s orbit.
Amen!
Frank, we agree to disagree. I gave my reasons, you didn’t for the most part.
The US is supplying Ukraine with a Soviet-style battalion’s worth, ie 31, Abrams tanks. The model sent is the older M1A1, but upgraded to very similar capability to the M1A2, in an effort to speed up delivery.
American battalions are bigger, at 44 to 58 tanks, ie three or four companies of 14, plus two command tanks.
“My military officer WW2/Korean War dad taught me an invaluable bully lesson. “Son, you never start a fight. But when it happens, you finish on top.” Actually applied his advice twice, winning both disciplinary proceedings after bullies were forcibly subdued on public school grounds, by 8th grade. By then bullies in my not so great neighborhood had learned a lesson.”
That’s the way you handle bullies.
It works for schoolyard bullies, and for international bullies. The psychology is the same. If a bully thinks he will come to harm if he tries to bully you, then he will leave you alone. If a bully does not get sufficient pushback, then he will plague you forever.
I think we need to fund Ukraine to humiliate Russia, but can we then steal from Ukraine as a pay back? Hope so!
There’s no need to humiliate Russia. Throwing Vladimir Putin’s bullet-riddled body out the main gate of the Kremlin will be sufficient.
Yes, this is Putin’s war. Putin’s ego drives this war.
I hear the Oligarchs are getting restless.
How popular was Putin before, say, at least until his retirement reform? (Way before the war.)
Very AFAIK.
Now of course Russia may have elections more farcical than even Biden urinal election victory, but unlike Biden, Putin was very popular; also, the alternative to his party were dumb or dangerous.
This post by Sundance at Conservative Treehouse should be required reading and listening to:
A DC Cornerstone Issue That Must Be Understood – This Isn’t What You Learned on Schoolhouse Rock – The Last Refuge (theconservativetreehouse.com)
It’s much clearer now what’s propelling Climate Science not very least – and explains the grotesque hypocrisy that’s commented upon round here almost daily
Always remember that a certain percentage of “foreign” aid sent to Ukraine returns home in the form of kickbacks to the American oligarchs.
This is great news if it holds. And Soros is a filthy liar.
Maybe most of it comes back and trillions passing through the pentagon over the past couple of decades are missing.
Or through the Clinton Global Foundation and the Open Society Foundation.
I have no respect for Soros, no respect for Biden, no respect for European leadership, no respect for Putin and I don’t know what to make of the Ukraine. I have upmost respect for Ukrainians standing up to the worthless bully Putin. I have heard questionable things about Zelenskyy. Do the things we hear about Zelenskyy warrant us stepping away and not help the Ukrainians in their effort to put Putin in his place? I don’t think so. Putin needs a whooping even if we don’t like the fella doing the whooping. This story suggests Zelenskyy is taking aid from the US and transferring it to European leaders to fight climate change. I know they can’t mean that. They must be saying every dollar the Europeans don’t give Zelenskyy they can spend on climate change. That may be true but how Europe spends its money should not determine whether the US helps fund the defeat of Putin. What we should be doing is pressuring Europe to do the right thing and help get rid of Putin. That they waste billions of Euros on climate change is their business. That they try to interfere with our climate change policies is not surprising but treaties are a federal function, if they are found to be fooling around with treaties influencing state, county or city governments they need to be taken to the woodshed. If we have a chance to whoop Putin we need to get on board, period.
A) Most US aid to UKR is old junk we want to get rid of that was paid for decades ago.
B) Germany has given more in total aid.
C) Lithuania has given far more per capita than anyone.
D) if it comes down to it, Jeffries will agree that Putin is a greater evil than McCarthy and allow bipartisan legislation.
I think about half of the NATO nations (14) are actually giving their fair share.
The other half are not.
And remember, in many cases it was Trump that prodded them to increase their NATO contributions to those required by treaty.
Being of Lithuanian descent, I’m happy that Lithuania has stepped up, and fully understand their incentive to do so.
I think in the end we are going to find Ukraine runs out of bodies to send out to be slaughtered before Russia does. This is a potential Vietnam if their ever was one. Some men have a talent for making seemingly impossible deals to stop this sort of problematic situation. We had one here in the US, but they are trying to put him in prison.
The whole situation is beyond FUBARed , most people have no depth of understanding of any of these issues, be it war in Ukraine, ridiculous people like Soros, all the Dems and no small numbered of tired old RINO types. And the average NBC CBS MSLSD watcher- Oh my god we’re totally screwed. And they are going to character assassinate or charge or deplatform anybody that speaks real truth to power. Look out this is what 2024 looks like.
They’ve already identified their 2024 lockdown virus.
https://theconversation.com/nipah-virus-outbreak-in-india-what-you-need-to-know-213692
The next election will be an infowar on a scale which makes 2020 look honest.
Same old play book. We better hope people finally start to catch on. Frankly I am not optimistic . I keep thinking of all the experiments in psychology of how easily people comply with authority. This is the first time in my adult life when I am genuinely not assuming it will all work ok even here in the USA.
Saw Hamilton in London a few weeks ago.
“The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed.”
Well armed militia was to counter any slave rebellions of which there were many .
Personal defence in the home …nah , no mention of that , was invented by activist supreme court guy
RNA virus. That’s convenient.
Peace in our time! Herr Hitler only wants the western part of Czechoslovakia …where he says some Germans are being mistreated….we have his name on this piece of paper guaranteeing that peace….we just have to satisfy his appetite and then it will all be over.
Comrade Stalin only wants 1/2 of Finland….and 1/2 of Poland….he is not a greedy communist….he has signed a pact with Herr Hitler….surely we will now have peace in our time.
NATO only wants Russia. !
Poland took part of Czechoslovakia too just like Germany. It was a semi facist dictatorship at the time and probably would have allied with Germany like Hungary if Hitler hadn’t had designs on them first
Russia isn’t going to lose as they are still in Ukraine behind a long defensive line being patient as they wear down the Ukraine military.
I see that there are a lot of political experts commenting here. Quite frankly, I don’t know what to make of the Ukraine situation because I realize that most of what I read is filtered through a liberal ‘news’ media. I’m perplexed about something that perhaps one of you can enlighten me.
There are generally complaints about Russia interfering in US politics. Yet, Reuters, the BBC, and other socialist-leaning British ‘news’ media routinely publish articles promoting Prior Restraint style gun control with biased ‘facts,’ criticize Trump and the Republican party, and promote climate alarmism. Why is it that I don’t see similar complaints about the political interference of the UK that people make about Russia?
Good comment.
Did you know that Russia doesn’t even exist on the board of the game Risk, but Ukraine does and is quite large?
Excellent! I have an old game of Risk (copyright 1959), and you are right. Ukraine is about the largest region on the board. Maybe Yakutsk is slightly larger.
Ukraine takes in western Russia, eastern europe and Ukraine and eastern Russia is split into 5 other regions. It’s just the way it was created – next you’ll be complaining that Canada has more territories than USA or there are only 4 countries represented in the whole of South America!
I tended to gravitate to South America, not may points but easy to defend. Still, having a lots of soldiers did deter aggression no matter where. A luck roll of the dice could defeat even a well thought out strategy.
Czar Putey Pootin commits atrocities….he just shot down a jet in Russia carrying Proghozin and several other people….one Russian with actual Nazi tattoos on him…a video reveals some young Cubans now in the trenches in Ukraine when they were supposedly hired for construction work in Russia….Ukrainian prisoners murdered…Jake Broe on YouTube has lots of videos…..the list is long and sordid…..Putey’s actions are very similar to Hitler and Stalin.
Meanwhile Zelensky is getting a thorough whitewash – no mention of the kill teams operating in Russia or the bombing campaign. Lets face it – Zelensky’s hands are not clean; not as bloody as Putin’s but still bloody.
I don’t have much sympathy for someone who pokes a hornet’s nest, even if it is a bear. It has long been a truism in football that the best defense is a good offense.
If only Ukraine had been sorted out with a football match, there would have been far fewer casualties.
I don’t recollect Putin offering a football match as an option before launching the invasion.
If only Ukraine had had a dozen A-10 Warthogs when the invasion convoy was stalled on the road, there would have been far fewer casualties.
Atrocities on both sides. I guess you haven’t seen the grenade dropped by a drone onto a medic and a wounded Russian soldier. Maybe you approve of that.
It was all about colluding behind the scenes with political operatives like Muller found with Trumps people during the campaign. It’s a crime in us law.
Publishing in media isn’t colluding with a political campaign is it
Trump’s campaign chair Manafort was convicted over his hidden links along side others
Rachel Madcow?
Is it you behind the mask?
I suppose that is the essence of my question. Some things may be ‘legal’ although unethical or in poor taste. Why should British tabloids routinely try to propagandize the American public? While they may have protection from our First Amendment, I find it objectionable that they try to influence Congress and our elections. A ‘friend’ would stand back and just observe, not tell us what to do, unless asked.
Is it collusion for Democrats to pay a former MI6 operative to write a salacious screed about Trump that has been shown to be false?
“Why should British tabloids routinely try to propagandize the American public?”
Because they are leftists and that’s what leftists do: They put out propaganda to whoever their audience may be.
The American Media also propagandizes the American public so the British might as well weigh in. I don’t see much difference in them. Leftwing propaganda is leftwing propaganda no matter where it comes from.
However, I think that the British should get ‘credit’ for their un-American screeds just like the Russians. Or, as the old saying goes, “Who needs enemies with friends like that.”
Some people would not consider not funding a war a fail.
Que appeasement criticism.
$33 trillion in debt. Spend wisely my friends. Many on planet earth would love to see an end to the dollar’s reserve status (perhaps even Soros). If that were to happen, our pet projects trying to recreate the world in our image, might come to an end.
and what USA actually really spend? US basically sell old junk from storage, which would be scraped anyway, supporting local industry and sales of new weapon sales in process…
US basically defeated russia military under 1% of cost of cold war and didnt loose single soldier in the process. Influence and power increased in europe, selling us gas and weapons, east Europe sees US as only guarantor of our peace, we cant depend on west europe in this..
US will profit from this for decades, so only total idiot would say we could spend this on homeless people or other domestic problems… no you wouldnt and it wont help them anyway…
The US lost about 100,000 military personnel during the so-called Cold War, 1945-91.
100,000 sounds high unless you are considering the hot Korean UN Police Action and the Vietnam War.
Yeah, for a while there it was “communist wack-a-mole”.
Then there was “terrorist wack-a-mole”.
And now we are kind of switching back and forth between the two. Communists over here, and terrorists over there.
And Biden is helping all of them. The man and his handlers are unbelievably stupid and dangerous.
Worst President Evah!!!
Funding Russia’s demise seems all fun, but I don’t want to fund the Ukrainian regime. I want them to apologize.
You people are idiots. The US is not sending money to Ukraine. The US is sending weapons, built in American Factories by American workers. We need to get those production lines going so we can rebuild our inventories and present a credible defense to our enemies China and Russia.
It is also a really cheap foreign policy twofer. Russia is one of our principal enemies. The Ukrainians are using our weapons to destroy the Russian Army and its Black Sea Navy. Destroying your enemy’s military is always a big win.
Not only that, but our biggest enemy is China. They are threatening to attack Taiwan. Serious independent anaylsyts who know China consider an invasion of Taiwan to be a probable short term (3 to 5 years) risk. You may not like Taiwan or care who runs it, but a military attack on Taiwan, will destroy global supply chains for semiconductors and will most likely cause an economic depression. You will not enjoy a depression.
A Ukrainian victory is a warning to China about the expense and possible failure of an invasion of Taiwan. As, the Chinese say: “Kill Chicken, Scare Monkey”.
My criticism of Biden is not that he is sending weapons to Ukraine, it is that he has been slow and halfassed about it, and has been dragging his feet on rebuilding the strength of the US Military.
Slava Ukraini!
It sounds way to complicated.
Many on the French left actually love Russia (as a successor of Soviet Union).
Many among the French nationalists admire Russia, as a pretend nation-state (they don’t even know anything about Russia, the real official name of “Russia”, or its history).