Opinion International Geopolitics

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OneGreatClub said:
Anyone who is awake should be concerned about the world and TOC but allowing Putin to grab pieces of countries and whole countries as he wishes, murder, rape, destroy a culture, destroy cities, destroy an economy just because he feels like it and then allow him to negotiate his terms has to stop.
He didn’t stop before, he didn’t stop at Crimea.
He will not stop at Ukraine. Russia is a mob state.
He does not negotiate in good faith.
Chomsky might be some ‘great thinker’ but he is wrong here.
Remember EuroMaiden. Ukrainians will not cower to him now.
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If Putin could be trusted, then it’d make sense for the West to hold its nose and pressure Ukraine to cede Donbas and Crimea to Russia and recognise it. He can’t be though. Ukraine, Georgia and next likely Moldavia. Putin wants the USSR back, at least the territory.

The Ukraine war is s**t, but arming the Ukrainians is the least bad option. Out of this we’re getting Finland and Sweden in NATO, giving Russia hundreds of miles more border with NATO, hundreds of thousands more troops in armies in countries now aligned against Russia rather than neutral. We’re getting Europe rapidly trying to get off Russian oil and gas. Short, medium and long term these reactions weaken Russia to the point the won’t be able to do this again. As long as the West keeps the arms flowing. Plus with Russia bogged down and the West united and increasing military spending it reduces the odds of China trying to invade Taiwan.
 

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OneGreatClub said:
Sorry I just threw up in my soup. “Western Statesman of Stature”
That statement couldn’t be further from the truth.
Trump is neither, he is just a grifting loser has-been, a mobster.

Trump would have gifted the sovereign nation of Ukraine on a platter to please his puppet master if given the chance.
I mean, he dreams of an autocracy for himself so learns from the master.

Putin then would have continued his genocide, his ethnic cleansing, his Russification just as he did in Crimea Donetsk and Luhansk. He is Stalin Mk2.

Chomsky is a genocide denier. Greenwald is just a ******* liar and really should be in jail. .
The error that US and the West made was allowing Putin to steal..yes steal Crimea so easily from his neighbour..
It just gave Putin more courage.

Ukraine will not give in.
This war is on Putin and Putin alone.

If Putin stops fighting, the war will end.
If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine will cease to exist.
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…so misinformed
 
OneGreatClub said:
And the government has placed snipers in the buildings in case of trouble to protect those trying to bring Trump to justice ( at long ******* last)

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Ever see a bunch of gun owners show up to an insurrection without their guns? Neither have I
 
OneGreatClub said:
Putin’s Victory day speech was rather bland I thought and the whole thing underwhelming.
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Trying to figure how to save face. If he declares war he/Russia appears weak for spending months (effectively) saying that Ukraine is a small force that doesn't need full scale war. If he uses Chemical, Biological or Tactical nuclear weapons it's the same. Russia is so weak they have to resort to those to beat a country less than half their size, with a military not even anywhere near that in comparison of numbers. It'll mostly like be more indiscriminate killing of civilians in the East of Ukraine, so Russia can occupy destroyed villages and cities and claim 'victory'.
 
Its almost Eurovision time.

Saw they were replaying the Oz selection battles from earlier this year on SBS when I was flicking late last night just after I saw a story on Ukraine, and I couldn't help but think of 2004 winner Ukrainian Warrior Woman Ruslana with her song Wild Dances, which got BBC commentator (we used to take their feed) Terry Wogan very excited and thought maybe the Ukrainian forces could do with a few Ruslana's to memorize the Russian troops.

Another Ukrainian artist Jamala, also won in 2016 with her song 1944, about the 1944 deportation off to Siberia by Stalin of the Crimean Tatars for supposedly helping the Nazis, but it was essentially a land grab. These peoples weren't allowed to return to their homeland until Gorbachev' Perestroika reforms 45 years later. The song was seen as having a go at the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia. The Russians were pissed off she was allowed to compete and bag them. The Russian television audience didn't vote her the Douze points, actually didn't give her any points.

I know I could look it up, but I await if the Ukrainian entrant this year has a dig at Russia - who along with Belarus have been banned from this year's comp.







The 2016 winning song 1944 was a mix of English and Ukrainian. The English Lyrics

When strangers are coming
They come to your house
They kill you all and say
We’re not guilty, not guilty
Where is your mind?
Humanity cries
You think you are gods
But everyone dies
Don't swallow my soul
Our souls

Ukrainian verse

We could build a future
Where people are free
to live and love
The happiest time
Where is your heart?
Humanity rise
You think you are gods
But everyone dies
Don't swallow my soul
Our souls

Ukrainian verse


 
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RussellEbertHandball said:
Its almost Eurovision time.

Saw they were replaying the Oz selection battles from earlier this year on SBS when I was flicking late last night just after I saw a story on Ukraine, and I couldn't help but think of 2004 winner Ukrainian Warrior Woman Ruslana with her song Wild Dances, which got BBC commentator (we used to take their feed) Terry Wogan very excited and thought maybe the Ukrainian forces could do with a few Ruslana's to memorize the Russian troops.

Another Ukrainian artist Jamala, also won in 2016 with her song 1944, about the 1944 deportation off to Siberia by Stalin of the Crimean Tatars for supposedly helping the Nazis, but it was essentially a land grab. These peoples weren't allowed to return to their homeland until Gorbachev' Perestroika reforms 45 years later. The song was seen as having a go at the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia. The Russians were pissed off she was allowed to compete and bag them. The Russian television audience didn't vote her the Douze points, actually didn't give her any points.

I know I could look it up, but I await if the Ukrainian entrant this year has a dig at Russia - who along with Belarus have been banned from this year's comp.







The 2016 winning son 1944 was a mix of English and Ukrainian. The English Lyrics

When strangers are coming
They come to your house
They kill you all and say
We’re not guilty, not guilty
Where is your mind?
Humanity cries
You think you are gods
But everyone dies
Don't swallow my soul
Our souls

Ukrainian verse

We could build a future
Where people are free
to live and love
The happiest time
Where is your heart?
Humanity rise
You think you are gods
But everyone dies
Don't swallow my soul
Our souls

Ukrainian verse


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Those words 🙁❤️🇺🇦Yes am watching with interest this year. I think it starts fri night?
 

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Saw this on PBS newshour yesterday.

It is Trump's last (permanent) defense secretary, Mark Esper, who took over from ex 4 star Marine General Jim Mad Dog Mattis, who resigned after he had enough of Trump, midterm.

He is promoting his book, A Sacred Oath - memoirs of a secretary of defense in extraordinary time.

Esper was one of 3 acting secretaries after Mattis, before he got the job 6 months after Mattis left. Trump fired him the day after he lost the presidency.

Esper was a West Point graduate, joined the army, fought in the Gulf War then after a decade or so, moved off to both private sector and then government administration sector around defence and foreign relations, and had served as secretary of the Army under Mattis before he replaced him. So serving country first became part of his ethos at a young age.

At the start of the interview, I thought if Trump was so appalling as you say, why didn't you resign like Mattis? But as he explained, he felt that he along with others could do better for the country by trying to control Trump and his crazies by staying in the job despite Trump's BS ideas.


Sort of highlights that in a democracy as opposed to authoritarian/dictatorship set up, when you have conflict and difference of opinion it can be a good thing to make sure good decisions are made and not the crazy ones of the leader. Putin doesn't have anyone who stands up to him so his crazy ideas get implemented as we have seen in Ukraine so far.

www.pbs.org

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper details his fraught relationship with Trump

During the 18 months Mark Esper served as secretary of defense, he often clashed with President Trump, who wanted to use the military in ways Esper thought were inappropriate. Trump fired Esper in November 2020, a few days after Trump lost the election. Esper sat down with Judy Woodruff to...
www.pbs.org www.pbs.org
  • Judy Woodruff:
    During the 18 months that Mark Esper served as secretary of defense, he clashed at times with former President Trump over proposals to use the military in ways Esper thought were inappropriate.
    Trump fired Esper in November 2020, a few days after Trump lost reelection.
    I sat down with Esper yesterday to discuss his experiences, which he details in a new book, "A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times."
    Mark Esper, thank you very much for joining us.
    In this book, I think there are so many questionable, even astonishing ideas that you write about that emerged from either former President Trump or the people around him, that it was hard to keep track of them all. I wrote I wrote down firing missiles from the U.S. into Mexico to go after the drug cartels, striking Iran, sending 250,000 U.S. troops to the Southern border.
    How is it that none of these actually came to happen?
  • Mark Esper, Former U.S. Defense Secretary:
    Well, I think, Judy, that there were myself and others in the Cabinet who successfully at times, either individually or together, were able to talk the president and others out of these ideas, which we thought just didn't make sense and would — could end up doing more harm than good.
    ........
    • Judy Woodruff:
      But, at the time, the public didn't know exactly what the president was asking for. He also, as you say in the book in your opening page, was saying: Why can't you just go out and shoot the protesters in the legs?
      It was later on that you and General Milley and others walked with the president over across Lafayette Square, stood in front of the church there. He was holding the Bible.
      What was going on in your mind at that time?
    • Mark Esper:
      Look, it was obviously a very shocking and troubling remark for the president to suggest that we shoot protesters, we shoot Americans in the streets of the nations capital. And needless to say, I and I suspect others there, were all taken aback by that notion, and successfully were able to push back on that and come up with a proposal that didn't call for that.
      But, clearly, it took hold of us for the day, if you will, and it obviously led to my mistake in terms of walking across Lafayette Park. And I think General Milley feels the same way as well

 







Ukraianians using Cyberwar tactics, or maybe just some stirring. Was listening to a BBC program - think Hardtalk - as I was in my car last night and a US speaker think a senator said he was surprised Russia hadn't used more cyberwar tactics. He said their army and military equiment might be behind the times but their cyberwar division isn't.


 
Charles Payne of Fox Business channel is one of the more sane people on Fox.

Interesting interview with retired Lt General Kellogg. He dissects Putin's Victory Day speech, and then Payne asks the question a lot of us have asked - says I've heard over the years how poweful and lethal the Russian military is, that its been a plodding approach ........... what do you make that they never put it in second or third gear?

Kellogg says he doesn't think it was in their plan. Mentions someone who did the modern militarization plans for Russia, went back and read it and says all of Russian's plans were built on a defensive war not an offensive war and decentralised their forces - BTG - set up Battallion Tatical Groups, then he analysis their leadership structure.


 
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