This is excellent and it covers some of the reasons why we're where we are in this war of attrition. I agree that diplomacy now is essential but I'm not too optimistic, in part because of what we've recently learned from Merkel and Hollande about how they signed the Minsk Agreements just to buy time for Ukraine to be rearmed and trained.
It's important to review the history of this conflict. The reason it's important to go back is because this war would not have even started had there not been a coup (2014) followed by the annexation of Crimea by Russia and then a deadly civil war in Eastern Ukraine. The Minsk Accords were supposed to guarantee a cease fire and local autonomy for the Donbas. Putin had already warned after the 2008 NATO meeting that if NATO proceeded to continue to expand eastward by incorporating Georgia and Ukraine, that would be an existential threat to Russia and it would cross a red line. (Incidentally, we know very well what the US would do if Russia tried again to put nuclear armed missiles in Cuba or Venezuela as NATO has done in Poland and Romania.)
Before the Russian invasion (which I didn't think would happen and condemned when it did), Putin met with Biden, Schultz, Macron and Johnson's Defense Minister (if I'm not mistaken), requesting the implementation of Minsk II and a new security relationship in Europe that would protect Russia, Ukraine as well as other European nations. Instead, Western leaders NATO doubled down, insisting Ukraine had the right to join NATO whereas Putin demand Ukrainian neutrality. NATO then stationed more troops in the Baltic countries and continued to arm and train Ukraine instead of guaranteeing the already UN Security Council approved Minsk Accords, signed as well by Hollande and Merkel, who now admit to their ruse. So here we are in a terrible war than is likely to escalate as Poland is offering Leapard tanks and other tanks are likely to follow the Bradley armored vehicles which the US is providing. Germany is giving Ukraine armored vehicles as well.
We should be calling for an immediate cease fire and a negotiated settlement or many more will die and, as Mearsheimer accurately warned, Ukraine will be "wrecked".
Very refreshing. No tankies, no sock puppets. No peace-at-any-price fundamentalists. Of course there are plenty of villains around, and of course they're not all on the same side (unless we take a step back to discern the overproduction-inherent-flaw-within-capitalism synthesis). Why does it feel so bold of Punditman to say so?
This is excellent and it covers some of the reasons why we're where we are in this war of attrition. I agree that diplomacy now is essential but I'm not too optimistic, in part because of what we've recently learned from Merkel and Hollande about how they signed the Minsk Agreements just to buy time for Ukraine to be rearmed and trained.
It's important to review the history of this conflict. The reason it's important to go back is because this war would not have even started had there not been a coup (2014) followed by the annexation of Crimea by Russia and then a deadly civil war in Eastern Ukraine. The Minsk Accords were supposed to guarantee a cease fire and local autonomy for the Donbas. Putin had already warned after the 2008 NATO meeting that if NATO proceeded to continue to expand eastward by incorporating Georgia and Ukraine, that would be an existential threat to Russia and it would cross a red line. (Incidentally, we know very well what the US would do if Russia tried again to put nuclear armed missiles in Cuba or Venezuela as NATO has done in Poland and Romania.)
Before the Russian invasion (which I didn't think would happen and condemned when it did), Putin met with Biden, Schultz, Macron and Johnson's Defense Minister (if I'm not mistaken), requesting the implementation of Minsk II and a new security relationship in Europe that would protect Russia, Ukraine as well as other European nations. Instead, Western leaders NATO doubled down, insisting Ukraine had the right to join NATO whereas Putin demand Ukrainian neutrality. NATO then stationed more troops in the Baltic countries and continued to arm and train Ukraine instead of guaranteeing the already UN Security Council approved Minsk Accords, signed as well by Hollande and Merkel, who now admit to their ruse. So here we are in a terrible war than is likely to escalate as Poland is offering Leapard tanks and other tanks are likely to follow the Bradley armored vehicles which the US is providing. Germany is giving Ukraine armored vehicles as well.
We should be calling for an immediate cease fire and a negotiated settlement or many more will die and, as Mearsheimer accurately warned, Ukraine will be "wrecked".
Very refreshing. No tankies, no sock puppets. No peace-at-any-price fundamentalists. Of course there are plenty of villains around, and of course they're not all on the same side (unless we take a step back to discern the overproduction-inherent-flaw-within-capitalism synthesis). Why does it feel so bold of Punditman to say so?
Killing people is not a long term solution.
War is not the answer. Only love can conquer hate.