You are right!! NATO countries are all around Russia. Russians would be stupid to not reciprocate. Or threaten to do so.
Russia is not expansionist. Russia is not a wealthy country. GDP is same as New York. They could not last a month in a conventional war with NATO. Not a threat to the US unless things go nuclear. I have no doubt it would in the event of war. Any war over Ukraine wound be idiotic.
“Not a threat to the US unless things go nuclear.”
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What about asymmetric warfare like cyber and EMP? Those are threats too.
Although after suffering several invasions from Europe, including the devastating Nazi invasion, it’s now an article of faith over there that any future invader will have their own homeland devastated.
DC and the Pentagram are spoiling for a conventional war with Russia and are certain nobody would ever dare nuke us.
Its just a game to DC, they see a US and Russia war like Obama upset he can’t have an NCAA College championship game. Others don’t think it’s a game.