Well, if the U.S. / NATO are "cornering" Russia...
Shouldn't they be doing it IN Russia ?
And, shouldn't the Russians be IN Russia, too... being cornered, there ?
The glaring weakness in yours... that makes you as blind as everyone you criticize for being blind... is that while you CAN hear Biden talking about the pipeline... you PRETEND you can't, or don't hear Putin... when he's talking, just as openly, and brazenly, about his future plans for all the other neighbors...
I see ZERO evidence that anyone in the west has any interest in "invading" Russia...
And, in all probability, that only galls the Russians all the more... as it has throughout history, in their admiration and envy of the west... that the western half of Europe... really just don't give a shit about Russia... would be happy to pay it no attention... if only they could, as, unless and until Russia quits making threats, or going stupid and crossing borders... they can't.
The parallel in the U.S., would be... some future U.S. President deciding he has to take control of the northern half of Mexico... not because of the ongoing invasion of the U.S. emanating from there... (and, noting I see no parallel instance in which desperate Europeans are fighting their way east across wide expanses of desert trying to get into Russia) which would be wholly legitimate... but, instead, because we need that, and have a right to it, because of the "threat" posed to us by Nicaragua..
Russian's fixation would be EXACTLY THAT STUPID...
I see PLENTY of evidence that NONE of Russia's neighbors... want any Russians on the wrong side of Russia's borders...
ALL the evidence suggests the opposite... including, even those elements in which they (particularly Germany, again) are being stupid about how they address policy... instead of just coming out and speaking truths... That western Europeans are cowardly in the way they've approached the problem... of Russia being unwilling to stay inside Russia's own borders... doesn't make them responsible for Russians insanity.
Russian paranoia has convinced them that Russia, alone in the world, has some insane "right" to maintain "borders" that operate, on land, exactly like the 200nm exclusive economic zones operate in the sea... Only, of course, on land... those lands are not empty ocean over which they may have some presumptive interest... they are OTHER PEOPLES COUNTRIES... where Russia has NO LEGITIMATE PRESUMPTIVE INTEREST.
Other than your MASSIVE blind spot on that element in Russian history... including your blindness to what RUSSIANS SAY about what they intend to do today ? While it appears you've got a blind spot a mile wide on the issue of what and who is responsible...[ it NOT being the Hungarians who oppressed Russia, and put down the nascent emergence of freedom in Russia in 1956, for instance... rather than the Russian colonial occupation of Hungary that put down the 1956 Revolution... ]
Then, yeah,... you get some of the rest of that right... that Putin is to Europe what Napolean Bonaparte would have been if he had nuclear weapons...
The bet is obviously that Russia will simply roll over and unconditionally surrender.
Not what I see... It is obvious that the west have gone FAR out of their way to prevent the war doing anything more than killing Russians where there shouldn't be any.
The ONLY goal anyone appears to have... is for Russia to retreat back inside THEIR OWN borders... and stay there.
That's hardly asking too much...
However, it appears it just doesn't align with the Russians own view of what they should be expected to do...
So, the west has been enabling Ukraine in operating a VERY limited defense of their own country... which puts the Russians in the position of having to determine for themselves if it is worth expending themselves in the effort... and thus risk losing everything... as they fail, in result of their stupid miscalculations...
The "off guard" comments from western generals... pretty much say exactly that... that they intend to let Russia bleed themselves out... which they DO expect WILL happen... because they don't expect Russia to quit doing exactly what they are... leaning into the blade with their necks...
And, in that, it appears the west have made a far more perspicacious analysis of the Russians, than the Russians had made of Ukraine... or of their own capabilities...
Russia has no choice but to fight or be conquered
Ridiculous. Russia had no reason... much less a need... to attack Ukraine. And, tomorrow, they could quit fighting and return back inside Russia's borders... and that would be the end of it.
In having so badly misjudged the situation... and continuing to misjudge... Russia is conquering themselves...
And, that's not a good thing for global stability... but, its not like there's anything the west can or should do about it ?
Vladimir Putin years ago explained how military action is just mathematics = calculations lead to logical conclusions.
What a blithering idiot...The U.S. had a moron like that, too, once upon a time... in a Defense Secretary who thought the same, that by applying basic management principles... we could defeat Vietnam... if only our we ensured out production of bodies was sufficient...
But, even it you take Putin's stupidity at face value... its still obvious that for your calculations to lead to logical conclusions... you have to know what the inputs are... and what the operators are. What is indisputable... is that Putin calculated wrongly... about the inputs... the operators... and in every element in the conduct of the calculus...Russia got it wrong.
Putin sought to cement his legacy in history... and, in that he has succeeded... it's just not the legacy he was hoping for...
As an observer... when you see any poorly coached team... totally lacking in basic skills... making mistake, after mistake, and never correcting them... as totally lacking in leadership, or the ability to correct any of it... ?
You should expect "more of the same" in future proofs in performance... without first seeing some reason exists to expect improvement in performance.
And, in that... and what it seems is likely in result... I don't disagree with you...
It's been a stupid shit show thus far...
Which doesn't mean its not going to get VASTLY MORE stupid, with significantly larger turds being flung...
If the west resists... even only at the level they are now... there's no way for Putin to win... and no way for him to "improve"... given what's been lost that can't be replaced. But, there are still OBVIOUS ways for him to avoid losing... which absolutely no one is expecting him to take.
Putin's betters figured it out some years back, that... "when you find yourself in a hole, quit digging"...
Putin seems sure that the solution... was to climb out of that hole... and start digging another one. |
