Let's stipulate that your excellent discussion of the shortcomings of the Russian Army are correct and that the historical analogies are apt. Let's also stipulate that Putin is a thug, albeit smart and patient.
All the above notwithstanding this is a war that was in large part caused by machinations and maneuvers of the West beginning at least 10 years ago with the overthrow of a Russia sympathetic democratically elected head of state in the Ukraine in the form of a color revolution. And the eastward expansion of NATO to Russia's doorstep, despite prior assurances to the contrary has also been a significant provocation. Furthermore, Ukraine is also a massively corrupt country with no serious commitment or history to real democratic reforms, that fields actual Nazis in battle. And the Ukrainians were attacking and killing the Russian speaking population in the Eastern parts of the country for years before Putin invaded. Zelensky is not a good guy.
There are no good guys in this war. There are innocent victims, but the governments involved, including ours have created a disaster for the Ukrainian people and put us on a path to a serious and perhaps nuclear confrontation with the Russians. What is the end game on our side? Why are we doing this? It's not to preserve democracy in a country with which we have no standing treaties or even a strategic interest. It's not to preserve democracy in a country with no sustained history of democracy outside our sphere of interest. There's a subtext here that our regime is concealing. I don't know exactly what it is, but I"m sure it's there.
Putin is not becoming undone by this war. His economy is stronger. He is now allied with China more than ever. His popularity at home is high. Ukraine can't win the war. I don't care how bad the Russian troops are. Ukraine won't win. Ukraine has no disciplined military force. They don't have enough of the right equipment and the equipment they have is not up to the task. Yes they can frustrate the Russians for a time. But at best this is a stalemate. Somebody already tried to sue for peace and the NATO clowns wouldn't let them. They should let them. Putin keeps the East or he doesn't. Nobody actually cares. Then people can stop dying to satisfy the war mongers.
Let's stipulate that your excellent discussion of the shortcomings of the Russian Army are correct and that the historical analogies are apt. Let's also stipulate that Putin is a thug, albeit smart and patient.
All the above notwithstanding this is a war that was in large part caused by machinations and maneuvers of the West beginning at least 10 years ago with the overthrow of a Russia sympathetic democratically elected head of state in the Ukraine in the form of a color revolution. And the eastward expansion of NATO to Russia's doorstep, despite prior assurances to the contrary has also been a significant provocation. Furthermore, Ukraine is also a massively corrupt country with no serious commitment or history to real democratic reforms, that fields actual Nazis in battle. And the Ukrainians were attacking and killing the Russian speaking population in the Eastern parts of the country for years before Putin invaded. Zelensky is not a good guy.
There are no good guys in this war. There are innocent victims, but the governments involved, including ours have created a disaster for the Ukrainian people and put us on a path to a serious and perhaps nuclear confrontation with the Russians. What is the end game on our side? Why are we doing this? It's not to preserve democracy in a country with which we have no standing treaties or even a strategic interest. It's not to preserve democracy in a country with no sustained history of democracy outside our sphere of interest. There's a subtext here that our regime is concealing. I don't know exactly what it is, but I"m sure it's there.
Putin is not becoming undone by this war. His economy is stronger. He is now allied with China more than ever. His popularity at home is high. Ukraine can't win the war. I don't care how bad the Russian troops are. Ukraine won't win. Ukraine has no disciplined military force. They don't have enough of the right equipment and the equipment they have is not up to the task. Yes they can frustrate the Russians for a time. But at best this is a stalemate. Somebody already tried to sue for peace and the NATO clowns wouldn't let them. They should let them. Putin keeps the East or he doesn't. Nobody actually cares. Then people can stop dying to satisfy the war mongers.
Thank you, Thomas. I really enjoyed this.
And thank you for reading it.
Also a reminder that in 1904, the same poor leadership and inadequate logistics led to a Russian defeat against a smaller adversary.
And again there, the experts were wrong (or at least the western experts; the Japanese experts were pretty good).
Yes, that’s another good example. And so is the first phase of the Nazi-Soviet War.