Redbrickbear said:ron.reagan said:There are no ethnic Russian areas in eastern Ukraine. Russia can't even keep to this talking point as they constantly complain about genocide on the minority Russian speakers. Before Russia invaded in 2014...Redbrickbear said:RMF5630 said:Once again, you don't make decisions based on today, you make them on potential. In land strapped Europe adding a Ukraine to one of our top trading partners? Ukraine has all the makings of a quality EU member, highly educated, hard working, natural resources, warm weather port, and a willing defense partner. Even their political system is young enough to change to fit the European model. Ukraine is a great potential addition to NATO. 67 today, means top 20 in twenty years and thankful we helped. What's not to like?Redbrickbear said:RMF5630 said:Of course it is up to us whether we get involved. Why would we do something not in our interest? Ukraine, Tawain, and a few other places are in our interest. I don't see what is wrong with that. You seem to think either we help everyone or no one.Sam Lowry said:If it's their choice then we don't need to be involved. What you really mean is that it's their choice if we approve it, fund it, and risk war over it. Since you're saying we should do all that, you need to make a case for our interest in it.RMF5630 said:So now the US is giving Ukrainian territory to the Russians, because we did something wrong 20 years ago? Ok, that makes sense.Sam Lowry said:The international order recognized Iraq as sovereign territory too. You really should think through your hypocrisy before lecturing Russia.whiterock said:You know, you really should think thru your posts before hitting enter. The international order recognizes Donbas and Crimea as sovereign Ukrainian territory.Sam Lowry said:America has already rejected the international order. The only way to restore balance is to accept Russian control of Crimea and the Donbas. Otherwise the Lindsey Grahams and Hillary Clintons of the world will keep pushing Russia until we find ourselves in direct conflict.whiterock said:Going on the offensive against Russia? Indeed. if we had done more then, helping Ukraine push Russia out of Donbas and Crimea, we might have avoided the war we have now.Redbrickbear said:For those wondering why Lindsey Graham is so invested in Ukraine winning and Russians dying:@LindseyGrahamSC was with Deep State McCain in Ukraine in 2016, telling the Ukrainians how they are going to get support from Washington so they can go on the “offensive” against Russia… pic.twitter.com/kqEXp8Fdik
— Clandestine (@WarClandestine) May 29, 2023
"Nations do not wage war for war's sake, but in pursuance of policy. The military objective is only the means to a political end. Hence the military objective should be governed by the political objective … The objective in war is a better state of peace even if only from your own point of view. Hence it is essential to conduct war with constant regard to the peace you desire."
--Captain Sir Basil Liddell-Hart
Russia must end this war in substantially worse position than it began, or it will simply keep coming back for another bite. ALL of the gains from the 2022 invasion must be reversed and, ideally, one or both of Donbas and Crimea must be returned to Ukrainian control. If you don't punish the small infractions, bigger ones will happen.
This war is about political order, a defense of modernity itself. Do larger nations get to nibble off pieces of what they want in the shatter zone? They did pre-WWI. And it led directly to TWO world wars. The post WWII international order holds that the borders are the borders. If you don't maintain that principle, then it's back to pre-colonial scrambles for geography.
By the way, Ukraine doesn't want give Russia that territory, it is their choice.
As for Iraq, Russia supported Sadam with 20 billion in arms sales in the Iran-Iraq War and intel on US military positions in the US-Iraq War. Almost all the military Iraq had was from the Soviets. Basically, Russia did exactly what the US is doing in Ukraine to help Iraq out multiple times. I guess you can say there is a precedent set by Russia.
Not if you mean risking war with a nuclear power over these places.
Ukraine for instance has never been an enrolled ally of the USA and it was part of the Soviet Union and before that Russian empire for hundreds of years. We have little trade with them and zero historic relations.
"Ukraine is currently our 67th largest goods trading partner"...so we don't even trade much with them.
Taiwan is a country that we have a much longer relationship with (Since the Reds took control of mainland China and the Nationalists fled there) and we do a lot of business with them to this day. They are in the top 10 of our trading partners and produce a lot of high tech goods.
But even then....keeping the status quo in Taiwan should be our goal and not brining them into any formal military alliance or placing troops there...since those actions would spark off a war with Red China.
As for China, they are only pissed they are not closer to "annex" themselves...
Well thanks to the USA backed coup in 2014 that is what is going to happen.
Ukraine is now going to be a member of the EU and a member of NATO....at some future point.
The question is if we are going to let Moscow keep the consolation prize of Crimea & Donbas or keep funding this war for Kyiv to try and retake those areas.
Many leaders in Europe think we should be happy to have Ukraine and 85% of its territory and tell Kyiv to settle and let Moscow have the ethnic Russian areas in the east.
Nice that that graphic says "identifies as Russian". Sounds like some other things you're vehemently against.
Mr. Treehorn treats objects like women, man.