Posted on 01/26/2023 1:15:13 PM PST by JonPreston
From day one of the war in Ukraine, the most powerful argument against unrestrained western intervention in the conflict has been the danger of catastrophic escalation into an all-out war between Nato and Russia.
So far, western governments have shied away from a truly existential confrontation with Russia. But the threat remains that continuing western military aid to Ukraine will provoke Russian countermeasures that could turn Moscow’s proxy war with Nato into a direct military conflict.
Western hawks have long argued the danger of escalation is illusory. In an op-ed for the New York Times, former British diplomat Nigel Gould-Davies claimed “Putin has no red lines” and that, far from being deterred by fear of escalation, the West should call Putin’s bluff and threaten Russia with nuclear retaliation if he overreacts to western support for Ukraine.
Gould-Davies provides no hard evidence for his insights into Putin’s mind. His argument is pure speculation, and prompts the question: what if Putin won’t back away from a major war with the West? Should Nato be taking even a small risk of igniting a larger conflict that could kill millions?
Putin’s restraint in the face of massive western military aid to Ukraine has been remarkable but his forbearance may not be boundless. If the West goes too far, he may be tempted to risk a degree of escalation himself by, for example, interdicting western supplies before they arrive in Ukraine, or by neutralising the Nato surveillance systems that provide Kyiv with intelligence that enables deadly strikes on Russian targets.
(Excerpt) Read more at irishtimes.com ...
“Russia defeated the UA months ago.”
Then why aren’t they in Kiev? Odessa? And why haven’t they re-installed Yanukovych?
I mean, if the Ukrainian military was defeated months ago, why are Russians still getting killed by them?
Denying facts doesn’t make much of an argument. I provided them for you, you can ignore it I suppose. Next someone will say the RC church is of Jesus lol. It’s satanic to the core.
Putin is a Communist.
You must not remember how hot it was 1983 to 1986, it was much scarier than this, and the tension in the military/NATO/Europe was real.
Yep.Look at what the Russians have suffered.
I currently attend a protestant church.
Free Methodist.
But I greatly value my time with the Orthodox.
It is an incredible ancient beautiful faith.
Interesting! Not surprising I suppose...
I know many many Turks are volunteers fighting for Russia, which I also find interesting.
blah blah blah
Putin started it, Azov Nazis started it,
Regardless, the US deep-state is meddling deeply and dangerously in a place as far as can be from our borders, with ZERO strategic interest to us.
Their motivations started as corruption, and has turned to complete insanity.
“You must not remember how hot it was 1983 to 1986, it was much scarier than this, and the tension in the military/NATO/Europe was real.”
I sure remember a lot of leftwing academia going on about how we must kowtow to Russia and not upset them or they’d nuke us.
Lots on this site are doing the same damn thing.
“The Ukraine is the victim in all this. Led into war by a corrupt regime, invaded by an evil empire, trapped in misery by a corrupt global cabal.”
I agree with most of what you said; but this, I think, needs some clarification.
Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, and almost immediately — and certainly illegally — annexed Crimea. Russia has been stirring up !@#$ in Ukraine — especially eastern Ukraine — ever since. Zelensky didn’t become president of Ukraine until 2019, five years later. How could Zelensky — who wasn’t even in government in 2014 — have “led” anyone into war?
If there is to be war directly between the USA and Russia, let the children of the warmongers in Washington DC be the first into battle. Let the sons and daughters of these DC lunatics die to impose globalist tyranny.
Ukraine is not winning. Ukraine cannot win. NATO cannot win. The U.S. cannot win a conventional war against Russia.
Roll American tanks and troops into battle against Russia and see what happens.
Russia has no place to retreat.
The U.S. and the West told Russia the goal is destroy Russia and break it into pieces. They are fighting for the survival of their nation which has stood for more than 1,000 years.
Go ahead and throw everything you have against Russia and watch them destroy everything you throw and, if necessary, take out all of the West in the process.
Nukes take a lot high tech maintenance.
I wonder how well maintained the Russian arsenal is.
They’re buying drones from the towel heads in Iran....
Problem is if only 10% of theirs work, it’s way too risky to actually strike first and hope to get most of them.
However, these Putin loons on here aren’t fit to lick Reagan’s boots and would actively hate him for not surrendering to their Russian overlords like Carter did.
“It was a smaller war in Donbas, still supported by the US and NATO, kicked off by a coup in 2014...”
You forgot to include Russia in that. As in, “...still supported by Russia.” Russia started the insurrectionist and separatist movement almost 10 years ago, and funded and supplied it, even to having Russian troops participate. The crew and passengers of Flight MH17 are unavailable for comment.
Europe was red hot, the biggest demonstrations ever in Europe to stop Reagan from putting in those mid-range missiles, American troops being murdered, Frankfurt airport being bombed, and American bases being scouted by terrorists, which we think Putin was funding and assisting as KGB.
NO, I was stationed in Berlin for 6 months in 1983. It was not the same at all. Its far more dangerous now. Both sides, though facing each other directly - had a kind of mutual respect, and knew that any miscalculation could lead to a nuclear war.
That doesn't exist today. 30+ years of total world domination and control by neocons in DC has created a mindset of complete arrogance and blindness. For its part, Russia feels aggrieved and put-upon.
So BOTH capitals have many people who would CHEER for a war. Such devils were at a minimum in 1983
“”aren’t fit to lick Reagan’s boots””
Those would be cavalry boots from his 5 years as a Cavalry officer.
Yep, and The Day After and Threads were on TV. Both of them pretty good for their time, in different ways.
The ones against being tough on the USSR then (anti-SDI, GLCMs, Pershing Missiles) are the same mentality as those that are on here now saying this nonsense. Reagan knew what he was doing, and letting these Russian jerks have free reign is as bad as letting Islamic Arabs do it.
“Who cares what you repeatedly ask for?”
Now you know what we think of what YOU ask for.
First, thanks for spelling Kiev correctly, and second, the answer is because Putin is compassionate, at least according to this author. I suppose he's trying to save as many of his Slav cousins as possible.
Russia believes aircraft carriers are a mistake. They have frigates instead.
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