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Germany and France Must Drive Effort for Credible Deterrent Against Russia
spiegel.de/international ^ | April 29, 2022 | Martin Knobbe

Posted on 04/29/2022 7:15:44 PM PDT by elpadre

The EU faces difficult questions that need to be debated now rather than later. Europe needs a strong deterrent against Moscow, and that will only be possible if France and Germany team up to advance the debate.

In the end, the meeting at the United States airbase in Ramstein, Germany, resembled a ribbon ceremony with praise awarded to the most diligent. Germany is a great friend that is doing everything it can to support Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said. It was not only thanks for the Germans’ proposal to send tanks

to Ukraine, but also the polite way of saying: "Finally, you have understood!" The praise followed weeks of criticism in Washington, NATO capitals and Kyiv over perceived German dithering about whether to supply heavy weapon systems to Ukraine to defend itself.

The United States is choreographing the anti-Russia policies in this war. It is setting the pace in arms deliveries, it invited its allies to gather in Germany for a special Ukraine Defensive Consultive Group meeting, and it is providing the necessary deterrence against the nuclear power Russia with its own arsenal of nuclear weapons. Most importantly, the U.S. has formulated the West’s aim in the war: "We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine," Austin said. DER SPIEGEL 18/2022

(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Germany; News/Current Events; Russia; War on Terror
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1 posted on 04/29/2022 7:15:45 PM PDT by elpadre
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To: elpadre

more of editorial:

“...Imagine if the U.S. president were still named Donald Trump. He probably would have quit NATO long ago and left it up to others to respond to Putin’s aggression. A shake-up in Europe would have suited him just fine. Putin would have celebrated one success after another because Europe wouldn’t have been able to act as resolutely as the U.S. is right now....”

As I recall Trump was calling upon NATO to become stronger and be more assertive and for the US to take a lesser role. Europeans should take the lead in European problems with the US only in a supportive role. To do that they were being asked to contribute more.


2 posted on 04/29/2022 7:19:57 PM PDT by elpadre (W)
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To: elpadre

Der Spiegel is the Washington Compost in German. Of course it’s anti Trump and pro Biden.


3 posted on 04/29/2022 7:26:23 PM PDT by datura (Eventually, the Lord and the Truth will win.)
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To: All

German truffles? French lager?

The possibilities seem endless. And they would deter, no doubt about it.


4 posted on 04/29/2022 7:29:40 PM PDT by Peter ODonnell ("Vlad, next time you have a special operation, run it by us first, okay?")
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To: elpadre

I think Germany and France should definitely play a major role in resisting Russian aggression. Unfortunately, Germany has become rather pacified, and France...well, France is kind of like the Ents: It will show up years after the fight has ended.


5 posted on 04/29/2022 7:35:04 PM PDT by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: elpadre

The Germans decided to take advantage of the end of the cold war and DEEPLY cut their armed forces across the board. At the present time the army has 328 tanks, 3874 APVs, 400+ artillery tubes, 121 self propelled guns and 38 MLRS according to one site I looked up. They are barely able to defend themselves. There’s a lot of re-arming needed to have a credible defense. This probably applies to many NATO countries in the EU.


6 posted on 04/29/2022 7:41:10 PM PDT by tony549 (Stuck in SoCal)
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To: elpadre

“The United States is choreographing the anti-Russian policies in this war. It is setting the pace in arms deliveries, “

Soros/Schwab/WEF U.S.proxy war v Russia.


7 posted on 04/29/2022 7:52:48 PM PDT by A strike (The DeepState/Uniparty doesn't only hate Trump, they hate US)
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To: elpadre

With the U.S. largely footing the bill to defend Europe (driving up the federal debt because they weren’t funding their own defense), Europe was free to spend money on social welfare programs, further driving cultural rot in Europe.


8 posted on 04/29/2022 7:54:50 PM PDT by Its All Over Except ...
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To: elpadre
The terrible life of the Crimea people under brutal Russian occupation that you no doubt heard about. We better send the Geman tanks in there and liberate those poor souls.

The Ukrainian people also made the mistake of electing a pro Russian president in 2014, but the United States saw fit to overthrow that election to make things better.

.

.

Life Inside Putin’s Crimea

9 posted on 04/29/2022 8:36:05 PM PDT by Karl Spooner
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To: elpadre

WWIII


10 posted on 04/29/2022 9:36:12 PM PDT by kvanbrunt2
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To: elpadre

Putin would have celebrated one success after another because Europe wouldn’t have been able to act as resolutely as the U.S. is right now....”>>> And Russia’s nukes would all be pointed at them. hopefully.


11 posted on 04/29/2022 9:37:16 PM PDT by kvanbrunt2
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To: elpadre

There doesn’t need to be a Russia deterrent. Russia only cares about Russia and Russians. That may include Russians in former Russian territories. Note I didn’t say Soviet.

NATO needs to be abandoned. It should have been in the 1990s.

-SB


12 posted on 04/29/2022 10:00:38 PM PDT by Snowybear ( )
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To: elpadre
"As I recall Trump was calling upon NATO to become stronger and be more assertive and for the US to take a lesser role."

He was demanding that they pay their promised share of the NATO costs. Most still aren't and haven't for decades. You're paying.


13 posted on 04/29/2022 10:30:20 PM PDT by blam
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To: elpadre

I’m starting to get the impression the WEF might ne behind the idiotic push to more sanctions and war, knowing it will devastate economies and lead to mass starvation.

Dairy in the US is up 90% in a year. Ninety Percent. Almost doubled. Other countries will be a lot worse, soon.

After covid killed economies, remember, the WEF said it’s a good thing, and will help usher in The Great Reset.

So will wars and sanctions on the biggest food and energy producers in Europe.

Who gains???


14 posted on 04/29/2022 11:42:39 PM PDT by Basket_of_Deplorables (Putin is behaving rationally.The war is on Biden and Obama. )
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To: Snowybear

That is false. It has threatened Finland, Sweden, Poland and Bulgaria. And they have next to no Russians.

But if you agree with them caring about former Russian territories, perhaps you want to hand Alaska back to them?


15 posted on 04/29/2022 11:56:14 PM PDT by Cronos
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To: Basket_of_Deplorables

Putin is behind the push to war. Putin’s army invaded a weaker neighbour


16 posted on 04/29/2022 11:57:08 PM PDT by Cronos
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To: ought-six

Why? Russians have proven to be poor soldiers and their tanks easy to kill with drones. Poland could stop them in a week. The Russian Bear has proven to be not a grizzly but more like a Yogi Bear. No guts—they run from Ukes—they would have no chance against Germans or French. Once they had a real army but corruption has weakened them into pussy cats. If Germany fears Russia—just hire a few Ukrainians. One Uke is better than ten Ruskies. Russia will be lucky to keep any of the Black Sea ports they have now. When the Ukes are done with them, the Turks will finish the job. All they got is Nukes but no guts to use them.


17 posted on 04/30/2022 12:09:39 AM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade ( ALWAYS GO FORWARD AND NEVER GO BACK.)
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To: Forward the Light Brigade

“Why? Russians have proven to be poor soldiers and their tanks easy to kill with drones. Poland could stop them in a week. The Russian Bear has proven to be not a grizzly but more like a Yogi Bear. No guts—they run from Ukes—they would have no chance against Germans or French. Once they had a real army but corruption has weakened them into pussy cats. If Germany fears Russia—just hire a few Ukrainians. One Uke is better than ten Ruskies. Russia will be lucky to keep any of the Black Sea ports they have now. When the Ukes are done with them, the Turks will finish the job. All they got is Nukes but no guts to use them.”

Lots of bravado mentioned in your comment. However, bravado is just bluff and bluster.

I think Poland would indeed put up a hell of a fight; but to say Poland could stop a Russian invasion in a week; well, that’s just hyperbole.

But you are right to the effect that Russia is not the big bad bear it has tried to frighten people with. But it can still bite, and can still claw. Russia cannot defeat the West militarily in any conventional war; it can do a hell of a lot of damage, though, if it plays the nuclear game. Of, course, if Russia went that route Russia would cease to exist — literally.

Russia badly miscalculated in invading Ukraine. Russia is a bully, and always has been. It just never expected its intended victim to fight back.

Russia needs to withdraw ASAP, and end this thing; and hope that its standing as the world’s biggest pariah will be brief.

Nothing less will answer.


18 posted on 04/30/2022 7:35:04 AM PDT by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: elpadre

RE: Germany and France Must Drive Effort for Credible Deterrent Against Russia

Forget Germany. They’re still enriching Putin’s coffers by buying Russian oil and gas. They’ve also decomissioned their nuclear power plants. They can’t do without importing from Russia.


19 posted on 05/02/2022 5:53:02 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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