AC wrote: " Key point 'US intervened first' for the sole purpose of ring fencing Russia? Why we not act?
The US certainly wouldn't if China or Russia involved themselves in Canada Mexico or Cuba, hell the US would say Pakistan or even Antarctica is a part of their national security interests."

Well you missed my point. In a realpolitik world, sure Russia will attempt to defend what it thinks are its interests by dominating its neighbours, just as the US would. But from the point of view of those neighbours, they are perfectly right to decide who they'd prefer to be dominated by - Russia or the western alliance. That they've all chosen against the Russians ought to tell the disinterested observer something about Russia and its propensity to enslave and immiserate those it dominates. The disinterested observer - of course I exclude you from that group.

When Putin rose to power, Russia was a democracy, albeit an imperfect one. Now its a authoritarian, totalitarian state with few personal liberties and declining living standards. It's hardly surprising that the small states on its boarder aren't thrilled about being in the economic and political orbit of such a state.

You base everything on claims that what's allowed to the US is also allowed to Russia. But you utterly leave out the actual frontline states who bear the brunt of this 'fairness' doctrine. They aren't interested in claims Russia should be allowed to do to them what you imagine the US would do to others. They are interested in their own personal liberties and economic well-being. And they've spoken. It's now just a matter of getting Russia to understand that.

After all that. Ukraine isn't Sweden. It's democracy was/is questionable. It's economy was corrupt and inefficient and at war's end, if retains any liberty those problems will need to addressed if it has aspirations of joining the western alliance. But they won't have that choice is they become yet another slave state of Russian imperialism.

mhaze,

I'm really starting to admire you greatly.

Dear Paul,

«Albert Einstein is often quoted as having said: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones".

Remember that folks, Einstein was no fool.»

Thank you for this encouraging reminder - I hope Einstein was correct.

---

Dear Mhaze,

I agree with Foxy about your excellent analysis.

Being in America's orbit is undoubtedly better than being in Russian orbit, it is the lesser evil, but why should one have suffer either at all?

Because Putin wants to rebuild Russia's empire and
restore what he sees as Russia's position in the world.
In speeches and essays Putin has made this clear. This
message has echoed down the centuries.

Putin's lengthy speeches justifying his attempted
dismemberment of Ukraine says much about him.
It also contains chilling warnings for the rest of
Europe.

European states must heed these warnings if they
don't want to be the next victims of the Russian
President's imperial ambition. Lets not forget that
he called the collapse of the USSR "The greatest
geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century."

Dear Yuyutsu,

The price of avoiding suffering is death.

The Three Universal Truths of Buddhism: 1. Everything is impermanent and changing 2. Impermanence leads to suffering, making life imperfect 3. The self is not personal and unchanging.