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The View From NATO’s Russian Front
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ^ | Feb. 6, 2015 | Sohrab Ahmari

Posted on 02/08/2015 11:07:13 AM PST by tlozo

‘I believe the Russians are mobilizing right now for a war that they think is going to happen in five or six years... with somebody within the next five or six years.” So says Lt. Gen. Frederick “Ben” Hodges, commander of U.S. Army Europe... "American engagement is essential if the West is to deter a revanchist Russia that has set out to “redraw the boundaries of Europe,” Gen. Hodges says... Russian President Vladimir Putin “has done in Ukraine,” he says, “is a manifestation of a strategic view of the world... This level of assistance suggests Ukraine “is not a foray, not a demonstration. They are deploying capabilities way above and beyond anything that any militia or rebel organization could ever come up with.”

The fact that the political class in the West is still splitting hairs about the nature of the insurgency in Ukraine is testament to the success of the Kremlin’s strategy of waging war without admitting it... Gen. Hodges notes that the Russians already have an advantage in the information battleground: “They’re not burdened with the responsibility to tell the truth. So they just hammer away, and whenever somebody in the West puts out a blog or a tweet, there’s an immediate counterattack by these trolls.”... Gen. Hodges won’t comment on the U.S. strategic-force posture in Europe other than to say he is “confident in that process.” But he adds that the fact that the Russians rehearse nuclear-strike scenarios “shows that they’re not worried about conveying a stark message like that. You know, frankly, you hear this often from many people in the West, ‘Oh, we don’t want to provoke the Russians.’ I think concern about provoking the Russians is probably misplaced. You can’t provoke them. They’re already on a path to do what they want to do.”

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


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Germany; News/Current Events; Russia; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: bhorussia; crimea; donetsk; germany; nato; putinsbuttboys; ruble; russia; ukraine; unitedkingdom; vladtheimploder; war; waronterror
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To: Drew68

Exactly, and it is why we need to stop Putin, to keep this from in a few years, becoming the Russian threat to the world, Again.


81 posted on 02/08/2015 3:08:11 PM PST by ansel12 (Civilization, Crusade against the Mohammedan Death Cult.)
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To: tcrlaf

Russia invading Ukraine is not a civil war, and when it is over your hope and the reality will be that Russia has conquered a peaceful nation on NATO’s borders, and has enslaved it, forever.


82 posted on 02/08/2015 3:10:57 PM PST by ansel12 (Civilization, Crusade against the Mohammedan Death Cult.)
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To: ansel12

Meanwhile, the Donetsk Chemical Plant was hit with a Nuclear-capable Luna-M ballistic missile tonight, resulting in a monstrous explosion.

Some kind of de-escalation, there, doncha think?


83 posted on 02/08/2015 3:13:31 PM PST by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: ansel12

Oh please, don’t try to divert with that lie, again.

The WHOLE WORLD understands that if there had been no Obama/Soros-backed, Nazi-supported coup in Ukraine, there wouldn’t even be a civil war right now, and Crimea would still have a Ukrainian Flag over it.

So save it for the stupid.


84 posted on 02/08/2015 3:15:51 PM PST by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: tcrlaf

You have a very strange definition of “The WHOLE WORLD”. In UN vote only countries supporting what Russia did in Crimea were these 10: Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

No one else! These are your only allies.


85 posted on 02/08/2015 3:19:59 PM PST by Krosan
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To: Jim Noble

Re your post #69, I still have some friends and relatives who are holding on to that dream (Greater Hungary).

So yep, some Americans can relate to that image.

Oh, and one more thing. When I say “holding on to that dream”, I mean with either nostalgia, or with anger. There’s not much happiness in that dream.


86 posted on 02/08/2015 3:21:59 PM PST by Leaning Right (Why am I holding this lantern? I am looking for the next Reagan.)
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To: ansel12
Exactly, and it is why we need to stop Putin, to keep this from in a few years, becoming the Russian threat to the world, Again.

Stop Putin how? Sending arms to Ukraine? What do you think this will accomplish?

There's a quick end to this conflict. Ukraine should allow the formation of Novorossiya, the West can recognize the legitimacy of this region and we can all update our maps and resume normal trade.

Strange place, this forum. If Texas wanted independent status, people here would be cheering them on.

87 posted on 02/08/2015 3:27:13 PM PST by Drew68
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To: tcrlaf

Russia invading Ukraine is not a civil war.


88 posted on 02/08/2015 3:28:31 PM PST by ansel12 (Civilization, Crusade against the Mohammedan Death Cult.)
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To: ansel12

exactly

“peace” will happen when Russia pulls out of a sovereign country. Russia is the one who doesn’t want peace.


89 posted on 02/08/2015 3:29:55 PM PST by GeronL
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To: Drew68

Typical, comparing Texas to Russia conquering Ukraine.

Let’s see if we can prevent Russia from returning back to being the murderous evil empire that we just barely survived the first time around.


90 posted on 02/08/2015 3:30:43 PM PST by ansel12 (Civilization, Crusade against the Mohammedan Death Cult.)
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To: ansel12

There was an article printed on a website a few months ago which subsequently had the website banned by the Russian Censor bureau. I was hoping if somebody in Russia could confirm if this site is banned there (argumentua.com)

The reason for the ban was that it used a quote by the Chechen President Dudaev, which was that, the Russian Dream is to live in a swamp and to drag others into it.

Dudaev was not the first one with that sentiment. 19th century Russian writer Chekhov was riding a train when he overheard a couple of Russian soldiers criticizing British colonialism in India. Chekhov then argued that wherever British are going, they are bringing their contributions with them and sharing them with colonials. With British, it’s their legal system. With French Empire, it’s their culture. But what of the Russia, what does it bring? Nothing, it’s backward, there’s nothing it can offer to the people it’s taking over.

Even with Russian Tolstoi, Dostoevkiy etc., I would say this is 100% accurate, at least for the Russian expansion in Europe. For people in Siberia and Central Asia maybe they saw some benefit from Russian rule, but for Ukrainians, Poles, Baltic countries, Finns - nada


91 posted on 02/08/2015 3:31:17 PM PST by Ivan Mazepa
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To: tcrlaf

Again what are you trying to express, your desire that no one resist Russian invasions?


92 posted on 02/08/2015 3:33:53 PM PST by ansel12 (Civilization, Crusade against the Mohammedan Death Cult.)
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To: Drew68

Most Americans don’t understand, and the Ukie trolls here try to shout down any mention of, just how much this is a “Russians helping Russians” ETHNIC thing for them.

The FIRST thing the coup leaders did after the elected government fell was to denounce Ukrainian Russians, pass laws and speak out about banning the Russian Language in Ukraine, and start engaging in ETHNIC CLEANSING, which continues to today.

How were Russians supposed to react to it?

While our elites are having fancy Hollywood Parties celebrating some gay cause, or Left-Wing Democrat fund-raiser, their’s are having parties and raising money for Russians in Southeast Ukraine. It is THE “cause-celeb” in Russia.

Popular Russian bands write songs and make videos about the brave Russian “patriots”. Some even visit the and encourage the rebels.
Here is but one out of hundreds of examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWfzFMvZhks


93 posted on 02/08/2015 3:35:13 PM PST by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: ansel12

You would REALLY like us to forget that this didn’t begin with a “Russian Invasion”, wouldn’t you.

It BEGAN with a violent coup, and the incineration of several dozen Ethnic Russians in Odessa.

I wonder what kind of names you will call me, now that I have mentioned this VERY inconvenient truth?


94 posted on 02/08/2015 3:41:27 PM PST by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: tcrlaf
The FIRST thing the coup leaders did after the elected government fell was to denounce Ukrainian Russians, pass laws and speak out about banning the Russian Language in Ukraine, and start engaging in ETHNIC CLEANSING, which continues to today.

The Russian language isn't banned-- there is no "ethnic" cleansing (even the Russians living in Crimea said they felt they were never in any threat in polls)-- and the "coup" leaders you are referring to were all democratically elected in 2012. The current democratic leaders in Ukraine were elected last year.

You are a Russkie bootlicker with clear signs of a neurological disorder.

95 posted on 02/08/2015 3:45:52 PM PST by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: tcrlaf

LOL, you really want Russia to succeed in this invasion.

If we follow your path of submission, in time we will be faced with an actual WWIII AGAIN, and the Western world will again be facing being conquered by Russia.


96 posted on 02/08/2015 3:46:13 PM PST by ansel12 (Civilization, Crusade against the Mohammedan Death Cult.)
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To: ansel12
Typical, comparing Texas to Russia conquering Ukraine.

The residents of the Donbas are fighting for autonomy. They don't wish to be governed by Kiev. They don't wish to be part of NATO. We are not saving them from the bootheels of Russian oppression. They speak Russian. They watch Russian TV, listen to Russian music, go to Russian churches. They are proud Russians. What is so hard to understand about this?

Most importantly, why do we care?

97 posted on 02/08/2015 3:52:33 PM PST by Drew68
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To: Drew68

We care because Russia is invading nations to regain what they lost, the power to threaten world peace, American existence, and impose their will on free people.


98 posted on 02/08/2015 3:58:43 PM PST by ansel12 (Civilization, Crusade against the Mohammedan Death Cult.)
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Comment #99 Removed by Moderator

To: tcrlaf

100 posted on 02/08/2015 4:06:52 PM PST by Ivan Mazepa
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