Posted on 02/08/2015 11:07:13 AM PST by tlozo
‘I believe the Russians are mobilizing right now for a war that they think is going to happen in five or six years... with somebody within the next five or six years.” So says Lt. Gen. Frederick “Ben” Hodges, commander of U.S. Army Europe... "American engagement is essential if the West is to deter a revanchist Russia that has set out to “redraw the boundaries of Europe,” Gen. Hodges says... Russian President Vladimir Putin “has done in Ukraine,” he says, “is a manifestation of a strategic view of the world... This level of assistance suggests Ukraine “is not a foray, not a demonstration. They are deploying capabilities way above and beyond anything that any militia or rebel organization could ever come up with.”
The fact that the political class in the West is still splitting hairs about the nature of the insurgency in Ukraine is testament to the success of the Kremlin’s strategy of waging war without admitting it... Gen. Hodges notes that the Russians already have an advantage in the information battleground: “They’re not burdened with the responsibility to tell the truth. So they just hammer away, and whenever somebody in the West puts out a blog or a tweet, there’s an immediate counterattack by these trolls.”... Gen. Hodges won’t comment on the U.S. strategic-force posture in Europe other than to say he is “confident in that process.” But he adds that the fact that the Russians rehearse nuclear-strike scenarios “shows that they’re not worried about conveying a stark message like that. You know, frankly, you hear this often from many people in the West, ‘Oh, we don’t want to provoke the Russians.’ I think concern about provoking the Russians is probably misplaced. You can’t provoke them. They’re already on a path to do what they want to do.”
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
The person I was quoting was himself a Russian, born in Russia, and now in America.
You view Russia as "a country pretty much like any other country" (China, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea?) because you are ignorant of Russia. But take a look at Russia and the way life is there, and what they teach themselves about us, and you will think differently.
Seriously you want to start a war with Russia over disputed land between the Ukraine and Russia?
Are you or your children going to be serving on the front lines?
How in the hell are we going to pay for this?
People like you may end up making a mistake that costs millions of lives.
Putin is a thug of a thug country, but this just isn’t worth it.
Perhaps. One mistake Western Europeans and the US make is that they fail to see ANYTHING from the Russian point of view. So perhaps Putin is just playing an active defense here. Or perhaps he really is trying to restore the old Soviet empire. My point: No one except Putin can say that they know for sure. And if you're not Putin, guessing wrong can be disastrous.
work with Russia as an ally against the Jihadis
Absolutely! That was an historical missed opportunity.
0bama destabilized the world. He may be out of Office when the shooting starts, though.
When we start talking about invading Russia or sending in troops to resist this Russian invasion, let me know.
My self and my son have already served as part of the NATO alliance.
People like you are going to get us into WWIII, as you allow Russia to undo what we accomplished under Reagan, and let them invade themselves back into empire.
You ever stop to wonder: "Why am I telling people to see things from the 'point of view' of pathological liars, murderers who butcher their own people, who rule over a country of slavery?"
Sure, you don't defend Russia. Just look at your posts on this thread, you guys don't even try to be honest in your pro-Russia efforts.
Sigh. The answer to your question in post #26 is this. When you make the effort to see the point of view of others (in this case Russia), you are much better able to anticipate their moves, and if need be, to counter their moves.
Consider a game of chess, you against me. When I make a move, you should be asking yourself WHY did I make that move, what motivated me to do that?
Looking at the point of view of others should not be seen as a weakness(although it often is). I
Done properly, it is a form of intellegence-gathering.
Sigh.
Reagan wouldn’t be passively watching this Russian invasion and anguishing about how their feelings lead them to want to conquer and enslave peaceful countries as they are moving their Army right up to NATO borders.
The question is, as it has been for 1000 years, where does Germany end and Russia begin?
Stalingrad is too far East. Torgau is too far West. The rest is TBD, as they say.
You've got that right. Reagan would be moving decisively, and hopefully with as much knowledge of the Russian mindset as possible.
Your post stank more of "kumbaya" than Sun Tzu. Judging from your "perhaps Russia is on active DEFENSE" language, you are thinking more along the lines of craven liberal approaches to the Russkies, holding hands and dancing in a field of daisies with Putin.
You take my breath away.
Reagan would be moving to stop Russia, and doing some of the things that are currently being done except more, and more aggressive, all things that our Pro-Putin people oppose.
As it is, the pro-Russia people think that Obama is being too harsh, too threatening, too insensitive to the feelings of Putin (the current Russian president for life), as he is using his Army to make strategic wartime gains against us.
We are obviously too far apart here to have a rational discussion.
Disingenuous post. I was responding to you depicting Russia as possibly "on the defensive" against an aggressive United States and NATO.
That's surrender monkey language.
Yep. If Reagan were President at this point in time, we would not be sending any mixed messages to Russia. As it is, Obama says something one day, then Biden says something opposite the next day. Perhaps that is by design.
By the way, I don't see my stance here as pro-Russian. My best guess is that Putin is NOT acting defensively. But that's only a guess. When world leaders guess wrong, the results can be disastrous (Sarajevo in 1914, for example). That's my point.
Sigh. The only thing anyone has ever meant by "seeing the point of view of others" is forcing them to drop their perception of evil. Because if evil is perceived, then, automatically, "not seeing the others point of view" is claimed as all but proven.
Not to mention it is also a call to ignore what someone has actually done, or is actually doing, which also clearly shows their "point of view" to be evil, when, to take a wild example, they actually commit evil acts.
"Leaning Right"? LOL, only for appearance, because your feet are firmly planted on the left. You're only leaning in order to whisper sweet FUD into conservative ears.
Because you're so "honest."
I can tell, because I've taken the time to see things from your point of view, historically speaking. And then I compared my revulsion at the carnage of hundreds of millions of murdered bodies, with your enthusiasm to try it yet again and keep calling it "peace."
That's a classic Straw Man argument: If you think Russia might be acting defensively, you must want to surrender to Russia. I'll give you the last word. I won't respond.
So we both agree that we need to take a tougher stand against Russia to save Ukraine from being enslaved.
Your posts are a little confusing.
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