Posts by William Anderson5

Richard Cooper3 said:I agree with everything here. Everyone is acting clueless, like they have no idea about the Maidan or the coup—that was the actual start of the war. Now, the Russians have just stepped in to finish it.
I suppose we could end up like the Chechens, who are doing alright for themselves these days.
As for that weak, decaying Europe—there's no point wasting breath. You only have to look at those useless bureaucrats over in Brussels: Šuica, Sokol, Ressler, Borzanica, Picula, Romana Jerković...🤦

If Putin himself were reading this, he might actually feel a little embarrassed...

urbanotter said:The difference is that the Nazi regime utilized concentration camps, forced Jews to wear yellow stars, believed in an Aryan master race superiority, and seized power through events like the Reichstag fire and the Night of the Long Knives.

In the end, the primary culprits were the "allies" who essentially allowed Hitler to "fix" their own messes.
It would have been a good thing if they had realized that sooner and acted differently after WWII, especially with the USSR breathing down their necks.
That pressure is ultimately what forced them to build a "social Europe2."
Honestly, it’s hard to imagine Europe reaching its current standard of living if things hadn't unfolded that way.

It wasn’t actually triggered by that. WWII kicked off because of constant annexations and invasions by other nations...

urbanotter said:What Congress
are you talking about? That group of climate activists that could be replaced by a dog if you just taught it how to lift its paw?

That so-called "Congress" basically just rubber-stamps whatever orders come down from Brussels
when it comes to the heavy-hitting issues, they won't even let a referendum happen, just to make sure nothing "goes wrong"
but look, the EU isn't even the point here; if you haven't realized how little authority we actually hold by now, I doubt you'll figure it out anytime soon, especially after reading a few posts on this forum.🕺

That group of climate activists looked pathetic standing before Putin the other day when he was making his decision on recognizing the DNR/LNR.

No matter what our Congress looks like, as far as Russia is concerned, we’re just a Space Shuttle in a democracy...

James Phillips92 said:So, let me get this straight—Adolf Hitler wasn't to blame either because the Poles provoked him? And he only sent his army into Poland because he was worried Joseph Stalin might beat him to it? Is that how we're playing this?

Adolf Hitler had far more excuses for his actions than Vladimir Putin does for his. Even so, everyone is right to see him as a monster, regardless of whatever grievances the Germans felt following WWI...

Mark Clark6 said:I am trying to remain objective here. Furthermore, this sudden call for negotiations is incredibly bizarre; I don't recall a precedent quite like this:
Putin calling for negotiations a mere two days after launching the very attack HE started... it feels surreal. Then, he turns around and tells the opposing military to overthrow its own government? It’s a dark comedy. When you launch an invasion, the logical move is to demand a surrender, not this. Perhaps things simply don't go according to plan for the Russians. There is something deeply unsettling about this entire narrative.

Putin has already cycled through four different justifications for the invasion, issued three separate sets of demands to NATO and Ukraine to resolve the crisis, and tossed out five different threats if his whims aren't met.

The guy is either insane or completely unserious. My money is on the latter...

urbanotter said:Honestly, Zelenskyy is such a comedian; it’s a good thing he didn't suggest Kyiv as the meeting spot.

As if they should have just gone along with Moscow's idiotic suggestion to make it Minsk.

Justin Kern67 said:To be perfectly honest, until a few days ago, I hadn't even heard of SWIFT and have no idea how it could actually affect an economy. However, I discovered that back in 2012, during certain sanctions, Iran was cut off from SWIFT, and I see no evidence that it hindered them—if anything, it did the opposite.

It absolutely hurt them. I really don't know where you're getting the idea that it didn't.

Nancy Gomez26 said:That's all minor details. As top state officials, Putin and Lavrov likely don't even hold significant assets outside of Russia; they simply don't need them.
The aviation issue is a much more difficult sanction to implement, though even then, there are workarounds to temporarily bypass it. Look at how Iran has managed those exact issues for decades. And Russia is far more advanced in those technologies than Iran is. As for SWIFT, that will have to wait a while longer. Personally, I think inviting Finland into NATO will play a much larger role than any sanctions ever will.

I didn't say it wasn't important. I just meant those initial sanctions were essentially the only things everyone could agree on at the moment, and a decision had to be made fast. I think it's clear to them now that the goal isn't to force Russia to calm down—that's not going to happen—but rather to inflict as much economic damage as possible. That's why I think if they had agreed on the SWIFT move, they would have implemented it already; it's not some tactical delay...

Once they reach a consensus, I'm certain they'll announce that sanction too. And it feels like they're rushing toward it. Both the USA and France have already given the green light...

Nancy Gomez26 said:That won't happen tomorrow. It’s all about escalation. Sanctions have to be structured so there's always room to tighten the screws; SWIFT is just a massive lever to hold in reserve. You always have to leave them wondering how much more they can lose if they don't change their tune. That said, it feels like we've passed the point where rational logic applies. He doesn't care. He won't blink just because he sees a military advantage. Perhaps the only thing that might deter Putin is actual defeat or massive losses in Ukraine. And achieving that requires a decisive response on the ground—and time.

I’m not so sure about that. For instance, the decision to freeze the assets of Putin and Lavrov was made today. Yesterday, that wasn't on the table.

It seems to me that Europe is trying to hit as hard as possible, announcing things only once an agreement is reached. In reality, they're likely negotiating behind the scenes about what else to throw into the mix. I read somewhere that they're discussing embargoes on exports and the leasing of civilian aircraft and spare parts...

There isn't much left to escalate from here...

Keith Williams3 said:Interesting. Will Europe actually be able to keep paying for gas?

Russia is still sending it—actually, they never stopped. Even during the worst crises, they always stuck to their contracts.

But if Europe stops paying, then they aren't holding up their end of the deal, which means Russia can't keep shipping it, right?

Fuel $13?

I don't know. I don't see anything wrong with refusing to pay the Russians...

View on twitter

Italy and Germany were pushing back against kicking Russia out of SWIFT. Now, it looks like Italy is folding...

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we see them cut off the Russians by tomorrow...

Carol Newman2 said:Americans are absolute legends

https://twitter.com/PolishHistory_/s...yOx0Ze23Q&s=19

Way to go.

I’m sure Americans will be among the few in Europe actually paying attention to Putin's threats, mostly because they couldn't care less...

urbanotter said:But have you actually considered his real motivations?

He really doesn't need Ukraine, especially considering their shattered economy and the massive number of retirees they're struggling to support.

Also, you really ought to realize that NATO basically is America.

Everything reached a breaking point once the US started leaning on the Germans to stop them from getting ST2 up and running.

Wait, so you think Putin invaded Ukraine over ST2?

Good grief, I don't know what else I'm going to hear next...

William Clark86 said:Does anyone else here think the happiest outcome might be for Ukraine to become an independent nation, perhaps with some autonomous regions similar to how Scotland functions within the UK or Catalonia does in Spain? They could join the EU but remain neutral by staying out of NATO. Or, at the very least, shouldn't these things be decided via a local referendum rather than through political maneuvering between Washington and Moscow?

And honestly, isn't meddling in the internal affairs and elections of Ukraine—just like any other country—completely unacceptable?

😕

If Putin really wanted this, he could have negotiated it by making deals over the Donbas. Now, the damage is done...

Zokisan said:Whatever the case may be, the priority should be de-escalating tensions as much as possible.
Video: https://twitter.com/Caucasuswar/stat...12skNylxQ&s=19

But what are the actual odds of Russia actually de-escalating anything?...

bluerider63 said:I get your point, but I'm having a hard time swallowing this whole Russian obsession with needing a "buffer zone" to feel secure. With the tech we have today, it doesn't matter to Russia if their missiles are sitting right on 62 miles the border or tucked away in Poland—they can hit the target just as easily from either spot.

Look at North and South Korea. It doesn't matter to South Korea that their neighbor is an enemy, because they've got enough firepower that distance isn't even a factor anymore.

Give me a break... do you people honestly still believe Putin is out there conquering nations just because he's feeling defensive against NATO?

#kocar# said:Putin has made it crystal clear how far he’s willing to go if any outside parties get involved.

People just aren't listening to him again. It's the same story as when he was talking about Ukraine and those "red lines"—all we ever hear is the West making noise...

Pushing the button isn't actually that hard, and once that happens, it won't matter whether you're in NATO or staying neutral.

So, what, are we supposed to just live our lives according to Putin's threats now?

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:You really think that's a smart move???

No comment

You have to play Putin's game.

Poland should move troops to the border with Belarus and lay down specific terms for Lukashenko. If he doesn't meet them within a set timeframe, then Belarus faces the economic and military fallout...

Poland has every right to protect its own interests.

There's no stopping this fool unless you start playing by his rules...

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:So, Stoltenberg is calling Finland and Sweden to join NATO... right at a time like this?

It feels like the Anglo-Saxons are really pushing for WW3 to break out.

Absolute bottom-feeders.

Smart move.

You have to fight fire with fire. Use threats to counter their threats...

I caught up with an old contact from Turkey last night after about six months of silence. Honestly, I had no idea the economy there had cratered so hard. Apparently, Erdogan is pushing to scrap interest rates based on his religious ideologies, and the resulting collapse of the lira is just devastating. It sounds like a fever dream; if it weren't so tragic, you might actually laugh at the absurdity of it all. He’s based in New York City, where the opposition usually holds significant sway, but this mess is hitting the working class the hardest—which is essentially Erdogan’s core base. This could end up being the final blow for him...