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Ukraine: Down the slippery slope we go
American Thinker.com ^ | May 14, 2022 | James Poplar

Posted on 05/14/2022 12:00:55 PM PDT by Kaslin

What began as a fairly straightforward U.S. policy of arming the Ukrainians with defensive weapons against Russian aggression has now expanded into a dangerous and rapid escalation.

We now have embarked on the inevitable slippery slope of mission creep and where we will end up will probably not be where we had intended.

If history has taught us anything, it is that before engaging in an armed conflict, we must have a clearly defined end state and the strategy (the ends, way, and means) of achieving it. Right now, we have neither.

The New York Times on Wednesday published an op-ed by war correspondent Tom Stevenson titled "The U.S. and Its Allies Want to Bleed Russia. They Really Shouldn't," arguing what many have been arguing for a while now: the Biden administration is openly — and recklessly — pursuing a policy of escalation in Ukraine that represents a new and very dangerous phase in the conflict.

Stevenson, a journalist who reported from Ukraine in the opening weeks of the war, states that initially, the United States and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine rather straightforwardly, with supplies of defensive arms and humanitarian supplies to the Ukrainians and economic sanctions on Russia. But things have changed dramatically and rapidly over the past month.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans; Politics; Reference; Society
KEYWORDS: biden; missioncreep; putin; russia; ukraine; zelensky
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To: Kaslin

The goals have not changed.

A whole, democratic, independent and prosperous Ukraine.

This would permanently weaken Russia. Not only would it deprive the Russian Army of Ukrainian resources it would serve as an example to Belarussians and Russians themselves that an Eastern Slavic people can govern themselves in a civilized fashion and join the First World.

The gains for the United States are obvious. It would be far less likely we would need to defend from a Russian invasion into NATO countries.

The Russians want to avoid being annihilated with nuclear weapons as much as we do.


21 posted on 05/14/2022 1:37:48 PM PDT by Reaganez
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To: AnthonySoprano

Zelenskyy’s platform was arguably less pro Western than that of most of his contenders. His platform was mostly being the political outsider who’d fight corruption without too much focus on chosing sides between Russia and the West. He would indeed lean to the West but it was not the focal point of his agenda.

The top 5 candidates for the presidential election in 2019 were

5: Anatoliy Hrytsenko (6,91%), former member of Tymoshenko administration and head of the pro-European “Civil Position” Party.

4: Yuriy Boyko (11,67%), a pro-Russian candidate.

3: Yulia Tymoshenko (13.40%), former Prime Minister, thrown in jail on bogus claims under the Pro-Russian Rule of Yanukovich, clearly no friend of Russia.

2: Petro Poroshenko (15.95%), incumbent president at the time with a clear pro-European platform .

1: Volodymyr Zelenskyy (30.24%),

As you can see, the pro Russian sent was at max 12% of the electorate.

And Poroshenko would have been the wests preferred candidate.

In Donetsk and Luhansk, rather the non occupied parts of the Donbas Yuriy Boyko, the most pro-Russian of all the major candidates got a plurality of the vote, but interestingly, even there, the overall vote was split roughly 50–50 between Pro-Russia and Pro-Europe candidates.


22 posted on 05/14/2022 1:42:48 PM PDT by Cronos
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To: Forward the Light Brigade

It would obviously be crazy for us to risk a nuclear exchange over an irrelevant country like Ukraine, but these globalist war mongers strike me as somewhat unhinged, and I’m afraid they will keep poking the bear until they receive sufficient push back. I just hope that push back occurs before we get in over our head, but I don’t trust the idiots in this administration any further than I can throw them. They’ve become emboldened by Ukraine’s surprising success so far, and seem to have no intention of holding back.


23 posted on 05/14/2022 1:44:22 PM PDT by jimwatx
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To: jimwatx

Their air force could carpet bomb Colin Powell style.

The Russians will escalate as slowly as possible, to give each escalation time to work and not run out of options before the American elections.


24 posted on 05/14/2022 1:54:17 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Basket_of_Deplorables

“the US is responsible for provoking this entire catastrophe”

The problem stems from the guy in 2014 who overreacted to protests and was abandoned by his ‘security’ people.

The US failed to use diplomatic skills to stop the war from breaking out.


25 posted on 05/14/2022 2:03:42 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: jimwatx

Push back will be delayed for maximum economic and political impact.

It will probably come in October.

The Russians will dig in their artillery and wait for American election time.


26 posted on 05/14/2022 2:07:18 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Kaslin; All

Anyone who supports this aid to Ukraine is anti American and should be shunned by all patriots, if not shot by them.


27 posted on 05/14/2022 2:33:14 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: jimwatx

“It amazes me that many in the US seem to think that Russia would never resort to nukes.”

The stupid is thick right here on Free Republic.


28 posted on 05/14/2022 2:36:54 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Reaganez

“A whole, democratic, independent and prosperous Ukraine.”

Whose goal is that?

Yours?

What are YOU willing to sacrifice for that goal? What are you willing to compel others to sacrifice for that goal?

And lastly, how much force are you willing to apply to force them to sacrifice for that goal? Are you willing to shoot them?

What if they are willing to shoot you to resist?


29 posted on 05/14/2022 2:41:58 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Mariner

That is the goal of the US government.

I am willing to sacrifice my US tax dollars and your US tax dollars.

I am not shooting anybody.

Anybody shooting American officials/soldiers or sabotaging shipments of weapons to Ukraine deserves to be arrested and imprisoned. And if they kill anybody then executed.


30 posted on 05/14/2022 2:48:12 PM PDT by Reaganez
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To: jimwatx

Yes, despite tanking poll numbers they aren’t even moderating. That is pretty scary actually.


31 posted on 05/14/2022 2:54:00 PM PDT by gibsonguy
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To: blueunicorn6

It has long been a part of Democratic foreign policy doctrine (going back to Korea and Vietnam) that they could “control” war with incremental escalation.

The problem is they only need to be wrong one time.


32 posted on 05/14/2022 2:56:18 PM PDT by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: Kaslin
Donald Trump Jr. @DonaldJTrumpJr

Rather than spend $40 Billion of American taxpayer dollars to fund DC's proxy war with Russia why doesn't Zelensky just charge these politicians for the obligatory selfie and fund it himself???

5:19 PM · May 14, 2022

33 posted on 05/14/2022 2:58:22 PM PDT by McGruff (Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f*** things up - Barack Obama)
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To: Reaganez

A whole, democratic, independent and prosperous Ukraine.
———-
Ukraine is the most corrupted nation in the world. Never will be prosperous. There is a good reason the EU AND NATO rejected them.

Been there, done that, the age old EU saying, “ When you shake hands with a Ukrainian, be sure to check how many fingers he stole”.


34 posted on 05/14/2022 2:59:41 PM PDT by delta7
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To: Reaganez

“That is the goal of the US government.

I am willing to sacrifice my US tax dollars and your US tax dollars.

I am not shooting anybody.

Anybody shooting American officials/soldiers or sabotaging shipments of weapons to Ukraine deserves to be arrested and imprisoned. And if they kill anybody then executed.”

You support the goals of the US government and support the use of lethal force by the government to achieve them.

Depending on the goal, that could make you the mortal enemy of a very large number of people.


35 posted on 05/14/2022 7:08:27 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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