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International Events VIII: Been living under a rock so long


TheLastWolf

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Biden is not going to get into a shooting war with Russia, so what's he going to do? I guess he can sell a lot of weapons to the Ukraine on credit with a very low interest rate. But if they lack the military force to use them effectively they don't have much use for more hardware.

The UN is impotent since anything the SC might try to do will be vetoed.

Also, if the US is distracted by being in a shooting war with Russia over Ukraine then Taiwan is definitely toast. If the USA was to really contemplate keeping both the Ukraine out of Russian hands and Taiwan out of Chinese hands it would probably have to seriously contemplate the use of nukes in one or other conflict. I think the US is more interested in protecting Taiwan and making Ukraine the EU and UK's problem.

The Ukraine would need to invite a foreign military force into the country to set up bases to help protect it from invasion.

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4 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

Biden is not going to get into a shooting war with Russia, so what's he going to do? I guess he can sell a lot of weapons to the Ukraine on credit with a very low interest rate. But if they lack the military force to use them effectively they don't have much use for more hardware.

The UN is impotent since anything the SC might try to do will be vetoed.

Also, if the US is distracted by being in a shooting war with Russia over Ukraine then Taiwan is definitely toast. If the USA was to really contemplate keeping both the Ukraine out of Russian hands and Taiwan out of Chinese hands it would probably have to seriously contemplate the use of nukes in one or other conflict. I think the US is more interested in protecting Taiwan and making Ukraine the EU and UK's problem.

The Ukraine would need to invite a foreign military force into the country to set up bases to help protect it from invasion.

The EU is not ready for a military confrontation with Russia in any shape or form. The European Army has been blocked (for too long) by Britain, who felt it was unncessary/would weaken NATO, and was quite frankly not in the US interest. Post Brexit the talks of an European Army have picked some speed, but it's quite obviously not there yet - and there are some doubts, if we reach that point (I am not particularly stoked about the prospect of the current Polish goverment starting a pissing contest with Russia and being on the hook militarily). Add to that the different military capabilities of the EU member states. E.g. the German Army is complete shambles. The most capable military power in the EU is presumably France. And like everyone else, all the EU states are somewhat busy dealing with corona. Oh, yeah, also the authoritarians regimes in Hungary and Poland are still there. As appealing the prospect of outsourcing the Ukraine problem to the EU, it's simply not gonna work. He might as well gif the country and rename it to Western Russia.

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7 hours ago, Luzifer's right hand said:

So Biden is threatening Putin with sanctions if he invades the Ukraine.

That is diplomacy speak for "yeah you can take it be we will be upset!" right?

Sanctions can hurt Putin. If his oligarch friends can't enjoy their wealth anymore because of travel bans and restrictions of trade with Russia they won't be pleased. His standing with the general population won't necessarily improve either. The question is if the US and the EU are ready to hurt their own economies. If sanctions are to have an effect then there will be a cost.

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3 minutes ago, Loge said:

Sanctions can hurt Putin. If his oligarch friends can't enjoy their wealth anymore because of travel bans and restrictions of trade with Russia they won't be pleased. His standing with the general population won't necessarily improve either. The question is if the US and the EU are ready to hurt their own economies. If sanctions are to have an effect then there will be a cost.

Sanctions have another downside for the EU at least. We are kinda hooked on Russian Gas. So little Valodya can actually retaliate. There are downsides to not being governed for 16 years, because it could hurt election prospects. Who could've guessed that.

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8 hours ago, Luzifer's right hand said:

So Biden is threatening Putin with sanctions if he invades the Ukraine.

That is diplomacy speak for "yeah you can take it be we will be upset!" right?

I'm not really sure what you expected Biden to say.  Putin requested the call and it is, obviously, a diplomatic discussion by its very nature.  Threatening military action during such a conversation would have been ill-advised, especially if Putin is ultimately bluffing - which his request for the call may well suggest he is.

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On 12/31/2021 at 10:40 AM, DMC said:

I'm not really sure what you expected Biden to say.  Putin requested the call and it is, obviously, a diplomatic discussion by its very nature.  Threatening military action during such a conversation would have been ill-advised, especially if Putin is ultimately bluffing - which his request for the call may well suggest he is.

B-b-b-bbbut that's what the orange demon would have done.  Or would have if it was somebody from Africa, and not, you know, his divine man-crush with whom he was on the phone. :lol:

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3 hours ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

I mean you hate to pile on, but the Taliban just continues to put the worst face possible out to the World and your left thinking how barbarous, how backward?

https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-ordered-shop-mannequin-beheadings-114041443.html

The two movies must have really pissed them off.

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Well it looks like Ukraine may have gotten a reprieve with Russia now being distracted by what's happening in Kazakhstan. Putin is openly intervening in that revolution by sending in paratroopers to assist the Kazakh government forces.  

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/troops-protesters-clash-almaty-main-square-kazakhstan-shots-heard-2022-01-06/

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The blathering classes are very concerned with 'regional destabilization' -- that was the impression I got anyway, while scrolling through.

It is one big country, all right.  About which, let me haste to add, I know nothing.  I keep trying to remedy these gigantic areas of ignorance, but I have so many on which I try to shine some light. :(

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17 hours ago, Corvinus85 said:

Well it looks like Ukraine may have gotten a reprieve with Russia now being distracted by what's happening in Kazakhstan. Putin is openly intervening in that revolution by sending in paratroopers to assist the Kazakh government forces.  

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/troops-protesters-clash-almaty-main-square-kazakhstan-shots-heard-2022-01-06/

Troops are now told to fire without warning.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59907235

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We don't import potatoes from anywhere, but we export a decent chunk of our crop. So, even though we are self-sufficient in spuds, we are exposed to global prices since the export price will dictate the domestic price. But the annoying thing is we usually get the sloppy seconds anyway, all the best grade potatoes are exported or sold to the food service industry. But with a global shortage it means even second rate potatoes that would be sold here could find an export market.

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Turkey is changing the spelling of it’s name to Turkiye, which is the way the country’s name is spelled in the country.

Reading stories about the change, I learned two other things: Holland is gone, it’s now officially only The Netherlands. And the bird we eat at thanksgiving, the turkey, was called that name because the first settlers thought it was related to the fowl that originated in that part of the world. They were wrong.

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3 hours ago, Fragile Bird said:

Turkey is changing the spelling of it’s name to Turkiye, which is the way the country’s name is spelled in the country.

Reading stories about the change, I learned two other things: Holland is gone, it’s now officially only The Netherlands. And the bird we eat at thanksgiving, the turkey, was called that name because the first settlers thought it was related to the fowl that originated in that part of the world. They were wrong.

In similar news, the guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

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4 hours ago, Fragile Bird said:

Turkey is changing the spelling of it’s name to Turkiye, which is the way the country’s name is spelled in the country.

Reading stories about the change, I learned two other things: Holland is gone, it’s now officially only The Netherlands. And the bird we eat at thanksgiving, the turkey, was called that name because the first settlers thought it was related to the fowl that originated in that part of the world. They were wrong.

Holland was always a province within The Netherlands. It is the biggest and hence the name stuck. Much like Upper and Lower Canada became the name for a much larger entity. Dutch, the language of the Netherlands, comes from Duetsch or  the people now referred to as German. My parents always said they spoke Hollandse as to let's say Frisian. 

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