Manuel

Well, given human psychology, it's simply not possible to always call or even interpret a bluff. You may get it right, say, 10 times in a row, but not...

Yes. The usual argument is well X person (or country) wouldn't want their families killed. Sure. But then why even have nukes at all? Surely X wouldn'...

That's a great film. If something good can come out of this disaster, it's that people are once again aware of the threat of nuclear war and how we co...

As far as I've read, they matched Russia's nuclear threat level. But cancelling drills is definitely smart, something Trump or a Republican would like...

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/1/ukraine-on-edge-as-russia-continues-its-assault-liveblog US postpones ballistic missile test to avoid escalati...

Herein lies the dilemma. Some sanctions seem to justified, but having FIFA kick out Russia out of the football team is extremely ugly. There has to be...

Should have said, thanks for sharing. Very interesting hearing non-Western perspectives, gives a more accurate picture of the situation.

Of course not. The problem is not giving room for diplomacy as these sanctions begin to cripple Russia. It's now an issue of how quickly things play o...

I'm not so confident this nuclear threat is a bluff. It better be, but, things look complex no matter what source you look at. Historical context can ...

The issue is if the weapons arrive in time before Ukraine is destroyed completely. Arming civilians sounds nice and brave but it sets them up to be ma...

Agreed. I hope cool heads prevail. This week might prove crucial, depending on how much more resistance Ukraine has left.

I know it's totally beyond my control - 100%. I don't think I ever been as scared for the world as now. Maybe I'm being paranoid. But, this is really,...

At this point in the situation yes, the stakes are too high. When we are facing a situation as horrifying as this, we should try to think for a way ou...

Sure, listen I'm not going to dispute that. I don't know the history in anywhere near the level of detail as you (and others) do. What I can say, is t...

Yeah... Someone needs to step on the breaks.

Ha. Maybe I am being paranoid or alarmist or whatever. But I think this ought to be taken extremely seriously. I can understand why most people believ...

Now Putin's put nuclear forces on "high alert". Wtf. This is madness, total lunacy.

Yes, something like that. Obviously many sectors of the Russian elites aren't happy now, but they might be getting some kind of benefits.

I haven't read the thread, so if something here is repeated, apologies. Let me take a stab at it. When speaking of things like "lesser", do you have i...

Damn. Russia might get kicked out of the SWIFT system after all. And with these weapon sales, the stakes have gone up quite a bit. This could get much...

China would be the only "enemy" had that happened, because who else would be left? So you're right about that. Things were fine with Russia up until t...

There has to be a tension inside Russia between the oligarchs and the politicians behind this war, which can't be Putin alone, other top ranking offic...

To the extent that that's even possible at all, it has its own logic. Now he's going to have to rely on China even more - we have to see how much long...

Thanks for the clarification on the aims. Well, if this is correct, which there seems little reason to doubt, if Kiev continues to resist as they have...

Yes. Similar to Erdogan it seems and perhaps Duterte. Very much a "family values" type.

If they nuke Ukraine, they are killing (at least some of) the people they are saying they want to incorporate into Russia. But if they do this, it's g...

Thanks. The money for aid was to be expected.

Leftist take on the issue: The Putin Regime Is Straining Under Its Own Contradictions https://jacobinmag.com/2022/02/russia-navalny-billionaires-west-...

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/25/unsc-to-vote-on-resolution-condemning-russia-invasion-liveblog US official claims Russian forces frustrated b...

This is where fire could meet gasoline. I understand the move, and makes some strategic sense. But still, scary.

But is this a kind of assault on a sovereign country in terms of diplomacy? Nuclear war is the biggest factor hear, or the threat of it. Yes, it is qu...

How relevant are these? Is this more serious than was previously expected (the sanctions), or is it more or less "normal"?

The US imposed sanctions on Putin. Don't know how much it matters.

China’s Xi speaks to Putin; calls for ‘negotiation’ with Ukraine https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/25/chinas-xi-speaks-to-putin-calls-for-negotiat...

It's not that straightforward in my eyes. In theory and principle yes, having powers keeping others in check will limit certain actions one state may ...

This is extremely important and brave, given the consequences involved. Perhaps this may limit the scope and duration of this war. After all, massive ...

I think there are limits to analyzing all wars in terms of profits alone. Undoubtedly it is a, huge, massive factor, but not always decisive. When it ...

That mentality is childish in the extreme. As of now, there's no easy solution. Perhaps up to a month ago, it could have been done peacefully. But goi...

NATO cannot get involved here, they can't. This is not about them not being dependable, it's that if they did, I don't see how a nuclear war could be ...

There is no genocide, that's a fabrication. He may want to split Ukraine into separate countries. This could have been avoided, but now Putin is going...

It's good to see people inside Russia oppose this - and makes sense too. Nevertheless, what is the actual end-goal here? To fracture Ukraine or what? ...

What a mess. This is lunacy...

Sure. If you keep an eye open, you can find some good articles at times though.

He said as much in the speech he gave yesterday. I think NATO didn't want him because they knew that having a country of the size could cause the orga...

That's the question. In diplomacy, you always need to offer all sides a way to save face or declare a victory of sorts. If it is true that Putin was a...

If we don't know what physical reality is, it makes little sense to speak of non-physical reality. Best to start with what can be elucidated than to g...

:rofl: Dear Sir, Please stop. This is not helping. Sincerely, The West

Bah, Boris Johnson is an effing clown. Not surprising to see such donations being given. But then this is all posturing from the UK. Thanks for sharin...

Yeah, that's how it is now. But it could expand. I'm aware Ukraine now has significantly better weaponry than they did back with the Crimea situation,...

Ah, did not know that. I suppose it doesn't hurt that he owns Chelsea. Nevertheless, if they want to give severe sanctions, I'd imagine most oligarchs...