Because the US is pretty much under the control of those companies and their super-rich majority shareholders. All of their elected politicians firm both parties get HUGE chunks of campaign contributions from said firms. At this point denying them is akin to political suicide.
Gotta love democracy don’t you
I don’t even know what to call it but a free society it certainly isn’t. I was there for nearly a year during the pandemic. Thank fuck I got out! It’s approaching a cross between the fictitious works described in The Hunger Games and The Purge. Not kidding. Pretty sure Trump will get elected again. Or someone worse like the Florida governor
1 Like
Russia can argue they had some kind of gentleman’s agreement that NATO would not go eastwards. But at the same time, Russia agreed to respect the rights of Ukraine and its boarders in exchange for all the nukes that they had.
A gentleman’s agreement is pretty weak context to Russia is actively breaking a treaty.
3 Likes
Easy to say now and easy to decry the moral and environmental evils of nukes but in hindsight, the Ukraine should have said thank you very much and maintained at least some. As a deterrent they are unrivaled. I doubt Russia would be the big playground bully if there were an almighty big nuclear gun being pointed right back.
1 Like
I just don’t get why Putin would want to take a colossal step back to the cold war and the risk of bangs slightly smaller than the original one. Terrifying situation TBH, trying not to think about it. He says posting about it and reading about it……
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!!
2 Likes
If I wasn’t depressed before reading that post, I’m fucking suicidal now.
1 Like
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%
1 Like
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?
