Appreciate these, almost like a front page.
Regarding NATO, I'm not sure about these narratives about it "falling apart". If anything, it's been proven to still be important in the face of continuing attacks on neighbors. As much as I hate the idea, hopefully at least the other countries will start ponying up what they should have all along. Most (except Poland) don't have military worth shit and I can't imagine them wanting to break up NATO.
Interesting to see some good reporting coming out of the area, which is encouraging. The county is mostly rural and farming based, however also contains the very liberal University at Davis.
Reading between the lines on this article is interesting, as the statistician referenced is even from the county, but further into east Sacramento area that has voted consistently conservative. I suspect the choice was not accidental.
Nazi Germany indeed suffered more and ultimately to the point they no longer exist. While the effects aren't immediate, it ultimately comes time to pay the piper just as in every instance listed. You can run on for a long time trading money for blood as they did, but eventually that runs out too.
Go join the military. See how it pans out for you armchair general!
Haha, this is what I love about you neocon neckbeard armchair generals with no experience with any actual combat outside war simulator games. It never occurs to you that an invasion, even more so than a war, is a massive logistics and economic undertaking that often takes a larger toll than just the body count alone (though that's certainly an issue as well).
Your best example is an military campaign that ended in total failure and collapse of the country. Congratulations, you played yourself!
Let's invade Iraq before they get WMDs! I'm sure it will work this time, we just have to attack even earlier!
It is a real country, you can go there but let's put aside morality and just ask: "is invasion an effective tactic in the last 100 years or does it ultimately weaken the invader".
Afghanistan - weakened both USA and USSR.
Vietnam - weakened USA
WW1 and 2 - didn't work the first time so they kept trying.
Iraq - weakened US
Kuwait - weakened Iraq
The list goes on and on. It hasn't been an effective tactic in a long time but idiots keep trying.
If you are pro-russia then you should be against this war.
Yeah, Ukrainians should just roll over and die.
News flash: if you blow up people's homes and families it doesn't matter what the supposed moral reasoning. They will fight to the death, just as the US found out in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Ah, yes the anti Japan sentiment there is very high indeed. You are right there.
But Russian military being better than the US? I mean, even the US thought they would steamroll Ukraine and that hasn't happened. They are losing to a literal clown president, an impressive feat. The real issue with their military is that no bad news is allowed, and any top brass that tries gets replaced. It's a recipe for (continued) military failure, even against clown trannies.
Any other war? Like Georgia? Or Moldova?
South Korea certainly has a draft, but not a "hot" conflict. It's really both that cause an issue. I haven't seen the hatred you speak of in Korea, quite the opposite in fact with many wanting some form of reconciliation. Maybe you meant north Korea?
"Stability" is an interesting concept for Russia. It is stable, to a point, but as you noted all rivals have been killed. This means the eventual transition to new leadership is likely to be catastrophically bloody.
Well, just as the US found out in the middle east, when you blow up people's homes and family they will stop at nothing to kill you. Invasion isn't just bad, it's dumb. But more importantly the people who are suffering are average Ukrainian and Russian men caught in the middle.
The important and frightening thing is your last statement "All Russians are complicit".
It troubles me greatly, as there are many good and normal Russian men who don't want to fight in this insane war who must flee. In a just world they would be given the same asylum considerations as the supposed "Syrians" who fled.
Seeing folks here cheer on the Russian military as it sends men into a meat grinder is insane to me. It was a bad strategy in "The great patriotic war" and its a bad strategy now, but the only strategy they know.
There certainly is truth to the statement "all countries are corrupt" but the US in particular is less centralized, and the corruption you face in Russia is routine in that you have to bribe police/bureaucrats to get anything done. As such, if you are poor in these countries it is very hard to get ahead in any way as you can't afford the bribes necessary. Even if you pay them you can get taken over against your will, as Pavel found out with VK.
Most westerners have no concept of Russia, its culture, language, or historical significance and just kind of regurgitate what they've heard. This is true of both the left and the right, with the left thinking its a pariah and the right thinking its some sort of savior.
The truth is more in the middle, specifically with regards to corruption it is much more direct than most westerners are used to. That being direct bribes to police and bureaucrats (think DMV) are routine business, most paychecks come under the table, and if you do manage to climb the ladder somehow you will be crushed.
I lived there a few years and have many positive things to say about the people and the culture, but it remains an awful and oppressive place to live and work especially if you are any race but Russian. Despite the flaws of the West, it is still much friendlier to commerce than China or Russia (especially to outsiders) and until that changes the West will always be the destination country of normies and everyone else wanting to earn a living. It is as simple as being able to put food on the table.
Not in their interest? They have everything to lose, and in many cases just want revenge. Most all the Ukrainian men and women I know stayed to fight or to care for family. Most Russians I know ran because they have nothing to gain.
I think that's the thing folks don't get. Even if Russia took all of Ukraine tomorrow with zero casualties it would still be a net drag on the average Russian. Russia needs to get out in order to save Russia.