"Not all of the Russians are evil. Many Russian POWs are claiming that they were told that they would be going on a training mission rather than going to war. Some say they tried to disobey orders but were told that they could be executed if they resisted."
The question I have now is how long the guys at the back of the line responsible for shooting the deserters will stick around to do that, when they are also getting paid essentially with toilet paper. If the assault on the Russian economy succeeds, then the only thing holding the Russian fighting forces together (conscripts and volunteers alike) will be loyalty to the military and Putin. Is there enough to keep the center holding, or are the odds of a coup (military or otherwise) increasing with each dip the ruble takes on its way to joining the Zimbabwe trillion dollar bills?
Thank you for writing a response to Steve’s article. I wanted to but lacked the energy to see it through as thoroughly as you have. My biggest beef with almost every article of his comes down to his rejection of off Ramos and attempts to avoid war. He wants to go to war against Putin, but I don’t. I know Putin won’t change but his facilitators can, and by doing this right we can pressure them to get rid of him. Change through motivation is always better than force.
I should respond personally. I don’t want to go to war with Putin. I’ve written about his Russian empire since 2014 and published my archived piece here. My issue is that we are all surprised and student-body-left, student-body-right when Putin does exactly what he said he wanted to do. Putin chose the date and US administration under which to do it. Whether we agree on why is not entirely relevant but he believed Biden was not going to be an obstacle. I don’t think Putin counted on the PR value and expertise of Zelensky, who gave him a master class in world cancel culture.
War against Russia is a bad outcome. Sanctions, 14 years too late, is also a bad outcome. If it weren’t for Zelensky’s savvy with media and message, and Ukraine’s steely resolve not to give in, Putin would have been drinking tea in Kyiv last week. In fact, Biden believed in that outcome, offering a ride to get Zelensky out.
Let me ask a question: if Putin won’t change, then why offer him an “off-ramp”? He does not use them but he does exploit them to his own purposes.
We should have been doing what we are doing now 14 years ago. I fear that we have done so much now that there is no off-ramp. When you surround an enemy army, be sure to leave a way of escape, or they’ll fight to the death. Putin may feel very surrounded and that is very scary.
We may now have no choice but military victory over Russia…we being the West. Sure, the US could stay out but I think this war may expand to the point where we can’t.
So then do you want to go to war against Putin. You don’t want to have to but you believe we must.
I understood your position, and I thank you for taking the time to respond. But the reality is we cannot go to war with Russia, at least not yet. The main thing keeping the world United against Russia is that there’s only two sides here: democracy and attackers. The moment America gets involved from 10,000 miles away our troops become another side, our policy becomes another side.
I can prove my point simply: ask Congress what we should do. Only they could authorize such a war legally. They won’t do it. And until we have such consensus from the People we need to take every measure to defend, and create opportunities to deescalate
Btw, there’s nothing wrong with an off ramp or diplomacy. As long as it’s unconditional, any war can stop and the violence can “off ramp.” What’s your alternative, marching into Moscow?
Sorry, but that’s nuts. You’re along a small and shrinking group of people who think that WWIII is worth jumping into right now. I think it’s always wisest to take our time and exhaust all prions before getting into a war that isn’t on our doorstep. We aren’t there.
I don’t think the US needs to fight Russia. Europe does. We can support them. But if nobody fights Putin, eventually we will have to. Maybe not now but one day.
"Not all of the Russians are evil. Many Russian POWs are claiming that they were told that they would be going on a training mission rather than going to war. Some say they tried to disobey orders but were told that they could be executed if they resisted."
The question I have now is how long the guys at the back of the line responsible for shooting the deserters will stick around to do that, when they are also getting paid essentially with toilet paper. If the assault on the Russian economy succeeds, then the only thing holding the Russian fighting forces together (conscripts and volunteers alike) will be loyalty to the military and Putin. Is there enough to keep the center holding, or are the odds of a coup (military or otherwise) increasing with each dip the ruble takes on its way to joining the Zimbabwe trillion dollar bills?
Thank you for writing a response to Steve’s article. I wanted to but lacked the energy to see it through as thoroughly as you have. My biggest beef with almost every article of his comes down to his rejection of off Ramos and attempts to avoid war. He wants to go to war against Putin, but I don’t. I know Putin won’t change but his facilitators can, and by doing this right we can pressure them to get rid of him. Change through motivation is always better than force.
I should respond personally. I don’t want to go to war with Putin. I’ve written about his Russian empire since 2014 and published my archived piece here. My issue is that we are all surprised and student-body-left, student-body-right when Putin does exactly what he said he wanted to do. Putin chose the date and US administration under which to do it. Whether we agree on why is not entirely relevant but he believed Biden was not going to be an obstacle. I don’t think Putin counted on the PR value and expertise of Zelensky, who gave him a master class in world cancel culture.
War against Russia is a bad outcome. Sanctions, 14 years too late, is also a bad outcome. If it weren’t for Zelensky’s savvy with media and message, and Ukraine’s steely resolve not to give in, Putin would have been drinking tea in Kyiv last week. In fact, Biden believed in that outcome, offering a ride to get Zelensky out.
Let me ask a question: if Putin won’t change, then why offer him an “off-ramp”? He does not use them but he does exploit them to his own purposes.
We should have been doing what we are doing now 14 years ago. I fear that we have done so much now that there is no off-ramp. When you surround an enemy army, be sure to leave a way of escape, or they’ll fight to the death. Putin may feel very surrounded and that is very scary.
We may now have no choice but military victory over Russia…we being the West. Sure, the US could stay out but I think this war may expand to the point where we can’t.
So then do you want to go to war against Putin. You don’t want to have to but you believe we must.
I understood your position, and I thank you for taking the time to respond. But the reality is we cannot go to war with Russia, at least not yet. The main thing keeping the world United against Russia is that there’s only two sides here: democracy and attackers. The moment America gets involved from 10,000 miles away our troops become another side, our policy becomes another side.
I can prove my point simply: ask Congress what we should do. Only they could authorize such a war legally. They won’t do it. And until we have such consensus from the People we need to take every measure to defend, and create opportunities to deescalate
Btw, there’s nothing wrong with an off ramp or diplomacy. As long as it’s unconditional, any war can stop and the violence can “off ramp.” What’s your alternative, marching into Moscow?
Sorry, but that’s nuts. You’re along a small and shrinking group of people who think that WWIII is worth jumping into right now. I think it’s always wisest to take our time and exhaust all prions before getting into a war that isn’t on our doorstep. We aren’t there.
I don’t think the US needs to fight Russia. Europe does. We can support them. But if nobody fights Putin, eventually we will have to. Maybe not now but one day.
If the news wasn't bad enough, it appears the Patriarch of the Russian church has described the defenders of Ukraine as "evil".
Great, just what we need a religious element to the war. That should calm everyone down and make them see sense (not).
Welp. not all Russians are evil. That's a given. ALL Russian gov'ts going but through Putin to the USSR to the Czars have been. Prove me wrong.