End game in the Ukraine war approaches with lightning speed

Doctorow ^ | 20 June 23 | Gilbert

[Firehath]

alchemy

was a serious science

at one time too

nato is going in the attic

libs will be living

in Amish communities

with electric fences

[Starboard]

And now Finland is in NATO...

************

Oh good, we now have even more country’s militaries to subsidize. Let’s increase the burden and add a few more. /sarc

Despite decades of NATO members agreeing to pay their share, few countries do. That is simply a fact. And can you blame them for wanting to free load? They do what they can get away with.

The number of these members meeting their spending targets has continued to fall with only an estimated 8 out of 31 paying up. To his credit, Trump tried to get them to meet their obligations. With a $32 trillion national debt and unfunded liabilities approaching $200 trillion we can no longer afford to pay for dead beats, unless of course the Pentagon can continue finding billions more in “accounting errors”.

It is practically impossible to determine exactly what our NATO related expenses are but you can be sure its a lot more than will ever be publicly acknowledged. Its a bureaucratic labyrinth of programs that nobody can fully understand. Just the way the powers that be in DC and the MIC like it.

[Starboard]

It’s funny how only Russia’s history-based fears are valid to some.

*********

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Best to look at things from all perspectives in order to better understand the situation. Or you can just willfully ignore them.

[Flag_This]

"Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Best to look at things from all perspectives in order to better understand the situation. Or you can just willfully ignore them."

Those countries which had been invaded by Russia in the past learned from those experiences and joined NATO in an effort to avoid repeating history.

[Starboard]

Well, lets not forget that one of the countries in NATO invaded Russia, and it was through a another country that’s in NATO.

Not defending Russia’s aggression, just noting that there are historical backdrops we need to be mindful of. Looking at things from one way is never the best way to deal with situations or come up with constructive solutions to problems.

[Flag_This]

"Not defending Russia’s aggression, just noting that there are historical backdrops we need to be mindful of.

I understand. I'm just confused by the constant reminders by some that poor Russia has been invaded in the past. Every freakin' country in Europe has been invaded by some other country in Europe at some point. And Russia has been one of those invaders at various times and places.

The countries that enjoyed Russian rule for 50 years are precisely the ones clamoring to join NATO, and Russia has no one to blame but themselves.

[Starboard]

Speaking of Germany, it just announced plans to station 4,000 soldiers in (NATO ally) Lithuania to assist in securing the alliance’s eastern flank. Given the history between Germany and Russia this is, needless to say, not a positive development for the region.

The blame game needs to be put aside in favor of efforts to halt the march toward another war, the consequences of which could affect the world in ways we cannot imagine. I think Trump understood this which is why he resisted being drawn into conflicts and looked for ways to avoid them. He knows that wars have a way of expanding.