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> in order to starve Russia of resources to fund its war. Russia is Mexico with missiles. Atlantic nations are engaging in the conflict in order to constrain a

> in order to starve Russia of resources to fund its war. Russia is Mexico with missiles. Atlantic nations are engaging in the conflict in order to constrain and deter China, the rising hegemon. > I would be very surprised to find that the vast majority of people with Ukrainian flags are actually worried about semiconductors from Taiwan. The vast majority of people get their news from entertainers reassuring them that their prior assumptions are correct, relevant, and moral.

dragonwriter 4y ago
> Atlantic nations are engaging in the conflict in order to constrain and deter China, the rising hegemon. No, Atlantic nations are engaging in the conflict (despite the fact that doing so makes it harder to contain China—which is why China is also engaging in the conflict, in a lower-key way) because Russia—which may be “Mexico“ in terms of economy but with nuclear weapons, a giant stockpile of conventional weapons, a better relationship between the government and organized crime, and a more aggressive attitude—immediately borders on and directly threatens members of the Atlantic alliance.
- AftHurrahWinch 4y ago
  In 2020, Ukraine was the poorest country in Europe with a GNI of $3,570, slightly lower than Gaza or El Salvador. Russia looked at its own "aggressive attitude" and "giant stockpile of conventional weapons" and picked the weakest, easiest target they could find after eight years of ground work in Donbas. If your theory is correct, Russia threatened the Atlantic alliance who reacted by... doubling the economic power of their terrifying neighbor with Nord Stream. Then Russia used those resources to occupy Donbas and Crimea, so the Atlantic states reacted decisively by... starting construction on Nord Stream 2. If the Atlantic alliance worried about Russia they would have prioritized relations with petrostates that are even less of a threat. Or, perhaps the Atlantic states aren't genuinely afraid of Russia.
  - dragonwriter 4y ago
    > Or, perhaps the Atlantic states aren't genuinely afraid of Russia. Or, perhaps, the Atlantic states were divided and uncertain of the threat from Russia, with well-publicized divisions, until the ramp up of Russian rhetoric and material positioning for general war in early 2022. Before that, they weren't as a whole engaging in the conflict at all, so any explanation of why they are doing so as a bloc has to address itself to the time when they have been doing so as a bloc.

dragonwriter 4y ago

> Atlantic nations are engaging in the conflict in order to constrain and deter China, the rising hegemon. No, Atlantic nations are engaging in the conflict (despite the fact that doing so makes it harder to contain China—which is why China is also engaging in the conflict, in a lower-key way) because Russia—which may be “Mexico“ in terms of economy but with nuclear weapons, a giant stockpile of conventional weapons, a better relationship between the government and organized crime, and a more aggressive attitude—immediately borders on and directly threatens members of the Atlantic alliance.

AftHurrahWinch 4y ago
In 2020, Ukraine was the poorest country in Europe with a GNI of $3,570, slightly lower than Gaza or El Salvador. Russia looked at its own "aggressive attitude" and "giant stockpile of conventional weapons" and picked the weakest, easiest target they could find after eight years of ground work in Donbas. If your theory is correct, Russia threatened the Atlantic alliance who reacted by... doubling the economic power of their terrifying neighbor with Nord Stream. Then Russia used those resources to occupy Donbas and Crimea, so the Atlantic states reacted decisively by... starting construction on Nord Stream 2. If the Atlantic alliance worried about Russia they would have prioritized relations with petrostates that are even less of a threat. Or, perhaps the Atlantic states aren't genuinely afraid of Russia.
- dragonwriter 4y ago
  > Or, perhaps the Atlantic states aren't genuinely afraid of Russia. Or, perhaps, the Atlantic states were divided and uncertain of the threat from Russia, with well-publicized divisions, until the ramp up of Russian rhetoric and material positioning for general war in early 2022. Before that, they weren't as a whole engaging in the conflict at all, so any explanation of why they are doing so as a bloc has to address itself to the time when they have been doing so as a bloc.