Schaaf
Well-known member
I think Putin overplayed his hand. We’ll see.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I’ve been finding discussions of Nord Stream 2 interesting… “it’s built the US can’t do anything” … I mean it’s a 1200km pipeline we could blow it up pretty easily.The West is not keen to spill blood on the soil of countries that are not really part of the club. We generally keep our soldiers out of Africa. Have have kept out of Asia for a few decades. The exception? We fight in the Middle East out of a mix of wanting Saudis to cooperate on oil production, maintaining petroleum pricing in dollars and pushing back against the Shia.
We will let Ukraine fall. As we did other land masses as Russia rolled over borders the past few years. The promise of weapons and money for Ukraine does no good when roads are plugged and the air space is dangerous. It is too late for that. France and the America promised Ukraine we had their back if they turned over their nukes left from the Soviet days. Well, so much for our word.
We will eventually relax the sanctions in a year or two as Germany needs Russian fuel because Germany moth-balled their nukes while France built more to be independent of Russian energy. Germany is the weakest link in NATO at this point and they have no plan to wean off Russian energy thus Russian coercion.
From what I’ve seen thus far, i wish I shared the same optimism.Speaking purely on the US domestic implications of all this, anybody feel like having a clear and threatening common enemy like Putin will diminish some of the partisan political bullshit and bring us together as a country a little bit?
I’ve always been an optimist.
Yeah, who the f*<k am I kidding? There’ll probably be pro Putin rallies all over the country this summer.From what I’ve seen thus far, i wish I shared the same optimism.
The quintessential question (as always?) for Europe is GermanyI’ve been finding discussions of Nord Stream 2 interesting… “it’s built the US can’t do anything” … I mean it’s a 1200km pipeline we could blow it up pretty easily.
I think you nailed it and Germanys energy policies are the real problem.
My 2 cents, the likely best course of action is destabilizing Putins inner circle and causing a power struggle.
I wonder how much Ukrainians value their independence, will there be a protracted resistance or will the Ukraine fold back into the ‘Russian Federation’.
Seems more likely to further divide the Republican Party if anything.Speaking purely on the US domestic implications of all this, anybody feel like having a clear and threatening common enemy like Putin will diminish some of the partisan political bullshit and bring us together as a country a little bit?
I’ve always been an optimist.
Zelensky has been quite impressive.The quintessential question (as always?) for Europe is Germany
They sort of gave a medium answer today. Weapons and SWIFT. Ish for both but better than nothing.
Now that the UK has exited stage right (left?), the French are the ones with the strongest foreign policy stance (Mali, Sahel, an actual army, Macron as Boss Hog as diplomatic for Europe now that Merkel the baller is gone).
As for whether Ukrainians value independence…good lord I have no doubts. It’s literally arming grandma with an AK and the niece with two Molotov cocktails. Zelensky has gone from comedian to badass motivator of 40+M people par none. I’m super impressed.
I wish America could find that level of unity.
I hope seeing how a real enemy threatens us may be unifying. We haven't had a decent international boogeyman for awhile, instead we just disagree with each other.Speaking purely on the US domestic implications of all this, anybody feel like having a clear and threatening common enemy like Putin will diminish some of the partisan political bullshit and bring us together as a country a little bit?
I’ve always been an optimist.
I feel it’s it has had opposite effect. This along with every other freaking thing is used to proclaim and galvanize their tribalism and proclamation of their “ideology “.Speaking purely on the US domestic implications of all this, anybody feel like having a clear and threatening common enemy like Putin will diminish some of the partisan political bullshit and bring us together as a country a little bit?
I’ve always been an optimist.
Now now that doesn’t fit the see you elected the wrong guy narrative.
This you?Now now that doesn’t fit the see you elected the wrong guy narrative.
Do something productive and put out of the Batman spotlights. Mercia
I feel it’s it has had opposite effect. This along with every other freaking thing is used to proclaim and galvanize their tribalism and proclamation of their “ideology “.
This you?
For sureZelensky has been quite impressive.