Too much obfuscation. Europe has been handed the opportunity to consider whether it stands with Ukraine or not. If it decides to stay the course at least for now, and declare it will do so without the US if necessary, then EU and Ukraine isolate the US, retain agency over its resources and puts the ball into the US court. The US will be faced with a situation where it either declares it supports Putin, decides to support Ukraine/Europe, or stays neutral. Both the latter courses leave open access to US weaponry. And ConOld loves a transaction doesn’t he. Only the first course is particularly dangerous to the US. Declaring support for Putin’s strategy will invite the rest of the world to reset our attitude toward the US. No longer ‘leader of the free world’; just another failing state with ambitions of empire. 2/3 of US voters either support this ambition or don’t care. The ROW knows only too well from two world wars and the failed military adventures post 1945, that the US fails when it deploys into foreign lands (accepting enormous costs in lives and treasure while so doing). Fact is the US has no capability to deploy to Europe and sustain such an operation if it try’s. Putin on the other hand doesn’t have oceans to traverse. So, he resorts to nuclear threats when he is being beaten on the ground. UK and France also have nukes. Untethered from the US leash they might just retaliate if Putin threatens them. A nuclear exchange would bring the US into the battle; which no-one would ‘win’ in the conventional sense. Conold is the world’s biggest loser. About his only competence, losing ‘bigly’. Dangerous days and all for the petulant three-year-old Americans chose to sit in the WH play pen.
I just got home from a (cold, windy, but Sunny) protest (not-my-president) march in Manhattan. I got myself out there hoping to support Ukraine, though there was little said about Ukraine there. I thought of all you write on while I was there.
I'm calling it Afghanistan 2.0. He negotiated with the Taliban and excluded the governing body. He reduced the State Department personnel that were in charge of vetting and providing visas to those who had helped the U.S. military, and he reduced the U.S. troop levels from about 13,000 to 2,500 before he left office. Then, of course, when Biden couldn't make a clean exit it was all his fault, with Trump laughing in the wings.
Now he's negotiating leaving Ukraine out of the process. Although we don't have troops in Ukraine, the impending withdrawal of military armaments is no different that the troop reduction mentioned above.
I have to wonder why. Extortion? Money? Whatever it is, it's bad for Ukraine and bad for freedom loving people everywhere.
Too much obfuscation. Europe has been handed the opportunity to consider whether it stands with Ukraine or not. If it decides to stay the course at least for now, and declare it will do so without the US if necessary, then EU and Ukraine isolate the US, retain agency over its resources and puts the ball into the US court. The US will be faced with a situation where it either declares it supports Putin, decides to support Ukraine/Europe, or stays neutral. Both the latter courses leave open access to US weaponry. And ConOld loves a transaction doesn’t he. Only the first course is particularly dangerous to the US. Declaring support for Putin’s strategy will invite the rest of the world to reset our attitude toward the US. No longer ‘leader of the free world’; just another failing state with ambitions of empire. 2/3 of US voters either support this ambition or don’t care. The ROW knows only too well from two world wars and the failed military adventures post 1945, that the US fails when it deploys into foreign lands (accepting enormous costs in lives and treasure while so doing). Fact is the US has no capability to deploy to Europe and sustain such an operation if it try’s. Putin on the other hand doesn’t have oceans to traverse. So, he resorts to nuclear threats when he is being beaten on the ground. UK and France also have nukes. Untethered from the US leash they might just retaliate if Putin threatens them. A nuclear exchange would bring the US into the battle; which no-one would ‘win’ in the conventional sense. Conold is the world’s biggest loser. About his only competence, losing ‘bigly’. Dangerous days and all for the petulant three-year-old Americans chose to sit in the WH play pen.
I just hope the other NATO members stand strong in their support for Ukraine.
I just got home from a (cold, windy, but Sunny) protest (not-my-president) march in Manhattan. I got myself out there hoping to support Ukraine, though there was little said about Ukraine there. I thought of all you write on while I was there.
I'm calling it Afghanistan 2.0. He negotiated with the Taliban and excluded the governing body. He reduced the State Department personnel that were in charge of vetting and providing visas to those who had helped the U.S. military, and he reduced the U.S. troop levels from about 13,000 to 2,500 before he left office. Then, of course, when Biden couldn't make a clean exit it was all his fault, with Trump laughing in the wings.
Now he's negotiating leaving Ukraine out of the process. Although we don't have troops in Ukraine, the impending withdrawal of military armaments is no different that the troop reduction mentioned above.
I have to wonder why. Extortion? Money? Whatever it is, it's bad for Ukraine and bad for freedom loving people everywhere.
I have posted a darker view of what I see happening following the New York Times readout of the first meeting between Rubio and Lavrov.
https://georgiafisanick.substack.com/p/selling-out-ukraine