sometimes seems like people read one sentence and then don't care before answering. — Christoffer
Russia isn't a superpower, not with Ukraine at least, and then this idea about US never wanting Russia in NATO simply is against the historical facts how things went. NATO membership was a possibility, but nobody had interest in it.. Do you forget that Russia has been twice rebuffed upon expressing a desire to join NATO? (Molotov's proposal that the USSR join NATO in 1954, and Putin's expression of interest in the early years of this millenium). The U.S. did never want another "superpower" within NATO precisely because NATO is an expression and an appendage of U.S. hegemonic policy, and was determined to have no rivals within the "alliance". — Joseph Zbigniewski
Vladimir Putin wanted Russia to join Nato but did not want his country to have to go through the usual application process and stand in line “with a lot of countries that don’t matter”, according to a former secretary general of the transatlantic alliance.
George Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary who led Nato between 1999 and 2003, said Putin made it clear at their first meeting that he wanted Russia to be part of western Europe. “They wanted to be part of that secure, stable prosperous west that Russia was out of at the time,” he said.
The Labour peer recalled an early meeting with Putin, who became Russian president in 2000. “Putin said: ‘When are you going to invite us to join Nato?’ And [Robertson] said: ‘Well, we don’t invite people to join Nato, they apply to join Nato.’ And he said: ‘Well, we’re not standing in line with a lot of countries that don’t matter.’”
Sadly, that is to be expected. Not everybody cares as much as you do. — Olivier5
So for instance, the exposure of someone living in Australia to the Ukraine war is minimal and implies from Australians a certain detachement. — Olivier5
Russian energy giant Lukoil calls for immediate end of Ukraine war
MOSCOW, Russia — Russian oil giant Lukoil on Thursday called for an immediate halt to fighting in Ukraine, one of the first major domestic firms to speak out against Moscow’s invasion of its pro-Western neighbor.
The board “expresses its concern over the ongoing tragic events in Ukraine and its deepest sympathy to all those affected by this tragedy,” the company said in a statement.
“We stand for the immediate cessation of the armed conflict and fully support its resolution through the negotiation process and through diplomatic means,” its note added.
Yeah, I might rage off, but that may be because I care a lot about stopping a tyrant, some seem to care more about winning an argument. — Christoffer
I was against NATO before all of this, I didn't think Sweden should join. But Putin changed the game 180. — Christoffer
Russia would have to conform to a bunch of standards it has never really had to try to live up to, as far as democratically... — schopenhauer1
Cue him stacking the premises in such a way until you agree that the only correct answer can be the US. Never mind history and facts! — Benkei
"There is nothing to say about Putin’s attempt to offer legal justification for his aggression. Its merit is zero.
Of course, it is true that the U.S. and its allies violate international law without a blink of an eye, but that provides no extenuation for Putin’s crimes." — Baden
This is a very, very important point! Because Russia didn't have parity. It's economy is small.Russians, thinking theirs a "great country" would require parity with the U.S. if Russia were to become part of NATO, something the U.S. would never allow. — Joseph Zbigniewski
Well, those were the words of one President, words that perhaps a Republican President like Trump could have forgotten. Just look at how long Turkey has had EU membership talks....for many decades now! Is Turkey going to be an EU member? No.That the U.S. currently enjoys de facto suzerainty within NATO is evidenced by the fact that neither France nor Germany wanted to allow either Georgia or Ukraine to become NATO members for fear of provoking Russia, but George W. Bush — Joseph Zbigniewski
Yes yes but what for? What is the end game here? What are the goals of the great nations of the world right now, isn't it more power and domination over the others, in some sort of an international squid game? Is that what the human race was meant for? — FreeEmotion
The real problem is that Russia has always had this border issue: there aren't any obvious geographical borders, but flatland from Europe to Asia. And hence they've always been insisting on having more territory for defense and see springboards everywhere where they are threatened. And of course, the threat of the enemy serve authoritarian regimes well. — ssu
From the NY Times
"The sanctions “are severe enough to dismantle Russia’s economy and financial system, something we have never seen in history,” Carl B. Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote this week. — frank
Simple answer: Because it's constantly changing it's borders! It has problems to know just where it's country ends. Just look at Ukraine now and what Putin is saying about the country.*sigh*
Why is the notion of "protecing your own country" so hard to understand when it is applied to Russia? — baker
Fixed it — Isaac
The CIA is overseeing a secret intensive training program in the U.S. for elite Ukrainian special operations forces and other intelligence personnel, according to five former intelligence and national security officials familiar with the initiative. The program, which started in 2015, is based at an undisclosed facility in the Southern U.S.
“The United States is training an insurgency,” said a former CIA official, adding that the program has taught the Ukrainians how “to kill Russians.”
The program, which does not appear to have ever been formally aimed at preparing for an insurgency, did include training that could be used for that purpose.
The Biden administration has reportedly assembled a task force to determine how the CIA and other U.S. agencies could support a Ukrainian insurgency,
With Russia, the levels are the following:
1. CONSTANT
2. ELEVATED
3. MILITARY DANGER
4. FULL
Now Putin is at 2. Or something like that. — ssu
President Putin continues to escalate – putting Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert, threatening to invade Finland and Sweden.
I haven't heard that from the Russians. That I would put in the "hyping fear" category. — ssu
In the other hand, we have a population dying in their houses because Putin does not recognize the Ukranian sovereignity. — javi2541997
Incidentally ssu, in previous episodes Aimen Dean dismisses the inside job conspiracy theory about the Russian apartment bombings, and he's a person who knows a lot about the North Caucasian jihad. — jamalrob
It won't interest anyone outside of the small circle of opera lovers, but... Never mind nukes. Anna Netrebko, very big-name Russian diva, just got kicked out of the Metropolitan Opera in New York for her continuing loyalty to Putin--probably permanently. A joint project with the Bolshoi was also dropped. — Bitter Crank
Simple answer: Because it's constantly changing it's borders! It has problems to know just where it's country ends. Just look at Ukraine now and what Putin is saying about the country. — ssu
Russia's defense of it's country has been for others Russia's invasions and imperialism. Is that hard to understand?
In the real world, NATO is front and center here. In the world of imperialist propaganda, NATO has nothing to do with it, Russia’s stated concerns are ridiculous, and anyway, every country has the right to join a defensive alliance! – CounterPunch
Atlanticism manifested itself most strongly during the Second World War and in its aftermath, the Cold War, through the establishment of various Euro-Atlantic institutions, most importantly NATO and the Marshall Plan.
the North Atlantic Treaty is a product of the US' desire to avoid overextension at the end of World War II, and consequently pursue multilateralism in Europe. It is part of the US' collective defense arrangement with Western European powers
Established in the aftermath of World War II, NATO implements the North Atlantic Treaty - Wikipedia
I have no end to serve, except the good of the United States, and that is the reason I have the courage to appear before this body to express my convictions …. I have one object in view – the good of the United States … We are approaching this problem from the welfare of the United States …. First of all, in Western Europe exists the greatest pool of skilled labor in the world. In Western Europe exists a great industrial capacity second in its capacity only to that of the United States … Now if we take that whole complex with its potential for military exploitation and transfer it from our side to another side, the military balance of power has, in my mind, shifted so drastically that our safety would be gravely imperiled … We would be cut off in short from areas from which we draw the materials that are absolutely essential to our existence, our way of life … Take such items as manganese, copper, uranium. Could we possibly think of existing without access to them? … The Western European complex is so important to our future, with them our future is so definitely tied that we cannot afford to do less than our best in making sure that it does not go down the drain … - New York Times, Feb. 2, 1951
The White House on Friday tapped an Air Force general with experience overseeing all U.S. and NATO air forces throughout Europe to lead U.S. European Command and serve as Supreme Allied Commander.
President Donald Trump selected Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters to serve as the top American commander in Europe and lead all NATO forces on the continent.
Wolters now serves as commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa based at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. In his role, he also serves as the chief of NATO’s Allied Air Command – Stars and Stripes
With the world's most powerful military, a huge economy, and a leading role in international institutions such as the UN and NATO, the USA is a superpower. The rise in power and importance of China and re-emergence of Russia will continue to challenge the global dominance of the USA ...
I don't see how the world is "at peace" when there are wars of various degrees of intensity in Syria, Ethiopia, Yemen, etc. and when people are suppressed, persecuted, and killed in many countries around the world. — Apollodorus
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