Broken agreements have already been mentioned in this thread.
And in what world is refusing to negotiate starting a war?
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How should west respond to potential (likely) Russian invasion of Ukraine?
- Thread starter Harry Bosch
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And in what world is refusing to negotiate starting a war?
There is a TV in this house--but it hasn't been turned on in several years.
DrZoidberg
Contributor
I don't think Putin sees it that way. He wants personal wealth and power. He clearly has no respect for the lives of Russians. I think he's just doing what he thinks he needs to do to stay top dog in Russia
Let's go back a little farther:
Saddam borrowed heavily.
Saddam didn't pay his loans.
Kuwait slant drilled into Iraq to seize oil to help satisfy the debt.
Saddam decided to eliminate the debt by annexing Kuwait.
steve_bank
Diabetic retinopathy and poor eyesight. Typos ...
He is a product of te Soviet Union and is sid to have suffed some tauma in Eat Germnay. He carries a grudge above the Russian anti west hate.
At this point I think he is an irrational believer in what he says. An expat Russian hisorian who knew Putin says he sees himslelf as in line with the old Russian conquerors.
steve_bank
Diabetic retinopathy and poor eyesight. Typos ...
You are right. Iran, Hussein, and the Arabs esecialy Saudi Arabia were alwys in a rdculous quagmire. Hussien tred assasinating Saudis way back.
The best solution is get off oil and let them all slughter each oter until they get sick of it, or there is no one left to fight.
TV and credit cards
Contributor
As a nice little aside, Armenia has been distancing itself from Russia since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Giving humanitarian aid to Ukraine and now having joint military exercises with the United States of America dubbed Eagle Partner 2023. Cool name, innit?
Things haven't been going well between Armenia and Russia as of late. Armenia asked for Russian assistance with their latest border kerfuffle with Azerbajian and got none. Armenia cancelled military exercises with Russia. And Armenia is threatening to leave CSTO, which is like a Russian NATO except it isn't.
And now it seems Armenian authorities have arrested a Russian blogger and a Sputnik news observer and are banning entry of other Russian political and public figures critical of the Armenian government. Seems the Armenian information space is turning on Russia.
Things haven't been going well between Armenia and Russia as of late. Armenia asked for Russian assistance with their latest border kerfuffle with Azerbajian and got none. Armenia cancelled military exercises with Russia. And Armenia is threatening to leave CSTO, which is like a Russian NATO except it isn't.
And now it seems Armenian authorities have arrested a Russian blogger and a Sputnik news observer and are banning entry of other Russian political and public figures critical of the Armenian government. Seems the Armenian information space is turning on Russia.
Jimmy Higgins
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And why would Russia negotiate with Nazis?
DrZoidberg
Contributor
The only way Putin can keep together the Warsaw Pact... I mean CSTO, is by threatening it's member countries from leaving. Russia also manipulates these countries politically making sure it's leaders are Putin stooges and will help Russia. Russia keeps those people in power, Putin gets richer. Win-win. Stalin did the same thing back in the day. It's how USSR/Russia has always operated.
Having so much of Russia's military capacity locked up in Ukraine is extremely bad for Russian hegemony. The moment the countries under Putin's thumb see a path out of Russian control, and it's leaders see a way of staying in power without Russian aid, it's over for CSTO. These leaders are only loyal to Russia becasue they're paid off. But there's many ways of buying new friends
The longer this war drags on the weaker CSTO will become.
Copernicus
Industrial Grade Linguist
It looks like Elon Musk was snookered by Russians into thwarting an attack on the Sevastopol fleet.
Starlink has been essential to Ukraine's war effort. I think that Russian intelligence services correctly saw that as a weak point that they could use to undermine the Ukrainian effort. Musk himself seems to be becoming more and more mentally unstable and unpredictable as time goes on. His ego has inflated almost to Trump levels, and he has become a darling of the MAGA crowd. Russia can work with that, and Ukraine will have to find ways to work around it.
CNN Exclusive: ‘How am I in this war?’: New Musk biography offers fresh details about the billionaire’s Ukraine dilemma
Elon Musk Acknowledges Withholding Satellite Service to Thwart Ukrainian Attack
Starlink has been essential to Ukraine's war effort. I think that Russian intelligence services correctly saw that as a weak point that they could use to undermine the Ukrainian effort. Musk himself seems to be becoming more and more mentally unstable and unpredictable as time goes on. His ego has inflated almost to Trump levels, and he has become a darling of the MAGA crowd. Russia can work with that, and Ukraine will have to find ways to work around it.
TomC
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Dang!
To bad the country Elon Musk immigrated to hasn't got a "Commander in Chief", capable of making military decisions for the citizenry.
Tom
Copernicus
Industrial Grade Linguist
I doubt that Biden has any really good options for ordering Starlink or Musk to support the Ukrainian effort. It would be a different story if the US were actually engaged in the conflict. As it is, we just supply weaponry and logistical support. I believe that Starlink was donated to Ukraine by Musk, so he can withdraw that support. The US was reportedly purchasing the service back in June, but I don't know where that effort is at right now.
Pentagon awards SpaceX with Ukraine contract for Starlink satellite internet
TomC
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See, this is the difference between you and the ruthlessly powerful. You see rules. Ethics and moral principles.
They see obstacles.
Things to be overcome.
That's why Trump and Putin and Hitler and Mao became world leaders. They didn't let morals or ethics get in their way.
Tom
steve_bank
Diabetic retinopathy and poor eyesight. Typos ...
Of course there is corruption and greed and lust for power, it has always been part of human civilization throughout human recorded histry.
What the founders did was set up a system of checks and balances. In practice it is never perfect, because our system is comprised of humans as we are.
The fact that George Washington walked away from power when his time was up was historically a tremendous event. Peaceful transfer of power has held until Trump, who is testing rule of law.
Greed and profit is what now drives the global economy, and there are positives and negatives to it.
The Soviet and Chinese ex[ermnts in a cnetral cotrolled economy with an eforced social equality both failed. China changed and now has a quasi free market. system, now you can get rich in China, and it built its way out of Maosit economic misery.
The question is not that there are issue with our system. The question is an alternative that is practical and works with us humans as we are. Not some imaginary progressive view of what humans should be.
The worse case scenarios are Gabon, Nige and Nigeria which are nver able to stabilize polictis.
Whatver the problems are, without social and political stability everything else is a moot point. Winess Putin.
What the founders did was set up a system of checks and balances. In practice it is never perfect, because our system is comprised of humans as we are.
The fact that George Washington walked away from power when his time was up was historically a tremendous event. Peaceful transfer of power has held until Trump, who is testing rule of law.
Greed and profit is what now drives the global economy, and there are positives and negatives to it.
The Soviet and Chinese ex[ermnts in a cnetral cotrolled economy with an eforced social equality both failed. China changed and now has a quasi free market. system, now you can get rich in China, and it built its way out of Maosit economic misery.
The question is not that there are issue with our system. The question is an alternative that is practical and works with us humans as we are. Not some imaginary progressive view of what humans should be.
The worse case scenarios are Gabon, Nige and Nigeria which are nver able to stabilize polictis.
Whatver the problems are, without social and political stability everything else is a moot point. Winess Putin.
T.G.G. Moogly
Traditional Atheist
I would looooooooooooooooooooooooooove for Armenia to apply for NATO membership and reject Russian association.
bilby
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They do have the major advantage of not having a direct border with Russia.
A Russian invasion would depend on at least one out of Azerbaijan and Georgia playing along with Putin.
steve_bank
Diabetic retinopathy and poor eyesight. Typos ...
It looks like both the Russian army and Barbos are running out of ammunition.
T.G.G. Moogly
Traditional Atheist
Barbos has only ever fired blanks. What am I missing?
bilby
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Technically, a blank is intended to get no result. If you're firing ammunition that is supposed to get a result, but doesn't, it's not a "blank", but a "blind".
Blind shells are often an even greater hazard after a battle is over than are land mines. Both require difficult and dangerous unexploded ordnance clearance work, but mines at least are often mapped or recorded by the force that laid them, and are found at predictable depths, and in locations that can be deduced from the pattern of the defences of which they form a part; Their triggering is likewise a matter of design, so clearance workers have an idea of what they can and can't get away with.
Blind shells are less stable, and can be triggered by almost anything, and might be found almost anywhere. After WWI, they killed a large number of farm workers in areas of France and Belgium that were close to the front lines; Even today, more than a century after the war, farmers in those regions fit armour plates under their tractors to defend against the occasional blind shell that comes to the surface to be struck by the plough.