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I used to think that Germany was foolish to buy Russian natural gas and fund the Putin regime which is a threat to them. And that Trump was right to tell them s
by 99_00 5y ago
I used to think that Germany was foolish to buy Russian natural gas and fund the Putin regime which is a threat to them. And that Trump was right to tell them so to their faces.
Now I see that the Germans were right. Russia is not a threat. Putin is a paper tiger. The Russian military is nothing compared to NATO. And Germany gets NATO protection less than cost.
They are acting in their own interest which they understand very clearly, and are succeeding.
Also, I used to think that allowing Germany to remilitarize was desirable. Now I think it would be a mistake. Germany knows what's in its own interest. It will act in its own interest without shame or regret even if it hurts its neighbors (buying energy from Russia helps Germany and Russia but hurts other countries like Ukraine). Allowing the to militarize increases geopolitical risk and doesn't with little reward.
- lispm 5y agoThe US imports energy from Russia, too. Increasingly under Trump. https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MTTIM_NUS-NRS_1&f=M https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=M... Ukraine bought energy from Russia, too. They ended gas imports from Russia some time ago, now importing it from other countries, which import it from Russia.
- 99_00 5y agoOf course the US imported oil from Russia. Why wouldn't they? There was no embargo. You seem to be suggesting that a direct pipeline is equivalent to buying from the global market. It isn't.
- lispm 5y ago> Why wouldn't they? You were claiming that Germany is funding the Putin regime. The US does that too. It bought oil and are still buying uranium from Russia. > You seem to be suggesting that a direct pipeline is equivalent to buying from the global market. It isn't. For funding the Putin regime it is not interesting where the US was buying Russian energy. The US funded Putin, too. Trump did that, too.
- 99_00 5y agoAnd I said they were right to fund them because they are not a threat. What's your point?
- lispm 5y agoWhat you say makes no sense. Russia has been and is a threat to the US.
- 99_00 5y agoThe theory that Russia is a threat to the US isn't supported by data. The data is Russia's humiliating defeat in Ukraine.
- lispm 5y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia_and_weapons_of_mass_des... "The nation possesses approximately 6,000 nuclear warheads as of 2022—the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world." Guess where they are directed at.