"Has Russia Won?" Topic

Grattan I stated somewhat similar response earlier. Although I don't see the Ukraine kissing Russias butt. This has been much harder than any thought it would be. It's not over yet and may still start and stop.

As stated earlier, no winners anywhere unless maybe China seeing the military surpluses of the west depleted and trillions in more debt for the West (I include Russias economy and military as well).

Maybe god will put a curse on something in China, just to even things out for all the fun they have fostered on the rest of us. Covid, avian flu, emerald ash bore, fentanyl… bringing disease and famine to all of us since ancient times. Ahh the wonderful black plague. Of course all tongue in cheek … or is it 🤔

SB +1

I have said similar …

The deal was always going to look something like this:

1. Ukraine cedes control over what Russia already controls, and has since Obama let Putin grab territory in 2012 and 2014.

2. Russia cedes back what it couldn't keep anyway

3. The establishment of a DMZ

4. The establishment of a DMZ "peace keeping" presence

5. No NATO for Ukraine, and no US troops -- we wouldn't stand for Russian or Chinese troops in Mexico.

6. No NATO does not prevent NATO/EUR and US security arrangements and support directly with Ukraine

7. Some measures to relax sanctions on Russia to start wooing them back away from China

8. Some cross border trade and travel deal with Ukraine and Russia, and maybe Ukraine gets cheap (or free) Russian energy for 5-10 years during Ukrainian reconstruction.

That seems like a good summation …

Hegseth is an irrelevance, nobody take the US seriously, look at the tarrifs, instant cave, then US words not valid for 30 days (Tariffs back on after only 2 weeks). Hegseth has failed to Talk to Nato members but presumes (utterly irrationally) that he speaks for them. Clearly Hegseth needed to take a high school diploma in politics before he stared work.

I don't think we are watching the same movie ? Pretty much everything you posted is wrong, skewed, etc. And I'm not the only one here who must think this. Current news update – The US SecDef spoke to NATO today in Bussels.

Interestingly it seems someone a whole bunch of "someones" takes the US seriously. Hamas is starting to pick up return of the hostages.

Putin wants to talk about ending the war.

Iran is concerned that the new POTUS is playing hardball.

And many know if this POTUS says something, there is a good chance it's going to happen. Of course, he does say somethings using e.g. "shock & awe". Causing some to think about it and in one way or another they have to consider is he bluffing ? What and why did he really say this of that ? Again deception, misdirection, etc. can be very useful in whether in war, a business deal, in sports, etc., etc.

Nine pound round, where are your arguments and facts? All you can do is splash around in a puddle of murky propaganda paid for by globalists, in which the bottom of reality is not visible. You are the victim of your corrupt media. And I, unlike you, know information from all sides of the conflict. I feel sorry for you…

Bunkermeister, Russia needs the Japanese islands because it allows Russia to have an "internal" Sea of ​​Okhotsk, which would otherwise be partially controlled by Japan. It is a "pool" for the Russian fleet. But we still do not occupy Japan, as the US does… Let's agree – the US leaves Japan, the Russians return the islands… There is such a thing as a balance of power. And it is important…

In fact, you are panicking too early. It will be very difficult to agree on something with Trump and Putin. So those who want to continue the war in Europe, on the brink of nuclear catastrophe, can still quite reasonably hope that their dreams of a nuclear apocalypse will come true.

35thOVI,

Sorry, I meant Ukraine KICKED Russia's butt. Not kissed it.

Grattan, yes I too have been a victim of the bloody auto spellcheck and iPhone microphone. 🙂

Cuprum, if you think I am a globalist, your English reading comprehension needs a lot of work.

Being a globalist and being poisoned by globalist propaganda are not the same thing.

@cuprum2- is there only propaganda on the non-Russian side?
What you see on here is people freely disagreeing with their own governments or those of allies. They are allowed to.
Can you diss your government freely?

I have done this many times – I am a political opponent of the current Russian government. But there is one problem – I am left-wing, I am a Marxist. Although a moderate one.
And Nazism is the worst of evils for me. So I will not protest against its destruction. And I'm also a patriot (unlike the Trotskyist globalists) and for me the preservation and development of Russia is more important than communist (and all other) ideals.

I will reveal to you a terrible secret – in a country at war, freedom is always limited. Even in the most democratic countries. In Russia, this takes quite mild forms. So your question is incorrect. But how can we explain that in the West, they limit the broadcasting of information sources with a different point of view? Or are you also at war? And now it turns out that your (and not only yours, but also other pro-Western) "free press" was largely financed by state and other interested structures. In Ukraine, the media and bloggers are in a panic because they now have no one to pay for publishing fakes)))
It's especially funny to see how yesterday zealous fighters for "inclusivity and diversity" bashfully tear down rainbow flags))) Their "freedom and independence" in judgments evokes nothing but a condescending smile.

Yes, and I am also touched by Ukrainian patriots who bravely speak out publicly for war until the victorious end, but then try with all their might to avoid the front and leave Ukraine. Even swimming across mountain rivers and crossing a mined border and risking death in the process… Strange forms of patriotism, to be honest. Just like catching people on the streets to send them to war is a strange democracy. But do you like it?))

All these tales about "freedom" are ridiculous to me. He who pays the piper calls the tune.

Mate, our media in Australia is certainly free. There are print media and online media and TV stations that happily bang on about everything whether it is left wing, right wing or flightless. Believe me, media moguls try and control stuff but can't. We have two state funded channels only.

So you are a marxist in a country that does not share your beliefs. You want a classless, stateless society which Russia has never been and certainly is not now. But you claim Ukraine is a state that is built on racial superiority and authoritarian government. That definition sits better with Russia; Ukraine is not marxist but Russia by definition is far more Nazi.
I didn't think you were at war though; isn't it a special military operation?

One man's reading of multiple sources, and drawing an independent conclusion about what he thinks is another man's "being poisoned by globalist propaganda," apparently. A very telling description of how he thinks opinions are formed, which when read in conjunction with his other posts, tells you a lot about just how and why he can to be such an uncritical propagator of other people's information.

I am left-wing, I am a Marxist.

Pity, I thought you were smarter than that.

korsun0. There are more than a hundred indigenous nationalities living in Russia, professing if not all, then most of the world's religions. None of these nationalities are infringed in any way in their civil or cultural rights. On the contrary, the state is engaged in their support, and for large nations their own national republics and autonomies have been created.
Is this what Nazism looks like? Ok…

Yes, my country has a different ideology (or rather, it does not exist at all), at least no one can explain to me what it is))) And this suits me perfectly – I am a moderate communist and do not consider the "dictatorship of the proletariat" necessary, just as I do not consider the dictatorship of the "golden calf" necessary (when the one who is able to invest more money in the election campaign wins the elections). I believe that with the limited resources of our planet, communism, as a system for distributing available resources, is inevitable. It can be avoided only by starting to develop "new territories" – in our case, this is outer space. The Earth has become too small for humanity. And spending our few resources on the struggle between states for the redistribution of the remainder of these resources is an oxymoron))) This is the case when competition is harmful. But let's not talk about it. I just clarified my views. And I myself have been an entrepreneur for many years – since the collapse of the USSR, so I am in the position: "Bees against honey")))

Ukraine (today – since 2014) is built not on racial, but on national superiority. It denied one of its large national groups the right to free expression of will and, in general, the right to be Russian. Dissenters are simply killed or suppressed, trying to throw them out of the country or change their self-identification. I consider this Nazism.

A special operation is when there is a limited military intervention. It has long since escalated into a war.

Nine pound round, every person has the right to their own opinion. Even if it is wrong. And I have no right to judge him for this opinion, much less insult him. But I can tell him my vision on the subject. Whether he agrees or not is up to him.

SBminisguy, I explained my position a little higher… And what way out of this situation do you see? A new space "East India Company" under Musk's leadership? Aren't you afraid to give all possible resources into the hands of one company? A great temptation for an entrepreneur. Imagine a monopoly world… I feel uneasy.

Many are with you there, Cuprum. A lot of people are looking at (unelected) Musk and feeling uneasy.

Ah, Cuprum, that old favorite – where would you be without tools like "whataboutism" or the strawman fallacy? Nobody told you you didn't have a right to an opinion. What I said was that you were misrepresenting facts.

But yes, you do have a right to your wrong opinion.

So were people on the left concerned about unelected Hunter Biden attending White House meetings and helping his father, or that his father was obviously incapacitated mentally for his time in office? No? Seemed a we bit more concerning to me.

Being irked at musk, is like having your house robbed multiple times and then getting p#ssed at the man who tells you who's been doing it.

We should all rejoice at an end to taxpayer ripoffs. Those politicians raising the most h#ll, are the ones most concerned about being caught.

"In a week marked by heightened scrutiny over President Biden's health and the ongoing criminal proceedings involving Hunter Biden, the president's son has now made headlines by joining White House meetings, reportedly causing confusion among staff. This development comes as the Biden family convened at Camp David on Sunday, a gathering that has raised eyebrows amidst the charged political climate."

Musk is an executive branch employee, a "special government employee." People may not like that, but it's a genuine, preexisting legal status, and there are probably more than a thousand in a typical administration (advisory committee and board members are typically SGEs). Unelected (and unconfirmed) executive branch employees often wield enormous power. Biden gave Susan Rice a White House staff job because he knew she couldn't get the Senate votes for confirmation as Secretary of State.

Nine, please don't confuse them. That's not what they hear on MSM and from the politicians. Facts should never get in the way of current talking points. 😉

It's only a month, but "the unhinged is deep with group".

As I keep saying: when in panic, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!!!!

Facts? Facts, you say?

If you notice an inverse correlation between the scale of a nation's contribution, and the vociferousness with which its citizens attack the US on TMP for lukewarm support, you won't be the only one.

There is a lot of European countries that seems had never military support Ukranine… Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland, etc etc…

Cuprum 2 cries so much that Russia is fighting against NATO… and it is evident that it is another of their big lies… not to mention that there is not a single NATO military unit in Ukraine, when there are thousands of North Koreans fighting for the NaziRussian…

Armand

I see little Denmark contributes a proportion of their GDP three and a half times MORE than the USA. UK, Canada, Netherlands, Sweden all contributed a higher proportion of their GDP than the US.

Is the EU contribution in addition ?

Do you think that is GDP per capita ? If not then Denmark's relative contribution is about 30 times higher again.

Dagwood

Does the Ukraine adjoin Mexico? Is it in North, central, South America? Of course the answer is no. It resides in Europe. Does Europe complain that other countries in N, S and Central America contribute nothing or little to the Ukraine? No. Since WW2 the US has been patrolling "the world". After the immediate memories of WW2 begin to fade, we have received mostly criticisms. Especially since the greatest generation is dying off. We are dam#ed when we do, we are d#mned when we don't. But for some reason everyone seems to expect us to keep shelling out, no matter what.

Europe was able to field vast armies for years (by country) prior to WW2. You are fully capable now, with the will to do it and sacrifice other things. Why do we talk in the terms of "Europe" and not Germany, France or England? Germany alone should be able to field a defensive army large enough to deter Russia. It just takes the will. My god, they conquered most of Europe in the 40's.

The Shame is Europeans have to fear other Europeans (that arrow is aimed at you Russia).

I am not a fan of peacetime alliances. They place you in a corner. With Estonia and a few other small countries in NATO, an invasion triggers WW3. Ridiculous!! One should be able to make the decision of when and where to go to war.

I am hoping Europe creates its own alliance and the US can go back to making strategic decisions based on our own best interests.

I would suggest Japan ramp up as well, with the dragon spreading its wings. The Chinese have no love for Japan. The same with other countries in proximity to China.

There may well be a much worse danger, now in all western countries and we have freely let it in. A danger much older than that of Russia or China.

The unfortunate thing is, war is always coming. There is always some group, some religion or some person, who feel the need to command, force their will or dominate others.

At heart maybe we will always be primitive primates.

The war has made Russia considerably weaker re conventional forces, though at great cost to Ukraine. It looks like the combined support from Europe overall was significant.

Russia won? I think the US won, via Ukraine. Same for Europe. Putin misjudged the Ukrainians, and the relative unity of support against him from much of the world. His army was exposed as poorly led and untrained for modern tactical operations. He expended tons of equipment and manpower, did not break Ukraine and the nations supplying it. NATO expanded along his border, he had to call NK for troops, he lost economic opportunities, ended up with only China as a lukewarm ally. And NK.

He got some more land. A couple more operations like this and he will have beaten himself convincingly. But he knows this..it will take years to recover for Ukraine. And Russia.

In this context, GDP per capita is relevant only for making excuses. The Ukrainians probably care more that they have, say, 100 shells than they do what kind of a relative contribution those were for the sender. "It's true we only sent 15 shells- but those represent a bigger contribution relative to our size than the hundred shells that other guy sent" is not much help to the men on the firing line.

As 35th says, I think…. maybe proximity to the threat is still the most relevant factor. I did not see per capita GDP here, but it would not be my rules choice for building armies in a game. Perhaps the 2021 pandemic GDPs may not be a good measure either. The US recovered faster than anyone.

Putin's army and navy were wrecked, his economy weakened,
All in the best interests of the US, IMO. Who ya gonna call? The great powers of most eras, the US, Britain, Spain, France, etc. have often been global. And the wealthiest.

Nine, do you know the parable of the widow's mite ?

35th, before WW2 Britain controlled an Empire of, what, 1.5 billion people ? It now controls only 60-odd million, about one-sixth the size of the US. France is similarly reduced. Germany has lost a fair chunk of it's former land (and population ?) to Poland and Russia.

Ukraine may not be close to Mexico (is that a straw man or what ?) but Russia is the US's third nearest neighbour (after Canada and Mexico), and a weakened Russia is seriously in the US interest.

The US leading the world is the very definition of making America great. Pull back from that leadership, and you lose the greatness.

The rest of the world passes money to the US every day, in the form of the small percentage of ALL petroleum transactions (well, until recently) and the profits of US based multi-nationals from Starbucks to Boeing. The US can afford money much more easily than any other country in the world, why, even California can afford to donate money more easily than most countries.

I appreciate that US lives are a different matter, but you should appreciate that it wasn't only Americans in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan or Iraq (twice). I had relatives and friends in some of those.
The UK also had troops in Malaya, Indonesia, Palestine, Aden, more recently the Falklands; no Americans in any of those wars as far as I know. Not that anyone criticises the US for that. Again I had friends in those conflicts.

Agree about the dangers of uncontrolled migration, especially of Muslims. Most are peaceable, but it only takes a small proportion to produce a large numbers of terrorists.

Yes- and while I'm sure you're going to cite it to me with the usual tone of self-satisfied condescension, you're simply reinforcing the point I already made: Europe is going to offer excuses, not help.

Spare us the lecture on leadership. "Leadership" to Europeans means America spending and sacrificing, so that they don't have to. We don't want or need allies whose defining characteristic is weakness. If you can beat or deter the Russians yourselves, fine, well, and good; if not, that's not going to be our problem.

I don't particularly want my country to be the "leader of the free world." I want it to be free, independent and peaceful. We don't need to be a participant in the great power game like the German Reich or the British Empire to have what we want or need.

🤔

Dagwood

A 5 story tree falls in my yard. I have no chain saw. I have no wood splitter. I have no pick up truck. My neighbor does though. Why spend my money on these items, I can use that money for a vacation, or nice dinners. But I buy a hand saw instead. That neighbor helped me in the past with other big issues. But after the help, I showed only minor appreciation to him. Ignored him most of the time. When he didn't clear the snow off his sidewalk to my liking, I complained. When his car broke down, I didn't offer mine in loan. I didn't use my snowblower to clear his walks. No Christmas card, no Christmas cookies. I mean I didn't need him to help me then. When he told me my dog was getting through the hole in my fence and 💩 in his yard. I didn't fix the fence and told him to clean it up and mind his own business.

Now that trees down and I expect him to come over smiling and offer all his help once again. Why not, he always has in the past.

But…

This time he doesn't, now why is that? 🤨

The worst thing that can happen to avoid WW3 is a peace treaty between Trump and Putin.
Now that Ukraine is fighting without one arm tied behind it's back and can hit Russian industries is literally pushing The Doomsday clock backwards.

Unfortunately Russia has to be bled dry economically,millateraly and politically.
russian request for North Korea's aid shows just how desperate Russia's situation truly is.
Ukraine doesn't have to win Russia has to lose.

America under Trump can not be trusted and can not be considered a friend to Europe including the UK.

Whatever Trump and Putin agree on should be considered irrelevant to what Ukraine wants to do,if they want to fight on then Europe should fund it to the best of there ability while boosting their military spending as well as implementing a no fly zone over Ukraine. Now we have removed Johnson and his Rus-shill party the UK should rejoin EU whatever the cost.

If the USA wants to be isolationist fine but let's do it properly any remaining US military bases in Europe should be mothballed and American products and flights should have massive tariffs put on them ,you can't deal with the US anymore because any trade with them can be used as a weapon against you in the form of tariffs.

Quartermas, thanks for verifying everything I have believed and have said. Not just me, but others who have commented here on TMP.

Obviously my parable falls on deaf ears.

But the US will save a lot of money, and when Europe is involved in that no win war with Russia, or the nukes start falling, please don't ask to borrow our chainsaw. 😉

We can't afford the chainsaw 😎
There is more than one way to skin a rat.
Russia has to be stopped this is a war of attention and Europe has to up it's game.
Germany is creating some tasty drones that will be on there way to Ukraine.
Poland seriously getting it's 💩 together.
Let's hope the rest of Europe can get it together.

Well good luck. Maybe Zelensky will reject all peace offers.

Or…

Maybe none of us know what is really going on behind the scenes and are reading the pablum the MSM, opposing politicians and those who feed and gorge on endless war are saying and leaking.

The hysteria driven TDS'ers like these.

Subject: Hysterical Joy Reid's absurd claims about Trump 'selling America' to Putin

link

Subject: MSNBC host demands Democrats 'show that you give a damn' about Trump, Musk in fiery rant

link

It disgusts me that so many Western Europeans want the war in Ukraine to grind on, even though Ukraine has no chance of winning, just so that Russia will be "bled white," and they themselves can presumably be made to feel safe without spending a euro or shedding a drop of blood.

You wonder why we want no part of NATO- but who wants to go to war with allies like that?

The worst thing that can happen to avoid WW3 is a peace treaty between Trump and Putin.
Now that Ukraine is fighting without one arm tied behind it's back and can hit Russian industries is literally pushing The Doomsday clock backwards

Are you that foolish? Any territorial war involving a nuclear power brings with it the inherent higher risk of WW3. Events could escalate out of our control in ways we can't even imagine, and the longer the war drags on the more chances for such an event, and the so-called "Doomsday Clock" is the closest to Midnight is has ever been.

Reid does not represent most of the non-MAGA majority in America. I don't like Trump going to Saudi Arabia to talk to Putin alone any more than Zelensky does. Or Europe, or a lot of Americans. Putin is a blatant war criminal. He is nobody's friend and cannot be trusted.

I am starting to not be too sure about Trump having some sort of strategy. He sounded today like he was not entirely certain was Hesgeth was telling Europe. And the staff cuts to agencies apparently included a bunch of people who help oversee the nuclear stockpile and the contractors building nuclear weapons. Now the Dogers are trying to unfire them. Try not to help us so much!

A deal with Putin gives him the possibility to try his luck with another country Moldova perhaps they will roll over or the chance to build up for another invasion of Ukraine in a few years time.

As I've said Ukraine doesn't have to win Russia just has to lose.

Ukraine is hitting Russia's infrastructure hard destroying oil refineries,weapons factories the more this happens the better for Europe and the stability of the world in general.
The russian military moral is low.
Putin has to watch his back from his own country men.

35th
Mr Musk is a nazi who has access to all of your personal information that's not hysteria

Russia has threatened the UK and London many times and has used biological weapons in my country of my birth the town I live in.

Britain is spending plenty of money helping Ukraine and British blood has already been spilt,so don't be rude just because I have a different point of view,
The British people have taken Ukrainian refugees into their homes.

It's not a matter of wanting the war to drag on it's excepting that it HAS to.
To believe that Putin won't try again is foolish.

What is surely disgusting is expecting Ukraine to give up it's sovereignty bit by bit.
No one wanted the war apart from Putin

Great Chart 9lbs Rd !

Well done charts and maps makes things that much more clear and understandable. At least for an old Grunt troglodyte like me ! 🦧

Quartermass – I generally agree with some of what you posted. But not all of it, of course, not at all. However, myself and many/most in the USA believes the USA is on the right track. Finally …

Like a US Football team that just had a losing season. The New Coache(s) know they have what they have to do. To make their team winners again.

Mr Musk is a nazi who has access to all of your personal information that's not hysteria

Well I disagree. But the Chicoms already have most if not all of it already. As well as some Russian hackers working with/for Vlad. And of course, he will get his piece of the action. No matter what …

And for the most part I always had a lot of respect for the UK Soldiers, Sailors, etc. Some say France may be the USA's oldest ally, but IMO the UK is one of the best. Beside your King wears Paratrooper Wings. He has my respect. 🪂

Any territorial war involving a nuclear power brings with it the inherent higher risk of WW3.

Yes that is always a very big consideration. But as we see, if Russia didn't have nukes. They'd only be a threat to their neighbors. In reality the Chicoms are the biggest threat … And they have nukes. However, if I had say who I thought would use nukes first ? Most likely an islamic theocracy like Iran. That is why it is some important to do all we can to insure they don't get nukes. It didn't help any when the last POTUS and his Admin gave them IIRC 60 Billion $ in frozen assets. If you ask me beside the debacle of the A'stan withdrawal. Where the military leaders and intel assets were ignored.

Add the fact that the US Admin gave all that $ to Iran. Those alone should have been enough to impeach, again, and not only IMO ..

Legion 4
"Well I disagree"
What did you see? I know what I saw, twice if you please! But what was most chilling for me was Americans stood by and applauded!
I never thought I'd see that! not after ww2.
I hope I'm wrong.
I hope America is going in the right direction for Americans.

Legion, Nine, yes it is a great chart, and like all such presentations, can be misleading unless you look carefully. Of course the US has sent more money than the individual European nations, which are much smaller. But the sum of European contributions is almost the same as the US contribution, 112.5 vs 119.2.

The EU plus UK has a population of about 500 million, vs US at 340 million, but as noted in other threads, the EU is poorer than the US.

Seems about fair to me.

35th, except that some of Europe, particularly the UK (which I know most about) were standing alongside you Americans in Kuwait, former Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Doesn't that count as helping you at all ?

The Europeans were left very much exposed when the Americans pulled out of Afghanistan without warning. No consideration given to your allies there.

I have been trying to get my head around Putin's Siberia problem with has had a sisehonist movement for many years.
About 70% of Russia's oil comes from the West Siberian Basin.
This gentleman has some interesting opinions about Putin losing Siberia most interesting is in regards of China annexing bullo yarisi island from Russia which is strategically important if China would want to take back Manchuria.

link

Putin is in a very pricarus place as I have said repeatedly Ukraine doesn't have to win
But Russia has to lose.

Sorry the video transcript misspelled the name of the island it's called "bulshoy ussuriysky

Dagwood and Quartermas (but there were others).

I am more than willing to discuss. But discuss. There have been quite a few on TMP from Europe and elsewhere, who have been accusatory toward the US. Especially attacking the new President. Most just repeating the rhetoric of those here and elsewhere, half truths and speculations. Same thing they did in his first 4 years (you know the one with no war in the Ukraine).

The man has been in office just over a month, let's give this time and not jump at every doom and gloom headline.

There was a very interesting conversation on the Saudi peace conference this morning, including Trump. If I find it today, I'll post it.

Yes I understand the concerns about Russian aggression (I know they don't see it that way Caprum). If I were concerned about an incursion, it would be in the Baltics.

I'm not a fan of NATO for the US. I want the ability to make decisions on response and not be forced to respond. That bluntly is stupid. Is Estonia worth a expanding war with Russia? 🤔

Was moving NATO next door to Russia intelligent, by Europe and the US. IMHO, not at all.

If I were Europe or at least Central Europe, I would form my own defensive alliance. Independent of the US.

I would expand my military quickly, possibly even a draft and mandatory service.

I would sit at a table with Putin and start talking to him. You have to.

The Ukraine cannot sustain a prolonged WW1.

Start thinking about a post war Ukraine. Will it be left a wreak? No? Who is going to throw money in to rebuild?

That was just a few thoughts.

"were standing alongside you Americans in Kuwait, former Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Doesn't that count as helping you at all ?"

Of course. But Kuwait was everyone's problem, even Muslims helped. Oil.

Yugoslavia 🤔 Dont see that as ours. It is in Europe. I don't think anyone ever went deeply into the roots of that conflict. It goes back a long way and all hands in that country were dirty, no one innocent.

Iraq, I'll take that. The second one was Bush 2's war and although I backed it, it was wrong in the end. It eventually cost me my nieces husband due to injury. A good kid who deserved much better.

Afghanistan. Necessary. But the idiot nation building afterward…… Arghhhh!!! Stupid politicians!!! The Biden Rout….. Argghhhhhhhh!!! Yes I'm sorry about that, although I had nothing to do with it, did not support the rout and fought the dementia ridden man in office with every breath in my body.

But remember, we like a little appreciation too.

"These are my words of peace" 😉 (outlaw Josie wales)

Also my short response.

On top of the gross disparity between what the US spends for its own defense, and what our NATO allies spend, the fact that they can't quite manage even to equal our contribution to a war that they insist on prolonging is a bit much to swallow.

When the Secretary-General of NATO characterizes it as "needing to grow up," it should be obvious what the problem is. This is a peripheral issue for us; it's a core issue for you. The fact that Europe is unwilling to sacrifice for something that it's claiming is vital to its security tells us you're not serious allies, and can't be depended on.

Putin and Russians fight with US in Ukraine. Are Americans ready to surrender?
Is genuine Russian land Alaska worth a expanding war with Russia? 🤔
Or is Taiwan worth a expanding war with uprising chinese communists?

Nobody's talking about surrender, except people who are trying to provoke an emotional reaction.

Nine, yes emotions seem to be ruling the day lately.

I'm just asking. Are Americans ready?
Because nobody knows what is being talked about.
Just Russians already celebrate the great victory over US.