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Print Page - Happy May Day!

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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: learstang on May 02, 2014, 05:23:14 AM



Title: Happy May Day!
Post by: learstang on May 02, 2014, 05:23:14 AM
Happy May Day to all the workers of the world!

Best Regards,

Jason


Title: Re: Happy May Day!
Post by: JP on May 03, 2014, 06:06:04 PM
Very appropriate in light of the fact that they had a parade in Red Square for the first time in years, and we appear to be well into Cold War II!  Crazy times.


Title: Re: Happy May Day!
Post by: learstang on May 03, 2014, 06:59:41 PM
I wouldn't worry too much John; after wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think the American people at least are wary of overseas military involvement, and rightfully so. I say let the Europeans and Russians work this one out. As long as the Russians have nuclear weapons, they pose a potential threat to everybody, but their conventional military is no threat to those of us on this side of the Atlantic unless we're stupid enough to put soldiers in the Ukraine.

Regards,

Jason


Title: Re: Happy May Day!
Post by: JP on May 03, 2014, 07:15:08 PM
I wouldn't worry too much John; after wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think the American people at least are wary of overseas military involvement, and rightfully so. I say let the Europeans and Russians work this one out. As long as the Russians have nuclear weapons, they pose a potential threat to everybody, but their conventional military is no threat to those of us on this side of the Atlantic unless we're stupid enough to put soldiers in the Ukraine.

Regards,

Jason

We don't really have any choice because it's close to being a NATO problem.  Whether we care to or not, we have binding security arrangements there.  The problem is, no European country outside of France and the UK have spent anything on defence, and there is a general lack of will to do anything about Putin.  It is probably pretty frightening how much he could get away with before anyone bothered to intervene.  Bottom line is, most of central Europe is now NATO, and we have already said we would defend them as alliance partners.  But would we?  Really?  The concern is Putin may be willing to find out.


Title: Re: Happy May Day!
Post by: learstang on May 03, 2014, 07:31:28 PM
I don't think Putin is the existential threat to Europe that he's made out to be. He might annex the Eastern Ukraine (which I hope he doesn't - the Crimea should be more than enough), but I don't think he's going to go after Poland or the Baltic States. He's not crazy, and he's not Hitler. He's interested in power, and what plays well in Russia, but I really don't think he wants to test NATO too much. The Russian military is big, but it's not what it was under the Soviet Union, and to try and make it what it was would destroy the Russian economy. Putin is also not stupid. And this situation is also not all his fault - the EU and NATO made a BIG mistake in trying to pull the Ukraine into their orbit. The reason the Russians think that America, the EU, and NATO are trying to surround them is they are! America tried to put military bases in Uzbekistan and some of the other Central Asian Republics, you have people in the U.S. wanting to send military equipment to Georgia, you have the accession to NATO of the Baltic States (I don't blame the Baltic States, but it does play into the Russians' paranoia), and you have the U.S. talking about putting missiles in Poland. You also have a lot of right-wing militaristic types in the U.S. who want another Cold War, as crazy as that is. The threat of terrorism isn't nearly as useful an argument for a huge military as a resurgent Russia. The Russkies are coming, the Russkies are coming, time for some more aircraft carriers and nuclear bombers! Let's just hope this situation doesn't spiral out of control, because no one will win. Except the big military industrialists on both sides.

Regards,

Jason


Title: Re: Happy May Day!
Post by: JP on May 03, 2014, 07:40:59 PM
Agree on most points.  However, some forces, once unleashed, are hard to control.  There is near anarchy in Ukraine and anything could set that whole thing off.  The news recently of separatist agitators appearing in other eastern/central Euro countries is very troubling.


Title: Re: Happy May Day!
Post by: learstang on May 03, 2014, 07:47:47 PM
That's exactly the problem - situations can spiral out of control. Putin isn't planning or behind all of this - but he may take advantage of the situation, as he did with the Crimea.

Regards,

Jason