The thing is, it is a win, win for Russia and Putin. There does not seem to be a downside.
No downside except crippling economic sanctions (that will effect the Russian people), the loss of unknown amount of money when Russian gas stops flowing west, a global recession with the threat of war and increasing energy costs, increased scrutiny on international dealings of the Russian oligarchs, and a return of the cold War that pits east against west, and bringing the world closer to WWIII than it has been in a long time without the cold War well established back channel diplomacy in place. Besides all that (probably left out a ton), no downside!!
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If I wasn’t depressed before reading that post, I’m fucking suicidal now.
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I’m not sure you read my post properly but it’s strange of all the downsides you mention, you fail to mention probably the most important one, that 100s (likely 1000s) of people will die as an immediate consequence and, as in most wars, a very large proportion will be civilians.
p.s. I think the chances of a third world war are nearly zero
This, on a well buttered biscuit with a lovely sharp cheddar and pickle.
This word is doing the heavy lifting here. But when a superpower invades another country that’s on NATO’s radar, shit……
It’s on everyone’s radar but in reality, what can me or you or indeed NATO actually do? Go to war? Not a chance. There is no stomach for a war - especially when it’s not shooting fish in a barrel, i.e. Iraq I, Iraq II, Syria and Afghanistan.
I disagree, nearly zero is actually nearly zero - it is on par with "there is nearly zero chance of getting struck by a “dino-killer” sized asteroid. Yes, it can happen and has happened but it is a vanishingly small possibility. No one wants that outcome.
Yes because if ‘we’ don’t where will it lead, the slavakias, uanians, finland …?
However it’s the USA who decides because Europe is so messed up they are useless. Those against a European defense force are perhaps rethinking now. No?
Everything started with and in the Russian inhabited parts of Ukraine. Other countries with significant Russian populations:
Estonia: 24%
Latvia: 24%
Kazakhstan: 19%
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I cannot see the UK putting any actual skin in the game. German, France ditto. It feels like Europe is spent. I go back to something the current Pope said a while back, it feels like it fits:
“We encounter a general impression of weariness and ageing, of a Europe that is now a grandmother, no longer fertile and vibrant,” the Pope said. “The great ideals which once inspired Europe seem to have lost their attraction, only to be replaced by the bureaucratic technicalities of its institutions,”
Maybe the above is a bit rich coming from that individual, and more of a rose tinted and selective look back to an idealised Europe that never really existed, but it still resonates.
This vein of thought seems to go deeper on a individual level. It’s almost like we’re happier to exist in a made up world where problems are elsewhere and as long as we keep the infidels from the gates, and we have our trinkets, we can feels sorry for those at the gate, ourselves and be outraged as our fancy takes us.
On the other hand this aberration, the 70 odd years of relative peace in Europe, is about to reset to the norm.
Where is my fine craft beer, nah, can’t be bothered, it’s in the garage - guess, olives and and an old (but not in a good way old) wine bottle will have to do…
Which planet are they from?
Uranus
I know, I know but someone had to say it.
Kind of glad it was me.
So would they no be considered Klingons?
Seems OSCE is still reporting, weird that the media said otherwise (not). Anyway, here’s the latest report. Note who’s the more dominant actor, not who one has been lead to believe…
Not sure i understand what you’re saying. You’re saying the country that has mobilized 150000 troops and camped them on the boarder of a country they are trying to intimidate, past the ‘drill’ time isn’t the lead actor here?
Russia wants NATO veto power, and to roll it back to 1997 membership levels. You realize that’s absurd, correct?
They’re EU observers… What it shows is shelling infractions. Hardly rocket science.
Russia isn’t a part of NATO.
Just out of interest, where did you take that map from? I wasn’t able to find it on the OSCE’s site.
Edit: sorry, just found it indeed. 
Not the term required here surely? 
… which is why it’s absurd, and maybe they’re not really looking to de-escalate, considering those are the ‘safety concerns’ NATO and the US have failed to adequately address. Russia would like NATO to roll back to 1997 size and get to veto any future applications to the alliance despite not being a member
They made such preposterous demands exactly because they knew they would never get accepted. It’s reminiscent of Austro-hungarian demands on Serbia in 1914. And now they are claiming that Ukrainian saboteuers attempted to enter Russian territory.
The Ukrainians would have to be either complete morons or have a death wish.