This video is a very good independent analysis of why the US-Russia negotiations over Ukraine are going nowhere. And it is not the only US foreign policy dilemma.
Alastair, I love your take on finance. But... I have lived in Ukraine for 18 years. Speak Russian and Ukrainian. I've read Russian history.
Russia is an expansionist nation. It has been throughout its history. Putin has evidenced it in his wars in Chechnya, Georgia and Transnistria, now Ukraine in 2014 and again now.
Trump, whom both of us admire, has been slow to come around. But in his NBC interview he said the obvious. Russia will not be satisfied until they take all of Ukraine. As our European neighbors know from centuries of experience, Putin would not want to stop there. In my opinion they are too exhausted to go further, but they will never renounce the will to dominate their neighbors.
I'll agree that the negotiations will go nowhere. Simply because Putin does not want peace. This tragedy must play itself out until there is a decisive victory. We in Ukraine have no choice but to make sure it is ours. We do not want anything of Russia's, but we surely do not want to be Russian. We did that for several miserable centuries. No more!
Let's have a phone conversation. You are an intelligent guy who will benefit from hearing the other side of an argument even if you don't agree. Send and email and let's get together.
Oh dear. I know where I'd rather live. Russia under Putin protects its borders, has clean safe streets and a cheerful, educated population. Now consider poor London, Paris and Brussels. Where are the authoritarian regimes who stopped listening to the people? Russia simply wants to protect its borders from expansionist NATO. In Europe, our borders mean nothing any more. Nor does our "democracy".
No. That's what they should be doing. We represent no threat.
In fact, our values are precisely the ones you describe. I write about it all the time on my blog. Ukraine was very unfortunatel to be drawn into the Obama/Biden/USAID neocon camp decades ago. But we the people want no part of multiculturalism, gender confusion, global warming and all that stuff.
We just want to be left alone. And not to be part of a reconstituted Russian Empire. As should be clear from "three days" and now three years and a million lives.
When this is over we will, as you suggest, have to deal with Soros, Black Rock, Bill Gates, von den Leyen and other forces of evil. But for now we need to remain free of Russia.
There is always a casus belli. When my kids fight, somebody else always started it. But, when you look for a pattern, you find that one kid is involved in a disproportionate number of fights. That kid, of course, is the best at making excuses.
It is the same with bullies on an international scale. Putin has started a great many wars, as did the Soviet Union and Imperial Russia before them. Finland 1989, Japan 1908. The Russians have been known throughout history for their duplicity. Read Letters from Russia, two centuries ago. Read John Quincy Adama and John Hay about negotiating with them in the 19th century. The biggest bullies are the biggest fabulists.
United States diplomacy, led by neocons, was aggressive and unfortunate. Ukraine was only incidental to what was going on between the US and Russia. But it is hard to construct a thesis in which they and NATO posed a threat to Russia. The sin was that they threatened Russian ambitions to recreate the Soviet Empire. That is Putin’s objective. NATO, biolabs etc. are his casus belli.
Interesting. I feel ignorant and I know Putin's a tyrant, but Ukraine 'operations' were a result of blatant ignoring of the Minsk agreement by NATO and subsequent CIA interference in 2014?
I watched the video and agree with the assessment that Trump was naive. Moreover, that there are existential threats at stake.
I disagree as to what they are. Ukraine's very existence is at stake. Putin's existence is at stake. Russia's is not and never has been.
We agree on the fundamental. That a negotiated settlement is unlikely, for the reasons given. You would blame faulty diplomacy on the part of the United States. I will agree it was not well handled, but given Putin's objectives there was no satisfaction to be had.
Once again, it's refreshing that Alastair's grasp of geopolitics is so good. Like him, the few remaining adults like Mercouris and Meersheimer, are able to see the increasing and horrible dilemmas very clearly.
Meanwhile, the little Blackrock puppets - Merz, Starmer and many others - go on noisily nudging us closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.
Fail to comprehend this argument that innocent Russia is by invading an established sovereign nation just trying to secure its borders against the ever expanding NATO threat On any issue there are hawk and dove positions but a pacifist Neville Chamberlain approach didn't work out well for the Czech Republic, Europe as a whole, and the global order As Seibert in his comment points out Putin is a pit bull and unfortunately has the resources to carry on this conflict and outlast the European contingent
I listen to Alexander Mercouris daily and I agree with him on Ukraine.
The India Pak conflict is not about Kashmir but a religious war against Hindus going on for hundreds of years and exploited by the British to keep the area in the boil. Trump understands this.
Your thoughts on finance is very pertinent. I learn from them. That doesn’t qualify you to comment on issues you don’t know much about
Alastair, I love your take on finance. But... I have lived in Ukraine for 18 years. Speak Russian and Ukrainian. I've read Russian history.
Russia is an expansionist nation. It has been throughout its history. Putin has evidenced it in his wars in Chechnya, Georgia and Transnistria, now Ukraine in 2014 and again now.
Trump, whom both of us admire, has been slow to come around. But in his NBC interview he said the obvious. Russia will not be satisfied until they take all of Ukraine. As our European neighbors know from centuries of experience, Putin would not want to stop there. In my opinion they are too exhausted to go further, but they will never renounce the will to dominate their neighbors.
I'll agree that the negotiations will go nowhere. Simply because Putin does not want peace. This tragedy must play itself out until there is a decisive victory. We in Ukraine have no choice but to make sure it is ours. We do not want anything of Russia's, but we surely do not want to be Russian. We did that for several miserable centuries. No more!
Let's have a phone conversation. You are an intelligent guy who will benefit from hearing the other side of an argument even if you don't agree. Send and email and let's get together.
Oh dear. I know where I'd rather live. Russia under Putin protects its borders, has clean safe streets and a cheerful, educated population. Now consider poor London, Paris and Brussels. Where are the authoritarian regimes who stopped listening to the people? Russia simply wants to protect its borders from expansionist NATO. In Europe, our borders mean nothing any more. Nor does our "democracy".
No. That's what they should be doing. We represent no threat.
In fact, our values are precisely the ones you describe. I write about it all the time on my blog. Ukraine was very unfortunatel to be drawn into the Obama/Biden/USAID neocon camp decades ago. But we the people want no part of multiculturalism, gender confusion, global warming and all that stuff.
We just want to be left alone. And not to be part of a reconstituted Russian Empire. As should be clear from "three days" and now three years and a million lives.
When this is over we will, as you suggest, have to deal with Soros, Black Rock, Bill Gates, von den Leyen and other forces of evil. But for now we need to remain free of Russia.
There is always a casus belli. When my kids fight, somebody else always started it. But, when you look for a pattern, you find that one kid is involved in a disproportionate number of fights. That kid, of course, is the best at making excuses.
It is the same with bullies on an international scale. Putin has started a great many wars, as did the Soviet Union and Imperial Russia before them. Finland 1989, Japan 1908. The Russians have been known throughout history for their duplicity. Read Letters from Russia, two centuries ago. Read John Quincy Adama and John Hay about negotiating with them in the 19th century. The biggest bullies are the biggest fabulists.
United States diplomacy, led by neocons, was aggressive and unfortunate. Ukraine was only incidental to what was going on between the US and Russia. But it is hard to construct a thesis in which they and NATO posed a threat to Russia. The sin was that they threatened Russian ambitions to recreate the Soviet Empire. That is Putin’s objective. NATO, biolabs etc. are his casus belli.
Interesting. I feel ignorant and I know Putin's a tyrant, but Ukraine 'operations' were a result of blatant ignoring of the Minsk agreement by NATO and subsequent CIA interference in 2014?
Alasdair - Sorry to have misspelled your name.
I watched the video and agree with the assessment that Trump was naive. Moreover, that there are existential threats at stake.
I disagree as to what they are. Ukraine's very existence is at stake. Putin's existence is at stake. Russia's is not and never has been.
We agree on the fundamental. That a negotiated settlement is unlikely, for the reasons given. You would blame faulty diplomacy on the part of the United States. I will agree it was not well handled, but given Putin's objectives there was no satisfaction to be had.
Please do give me a call.
Once again, it's refreshing that Alastair's grasp of geopolitics is so good. Like him, the few remaining adults like Mercouris and Meersheimer, are able to see the increasing and horrible dilemmas very clearly.
Meanwhile, the little Blackrock puppets - Merz, Starmer and many others - go on noisily nudging us closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.
Too right Alasdair. As if taking all of Ukraine and Europe is a desirable thing to do!
Fail to comprehend this argument that innocent Russia is by invading an established sovereign nation just trying to secure its borders against the ever expanding NATO threat On any issue there are hawk and dove positions but a pacifist Neville Chamberlain approach didn't work out well for the Czech Republic, Europe as a whole, and the global order As Seibert in his comment points out Putin is a pit bull and unfortunately has the resources to carry on this conflict and outlast the European contingent
I listen to Alexander Mercouris daily and I agree with him on Ukraine.
The India Pak conflict is not about Kashmir but a religious war against Hindus going on for hundreds of years and exploited by the British to keep the area in the boil. Trump understands this.
Your thoughts on finance is very pertinent. I learn from them. That doesn’t qualify you to comment on issues you don’t know much about