And so you think that a Russian belief that NATO would engage in offensive operations against Russia is warranted? Because I think it is insanity-level paranoia. I guess that's where we disagree.
["Defensive anti-missile-defense sites in Poland?"] That's like saying, "Don't mind the gun that I have pointed at your head, it's only for defense."
No, it is not. Read up on the defensive missiles in question. They have no effectiveness as an offensive weapon (unlike a gun).
Putin IS the real Russia. And like it or not, that is what we need to deal with.
Well, sure. Now he's overreaching Russia's rights and authority and we need to deal with that. Sure.
If anyone is truly concerned about the people of Georgia, the Ukraine and that neighborhood, then we need to partner with Russia to make it safe
This presupposes that Russia is interested in "making", and will, "make" those countries "safe". The evidence suggests otherwise.
based on rule of law,
"Russia" and "rule of law" do not belong in the same sentence.
Have you ever been to Russia? Do you know anything about it at all?
If we keep pushing and encircling Russia in this needless game of chicken, sooner or later we are going to have a military confrontation.
We are not "pushing" Russia and we are only "encircling" Russia in the sense that one's neighbors' fences "encircle" one's property. A person has no right whatsoever to complain about neighbors putting up fences on their own fricking property, "encircling" or not, and the same applies here.
The neocon visceral hate of things Russian, is going to push us there.
I'm at the point where virtually all sentences containing the word "neocon" force me to lower my estimate of the author's IQ by 20%. Suffice it to say that I'm not a "neocon", whatever that is, nor do I hate "things Russian", which you would know to be a laughable claim if you knew me.
The real problem is the romanticization and excusal of "things Russian", including the paranoid imperialism prevalent in her foreign policy, that is dangerous. Because it leads people to advocate for unlimited appeasement of and bowing down to any and all Russian supposed grievances and claims to dominance over her neighbors.
There is a difference between understanding why Russia did what it did, and defending Russian actions.
Sure. By any reasonable reading, the author of the above article is squarely on the latter category.
Georgia is so far into our pocket, that she wouldn't have dared make the move she did without us OKing it.
Any even cursory reading of various news sources will reveal that the US tried to discourage the Georgian action.
As I said before, Communism is not an ethnicity, it is an ideology
Not sure what this has to do with anything. No one here is talking about "Communism".
[more "neocon" babble deleted]
There goes another 20%...and another...
The permanent battery of Patriot Missiles that Poland demanded as part of the deal to put that missile defense system there and the American troops at the missile station 115 miles from the Russian border is just "Russian insanity-level paranoia"? If you believe that, you must have stones of steel..
But to hell with the Russians for a second -- part of the Polish missile deal even exceeds NATO's defense promises -- we have now personally guaranteed that the US wiill come to Poland's defense if Russia (or anyone) attacks them. Since when is Poland "part of the USA"?. Did I miss the debut of the 51st State? Poland?
"Well, sure. Now he's (Putin's) overreaching Russia's rights and authority and we need to deal with that. Sure. "
Largest friggin nuclear arsenal in the world, a million soldiers on active duty, exports 30% of the worlds armaments, and we just need "to deal with them", like Russia is some piss ant Balkan backwater nobody. Sure, no problem. Would you like fries with that?
"Russia" and "rule of law" do not belong in the same sentence.
Actually, Russia told us loud and clear that we were breaking all the rules of international law when we unilaterally decided to push for Kosovo independence and we ignored them. They flat-out told us that we were destroying the international order in unilaterally recognizing Kosovo, and we ignored them. They told us that eventually this could force their hand with S. Ossetia and Abkhazia, and we ignored them again. Well, we are not ignoring them now, are we?
"Have you ever been to Russia? Do you know anything about it at all?"
No, never been to Russia. Don't intend to go to or to live either in either Russia or Georgia. Do you? So why are we willing to die for it?
As for "knowing something about Russia", I answered that -- Yes, English is my native language, because I was born and raised in Fresno, CA, with no "connection to Russia" -- other than being family friends with the Professor who was the father of Russian and Eastern European Studies at Stanford.
His name was Wayne Vucinich and he was the professor who virtually everyone from the president of the Carnegie Institute to US Senators learned anything about Russia from. So, no, I am "a neophyte on Russia" -- that's why I am going on about this, I need the typing exercise.
I'm at the point where virtually all sentences containing the word "neocon" force me to lower my estimate of the author's IQ by 20%."
Which is why this is the first time I have ever brought the word "neocon" up in the seven years I've been on FR, in spite of silently watching Conservatism morph into militarism over the last thirty years.
[more "neocon" babble deleted] There goes another 20%...and another..
Yes, sleep tight, Frank. The fact that the probable next US president has a paid foreign agent as his chief foreign policy adviser and likely the US' next National Security Adviser, is just "irrelevant". Pass the popcorn and tune into Dancing with the Stars -- it's as good a way as any to tune out.