Apologies for the leading question. That’s what makes it an “informal” poll.
Informal poll: Are we buying the “Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent” hysteria?
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Tidewater News and Opinion Forum
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Could it be a Putin test of Biden? After getting love and admiration from TFG is he just looking for the same thing from Biden?
170,000 Mexican troops along our southern border would make us wonder WTH too.
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“170,000 Mexican troops along our southern border would make us wonder WTH too.”
I think in that analogy, the US has troops along the Mexican border, and some of the border states, say Chihuahua and Sonora, are fighting a civil war against the rest of Mexico.
As I understand it, Russia does these “military exercises” every year in this region. Let’s also remember that the terms of the USSR allowing a united Germany to join NATO stipulated that NATO was not to move “once inch” east of Germany. You’d think NATO would have ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but you know how that goes.
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“You’d think NATO would have ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but you know how that goes”
The military-industrial complex is NOT ad American phenomenon.
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And yes, they do the exercises annually, but not massed on the border they way they are this time. We do joint military exercises with South Korea every year (played in 3 of those myself). But there is no direct threat to North Korea or China when we do them.
National sovereignty is something we should believe in – IMO.
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Well it is also Russia’s border. And there is a significant ethnic and linguistically Russian population in the regions that are trying to break away.
And…among the Ukrainian nationalists is a large contingent of neo-Nazis. I’m not super sympathetic to Ukraine right now.
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I am not trying to sell a war with Russia over Ukraine. I absolutely do not want that to happen. However, I just came across this in a newsletter from Bill Kristol @ The BUlwark:
“[If] war comes, we need to be clear on one thing above all: It will be Putin’s war. There is no “need” for Russia and Ukraine to be at war. They could have tense relations, disputes, occasional border skirmishes even. But the choice for war will be Putin’s. And it won’t be driven by Russian public opinion, by elements of the Russian elite, by NATO expansion, or by geostrategic inevitability. It will be Putin’s war.”
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People forget our broken promises to Russia that NATO would not be expanded.
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I suspect the Russia really is just providing backup to the separatists in the Donbas. Were the Russian forces not at hand, it is likely the Ukrainians would exterminate the separatists, but they dare not give Russia an excuse to intervene on behalf of the ethnic Russians there.
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Right. And like we’ve both mentioned, several other countries on Russia’s borders have joined NATO despite international agreements. I think Ukraine attempting to join would be a line in the sand for them. And rightly so, I guess. There’s no good guys here.
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Ukraine isn’t close to being acceptable as a NATO member. It is so far down the road a possibility, Putin will be long gone (unless he is immortal).
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Pre-emptive prediction of genocide if the Russians weren’t massed on the border?
And the Russians could make up their own excuses as a pretense to attack Ukraine. Including false flag operations showing that “genocide” is happening (It isn’t), an attack on their own (Russian) troops and calling it an attack by Ukrainian forces.
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Based on what some of the nationalist leaders are saying, genocide is not out of the question.
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And neither is Putin’s threat to invade a sovereign nation … AGAIN.
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Despite the White House and most of the media’s clamoring, I just don’t see it happening. What I do see, is a bunch of people in the Defense Department and their media mouthpieces absolutely giddy with the idea of restarting the Cold War.
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Why is all of the pressure being put on Biden? This is a European/Wrld security issue.
It also shows Biden to be stronger than his predecessor when it comes to dealing with adversaries.
I don’t think “giddy’ is the proper adjective.
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“This is a European/Wrld security issue.”
That’s true, but most of them have concluded that an invasion isn’t happening. Biden is better than Trump in some ways, but I don’t think eagerness to go to war–especially with a real army–is a trait to be celebrated.
“I don’t think “giddy’ is the proper adjective.”
Think about the article I posted yesterday. What is the US without a war to prosecute?
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“Why is all of the pressure being put on Biden?”
Because when you want to break something, you apply the pressure to the weak spot.
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The “Biden is weak” narrative is just another smoke screen. He is showing much more strength than his predecessor did on the world stage, dealing with adversaries and working toward peaceful solutions.
Walking away from allies is not strength. Neither is walking away from those we support (see the Kurds). Bowing to Putin was one of the biggest signs of weakness displayed by TFG; Biden is standing up to him.
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