Aristides Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 19 minutes ago, Nationalist said: Playing with fire over a portion of an unconsequential and incredibly corrupt nation. Well...there goes wisdom out the window. That’s Putin alright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 Is this like the first Modern POTUS ever to visit an active warzone where the US didn't control the Airspace? I can't imagine FDR ever visited anywhere where the Allies didn't control the area. They gave Russia the heads up almost daring them to try something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aristides Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 16 minutes ago, Boges said: Is this like the first Modern POTUS ever to visit an active warzone where the US didn't control the Airspace? I can't imagine FDR ever visited anywhere where the Allies didn't control the area. They gave Russia the heads up almost daring them to try something. The Yalta conference was held in Crimea but the Russians definitely controlled the area at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 28 minutes ago, Aristides said: The Yalta conference was held in Crimea but the Russians definitely controlled the area at the time. The Luftwaffe wasn't going to be able to scramble anyone in Yalta in 1944. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 (edited) 3 hours ago, Contrarian said: Oh, the power madman bear Putin was pissed off by this visit. I just listened to him rant, won't post such garbage, I listened to the same message time and time again. How he is the protector of certain values, how he is fighting against some sort of global conspiracy, how Russia is the last bastion against this force, etc, etc, etc. Blah Blah Blah. Here is the bottom line ---> There is a REASON why intelligence officers don't go into politics and become politicians. There is a certain rule, is like trying to install software not compatible with the system. There is a reason why men like Biden are President, which are in a way actors really, the power structure that decides behind him is enormous, with checks and balances, for any US President. They are not perfect, we all know that. but compare this with a man that was a KGB officer and now wants to be a politician. He ranted because he is panicking. His world is falling around him, and he is reaching out to the power of the masses to rescue him. ---> The only thing to watch, is true, what will China do? The fact that the Americans had to warn them publically means they are seriously considering helping the Russians: Proof again that the Kissinger-Mao deal was what it was, pure appeasement. This is why China was let out in the civilized world so they can arm Russia with weapons in Ukraine. They will learn in my estimation. I don't think the American cowboy is that weak, regardless of who is President, Democrat, or Republican. The CCP and the Putin will pay the consequences one way or another: I don't think nobody is insane enough to start a nuclear war but will be a hard battle of chess. More from the panicked KGB officer which now pretends to be President: President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is suspending its participation in the "New START" treaty, the last agreement in force between Moscow and Washington that limits nuclear arsenals of the two countries. ---> US Secretary of State Antony Blinken describes as "deeply unfortunate and irresponsible" Russia's decision to suspend participation in the "New Start" treaty, the last agreement that was in force between Moscow and Washington and which limits the nuclear arsenals of the two countries. (Reuters). Edited February 21 by Contrarian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boges Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 11 minutes ago, Contrarian said: More from the panicked KGB officer which now pretends to be President: President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is suspending its participation in the "New START" treaty, the last agreement in force between Moscow and Washington that limits nuclear arsenals of the two countries. ---> US Secretary of State Antony Blinken describes as "deeply unfortunate and irresponsible" Russia's decision to suspend participation in the "New Start" treaty, the last agreement that was in force between Moscow and Washington and which limits the nuclear arsenals of the two countries. (Reuters). This is clearly evidence that the West must do whatever it can to appease Putin and stave off Nuclear War. That always works with these guys right? 🙄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 (edited) 44 minutes ago, Boges said: This is clearly evidence that the West must do whatever it can to appease Putin and stave off Nuclear War. That always works with these guys right? 🙄 The dream to push Putin back to Moscow and replace him with a drunken Boris Yeltsin type is not happening. The gang in Russia is all in now in my view. As Macron says: Some want Russia's defeat, but not to 'crush' it. WHY? Is not realistic and everyone realizes that at NATO command I think. Crimea will be the line. If Crimea is reached, nuclear war then will be very possible. Once it gets close to the don of the Mafia, they will risk taking a lot of people out to protect themselves. The KGB officer came out ranting today because politically is on the ropes. Biden's visit humiliated him, so now he is a like a madman. In that scene with all the sheep looking at their tribal leader, I turned it off after a few minutes and read the rest of the summary online. Edited February 21 by Contrarian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CdnFox Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 41 minutes ago, Contrarian said: Crimea will be the line. If Crimea is reached, nuclear war then will be very possible. Once it gets close to the don of the Mafia, they will risk taking a lot of people out to protect themselves. I can see why you feel that way and it's possible, but honestly i doubt it. There are serious power fractures inside Russia. And it's not like putin can fire off nukes on his own. I think if they start to lose crimea then we'll see some serious efforts at regime change at home, and nobody will be interested in sparking a nuclear war. Russia's new offensive is not going well, there's rumors that they will do a major aviation blitz to try to break through in the next 1 - 4 weeks. We'll see. If they can't make it happen then Ukraine will get it's chance at an offensive in about 2-3 months. We will see how much they can manage to take back if that happens. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 (edited) 54 minutes ago, CdnFox said: I can see why you feel that way and it's possible, but honestly i doubt it. There are serious power fractures inside Russia. And it's not like putin can fire off nukes on his own. I think if they start to lose crimea then we'll see some serious efforts at regime change at home, and nobody will be interested in sparking a nuclear war. Russia's new offensive is not going well, there's rumors that they will do a major aviation blitz to try to break through in the next 1 - 4 weeks. We'll see. If they can't make it happen then Ukraine will get it's chance at an offensive in about 2-3 months. We will see how much they can manage to take back if that happens. I do hope the Russian people will awaken and take him down but history seems to suggest that the Russian people like to be led by authoritarian leaders. The Tsar, Lenin, Stalin, now Putin. Is just what some groups want. In terms of a revolution, majority of anti-war Russians, I think left in the West, Georgia, for me is very difficult to see where this revolt would come from. The key is with the elite and military command, not with "the people". I think this is what you are saying too by "power structures" in Russia. Another theory that I have is that Wagner getting front seat must bother some Russian high military command. But, when you look at Shoigu and how his children are involved in politics, in the same party as Putin, nobody in the military will move a muscle against Putin. Highly doubt it, just by writing this I am changing my mind. ---> So the elite in Russia, if they lose enough money, they might change him somehow. Money always talks at the end. Edited February 21 by Contrarian grammar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenmandy85 Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 President Putin's career in the KGB was to sit at a table in the office and cut newspaper clippings. He was hardly James Bond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 (edited) 22 minutes ago, Queenmandy85 said: President Putin's career in the KGB was to sit at a table in the office and cut newspaper clippings. He was hardly James Bond. Oversimplification. While it is true that Putin served in the KGB as a foreign intelligence officer from 1975 to early 90's, his work was far from just cutting newspaper clippings. In fact, he rose through the ranks of the organization, serving as a spy in East Germany and later as the head of the KGB's foreign intelligence branch. During his time in the KGB, Putin was responsible for gathering intelligence on foreign governments, organizations, and regular folk, and he played a key role in the Soviet Union's operations in East Germany. He was trained in espionage, counterintelligence, and various other skills that are necessary for a successful career in intelligence. While it is true that Putin was not a "James Bond" style agent and did not engage in high-profile, covert operations, his work in the KGB was still significant and important. To reduce his career to simply cutting newspaper clippings is a misrepresentation of the facts. The main issue, to put it in raw terminology: His program is not compatible with that of a politician. That is my opinion. Some info above is from The Washington Post and other sources. Edited February 21 by Contrarian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonbox Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 4 hours ago, Contrarian said: The dream to push Putin back to Moscow and replace him with a drunken Boris Yeltsin type is not happening. The gang in Russia is all in now in my view. As Macron says: Some want Russia's defeat, but not to 'crush' it. WHY? Is not realistic and everyone realizes that at NATO command I think. Macron is incoherent on this topic, sending so many mixed signals an confusing messages that folks are mostly ignoring him now. "Crushing" Russia, as Macron describes, refers to tanks rolling into Russia proper, which nobody is advocating for. It's a bizarre message overall, and Macron has been widely criticized throughout this whole debacle for wishy-washiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 (edited) 2 hours ago, Moonbox said: Macron is incoherent on this topic, sending so many mixed signals an confusing messages that folks are mostly ignoring him now. "Crushing" Russia, as Macron describes, refers to tanks rolling into Russia proper, which nobody is advocating for. It's a bizarre message overall, and Macron has been widely criticized throughout this whole debacle for wishy-washiness. Do you suspect Macron is working in a backchannel with the Russian Federation since the long table incident? 😎 ---> that was a joke. You know after the Iraq war and with Jaque Chirac's great credibility for saying no to Bush, I think that gives France a bit more trust. Is better to have France up front with some sort of negotiations than the Sultan in Turkey, Erdogan, no? Edited February 21 by Contrarian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonbox Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 (edited) 58 minutes ago, Contrarian said: You know after the Iraq war and with Jaque Chirac's great credibility for saying no to Bush, I think that gives France a bit more trust. Not really, considering most of the UN/NATO also said no. Macron isn't Jacque Chirac (who I have no opinion of), so all that really matters is what he's doing/saying today. 58 minutes ago, Contrarian said: Is better to have France up front with some sort of negotiations than the Sultan in Turkey, Erdogan, no? Nobody's suggesting Erdogan for the job, so I don't think the comparison matters. Regardless, I'm not sure Macron is the best for the job. Putin might prefer his wishy-washiness and confused messaging (and Russia loves confusion in the west), but I don't think Putin's preferences really count for anything. Putin made Macron look like a fool, just like he made Merkel (and her predecessor) look like fools as well. *also, I just remembered that Macron went to meet Putin right before the invasion, and Putin assured Macron he wasn't going to invade Ukraine. It goes to show you how much the one respects the other. Edited February 21 by Moonbox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenmandy85 Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 In the spirit of CrakHoBarbie, I too will admit I was wrong, and thank you to Contrarian for setting President Putin's KGB career correctly. Just because I want to believe something, I admit I was wrong. I still maintain he is no Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CdnFox Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 1 hour ago, Queenmandy85 said: In the spirit of CrakHoBarbie, I too will admit I was wrong, and thank you to Contrarian for setting President Putin's KGB career correctly. Yeah - but he's still a dink right? Putin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 22 hours ago, Contrarian said: More from the panicked KGB officer which now pretends to be President: President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia is suspending its participation in the "New START" treaty, the last agreement in force between Moscow and Washington that limits nuclear arsenals of the two countries. ---> US Secretary of State Antony Blinken describes as "deeply unfortunate and irresponsible" Russia's decision to suspend participation in the "New Start" treaty, the last agreement that was in force between Moscow and Washington and which limits the nuclear arsenals of the two countries. (Reuters). In regards to this, just finished reading an article from Foreign Policy that goes in-depth: Experts said it’s too soon to interpret Putin’s remarks as heralding a new nuclear arms race, but with the treaty set to expire in 2026, the Russian leader’s announcement will further complicate diplomatic efforts to extend or negotiate a new treaty between the United States and Russia, which together hold about 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.Full Article: https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/02/21/putin-new-start-announcement-arms-control-nuclear-weapons-united-states-war/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenmandy85 Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 12 hours ago, CdnFox said: Yeah - but he's still a dink right? Putin? I read on yahoo news that he planned to launch a "Satan II" missile to coincide with President Biden's visit to the Ukraine. It didn't happen. Failure to launch is an apt symbol of how life is going for President Putin. Of course I have no confidence in the veracity of yahoo news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 (edited) Today's picture of the day: What do the 2 men above have in common in The Contrarian's opinion and BIAS? Both are communists old guard which changed their red uniform for an Armani suit. Do you want a world led by Russia or China? I think will stick with our system, is not perfect, but what is? the 2 chameleons above? I have yet to see a better alternative in the world than what the United States-led world has to offer. Please don't talk about utopic places like Scandinavian countries, the only reason those places stand is that, the sheriff, the Americans know to show reason amongst their imperfections is my view. Nobody maintains power by playing Mr. Peace at the end. I would not want to see a sheriff in the shape of a China, Russia, Belarus, Iran's IRGC, North Korea, etc. led world. Edited February 22 by Contrarian grammar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CdnFox Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 1 hour ago, Queenmandy85 said: I read on yahoo news that he planned to launch a "Satan II" missile to coincide with President Biden's visit to the Ukraine. It didn't happen. Failure to launch is an apt symbol of how life is going for President Putin. Of course I have no confidence in the veracity of yahoo news. I've seen that reported in a few places - that's absolutely hilarious 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 (edited) The Wall Street Journal is reporting that: --> The United States Considers Release of Intelligence on China’s Potential Arms Transfer to Russia. Edited February 23 by Contrarian edit design 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 2 hours ago, Contrarian said: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that: --> The United States Considers Release of Intelligence on China’s Potential Arms Transfer to Russia. To bad it's not reporting that the US is drawing up lists of Chinese business interests to apply sanctions against. They're being shit-disturbers and enabling trouble-makers of the worst kind at a time when the world is faced with other far more serious issues than some sphincter's legacy ambitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athos Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 Calling NATO a defensive alliance is like calling Ukraine a democracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 (edited) British TV Channel 4 News Report on the latest developments: Fresh from a meeting with China's top diplomat in Moscow, Russia's President Putin appeared at a rally. Meanwhile, in Warsaw, United States president Joe Biden promised to defend every inch of NATO's eastern flank to protect democracies throughout Europe. Could China be about to get involved? Americans yesterday said they are considering releasing intelligence to show that China is about to provide weaponry to Russia. The report also features an interview with a Russian politician ranting from Moscow. Channel 4 attempted an interview. Also a great report by Foreign Affairs, this is a different magazine than Foreign Policy on The Quiescent Russians. Before Russia went to war in Ukraine, it was no great mystery that Russian society was adaptable, better at playing along and avoiding responsibility than actively protesting. From its outset, the system built by Russian President Vladimir Putin was based on the idea of a disengaged public, with matters of political and civic concern left to those on high. Even as the space for independent political and civic action shrank to near zero and real living standards declined, most Russians saw little reason to participate in collective action: such efforts were far more likely to result in a police baton upside the head or a lengthy prison term than in actual change. This arrangement suited both citizen and state just fine. Russian society was demobilized by design.Full Article, great read: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/quiescent-russians Edited February 23 by Contrarian edit design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nationalist Posted February 23 Report Share Posted February 23 For those of you who find radio active munitions detestable... https://theintercept.com/2023/01/26/ukraine-uranium-bradley-fighting-vehicle/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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