Ukraine and Only Ukraine. If it isn't about Ukraine then fuck off

[billy backstay]

Not a good precedent. We didn't try to make Japan into the 51st state... well, it would have been the 49th state back then in 1945... but the point is that we did not use nuclear weapons in a war of conquest.

I totally agree with your statement, now please explain it to Putin?
.

 

[longy]

Not a good precedent. We didn't try to make Japan into the 51st state... well, it would have been the 49th state back then in 1945... but the point is that we did not use nuclear weapons in a war of conquest.

Alaska & Hawaii did not get statehood until '59.

 

[Virgulino Ferreira]

What if We’re Already Fighting the Third World War with Russia?

Putin’s latest provocations once again put Washington in an awful bind.

www.newyorker.com

September 29, 2022
(...)
On Thursday, I spoke with the Russia expert Fiona Hill. She told me she believes there’s an element of self-delusion to much of the current commentary about the possibility of Washington and the West continuing to back Ukraine while avoiding conflict with Putin—who, after all, launched his war against Ukraine not in February but eight years ago when he invaded the country and illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula. As far as Hill is concerned, we are already fighting in the Third World War, whether we acknowledge it or not. “We’ve been in this for a long time, and we’ve failed to recognize it,” she said.

Terrifying.

 

[mikewof]

I like where you're going, but unfortunately, that horse left the barn a long time ago.

It isn't where I am going, but rather where the NPT is going; the gradual disarmament of nukes.

Soon enough, this war of aggression by Russia against The Ukraine will be over but we will still then have to make up for at least of decade of lost progress with the NPT on Britain's newest adventure.

And the horse has not left the barn ... through all kinds of global conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Ukraine, the NPT has made solid and steady progress of disarmament.

 

[billy backstay]

What I don't get is why would Putin damage the underwater gas lines? All he has to do is turn off the spigot of the outgoing pipe(s)?? Why destroy infrastructure that he will need again someday, when he can sell gas once more?? That is so much like cutting off one's nose to spite your face, and only a totally deranged madman would be behind such a disastrous event, on so many levels...
.

 

[Go Left]

Based on military expenditures, we've been fighting WWIII with Soviet Union/Russia since the Cuban Missile crisis.

The first big mistake was thinking that Ronald Reagan "won" it.

The second big mistake was thinking that Gorbachev was showing the way forward and not just an historic anomaly.

The third big mistake was standing by while TFG handed over the keys to Putin to let him drive.

 

[Virgulino Ferreira]

What I don't get is why would Putin damage the underwater gas lines? All he has to do is turn off the spigot of the outgoing pipe(s)?? Why destroy infrastructure that he will need again someday, when he can sell gas once more?? That is so much like cutting off one's nose to spite your face, and only a totally deranged madman would be behind such a disastrous event, on so many levels...
.

Obviously, I don't know, but I can think of a number of possibilities. One is that the West will now have to mobilise and tie up a lot of assets to patrol and protect other critical infrastructure on the water. And they've accomplished this very cheaply (without major losses to themselves), and without incurring an act of war (they bombed themselves).

 

[Bristol-Cruiser]

Maybe I can explain this in terms you will understand...

The neighborhood bully throws a bunch of rocks at you. You and the other kids recognize the source of these rocks and you all band together to successfully defend yourselves against the bully.

You then celebrate your victory over the bully at the local ice cream shop. And as you and your friends celebrate with your Rocky Road and your Swizzleberry Swirl, you look up to see that the old man proprietor of the ice cream shop has a racked and loaded shotgun pointed at the lot of you in an effort to impress his spinster girlfriend.

Mike, that is weak even for you. I ca't understand why you are fixated on the Brits and their new PM trying to restore some faded glory when this would not rate in the 10 most important geopolitical issues right now.

 

[Bristol-Cruiser]

View attachment 543910

It is interesting, and likely not important, that both Zelensky and Putin are not large men. They could settle this as welterweights in the ring.

 

[Virgulino Ferreira]

It is interesting, and likely not important, that both Zelensky and Putin are not large men. They could settle this as welterweights in the ring.

I wish...

 

[hobie1616]

What I don't get is why would Putin damage the underwater gas lines?

Pootie was afraid that the Germans were going to push Octoberfest beer fart gas through the pipeline back into Russia.

 

[hobie1616]

Mike, that is weak even for you. I ca't understand why you are fixated on the Brits and their new PM trying to restore some faded glory when this would not rate in the 10 most important geopolitical issues right now.

How can you say that?!?! Fizzycysts know everything about everything.

 

[Raz'r]

What I don't get is why would Putin damage the underwater gas lines? All he has to do is turn off the spigot of the outgoing pipe(s)?? Why destroy infrastructure that he will need again someday, when he can sell gas once more?? That is so much like cutting off one's nose to spite your face, and only a totally deranged madman would be behind such a disastrous event, on so many levels...
.

contractual obligations have been raised as a possibility.

 

[badlatitude]

It is interesting, and likely not important, that both Zelensky and Putin are not large men. They could settle this as welterweights in the ring.

Hmmm, Putin is 70 and supposedly has cancer, but has an 8th degree blackbelt in Judo 5'7" weight 160lbs.
Zelensky is 44, a former comedian. 5'7" 160"
I give it to Zelensky, he has a 26 year age advantage. Cancer is a huge equalizer.

 

[badlatitude]

contractual obligations have been raised as a possibility.

The payout comes from the gas giant who operates Nordstream. They could have sabotaged it to avoid that payout something like $450 billion. If Putin did it, he is letting everyone know that all pipelines are at risk, and will use the leverage to end the war. Without an announcement it looks less likely by the day.

 

[Raz'r]

The payout comes from the gas giant who operates Nordstream. They could have sabotaged it to avoid that payout something like $450 billion. If Putin did it, he is letting everyone know that all pipelines are at risk, and will use the leverage to end the war. Without an announcement it looks less likely by the day.

Not really costly to Putin as the gas was pretty much on/off already, and NSII wasn't even live. So, message that they are willing to hit NATO where it hurts does seem reasonable. No need to announce, let NATO scramble assets to figure it out.

 

[Rasputin22]

It is interesting, and likely not important, that both Zelensky and Putin are not large men. They could settle this as welterweights in the ring.

So maybe Great Britain should have Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) as Prime Minister? He would fit right in with Zelensky and Putin!

 

[mikewof]

Mike, that is weak even for you. I ca't understand why you are fixated on the Brits and their new PM trying to restore some faded glory when this would not rate in the 10 most important geopolitical issues right now.

You seem remarkably ignorant of how critical and delicate the NPT is to preventing a global thermonuclear war.

Things like climate change, regional wars and the "geopolitical issues" that you find important are like a goat's fart compared to avoiding nuclear war.

This innocent "faded glory" reaction by Britain that you find so innocent has NPT signatories very concerned. It doesn't rate into your "10 most important" not because it isn't important but because you don't know how critical a healthy NPT is to global nuclear security, and Russia is the biggest nuclear power while the smallest NPT nuclear power rattles sabers as a political diversion.

 

[Deleted member 149385]

And violating the NPT with a half-assed nuclear arsenal is going to be a deterrent against that? The USA already has a few thousand NPT-compliant nukes pointed at Russia and China. What makes Britain sufficiently different from Belgium, Poland and others that they need nukes?

The goal is to get rid of all the nukes, not kickstart this nutty process afresh.

Mike, I don’t see any scenario where that happens.

 

[Deleted member 149385]

You seem remarkably ignorant of how critical and delicate the NPT is to preventing a global thermonuclear war.

Things like climate change, regional wars and the "geopolitical issues" that you find important are like a goat's fart compared to avoiding nuclear war.

This innocent "faded glory" reaction by Britain that you find so innocent has NPT signatories very concerned. It doesn't rate into your "10 most important" not because it isn't important but because you don't know how critical a healthy NPT is to global nuclear security, and Russia is the biggest nuclear power while the smallest NPT nuclear power rattles sabers as a political diversion.

Miguel, the NPT is irrelevant at this point. Just like our agreement to keep the Ukraines sovereignty. Not enforced by Obama et Al. Sorry we own this too.