How to get a week long ban

It's political grandstanding mostly. Very unlikely there will be an invasion. Putin just doesn't want UKR in Nato and our side is pushing for it. Just theatre for political gain. Biden doesn't want to appear soft before the midterms although, oddly enough, he doesn't mind appearing soft minded, doddering Uncle Joe with a backbone is the goal. Waiting it out is all we can do.

 

You know when gorillas stare at each and holler and beat their chest?

This is that, and also 99% of international politics in general.

 

this thread just turned political, so I don't see why I should stay quiet. as a Ukrainian with family and friends still in the country I have to wholeheartedly disagree with the last two comments. that picture may have been accurate when the whole thing started back in 2014, and this is one of the reasons I was not to eager to change the comfort of Germany for the misery of the Eastern Ukraine, but this is not the case anymore. it's becoming quite real, fast, and honestly, right now it's hard to say what Putin wants - he seems more and more unhinged. I am no friend of the US foreign policy, but this man has to be stopped - I mean, hasn't history taught you anything? thank God Germany seems to have snapped back to its senses...

 

He may be seeing opportunity with Biden at the helm, pushing harder to see how far he can go...but he may just be confused, like most US foreign policy, the president is the puppet in charge, he has no will of his own, just does what he is told he can do and considering the current state of affairs, he may be testing the waters to see if the US administration has changed, how far can he go?, can he annex ukr like he did crimea? (unlikely). In either event, I don't think this will proceed to an invasion, the US will either roll over or he will back off. Nothing is certain but I don't see either side pushing events to military action, there is nothing to gain for either side or Ukraine that would need military action, whatever is gained, the price would be too high. Biden would lose face (and the midterms) and Putin would face severe losses with long term repercussions (another Afghanistan) ..... stay strong, you are just stuck on the hot seat for a while, Putin's too smart to do something stupid, the US is really just in a marketing campaign...

 

@bilboda @denny_dow I sense that this discussion might be about to spillover, and shit up the Zampotech thread in the process.

If you're going to have it; check the forum rules first. If you proceed do it over PM, on profile, or in a new thread. Please remain civil in doing so. You couldn't get more real than the prospect of war. There are going to be differences of opinion, and differences in how informed or misinformed anyone joining the debate will be. Otherwise you're just going to create work for the volunteer mods, and they'll have to lock it. With members likely put on temp, even perma, ban.

 

I sure hope you're right, and up until yesterday I was leaning towards this line of argument too, all the while trying to reassure my (seemingly, now I think) hot-headed friends and relatives back in Ukraine. the recognition of the rogue republics brought it all home to me - any way you slice it, it's a direct violation of Minsk accords. and when asked: "How about the Minsk accords" - Putin, without a pause, says something along the lines: "The Minsk accords? Well, but those do not exist anymore, we have recognised the republics." What sort of answer is that?

See, I suspect it's just too remote, to abstract for you over there on the other side of the Atlantic, but it's dawning on people here that you can't reason with this man, you can't negotiate with him - he's trying, as you rightly point out, but this trying will never seize. He behaves like a bully, and a bully needs to be dealt with swiftly and decisively.

 

fair point, I think I will stop at what I have already said.

 

Believe it or not @bilboba's comments are more common my FL backyard with the Trump-leaning conservatives. And they aren't low voices on the street either. It is stuff that people agree with.

After an awhile I just turn the comments out.

 

And yet it should be the minority extreme viewpoint and rather the main right wing viewpoint. It is how they move the center so far to the right. Their news sources and echo chambers keep them in constant fear.

All my best to our friends, family, and co-workers in Ukraine.