Russia and Ukraine

[Irreligious Atheist]

The better question I think would be, why did NATO refrain until recently from saying that Ukraine would eventually join NATO for sure? Because they knew saying as much would be a massive provocation towards the Russian Federation, but now it's been said, and there's no taking those words back.

So people like Nudge can say that they'd like the war to end today, but that's fantasy talk. I'm sure Al Qaeda would like to beat America today as well, if it was as easy as just saying you'd like it to happen. The actions of Ukraine and NATO are begging for a long, drug out war to the bitter end. And if people are ok with that as long as it leads to a NATO and Ukrainian victory, then that's fine and a position that I'm sure can be defended, but those people shouldn't at the same time be pretending like they're trying to push for the war to end today or they want the war to be over ASAP, because it's just not true.

I like that I, as a Canadian, have NATO protection. Love it. Loves me some NATO. But for the sake of world stability, no, I'm not really into the idea of giving Ukrainians the same protections that I have. I just can't go for it. The health of global stability takes precedence over the health of Ukrainians. So yes, my position is that unfortunately, Ukrainians should have to fall on the sword for the sake of the rest of the world, and you're not getting Crimea back, and the war doesn't end unless Russia comes away not looking like a complete and total loser.

There are people on the other side of the Atlantic who share your concerns. Even in Germany there is a group of people who are asking the question “How does this war end?”
 
I personally think that you and these people are simply overestimating the capacities of Russia. Today’s Russia is not the Soviet Union. It is also not the new / dynamic and growing economy of the early 2000’s (even that was a myth in many ways). Todays Russia is a country that is about to be booted from the UN Security Council because it simply lacks the legal requirements:
 
https://www.yahoo.com/news/danger-russia...46049.html
 
That’s my first point. Second point: History shows that if you turn a blind eye on such people (like they did to Mussolini and Hitler in the 30’s) they’ll keep getting hungrier and greedier. You know Hitler could have been easily stopped as soon as he started rebuilding the German Army (illegally at the time) and stationing (illegally) permanent troops in Rhineland. But the French decided to ignore him so he kept growing until he annexed Poland together with Stalin. Than you had 50 million deaths. So you cogitate on the results of a similar approach with a nuclear power like Russia.
 
3) If you don’t stop Putin in Ukraine, you can already present Taiwan to Xi-Ji-Ping on a silver plate while you’re on it.
 
4) It’s a matter of ideology. 24 million Taiwanese is not a significant number of people when compared with China that has a population of 2 billion. Yet, these 24 million people do not want the Tyranny of the CCP. Nor do Belarussians want to “reunite” with Russia.
 
But yes. This last one is a personal choice. You totally have the right to say “not my problem”. I just wanted you to see the whole picture before you say that

I don't think I'm overestimating Russia. They are in a very embarrassing spot right now, for sure. What reason do they have to not drag the war on for years though, at this point, given that NATO now says Ukraine is joining? Putin has no incentive to stop the war. Ethinc Russians are dying out, and Putin may very well see his life and survival being on the line. And how is China going to react to NATO growing stronger and clamping down on powers like Russia? Well, right now China is saying, continue with what you're doing, and there will be conflict, so you can look at it both ways. If Russia won in Ukraine, that might embolden China, sure, but with NATO clamping down on Russia, that may scare the Chinese into acting and doing what you say you are worried they might do in Taiwan/ the South China Sea.

Thanks for your post. I appreciate that you stuck to making your argument rather than just throwing out a bunch of insults like the others, and you certainly made some good points.