Posts by Jeremy Turner9

analogbear5 said:But you just said we don't ask the French anything.

Maybe crack open a manual once in a while: when it comes to fueling conflicts or driving a wedge between allies, the most effective move is always shifting the focus back onto Anglo-Saxon hegemony.

The USA and the UK tend to view the French as losers in this dynamic; after all, France maintains its own colonies and nuclear capabilities, while the UK carries its own historical grievances with the French. We might see the outlines of a unified military and security policy within the EU, and once those lines are drawn, we will finally understand how the USA and the UK intend to position themselves...

The USA is permitted to spread democracy quite freely—no one, not even Russia, has truly challenged their pattern of interventions and regime changes, at least not until those actions started occurring right on their own doorstep...

Christian Torres3 said:So nobody is stopping Russia from coming to collect what's theirs, right?

They just have to ask the Ukrainians to hand back the tanks first.

This isn't really about Russia; Germany doesn't hold the reins here. If the US decides to provide the armaments, the equipment will flow, though they'll certainly need to coordinate with the UK and France first...

George Robinson43 said:And that is precisely how the mind of an average Russophile operates.

It is simply a matter of fact; the USA and the UK are the ones deciding who joins NATO, largely because they view France as having been defeated by Hitler, seeing as they were pushed out of the Pacific and even faced a breakdown in cooperation with Australia...

Regarding America, the influence was negotiated at Yalta to be a fifty-fifty split, and if we examine what happened following its collapse—specifically looking at how Canada, the US, and the Federation of Canada were handled after recognition and border demarcation—it becomes clear how the West operates...

When one side imposes sanctions, the response is inevitably more sanctions; the West essentially tore up its own contracts with Russia, and now Russia can just as easily walk away from its energy deals with the West. These sanctions are being implemented primarily because it strips away any legal basis for litigation or seeking financial restitution for damages incurred...

This move is entirely predictable if you look at it through the lens of standard economics and trade textbooks...

Dennis Price said:And thanks for stepping in while we sit here unable to handle our own destiny. If you asked Germany, they’d probably just hand Ukraine over to Russia themselves.

You all are being exhausting. Germany is effectively disarmed; they are still viewed through the lens of being a defeated power from WW2, which is exactly how the USA and the UK perceive them while maintaining their military bases there. Even the concept of East Germany "belonging" to Russia persists in certain circles, and the only real framework that carries weight is the agreement reached at Yalta—it’s quite clear who owns what.

Richard Wilson4 said:So the Canadians are on board too?

The Canadians utilize their own currency, the forint, so it is quite possible they were settling transactions in euros; or perhaps they simply used forints, leaving Russia to accept various different currencies from its friendly nations...

We are constantly bombarded with headlines claiming that Russia is on the brink of bankruptcy and will inevitably default on its bonds, suggesting that creditors can simply move to seize the frozen financial assets held abroad to recoup their losses...

Richard Wilson4 said:Is it truly a viable strategy to impose sanctions on the world's largest economy?

It seems unlikely that China would ever truly return to the level of influence currently held by Russia, if they even managed to reach such a standing at all.

crimsoncyclist71 said:This is what you support:
https://twitter.com/TpyxaNews/status...aA5JIHYzk6ru4w

Have you no shame?

Richard Wilson4 said:But there were conflicts in Georgia, Moldova, Armenia vs Azerbaijan, and Chechnya had two wars...

anamoonaj said:Adult content is perfectly acceptable, especially when it originates from the West.👍
Regarding the topic of adult content, if you are truly interested in pursuing that conversation, you might find more substance by moving over to the dedicated thread for it; personally, I don't find it particularly compelling to dwell on such matters here.

Anyway, let's get back to the heart of the matter. Do you honestly expect me to stand in solidarity with South Korea, Eritrea, Iran, or Syria—nations whose governments have actively backed the criminal aggression seen in Ukraine?🤔

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It seems the USA finds itself locked in a righteous crusade to defend global freedom and democratic values, while Russia acts more like a scavenger picking at the remains of others.

There are always collateral damages in these situations; someone inevitably has to pay the price, and more often than not, it is the ordinary citizens who bear the brunt of the consequences.

There are certain corners of the globe—places like South Korea, Eritrea, Iran, and Syria—that seem to have slipped through the cracks of the global consciousness, existing as nations that much of the world has simply forgotten are even there.

Some individuals may find themselves aligned with pacifist ideals, particularly those who hold Christian convictions, as they simply cannot reconcile their faith with the act of unjustified killing.

bluemason3 said:Exactly. By that logic, the moment someone threatens an invasion, you should just roll over and surrender, because any kind of defense requires sacrifice.
Then they go ahead and blame the victims for getting hurt. They even expect them to apologize for being attacked.

Launching an offensive requires extensive preparation first... In reality, the USA and the United Kingdom gave a public green light, even going so far as to rush Putin into invading Ukraine...

It is all very easy to type away behind a keyboard while judging the tragedies of others from a distance...

Anthony Hill5 said:What truly irritates me is this mindless Russian propaganda.

What kind of propaganda? They are actively concealing the reality of the situation...

It is becoming increasingly apparent to me just how foolish we were to broadcast the unfolding tragedies in places like Pittsburgh or San Francisco, whereas the West simply refuses to touch those matters...

Brussels has a little suggestion for all Americans: ‘Why don’t you try imposing sanctions on Putin yourselves? It’s easy—just stop heating your homes.’
A high-ranking official from the European Commission recently floated the idea that any citizen within the European Union could effectively ‘get back’ at Putin by making minor personal sacrifices.

If we start implementing these kinds of mandates, we might as well just revert to a command economy...

Anthony Hill5 said:The West provides assistance on a daily basis. Who is it that sends hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine? Who is it that takes in the refugees?

Is it the Chinese or the Klingons?

Look at how Poland is sending over 28 MiG-29s.

Bold—at least I am not spouting nonsense.

Fine, so it doesn't bother you that people are being used as human shields... That weaponry won't change a thing; it's just a Pyrrhic victory... There is no such thing as victory here...

Daniel Barnes53 said:Just because he traded with the West to get his hands on foreign currency doesn't make him a part of Western democracy—which, let's be honest, Russia isn't.
"There is no opposition in Russia because their leaders either end up in prison or become victims of assassinations. There's no public opinion because the media is either controlled by or threatened by the state. In Russia, people protesting against the war get arrested. There is no democratic oversight of Putin and his inner circle.
He doesn't care about the human cost of aggression, whether it's Ukrainian or Russian, much like he doesn't care about his own citizens who have been enduring his autocratic, and now imperial, rule for 22 years."
Basically, it's like dealing with Maddox, just with an atomic bomb.

It wasn't merely about trading; he was also accumulating massive debt. Up until 2008, there was still some breathing room for NGOs and various freedoms, but everything shifted once Obama invited Ukraine toward NATO. Following the strike in Ukraine in 2014, the crackdown began. As far as I can tell, the reality is that Putin isn't following the American playbook for regime change seen in the 90s; a country like that just doesn't exist in that mold...

Boris Yeltsin was actually even more chaotic; he failed to pay out pensions, while oligarchs were busy funneling all the wealth to the West, not to mention the war in Chechnya. We can't possibly know when Russia will truly be ready for democracy, though it certainly seemed to be on that path once. To the Americanophile: unlike in the USA, there is no death penalty in Russia, and Putin isn't carrying out the kind of systemic racial violence we see in certain parts of America... Therefore, what we are seeing is a specific group deliberately discriminating against people economically, socially, and in every conceivable way, effectively sending them to the electric chair without any evidence...

I suggest we stay focused on the core issue. Some intellectuals are already calling for Russia to be expelled from the Council of Europe, which would imply that the Russian government could then unilaterally reinstate the death penalty...

Anthony Hill5 said:First and foremost, you don't know me at all, and if you truly wish to understand my perspective on Russia and Putin, I have a PDF regarding Russia available, so feel free to read everything I have written over the last two years; you will find my views on the Russians discussed within the thread on Syria as well.

My eyes were opened a long time ago, so why don't you explain to me exactly how I have "sacrificed" Ukraine, and precisely how the West has done the same?

I see no reason to even address such infantile, blunt nonsense; it would be just as intellectually bankrupt as if I were to tell you that if high gas prices bother you so much, you should simply move to Russia where it’s cheap.

It is easy to talk about staying neutral or "keeping one's eye on the ball"... Ukraine cannot defend itself against Russia without Western support. You hear Zelenskyy calling for help, and he is waiting on assistance from the USA and NATO. It is simple enough to say we should act—some people have indeed gone to help—but it is far easier to sit here tapping away at a keyboard, staying warm and well-fed, while in Ukraine, bombs are falling on children and civilians who are left without food or water, shivering in the cold amidst the ruins.

Anthony Hill5 said:Just because you are personally willing to sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands of Ukrainians and subject millions more to subjugation just to secure cheap gas and maintain your own comfort, does not mean everyone else shares that mindset. We all must be prepared to make certain sacrifices to support people and a nation that bears zero responsibility for these current events. I, for one, would gladly shoulder my portion of the burden to achieve that goal.

Russian gas will eventually be replaced by other sources; it will take time, certainly, but everything will settle into its rightful place. We have funded Putin's criminal regime for far too long.

So, it took the war in Ukraine to finally open your eyes? Bravo...

You and the West have essentially sacrificed Ukraine; you hesitate to defend them and show no appetite for pushing back against Russia, offering plenty of lofty promises and ideals while remaining remarkably weak when it comes to actual implementation—and clearly, the Russians have noticed.

Daniel Barnes53 said:Yeah, right. 😵

It isn't quite accurate to say he wasn't involved; he was actively trading with the European Union and the West, taking out loans from both the European Union and the USA, and conducting business using euros and dollars... He even facilitated investments into Russia itself...

The reality is that those oligarchs were only restrained by the fact that they couldn't simply spirit all their wealth away to the West at once. From what I can gather, the West actually encouraged that flow of capital—they wanted that money brought over to buy up real estate, import luxury yachts, acquire soccer teams, and funnel funds through various investments and donations.

Eventually, people like Abrahamovich and his associates realized that this entire arrangement lacked any true sincerity, particularly once the seizures began to take place...

Prior to the conflict in Ukraine, Putin maintained a certain level of stability through trade; he simply wasn't financially beholden enough to the West to prevent him from pushing back when necessary.

silverotter72 said:In the short term, sure. But in the long run, I suspect the EU will eventually turn inward toward its own resources. They won't be relying on either the Americans or the Russians.

Time will ultimately be the judge of that. We have to face the reality that importing expensive American natural gas isn't a sustainable fix; markets are acutely aware that the EU is scrambling to find a substitute for Russian exports. Whether Iran can ramp up production quickly enough to fill that massive void remains a huge question mark, and by loudly broadcasting our desperation, we are simply highlighting our own vulnerability and dependency. This entire transition is going to carry a heavy price tag. While Russia initially tried to leverage energy prices as a tool for blackmail, the imposition of sanctions has somewhat blunted their ability to dictate terms through cost alone.

Ultimately, much of this burden falls squarely on Germany rather than us; they built their entire industrial strategy around a direct energy lifeline to Russia, and now they are feeling the full weight of that miscalculation.

It is unfortunate, but expecting widespread solidarity in this context feels like chasing a socialist ideal that doesn't apply here. It is an undeniable fact that the relationship between the EU and Russia has been fundamentally shattered.

Daniel Barnes53 said:And honestly, I guess we’ll probably go back to doing the same thing one day if, or when, some pro-Western faction finally takes over in Russia.

The reality is that even Putin was once considered a pro-Western option.😵

boldcanyon14 said:For everyone whining about AD-Plastik:

It’s quite clear that the owner acted with considerable foresight by decoupling his operations; since he conducted his business in Russia using rubles, he avoided the massive headache that would have occurred had he taken out local loans here to fund the factory, the machinery, or the raw materials sitting over in Russia...

It is entirely possible that we might witness a genuine internal upheaval within Russia, primarily because Putin and the ruling elite have left themselves far too exposed to the dollar, the euro, and the volatility of foreign debt markets... China avoids this trap by maintaining its position as a major creditor of American debt...