In a nuclear armed world it would be crazy to end up in a situation where your forces are directly confronting the forces of the other side. If you start to win, then they escalate. Think of it this way, both Jefferson Davis and Abrahan Lincoln would have been required to use nukes if they had them to limit the terrible cost to their side. No one would have blamed them. They would have blamed them if they could have defeated the other side at a lower cost in lives by using nukes if they’d had them. No one is going to lose on purpose if they can just up the ante.
I think Biden and everyone else poked the bear. On the other hand, Putin cannot allow a democratic neighbor as it would call into question Russia’s non-democratic government. So, in some way, there was no way to avoid this war, bears poked or not. The only thing that could have avoided a war at this time would be if we had a president who looked the part, who issued mean Tweets and everyone accused of being “crazy.”
Good post.
Ukraine is done, we fold on a bad hand of cards.
If the Russian bear wants to start sniffing around in Poland, he loses an eye or maybe two.
Poland is my red line for Ivan.
“No one is going to lose on purpose if they can just up the ante.”
Every war game with the USSR and USA since 1950 ended in nuclear conflagration and a dead world.
Neocons are OK with that.
Most respectfully, what you wrote was silly
Here it is:
“Putin cannot allow a democratic neighbor as it would call into question Russia’s non-democratic government.”
How about Finland, on the borders of the Soviet Union and Russia for over 100 years?
What would have avoided this war was accepting Putin’s ultimaturm. he demanded a written guarnatee that Ukraine would never join NATO. President Biden refused his demand and now we have this war.
Listen to the Victoria Nuland 2014 phone call with the US Ambassador to Ukraine as she basically appoints the new Ukraine government like a freaking EMPRESS, and then get back to us about the "democracy" in Ukraine.
THIS!
“So, in some way, there was no way to avoid this war, bears poked or not. The only thing that could have avoided a war at this time would be if we had a president who looked the part, who issued mean Tweets and everyone accused of being “crazy.””
Ukraine is no more democratic than Russia...well maybe 5%