The last few weeks have been an awful flashback to my Army days in the mid-80s, running maneuvers in the woods and fields of Germany in preparation for the Russians coming through the Fulda Gap. The survival time for my unit was predicted to be 12 minutes. The pictures I’m seeing are nothing short of an abomination, and I wonder how the West will navigate the tripwires ahead.
I listened to Charlie’s podcast today with General Hertling, and I had to admit his breakdown of the incomprehensible tactics, delusional strategy, and logistical vacuum was riveting. The lack of initiative (or living/training conditions or a strong professional core at any level of the bulk of their military) has apparently never changed and is proving a major weakness of the Russian military even decades later. With the size and lack of humanity of the Russian military, however, I can only hope that the Ukrainians have enough fight and fighters left to hold firm when the Russians attempt to hold what they take. I must admit that I was ashamed to listen to the general’s ray of sunshine at a possible outcome – it seemed a betrayal to let my mind skip over what the Ukrainian people will be suffering for the foreseeable future. I understand the dangers of beginning yet another world war, but bowing to threats and blackmail will only grant the world another temporary reprieve. Events may force our hand. Slava Ukraini!
I don't know about all the talk anymore. Are we and NATO going to let Putin slaughter the Ukrainians and reduce their cities to rubble? I think we may need to walk softly over and grab our big sticks. Will there come a time when we will have wished we said WTF and just got up and stopped him? Are we going to wait until Ukraine is completely wasted and then go to war over Lithuania? And why are we worried about upsetting him by giving Ukraine jets? What did Zelensky just say about we cannot buy them off with fuel when they are losing their blood?
Putin knows he can keep using his sticks while the west is talking, and he slowly gets what he wants, the destruction of the Ukrainian people. He's counting on our hesitancy.
Vice Ukraine: I can not believe I am saying this; generally see fighting wars as senseless suffering; generally upon innocent civilians.
But I see no alternative here. Even if Putin takes a hit in his ability to control, he will remain in power as long as he is useful to the oligarchs and their financial well being. If they are not willing to oust him now, they likely never will be.
If he stays in power, eventually he will convince himself that he won in Ukraine, no matter how obvious the loss. We need look no further than Florida to see how deluded those in power can become. Nor need we look far to see their ability to fool “some of the people allof the time”.
Inevitably, then, he will do this again. Surely, the Baltic nations and the entire EU see this.
My opinion, free and likely barely worth that, is that they, the EU and Baltics give Russia an ultimatum, back by preparation; either Russia stop bombing cities and civilians in Ukraine and withdraw or we go to war.
If not now, then the only question will be, who is next.
As someone who was present for the destruction of Fallujah & Ramadi, and who then got to watch the destruction of Tripoli/Benghazi/Aleppo/Idlib on TV later on, it's REALLY weird seeing how much more Americans seem to care when it's white European cities getting bombed out of existence compared to when it's a mostly Muslim city that's in some part of the MENASA. Like, there is a stark difference between how Americans perceived the tens of thousands of innocent Shia and Sunni we bombarded with bad-intel airstrikes, white phosphorus munitions, HIMARs rockets, drone strikes, and roadblock shootings over the last 20 years compared to how we react to when Russia is doing it to white Europeans. Like, am I the only one who notices this disconnect or nah? Maybe we ought to think about our principles sometimes and think about why it is that we care sometimes and not so much others. It's telling the world a lot about ourselves.
"Starbucks, McDonald’s, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola announced the suspension of their operations in Russia;" -- They're saving Mother Russia from the curse of globalism!
"The hard truth is that greatest and most powerful nations in the world will watch as Putin pummels and destroys Ukraine." I don't think I've seen a sadder statement in all my life.
Remember that Mona (and Bill Kristol as well as much of/most of the Bulwark staff) was/is NeoCon and fully supported the disastrous Iraqi invasion (on false pretenses) and the “forever” occupation of Afghanistan. She also advocated for the U.S. to intervene in Libya and Syria. She has shown, and continues to show, a tremendous lack of humility in examining her previous “traditional” Republican positions.
“Inviting Russia to assert dominance [in Syria]…”. Good luck with that. No foreign country really asserts dominance in the Middle East. It is where empires go to die. Obama was 100% correct in choosing not to intervene in Syria or Libya.
I believe it was SecDef Robert Gates who said “Any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should 'have his head examined.” He was right, on so many levels.
Her main point that we should be grateful that Trump is not President is 100% right. But she has been so wrong on so many other calls before that she basically has zero credibility with me.
Sending people to jail for calling a war a war is one thing, but what can Putin come up with to explain the problem with McDonald's? "You don't deserve a break today"??
Apparently the Polish government sprang this announcement on us and there's a lot of stuff to do to those planes before they can get sent to Ukraine, i.e. removing newer avionics that we don't want to fall into Russian hands. There's also the problem of getting them to Ukraine without them being shot down on the way there.
The US answer wasn't "No" it was not as fast as Poland wants to do it.
The one excuse I don't actually care about is that Putin will see this as an escalation. Putin sees anything short of giving in to his demands as an escalation.
p.s.: I also wonder if Russia tried to use nukes, after seeing the condition of his army, is if they would even work.
We can't give Ukraine jets until we figure out a way to do it that is not a potential act of war. Fighter and ground attack airplanes flying from NATO bases into hostile airspace would be a huge escalation of NATO's position and involvement, even if the jets were unarmed and piloted by Ukrainian pilots.
The last few weeks have been an awful flashback to my Army days in the mid-80s, running maneuvers in the woods and fields of Germany in preparation for the Russians coming through the Fulda Gap. The survival time for my unit was predicted to be 12 minutes. The pictures I’m seeing are nothing short of an abomination, and I wonder how the West will navigate the tripwires ahead.
I listened to Charlie’s podcast today with General Hertling, and I had to admit his breakdown of the incomprehensible tactics, delusional strategy, and logistical vacuum was riveting. The lack of initiative (or living/training conditions or a strong professional core at any level of the bulk of their military) has apparently never changed and is proving a major weakness of the Russian military even decades later. With the size and lack of humanity of the Russian military, however, I can only hope that the Ukrainians have enough fight and fighters left to hold firm when the Russians attempt to hold what they take. I must admit that I was ashamed to listen to the general’s ray of sunshine at a possible outcome – it seemed a betrayal to let my mind skip over what the Ukrainian people will be suffering for the foreseeable future. I understand the dangers of beginning yet another world war, but bowing to threats and blackmail will only grant the world another temporary reprieve. Events may force our hand. Slava Ukraini!
Charlie - how can it be 1939 all over again when no one had nuclear weapons in 1939?
I don't know about all the talk anymore. Are we and NATO going to let Putin slaughter the Ukrainians and reduce their cities to rubble? I think we may need to walk softly over and grab our big sticks. Will there come a time when we will have wished we said WTF and just got up and stopped him? Are we going to wait until Ukraine is completely wasted and then go to war over Lithuania? And why are we worried about upsetting him by giving Ukraine jets? What did Zelensky just say about we cannot buy them off with fuel when they are losing their blood?
Putin knows he can keep using his sticks while the west is talking, and he slowly gets what he wants, the destruction of the Ukrainian people. He's counting on our hesitancy.
Yes, it's good that Trump isn't President but it's not so good Biden is President. Each of them creates their own kind of chaos.
Vice Ukraine: I can not believe I am saying this; generally see fighting wars as senseless suffering; generally upon innocent civilians.
But I see no alternative here. Even if Putin takes a hit in his ability to control, he will remain in power as long as he is useful to the oligarchs and their financial well being. If they are not willing to oust him now, they likely never will be.
If he stays in power, eventually he will convince himself that he won in Ukraine, no matter how obvious the loss. We need look no further than Florida to see how deluded those in power can become. Nor need we look far to see their ability to fool “some of the people allof the time”.
Inevitably, then, he will do this again. Surely, the Baltic nations and the entire EU see this.
My opinion, free and likely barely worth that, is that they, the EU and Baltics give Russia an ultimatum, back by preparation; either Russia stop bombing cities and civilians in Ukraine and withdraw or we go to war.
If not now, then the only question will be, who is next.
Loved Mona Charen's news article. I share her fear that Trump will get a second term.
As someone who was present for the destruction of Fallujah & Ramadi, and who then got to watch the destruction of Tripoli/Benghazi/Aleppo/Idlib on TV later on, it's REALLY weird seeing how much more Americans seem to care when it's white European cities getting bombed out of existence compared to when it's a mostly Muslim city that's in some part of the MENASA. Like, there is a stark difference between how Americans perceived the tens of thousands of innocent Shia and Sunni we bombarded with bad-intel airstrikes, white phosphorus munitions, HIMARs rockets, drone strikes, and roadblock shootings over the last 20 years compared to how we react to when Russia is doing it to white Europeans. Like, am I the only one who notices this disconnect or nah? Maybe we ought to think about our principles sometimes and think about why it is that we care sometimes and not so much others. It's telling the world a lot about ourselves.
"Starbucks, McDonald’s, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola announced the suspension of their operations in Russia;" -- They're saving Mother Russia from the curse of globalism!
"The hard truth is that greatest and most powerful nations in the world will watch as Putin pummels and destroys Ukraine." I don't think I've seen a sadder statement in all my life.
The Patriot missile systems are being sent to Poland, not Ukraine. The article was corrected to reflect the mistake.
Remember that Mona (and Bill Kristol as well as much of/most of the Bulwark staff) was/is NeoCon and fully supported the disastrous Iraqi invasion (on false pretenses) and the “forever” occupation of Afghanistan. She also advocated for the U.S. to intervene in Libya and Syria. She has shown, and continues to show, a tremendous lack of humility in examining her previous “traditional” Republican positions.
“Inviting Russia to assert dominance [in Syria]…”. Good luck with that. No foreign country really asserts dominance in the Middle East. It is where empires go to die. Obama was 100% correct in choosing not to intervene in Syria or Libya.
I believe it was SecDef Robert Gates who said “Any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should 'have his head examined.” He was right, on so many levels.
Her main point that we should be grateful that Trump is not President is 100% right. But she has been so wrong on so many other calls before that she basically has zero credibility with me.
Sending people to jail for calling a war a war is one thing, but what can Putin come up with to explain the problem with McDonald's? "You don't deserve a break today"??
Thanks for not letting Bill Barr off the hook. He is the worst Attorney General in our nation's history, despite stiff competition from John Mitchell.
Where is *our* Zelensky?
Why is it that 98% of our elected Senators and Representatives are posers?
We have Trump, McConnell, Graham, Cruz, Rubio, Hawley; my God, the list is never ending.
Where is *our* Zelensky?
Apparently the Polish government sprang this announcement on us and there's a lot of stuff to do to those planes before they can get sent to Ukraine, i.e. removing newer avionics that we don't want to fall into Russian hands. There's also the problem of getting them to Ukraine without them being shot down on the way there.
The US answer wasn't "No" it was not as fast as Poland wants to do it.
The one excuse I don't actually care about is that Putin will see this as an escalation. Putin sees anything short of giving in to his demands as an escalation.
p.s.: I also wonder if Russia tried to use nukes, after seeing the condition of his army, is if they would even work.
We can't give Ukraine jets until we figure out a way to do it that is not a potential act of war. Fighter and ground attack airplanes flying from NATO bases into hostile airspace would be a huge escalation of NATO's position and involvement, even if the jets were unarmed and piloted by Ukrainian pilots.