Sam Lowry said:whiterock said:Sam Lowry said:whiterock said:Sam Lowry said:whiterock said:Sam Lowry said:whiterock said:Sam Lowry said:
So now you're against collapsing the Russian state? You're a rarity among the neocon tribe if that's true.
We are in the foothills of WWIII.
If we don't get there, it won't be for lack of trying.
To compare Ukraine with Afghanistan is to misread the underlying geopolitics as well as day-to-day events on the battlefield. Regarding the latter, the recent agreement to exchange the remains of deceased soldiers tells you something about who's paying the price in lives. Ukraine has received over 6,000 bodies, while Russia has received less than 100.
LOL talk about clueless!
If we wanted to confront Russia on ground where they have maximum incentive to win, minimum logistical difficulties, and ideal conditions for their method of warfare, we couldn't have chosen better than Ukraine. It's different from Afghanistan in almost every relevant way.
(Sigh) I didn't pose them as comparables. I pointed out how they are drastically different, i.e. drastically more costly for a significantly weaker Russia. And STILL Russia spends thousands of lives per day for advances of yards (despite Russia having drastically simplified logistical difficulties).
A Chinese official commented yesterday that China "did not want Russia to lose" in Ukraine. That says a lot about where the war actually is. Also suggests that China realizes that Trump is going to start applying maximum pressure on Russia, that such pressure will have significant impact on Russia, and that China might step up to counter-balance.. China, you see, does not want Russia to lose, as that would allow the West to pivot to focus on stopping China in Asia.
China wants the war to continue. Not for Russia to win. Wants Russia and Nato to grind on and bleed each other out, thereby enfeebling Russia further while also complicating Western efforts to organize a response to a Chinese move on Taiwan. Trump has let his frustration show that he cannot force the conflict in Ukraine to an end, as it must for us to bring all resources to bear upon China. We are in the foothills of WWIII.
We collapsed the USSR by cutting off lines of credit and collapsing their oil revenue.
It'd be so much easier this time. (which is why China made the comment it did. They know it, too.)
Russia is not spending thousands of lives per day. We are not cutting them off from credit or oil revenue. We are cutting off our own nose to spite our face.
Trump doesn't even know the difference between tariffs and sanctions. Sanctions against Russia have already failed to have the planned effect. Secondary tariffs will do no better and will serve no economic purpose except to punish ourselves and our allies. Meanwhile we've started a war with Iran and had to beg China to keep the Persian Gulf open.
You're saying China won't let Russia lose, but on the plus side they will help Russia bleed NATO, prevent us from moving on Taiwan any time soon, strengthen military ties with our rivals, and help consolidate global economic power against us. And you consider this a brilliant strategic victory because...Russia and China aren't as lovey-dovey as the US and Israel? News flash: they can have a formidable alliance and still have their own interests. That's how grown-up nations work. And deep down, China couldn't be more grateful to us for pushing Russia into its orbit instead of pulling it into ours.
what a furious blizzard of unrealities that is.
noting the Chinese strategy is not endorsement of it. Any conflation of it with Israel is your own imputation for reasons that only barBEARean and a couple of others could appreciate.
I'm simply noting that China's gains are nothing to crow about.
And **** you for comparing me with Barbearian, BTW.
(sigh) noting what Chinese interests are is not an endorsement of them.
If you walk like a duck and talk like a duck, quack quack mofo……
You're well aware of the realist argument against our support of Israel. Don't demean yourself by resorting to slander just because you may not agree with it.
It's hard to craft a serious realist argument for ending our policy support for Israel. Takes an irritable mixture of ignorance and isolationism with a splash of antisemitism to get there.