Although the United States has many wars of aggression on its conscience, it doesn’t justify Mr. Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. A dozen wrongs don’t make a right. Russia was wrong to invade. It has made too many mistakes — 1) underestimating Ukrainian resistance, 2) overestimating the military’s ability to achieve its objective, 3) underestimating Europe’s reaction, especially Germany upping its military contribution to NATO, which they’ve resisted for some 20 years; even Switzerland has joined the cause. Russia will be more isolated than ever from the West. 4) underestimating the enhanced power of NATO, which will now put more pressure on Russia’s borders, 5) probably putting Ukraine into NATO, 6) underestimating the damage to its own economy and certainly creating more internal resistance in Russia, 7) creating a major readjustment of power in its oligarch class, 8 ) putting cluster and vacuum bombs into play, 9) and underestimating the power of social media worldwide.


But we must wonder, how could Putin have saved the Russian-speaking people of Donetsk and Luhansk? No doubt his Government could’ve done a better job of showing the world the eight years of suffering of those people and their refugees — as well as highlighting the Ukrainian buildup of 110,000 soldiers on the Donetsk-Luhansk borders, which was occurring essentially before the Russian buildup. But the West has far stronger public relations than the Russians.

Or perhaps Putin should’ve surrendered the two holdout provinces and offered 1-3 million people help to relocate in Russia. The world might’ve understood better the aggression of the Ukrainian Government. But then again, I’m not sure.

But now, it’s too late. Putin has allowed himself to be baited and fallen into the trap set by the U.S. and has committed his military, empowering the worst conclusions the West can make. He probably, I think, has given up on the West, and this brings us closer than ever to a Final Confrontation. There seems to be no road back. The only ones happy about this are Russian nationalists and the legion of Russian haters, who finally got what they’ve been dreaming of for years, i.e. Biden, Pentagon, CIA, EU, NATO, mainstream media — and don’t overlook Nuland and her sinister neocon gang in D.C. This will significantly vindicate the uber hawks in public eyes. Pointing out the toxicity of their policies (Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, NATO expansion, breaking nuclear treaties, censoring and omitting crucial facts from the news, etc.) will be next to impossible. Pointing out Western double standards, including Kyiv and Zelenskyy’s bad behavior, will likewise fall on deaf ears as we again draw the wrong conclusions.

It’s easier now to smear those of us who tried to understand the Russian position through these last two decades. We tried. But now is the time, as JFK and Khrushchev faced down the perilous situation in Cuba in October 1962, for the two nuclear powers to walk this back from the abyss. Both sides need to save face.

This isn’t a moment for the U.S. to gloat. As a Vietnam War veteran and as a man who’s witnessed the endless antagonism of the Cold War, demonizing and humiliating foreign leaders is not a policy that can succeed. It only makes the situation worse. Back-channel negotiations are necessary, because whatever happens in the next few days or weeks, the specter of a final war must be realistically accepted and brokered. Who can do that? Are there real statesmen among us? Perhaps, I pray, Macron. Bring us the likes of Metternich, Talleyrand, Averell Harriman, George Shultz, James Baker, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

The great unseen tragedy at the heart of this history of our times is the loss of a true peaceful partnership between Russia and the U.S. — with, yes, potentially China, no reason why not except America’s desire for dominance. The idiots who kept provoking Russia after the Cold War ended in 1991 have committed a terrible crime against humanity and the future. Together, our countries could’ve been natural allies in the biggest battle of all against climate change. In its technical achievements alone, in large scale science, in its rocketry, heavy industries, and its most modern, clean nuclear energy reactors, Russia has been a great friend to man. Alas, in our century so far, man has failed to see or reach for the stars.

milster wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 5:05 pm

El Major wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 1:42 pm

Its a little scary that you state that as a fact. Russia also claims there is no war

Why would be that scary? It's already known worldwide. One has to look at the face of Victoria Nuland and see a face of liar who unsuccesfully tried to wash away US involvement when she was asked by Marco Rubio about it.

El Major wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 5:37 pm

milster wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 5:05 pm

El Major wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 1:42 pm

Its a little scary that you state that as a fact. Russia also claims there is no war

Why would be that scary? It's already known worldwide. One has to look at the face of Victoria Nuland and see a face of liar who unsuccesfully tried to wash away US involvement when she was asked by Marco Rubio about it.

USA and Ukraine denies it while Russia is the only one who claims its true. But you know its a fact beacuse of the face of somebody. OK

milster wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 8:18 pm

El Major wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 5:37 pm

milster wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 5:05 pm

Why would be that scary? It's already known worldwide. One has to look at the face of Victoria Nuland and see a face of liar who unsuccesfully tried to wash away US involvement when she was asked by Marco Rubio about it.

USA and Ukraine denies it while Russia is the only one who claims its true. But you know its a fact beacuse of the face of somebody. OK

Denied what? I don't know what yesterday news are you following if you skipped over the fact Ukraine has biological labs. But here's this article to you:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/0 ... -m11.html

It's very fishy that State department works with Ukrainians in order to prevent Its (like biohazard) material to fall into Russian hands. And US lied so many times about intervening in other countries that they lost any credibility whatsover. And Ukraine is country with no sovereignity. I am sorry but it is.

Caleb wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 10:47 am

Jean wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 10:25 am

So your wife need to have the exact same political view as you, if not, you divorce her, even if she's could have others special avantages, in every sides, ok...

It's a persons choice to do whatever they want. It's their right. Something you shouldn't judge and maybe something for you to learn

So in Eintracht and Liabatyds case it became a principled revelation. People can agree or disagree but their choices should be respected.

PIERRE WOODMAN wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 12, 2022 3:37 am

It's a persons choice to do whatever they want. It's their right. Something you shouldn't judge and maybe something for you to learn


So then why you don’t do this with me ??? Especially after you said that :

So in Eintracht and Liabatyds case it became a principled revelation. People can agree or disagree but their choices should be respected.

because I agree with this but it must be applicable for me too and not only in one direction !!!

PIERRE WOODMAN wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 12, 2022 3:37 am

It's a persons choice to do whatever they want. It's their right. Something you shouldn't judge and maybe something for you to learn

So then why you don’t do this with me ??? Especially after you said that :

So in Eintracht and Liabatyds case it became a principled revelation. People can agree or disagree but their choices should be respected.

because I agree with this but it must be applicable for me too and not only in one direction !!!

Pierre, you gotta decide who you prefer. Fanboys or adults who may have at times an opinion differing from yours, 

milster wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 11, 2022 9:27 pm

Ofcourse, Albania will say anything in pro-USA favor, being western proxies like Ukraine. But it doesn't matter though, the fact remains Russia acquired Ukrainian/US biological lab.

And you asked me why Russia has to be trusted automatically. What if two guys lies about each other - who to trust? Throwing accusations that reach extreme levels - who to trust? One that is verifiable liar already or the one who started a whole conflict with casualties from the both sides because of humiliations throughout years?

And I wouldn't call the link I posted pro-Russian.

But wanna know how propaganda works? Enter on Youtube Ukraine losses. Why the results almost exclusively are about Russian losses or are just anti-Russian in nature?

Jean wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 12, 2022 12:18 pm

PIERRE WOODMAN wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 12, 2022 3:37 am

It's a persons choice to do whatever they want. It's their right. Something you shouldn't judge and maybe something for you to learn

So then why you don’t do this with me ??? Especially after you said that :

So in Eintracht and Liabatyds case it became a principled revelation. People can agree or disagree but their choices should be respected.

because I agree with this but it must be applicable for me too and not only in one direction !!!

Totaly agree, spécialy after Eintracht said this:

Pierre, you gotta decide who you prefer. Fanboys or adults who may have at times an opinion differing from yours, 

post436235.html#p436235

So when he have différent opinions, no problem, we must be adult, but with him he want ass lickers, or he quit, Pierre could have said exctly same sentence to him, in the war thread, what do you want ein, ass lickers with same opinions ? Total garbage, as GrosNichons said, there's something else as a reason of quit, but we don't know about it