Why Putin Attacked Now - and The Power Of Alliances

[Luckyone]

One of the reasons why Putin decided to attack now is the fact that oil/gas prices were high and tight and he thought that nations would not attempt to stop him because it would make oil/gas more expensive, given that he controls a good portion of both. Attacking him would virtually guarantee prices would go higher.

Having said that, I believe that this attempt to stop Putin by NATO (which is likely to have some success) is a glaring reason why having (and being) in an alliance is so important at this time..

What the Republicans are saying:



It is clearly evident that isolationism is not going to work while someone like Putin is around. Isolationism means that no united front to the threat can be placed. That Putin can after one nation after the other simply because no one nation is strong enough by themselves. Nonetheless, going after 40 big nations at once is a totally different kind of beast.

NATO’s purpose​

NATO’s essential and enduring purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means. Collective defence is at the heart of the Alliance and creates a spirit of solidarity and cohesion among its members.

In this day and age where economics is stronger than armed forces, alliances are absolutely necessary and critical. A bully can only be stopped by a whole group standing together. One person will get run over by a bully.

This should be a lesson to all of us that in this day and age, we need to work with each other. Trump's approach to alienating ourselves from the rest of the world and aligning ourselves with other bullies is not going to work. Social media, economics, and big alliances with the those that are strong in those areas is the solution. After all, people do gather around justice and freedom and not around aristocracy and power. The old times where "one" man could rule the world is gone. This is a time where "teamwork" works best. Supporting an aristocrat is "old hat"



Putin is going to lose this battle but only because NATO was involved. Because Teamwork works!

 

[BlueTex]

Putin miscalculated...

 

[joluoto]

RT favorite Ron Paul behaves like RT favorite Ron Paul.

 

[Luckyone]

RT favorite Ron Paul behaves like RT favorite Ron Paul.

Ron Paul is the perfect example of who is in the Republican party these days.

 

[Ginger Ale]

Some how, "America the Nationalists" just doesn't sound right to me but, it was Trumps message. Besides translating to America and it's "white" nationalist heritage, it shat on our normal path of foreign policy, the one we're known for, so Paul's ideals aren't a surprise.

"The Trump administration has emphasized counterterrorism and American economic advantage in its foreign policy, while downgrading such traditional U.S. priorities as promoting human rights, democracy and international development."

What Does It Really Mean to be a 'Nationalist'?

President Donald Trump proudly declared he is a 'nationalist,' much to the chagrin of many Americans. Still others support his comment. So what exactly does it mean?

people.howstuffworks.com

 

[joluoto]

Ron Paul is the perfect example of who is in the Republican party these days.

Though Ron Paul's days were like mid to late 00s.

 

[Cope]

One of the reasons why Putin decided to attack now is the fact that oil/gas prices were high and tight and he thought that nations would not attempt to stop him because it would make oil/gas more expensive, given that he controls a good portion of both. Attacking him would virtually guarantee prices would go higher.

Having said that, I believe that this attempt to stop Putin by NATO (which is likely to have some success) is a glaring reason why having (and being) in an alliance is so important at this time..

What the Republicans are saying:



It is clearly evident that isolationism is not going to work while someone like Putin is around. Isolationism means that no united front to the threat can be placed. That Putin can after one nation after the other simply because no one nation is strong enough by themselves. Nonetheless, going after 40 big nations at once is a totally different kind of beast.

I disagree. What it does mean is that those countries that have continued to rely on us, and there are PLENTY, will need to up their game and stop relying on the US.

In this day and age where economics is stronger than armed forces, alliances are absolutely necessary and critical. A bully can only be stopped by a whole group standing together. One person will get run over by a bully.

This should be a lesson to all of us that in this day and age, we need to work with each other. Trump's approach to alienating ourselves from the rest of the world and aligning ourselves with other bullies is not going to work. Social media, economics, and big alliances with the those that are strong in those areas is the solution. After all, people do gather around justice and freedom and not around aristocracy and power. The old times where "one" man could rule the world is gone. This is a time where "teamwork" works best. Supporting an aristocrat is "old hat"



Putin is going to lose this battle but only because NATO was involved. Because Teamwork works!

China is a NATO member yes?

 

[bave]

Ron Paul is the perfect example of who is in the Republican party these days.

Lol. What?

Ron Paul was a hard core libertarian and staunch isolationist and minimalist. The closest thing in Congress to him is his son, and he is pretty far out there on his own as well.

The GOP loves their big government interventionalism. The Paul's? Not so much.

 

[Luckyone]

I disagree. What it does mean is that those countries that have continued to rely on us, and there are PLENTY, will need to up their game and stop relying on the US.

China is a NATO member yes?

You seem to forget that the U.S. alone cannot get anything done. It takes all of the countries in NATO together to accomplish a complete goal with the sanctions. We alone cannot get all of the sanctions instituted as many of those sanctions have to do with the dealings between Russia and Europe.

China is a NATO member but is "one" one nation in the group that is not doing anything. Hey, there are 39 "other" nations that are doing their part.

You disagree? What would you do to put a stop on Putin?

 

[Cope]

You seem to forget that the U.S. alone cannot get anything done. It takes all of the countries in NATO together to accomplish a complete goal with the sanctions. We alone cannot get all of the sanctions instituted as many of those sanctions have to do with the dealings between Russia and Europe.

Wrong, the US has gone it alone many times and still could. NATO provides a thinly veiled 'political' tool but we have proven time and again that we don't need NATO. Most of the NATO countries don't abide by the terms of the treaty anyway.

China is a NATO member but is "one" one nation in the group that is not doing anything. Hey, there are 39 "other" nations that are doing their part.

If even one nation can be free of the obligations as a whole, then the 'organization' is feckless. China is not a NATO member anyway.

You disagree? What would you do to put a stop on Putin?

I've said before, Putin should be assassinated, by one of the countries with the most to fear. And then we can publicly admonish the assassination, while secretly thanking them.

 

[Luckyone]

Wrong, the US has gone it alone many times and still could. NATO provides a thinly veiled 'political' tool but we have proven time and again that we don't need NATO. Most of the NATO countries don't abide by the terms of the treaty anyway.

If even one nation can be free of the obligations as a whole, then the 'organization' is feckless. China is not a NATO member anyway.

I've said before, Putin should be assassinated, by one of the countries with the most to fear. And then we can publicly admonish the assassination, while secretly thanking them.

The U.S. is the strongest nation in the world when it comes to arms. Nonetheless, this day and age arms is not what rules the world. Arms are protection against armed attack but little else.

This day and age it is economics (nation's pocketbook) and to a certain degree, social media. We alone cannot institute Swift. We alone cannot institute sanctions that will work because if other nations buy and sell to Russia, our sanctions are almost meaningless.

You are 100% wrong when you say the U.S. can go it alone. That is just not true.

 

[Hamish Howl]

Ron Paul is still an idiot. Stop the presses.

 

[The AntiDonald]

Wrong, the US has gone it alone many times and still could. NATO provides a thinly veiled 'political' tool but we have proven time and again that we don't need NATO. Most of the NATO countries don't abide by the terms of the treaty anyway.

If even one nation can be free of the obligations as a whole, then the 'organization' is feckless. China is not a NATO member anyway.

I've said before, Putin should be assassinated, by one of the countries with the most to fear. And then we can publicly admonish the assassination, while secretly thanking them.

I am quite sure there are people at the top of our intelligence chain that are working on that very problem. Getting someone close to him won't be easy. Hell, he stands 40' away from his own government leaders. The man is truly paranoid.

 

[Cope]

I am quite sure there are people at the top of our intelligence chain that are working on that very problem. Getting someone close to him won't be easy. Hell, he stands 40' away from his own government leaders. The man is truly paranoid.

I'm sure you are correct, as this should have been done prior to things getting to the point they are.

 

[element94]

Ron Paul is the perfect example of who is in the Republican party these days.

And they're scared to death.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

China is a NATO member yes?

China is a NATO member

China is not a NATO member

Thank you for clearing that up Cope.
reading that China was in NATO gave me twitches

 

[OrphanSlug]

I had given up on Ron Paul being a reasonable counter argument source to US interventionism or world organizations and agreements decades ago.

In the modern era the concepts of "free trade and non-interventionist foreign policy" from dead libertarian ideologies assumes a sort of pipedream universal acceptance of those principles by other nations, and that is patently false. Ron Paul and is faithful flock of idiots will not recognize our economic and even monetary links to nations like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia for that matter all of whom have no real interest in those principles.

The only alternative is isolationism, which is also devoid of modern economic and trade understandings as well.

Ron Paul has become nothing but a source of bumper sticker rhetoric, speaking to an ideology that is well on its way to nonexistence.

 

[tacomancer]

Russia Reserves - data, chart | TheGlobalEconomy.com

Russia: Foreign exchange reserves including gold, billion USD: For that indicator, we provide data for Russia from 1993 to 2021. The average value for Russia during that period was 278.68 billion U.S. dollars with a minimum of 7.21 billion U.S. dollars in 1994 and a maximum of 632.24 billion...

www.theglobaleconomy.com

This is why Russia attacked in 2014 and now, their reserves were up to weather any sanctions.

 

[jnug]

France confiscates an Oligarch's super yacht. Whoops.....Oligarchs will not be happy Vlad.

 

[jnug]

Meanwhile Vlad offers that a 3rd world war would be nuclear. Sorry Vlad, nobody is going to play Neville Chamberlain to your Adolf Hitler. Your threats simply do not matter any longer. Your sheep's clothing is off Mr Wolf. All that is left for you is to continue to spiral downward in world view and eventually in the view of your own countrymen. Then....you will actually be wishing for a bullet in the brainpan.

 

[bave]

Sorry Vlad, nobody is going to play Neville Chamberlain to your Adolf Hitler.

They are. Right now.

What do you think the message is when they throw half-assed sanctions out there? If we were serious we would ban them from SWIFT entirely and sanction their commodity exports.

 

[jnug]

They are. Right now.

What do you think the message is when they throw half-assed sanctions out there? If we were serious we would ban them from SWIFT entirely and sanction their commodity exports.

Vlad has already lost. He just does not know it yet.

There has always been two paths to victory for the west in this. One required more suffering for the Ukrainians, the other less, possibly:
- Engage in open military support of Ukraine and challenge Putin to make good his threats
- Allow Putin to take territory and lives in Ukraine. Support Ukraine with weapons. Initiate tough sanctions and keep ratcheting up the sanctions pressure. Then support an insurgency in Ukraine with training and weapons. Ukraine has the resolve. They will never give up and any chance they would Putin has wiped out in his 7 day rampage. Bleed Putin dry just as happened to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Sweden and Finland now actively discussing asking to join NATO. They unlike Ukraine would qualify for immediate membership. The link between their request to join and Putin's attack on non-member Ukraine will be so stark that Putin will not be able to keep it from his own people. They can add 2+2 to get 4.

My view of it is that Putin will be taken down by his own people. He will be wishing for a bullet in the brainpan at that point.

 

[Mithrae]

They are. Right now.

What do you think the message is when they throw half-assed sanctions out there? If we were serious we would ban them from SWIFT entirely and sanction their commodity exports.

The message is the same one that far-right parties like the Republicans and centre-right parties like the Democrats, all around the world, have been sending for the past thirty-odd years: It doesn't matter how big the crisis is, we love our fossil fuels. You didn't really think that invasion of Ukraine was more important than global climate breakdown, did you?

 

[Luckyone]

Alexandra Ustinova talked yesterday on MSNBC and today on CNN and she clearly stated that is a war against Democracy. If the world allows a tyrant to do what he wants and threaten the world with nuclear war and we allow him to get away with it, no one will ever believe in Democracy again. That everything needs to be done to stop Putin and that means we need to put our fears on higher oil prices, inflation, and our own pocketbooks aside and defend our rights to live as free people. If we lose our freedom, nothing else matters. If we allow a dictator to kill children, kill women, kill innocent people just to obtain what he personally wants, the world loses...........not just Ukraine loses.

 

[jnug]

The message is the same one that right-wing parties like the Republicans and centre-right parties like the Democrats, all around the world, have been sending for the past thirty years: It doesn't matter how big the crisis is, we love our fossil fuels. You didn't really think that invasion of Ukraine was more important than global climate breakdown, did you?

I know it sounds enticing "we love our fossil fuels". There is are still too many people alive that remember Neville Chamberlain to Adolf Hitler and its consequences vividly. The west will keep ratcheting up the pressure both in suctions and military support for the Ukraine fight. Ukraine has the resolve to fight an insurgency and any chance Vlad had to "make friends" with Ukraine went out the window in his 7 day rampage.

Vlad has already lost. He just does not know it yet. If Sweden and Finland do join NATO under these circumstances Putin will not be able to hide the linkage to his attack on non-NATO Ukraine and it will hasten Putin's ultimate end.