The economist Michael Hudson made the comment in an interview several years ago that in the 2016 election the choice for president was between Donald Trump and World War III.
Hudson made this comment knowing full well that Hillary Clinton was a virulent Russiaphobe and serial warmonger.
Considering that the current administration is full of Obama Administration and Hillary State Dept retreads, we should not be terribly surprised to find ourselves at this point looking over a cliff and staring into the abyss. These people are calling the shots, and are feeding talking points to both Biden and Stoltenberg. The puppet masters have had Biden say over and over again "Putin can not win!"
NATO and Ukraine have acted like a bully. The Russians reacted to each punch with a punch of their own. The moment the bully becomes too big and strong, one cannot answer with punches anymore. One needs to kick the bully in the teeth or in the balls.
What makes us believe the Russians won't go nuclear? Because it's a faux pax?
I don't know if people here realize it. The Russians have been fighting this war honourably. Soldiers have been bringing in food and medicine and the low numbers of civilian casualties on the Ukrainian side proves this. The Russians have been feeling sorry for Ukraine and have been fighting this war with a one hand tied behind their back, believing there will be someone reasonable in the West who will come to their senses, but there is none.
At one point the Russian restraint will be gone. Just don't cry when it finally happens....
The US government doesn't care if Europe turns into a nuclear wasteland. It means less competition for the Americans. If you don't believe it, just watch how the Americans took out the German economy. They blew up Nordstream and now Germany is facing an economic crisis. Yes, GDP doesn't look too bad (shrinking only slightly) but most manufacturing companies are moving their production abroad. Well, if this is how you treat a friend....
The question is, where the heck are the European leaders to finally intervene here and stop the escalation and the bloodshed?
But I assume a Scholz, whose pipeline got blown to pieces and visits Biden pretending life is a peach, is a hopeless basket case...
But Stoltenberg won't be fired. He is doing no more than carrying out his brief. Washington wants a war with Russia and they don't care if it turns nuclear - in fact, I think they're counting on it doing so.
It's too late regarding plain NATO involvement in strikes vs prewar Russian territory. But they should still fire him, and ideally deploy him to the trenches to join the hundreds of thousands whose death he cheered.
"NATO has been playing chicken" and "harassing Russia" sounds about right. However, Russia has consistently been doing 1/2 measures, as in a "special military operation" instead of a war against Ukraine. Likely 1/2 measures will continue.
Stoltenberg's term ended in October, but because.member countries couldn't agree on his successor at Vilnius, he's staying till October 2024.
Dutch PM Rutte created a crisis in Dutch politics, and terminated his administration in order to get the job, and is now favourite, but he and failed German Defense Minister UvdL - who was publicly criticized by the head of the EU Commission for visting Kyiv and making bellicose speeches without EU authority while saying she represented the Union - have been locked for several months in a competition to show which is more hawkish, in order to impress neocon Biden and so succeed macho Jens.
What does Stephen Bryen think of the Kremlin arresting Russian invasion supporters? If Putin were to actually retaliate, I doubt he would go around arresting invasion supporters, but instead would be encouraging them.
Is there any country that NATO has not approached for membership? I think the problem with promising to defend everyone was that Russia got a taste of actually fighting NATO and instead of it being the sleeping tiger that Russia hadn't wanted to disturb, they now know NATO as a schizophrenic paper tiger that can't find its tail with all four paws.
I’m not really sure how you can claim that Soltenberg has turned NATO into an offensive alliance. Russia attacked Ukraine and threatened the Baltic Countries, Finland and Sweden. The expansion of NATO to include the Baltic Countries, Finland and Sweden was the immediate result of that attack and those threats. The US and the UK guaranteed the sovereignty and borders of Ukraine in 1994 under one of the Budapest Memoranda in return for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons. In 2014, Russia breached its duty to not invade Ukraine by seizing the Donbas and Crimea. The US, UK and others began providing military assistance, which seems the least that they could do in view of their 1994 commitments. In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and began threatening NATO members and adjacent countries, resulting in the current armed conflict. Previously, NATO members responded to the 9/11/01 attacks by honoring their Article 5 obligations assisted the US in its operations against the perpetrators of those attacks.
You've been saying for awhile now that NATO could stumble itself into a war and I thought you were wrong but it looks like I've once again misunderstood the situation. I heard a woman from the Hudson Institute advocate the same thing in an interview with Mearsheimer today so it looks like it's all been decided already by our betters. Thanks for the heads up.
The economist Michael Hudson made the comment in an interview several years ago that in the 2016 election the choice for president was between Donald Trump and World War III.
Hudson made this comment knowing full well that Hillary Clinton was a virulent Russiaphobe and serial warmonger.
Considering that the current administration is full of Obama Administration and Hillary State Dept retreads, we should not be terribly surprised to find ourselves at this point looking over a cliff and staring into the abyss. These people are calling the shots, and are feeding talking points to both Biden and Stoltenberg. The puppet masters have had Biden say over and over again "Putin can not win!"
Ignorant, incompetent and reckless!
Good luck with that, and you can bet your last euro that this is not the end of the escalation.
Anyway, Stoltenberg (like every other politician in europe) is an American puppet with less authority than a calf in a veal pen.
NATO and Ukraine have acted like a bully. The Russians reacted to each punch with a punch of their own. The moment the bully becomes too big and strong, one cannot answer with punches anymore. One needs to kick the bully in the teeth or in the balls.
What makes us believe the Russians won't go nuclear? Because it's a faux pax?
I don't know if people here realize it. The Russians have been fighting this war honourably. Soldiers have been bringing in food and medicine and the low numbers of civilian casualties on the Ukrainian side proves this. The Russians have been feeling sorry for Ukraine and have been fighting this war with a one hand tied behind their back, believing there will be someone reasonable in the West who will come to their senses, but there is none.
At one point the Russian restraint will be gone. Just don't cry when it finally happens....
The US government doesn't care if Europe turns into a nuclear wasteland. It means less competition for the Americans. If you don't believe it, just watch how the Americans took out the German economy. They blew up Nordstream and now Germany is facing an economic crisis. Yes, GDP doesn't look too bad (shrinking only slightly) but most manufacturing companies are moving their production abroad. Well, if this is how you treat a friend....
The question is, where the heck are the European leaders to finally intervene here and stop the escalation and the bloodshed?
But I assume a Scholz, whose pipeline got blown to pieces and visits Biden pretending life is a peach, is a hopeless basket case...
But Stoltenberg won't be fired. He is doing no more than carrying out his brief. Washington wants a war with Russia and they don't care if it turns nuclear - in fact, I think they're counting on it doing so.
Slouching to WWIII…
It's too late regarding plain NATO involvement in strikes vs prewar Russian territory. But they should still fire him, and ideally deploy him to the trenches to join the hundreds of thousands whose death he cheered.
"NATO exists to manage the risks created by its existence”
Political scientist Richard Sakwa on Ukraine, 2015
"NATO has been playing chicken" and "harassing Russia" sounds about right. However, Russia has consistently been doing 1/2 measures, as in a "special military operation" instead of a war against Ukraine. Likely 1/2 measures will continue.
Stephen,
Just remember that the Doolittle raid was just the beginning of Japan's destruction and defeat.
This guy is jonesing hard for WW3. And he want to fight it with others peoples money and other peoples kid doing the dying!
Stoltenberg's term ended in October, but because.member countries couldn't agree on his successor at Vilnius, he's staying till October 2024.
Dutch PM Rutte created a crisis in Dutch politics, and terminated his administration in order to get the job, and is now favourite, but he and failed German Defense Minister UvdL - who was publicly criticized by the head of the EU Commission for visting Kyiv and making bellicose speeches without EU authority while saying she represented the Union - have been locked for several months in a competition to show which is more hawkish, in order to impress neocon Biden and so succeed macho Jens.
What does Stephen Bryen think of the Kremlin arresting Russian invasion supporters? If Putin were to actually retaliate, I doubt he would go around arresting invasion supporters, but instead would be encouraging them.
https://slavlandchronicles.substack.com/p/the-kremlin-campaign-against-russian
Is there any country that NATO has not approached for membership? I think the problem with promising to defend everyone was that Russia got a taste of actually fighting NATO and instead of it being the sleeping tiger that Russia hadn't wanted to disturb, they now know NATO as a schizophrenic paper tiger that can't find its tail with all four paws.
I’m not really sure how you can claim that Soltenberg has turned NATO into an offensive alliance. Russia attacked Ukraine and threatened the Baltic Countries, Finland and Sweden. The expansion of NATO to include the Baltic Countries, Finland and Sweden was the immediate result of that attack and those threats. The US and the UK guaranteed the sovereignty and borders of Ukraine in 1994 under one of the Budapest Memoranda in return for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons. In 2014, Russia breached its duty to not invade Ukraine by seizing the Donbas and Crimea. The US, UK and others began providing military assistance, which seems the least that they could do in view of their 1994 commitments. In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and began threatening NATO members and adjacent countries, resulting in the current armed conflict. Previously, NATO members responded to the 9/11/01 attacks by honoring their Article 5 obligations assisted the US in its operations against the perpetrators of those attacks.
You've been saying for awhile now that NATO could stumble itself into a war and I thought you were wrong but it looks like I've once again misunderstood the situation. I heard a woman from the Hudson Institute advocate the same thing in an interview with Mearsheimer today so it looks like it's all been decided already by our betters. Thanks for the heads up.