Source: The Wall Street Journal.
Separate from WSJ’s reporting, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev today blamed the looming global food crisis on the “cosmic cretinism” of the West.
His point: Why should Russia allow Ukrainian wheat exports to adversaries that have imposed economic sanctions on Russia as well as pursuing other provocations?
I hope Russia will not hoard wheat when famines begin to occur, but I get the logic of their recalcitrance.
The U.S./NATO should swallow its pride and seek a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Ukraine.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
The way I see it is Russia just being unwilling to share the spoils of war even if they are the invader. I don’t think the US was eager to share any Iraq assets, when captured, with Iran or North Korea either. In the
end there will probably be negotiated settlements as hoarding more than one can use will eventually spoil and achieve nothing.
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When has a belligerent in a war ever allowed its opponent to use its territory to conduct trade?
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Putin got his supposed “Nazis” when the remains of the Azov Battalion surrendered. He will probably kill most of them after some show trials. And this is regardless if there were many extremists left after 8 years.
With that phony pretext for the invasion gone, it is now Putin’s call about wheat for Africa and other nations.
Of course, none of this would be an issue had Putin not invaded a sovereign nation. And not just any nickel-dime ex-Soviet republic, but the breadbasket for a good part of the Third World and Europe.
And to boot, Putin effectively helped train and arm a military by his incessant chipping away at territory by occupying Crimea and Donbas. The Ukrainians developed a seasoned, effective army in defense. Russia is just sending cannon fodder from its own citizens for this tragic adventure in empire building.
This is mafioso extortion on a grand scale.
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https://thesaker.is/so-how-serious-is-ukraines-neo-nazi-romance/
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The banner gracing The Saker’s masthead reads “Stop the Empire’s war on Russia.”
Unless you are a complete dolt, you can take that as a hint that it is a Russian propaganda site. NOTHING you read there can be trusted. The author was booted from both the UN and the International Red Cross because of his unconstrained adulation of Russia and hatred of the West. The word “crackpot” was invented for people like this. You can read his bio in his own words here . . .
https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_Saker
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RE: “You can read his bio in his own words here . . .”
His bio in his own words is available on his web site, and I have read it. I’d be a dolt if I rejected The Saker content just because I suspected it of being Russian propaganda. In fact, I find The Saker’s alternative content useful for probing the validity of Western propaganda as found, for example, in NYT and WAPO.
The Saker article I recommended to Mr. Rothman is heavily sourced. If it contains any factual errors you wish to dispute, be my guest. Otherwise, your comment is a waste of time.
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Alternative content is NEWS; NYT/WAPO propaganda?
Dman. How silly is that?
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https://www.stopfake.org/en/the-saker-blind-loyalty-disguised-as-defiance/
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“The U.S./NATO should swallow its pride and seek a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Ukraine.”
Just like the British and French did at Munich in 1938? How did that work out? If you do not know that history, there was a region of Czechoslovakia – the Sudetanland – which had many ethnic Germans. Hitler sent agents to stir trouble and demanded that it be ceded to Germany. Chamberlan agreed – to achieve “Peace for our Time.” Donbas is a very close parallel and Putin is no better than Hitler.
When and if Ukraine decides to settle with Russia, we should and will support their decision. Contrary to your conspiracy theory nonsense, we did not start this war and the decision to end it is not ours to make.
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RE: “Just like the British and French did at Munich in 1938?”
Don’t be ridiculous. Appeasing the German Nazis in 1938 was a big mistake. We should learn from it and stop supporting Ukrainian Nazis in 2022.
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“We should learn from it and stop supporting Ukrainian Nazis in 2022?”
You Putinistas are funny! But not in a good way.
Pay attention. The aggressor is Russia. Ukraine is defending itself. Duh!
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No thanks.
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No thanks?
To the simple truth?
Well, different strokes for different folks. Lucky for you that you live in a free country instead of, say, Putin’s Russia. Here you can express disdain for our government, call the President childish names, and spit on our core values without ending up in jail or worse. Here you are just a crackpot. In Russia, you would be a criminal.
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RE: “To the simple truth?”
No thanks to simplemindedness.
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Your obsession with Ukrainian Nazis is notable. We have our own homegrown Nazis, or as they prefer, European chauvinists.
The “stand by gangs” if you recall.
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Your denial of Ukranian Nazis is notable, too. Why not take the trouble to learn more about them — for example that Azov Battalion is not the only group?
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Proud Boys are not our only group either. Oathkeepers include military and police members or veterans. Hundreds of similar trash marched shouting “blood and soil” in Charlottesville. Many were involved and planned the 1/6 attack on Congress.
Are we a Nazi nation too? By your posted views on Ukraine, we might be.
Honestly, if the MAGA party takes power, we probably will be a Nazi nation.
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RE: “Honestly, if the MAGA party takes power, we probably will be a Nazi nation.”
So, it is OK to be concerned about Nazis in America but not in Ukraine?
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Sure. I live here and MAGA wants to take over whether legally or not.
If the criteria for a nation’s right for self-defense and sovereignty is dependent upon whether there are some nationalist, bigoted, anti-Semitic, extremists in the government or military, we might not have the right to defend ourselves either.
MAGA threatens that right, in my opinion.
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RE: “Sure. I live here and MAGA wants to take over whether legally or not.”
Uh, OK. I’ll just be leaving, now.
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Why? Because the truth just slapped you in the head.
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…”supporting Ukrainian nazi”…
THe Nazified population in Ukraine is probably lower than hte number of neo-Nazi’s affiliated in THIS country.
Stop telling the lie about Ukrainian Nazis based on ONE Army battalion.
YES I am flat out calling you a LIAR.
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So what is your solution big boy? Launch some nukes? Send in the ground troops? Covert CIA assassination? You constantly babble like Mr All Knowing but have zero solutions to anything but socialism. I think Putin might like socialism again so that won’t be a threat. In fact that makes you more aligned with Russian ideology than you might want to admit.
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My “solution” which is the policies I think this country should follow includes. . .
No matter the resolution of the fighting, maintain and increase economic pressure on Russia until they get rid of Putin. He has proven himself unworthy of any further tolerance by any civilized nation. We should be unrelenting until regime change occurs.
Act immediately to approve the applications by Sweden and Finland to join NATO. It will help the Russian people understand how poor the decision to attack a peaceful neighbor actually was.
Step up efforts to get the truth of what is going on past Russian censors. Even a brutal dictator cannot hold power if they lose the support of the people.
As you imply, any conflict raises the specter of nuclear war. We should reaffirm that we will never be the ones to shoot first but also that we will be the ones to shoot last. It is important that our military reach out to Russia’s military and make sure they understand our intentions. Putin cannot personally launch a nuclear attack. Our military would have disobeyed Trump. Russia’s military needs to be ready to do the same.
By and large, I believe President Biden is working in all these areas, as he should be.
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RE: “Respect any decision that Ukraine makes.”
That would make the U.S./Nato party to war crimes.
RE: “No matter the resolution of the fighting, maintain and increase economic pressure on Russia until they get rid of Putin.”
Of course. Use our economic power to undermine Russian democracy or control Russian tyranny. Only two problems: 1) the proposal is immoral, and 2) we don’t have enough economic power to be successful.
RE: “Act immediately to approve the applications by Sweden and Finland to join NATO.”
Right, let’s invite nuclear war with Russia.
RE: “Step up efforts to get the truth of what is going on past Russian censors.”
By all means. Only problem is, the truth of what is going on makes Russia look like Superman. Western sanctions have backfired, and the Ukrainian military is being systematically wiped out.
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Your response is both predictable and ridiculous. No need to go point by point.
Your saying the truth makes “Russia look like Superman” says it all.
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RE: “No need to go point by point.”
You couldn’t, anyway.
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“You couldn’t, anyway.”
Keep telling yourself that.
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“That would make the U.S./Nato party to war crimes.”
Right. And Russia, which is conducting an illegal and immoral invasion of a peaceful neighboring country has done nothing wrong.
That comment of yours, alone removes and and all credibility you think you may have had.
The rest of your rant is just that; a mindless idiotic rant.
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RE: “That comment of yours, alone removes and and all credibility you think you may have had.”
Your judgement of my credibility is worthless.
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To you perhaps worthless. To any one with a shred of common sense they can see clearly that you have zero credibility.
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Your rant is so off the rails, all I can say about it is it is so off the rails.
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