Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 108
Lots to talk about on this one..
2/24/2022 at 8:39 AM
And a lot of speculation that can go into it. My biggest concern is for the safety of the people of Ukraine. They never instigated this, they never asked for it, they merely want to continue to live in prosperity and in democratic freedom. The potential for abuse of power and loss of life in this attack is heartbreaking.
My next concern is what happens as a result of the sanctions against Russia-putin. Here we have an ego, revenge driven leader who is so hell bent on his own national pride that he stands on a world stage, initiates an unprovoked war against a neighboring state, falsely claiming they committed unconscionable acts against the Russian people, when he himself has been known to posion members of his own country that stand in opposition to him. How many Russians have died under his order? How many have gone missing? He is a hypocrite, and a dangerous psychopath with no morals.
I am very worried about what he will do if these sanctions put his back against a wall. Poke a bear, and he strikes back even harder. Have his food taken away, and the bear tends to leave the cave, looking for more. In this case, he would probably justify further military aggressions against just about anyone, and under his orders, Russia hasn't exactly been known to fully adhere to Geneva convention or NATO rules. The experimental weapons they have developed and have no qualms about using are atrocious.
If we think we are safe here, we also need to remember that Russia seems to have a plethora of highly motivated hackers who can make our day to day lives difficult as well.
What is concerning is that Putin probably did some hard work in preparing for the repercussion to the Russian economy, so as a nation they may be better prepared to extend this for longer than we may think possible. It's reported that at the end of last year, Russian banks imported over 5 billion dollars of foreign currency, for "unknown reasons". And while they haven't yet made the move for a full scale invasion and occupation , the Ukraine is in the top 15 in the world of many categories for minerals and natural resources that Russia would no doubt love to exploit and use to bolster their capabilites and bolster their economy with whatever is left of it's allies.
War or conflict is never an answer. I'm still hopeful that open dialogue, international pressure, and hopefully, common sense prevail to bring back stability and safety to the Ukraine. What worries me is that there will still be a massive loss of life while this all happens. From what I gather, the Ukraine is not yet a fully recognized NATO member, meaning it becomes far more difficult to obtain full foreign protection and ally assistance, which unfortunately, is probably yet another reason why Mad Vlad is making this horrendous assault right now, before the Ukraine recives full protection. The question of course now goes: how far will his attack reach? What is his endgame? Will this open up the rest of Europe for a new theatre of war? What stance will everyone take?
Naturally, everyone will start to look at the weapons capabilities of a new world conflict. Ultimately, the major powers in play here have always prepared for military movements and standoffs, and technology has changed the face of warfare. And let's keep in mind that while nuclear war is a last option, Russia still stands out as the leader in nuclear capabilities, and while these weapons are always really meant to be a deterrent rather than a weapon, the fact that Putin seems to be in full control of the decision to use them or not makes him a threat. Should he ever choose to use the last option tactic, the "Satan 2" missiles, and Poseidon weapons he has access to are beyond catastrophic for the North American continent. But again, I doubt that he would use them, as he knows that the results would catastrophic on his end as well. It would be game over for everyone. So, having said that, it's likely that if this conflict escalates to involve more countries, it will end up being a boots to the ground type of warfare, which could continue to destabilize and go on for an extended period of time.
As for Trump, well, Putin sure has played that card well. If Trump thinks Putins a genius, then Putin knows Trump is an idiot, and Vlad is probably willing to play nice with him if it gets him what he wants. If Trump ever rises to challenge power in the U.S again, big bad Vlad would clearly try to support him in an attempt to further send the U.S into chaos and challenge democracy, and promote civil unrest, snd economic fallouts, but of course, Trump is too much of a puppet to ever realize he us being used for that purpose.
Whatever happens from here on in is anyone's guess. Given that no one yet knows for sure who the Axis powers are concerns me. Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, North Korea all have a vested interest in a dislike for the U.S and the allied powers and it worries me to no end to think of what a modern Global War would look like if it ever came to fruition. We can only look to the past to understand war, and right now, if a world conflict were to break out, I really doubt we all fully comprehend the capabilities that have come to be since the last world War.
For now, all I can do is hope that diplomacy and Global pressure works to help restore calm, and a goal for eventual peace, and an return to some sense of normalcy. Unfortunately though, the greatest horror we all have right now is that while we wait, we have to deal with the knowledge that democracy and innocent civilians are being threatened and attacked by a madman who must be removed from power.
My heart absolutely breaks for the people of the Ukraine. I can't even imagine what they, and their families must be going through. Let's hope foreign aid is swift in preventing this tragedy from taking innocent lives.
Edited by Xplanation, 2022-02-24 08:49:52