Simply put the Russian invasion of Ukraine is an
attack on democracy, the rule of law, and the values
that we have stood for throughout our history.

It is important to remember that Ukraine was recognised
as an independent state by Russia more than 30 years ago.
The Charter of Paris, signed in Nov. 1990 by the US, Russia,
and 30 European countries established essential principles
for a post Cold War era based on international law and
global norms.

Russia, the US and Great Britain guaranteed
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Ukraine in 1995 in the Budapest
Memorandum.

Moscow has no more legal basis to insist on any portion of the
territory of Ukraine than Germany has the right to demand the
return of Alsace and Lorraine from France.

If the West accepts Russian claims - it will not only undermine
the sovereignty of all countries but it will also invite other
nations (China) to seek territory through military force.

Let us not forget that in September 1938, Neville Chamberlain,
Great Britain's PM at the time, returned from a summit with
Adolf Hitler in Munich. The German dictator had demanded that
portions of Czechoslovakia become part of The Third Reich.

Chamberlain acceded to Hitler's demands. Upon his return to
Great Britain Chamberlain proclaimed "peace for our time."
When in fact Chamberlain's policy of appeasement resulted in
the catastrophe of WwII.

The leaders of communist China are watching how the US and
its allies react as Beijing considers its demands to control
Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Putin has been quite frank about his ultimate goals and they
extend way beyond the border of Eastern Ukraine. This conflict
may seem geographically distant to some people but its
consequences could have ripple effects that extend far beyond
Eastern Europe. We must recognize that this conflict will
seriously affect us all.

Foxy,
Neville Chamberlain fooled Hitler and bought more time for the rearmament that was going on in Britain under his leadership, without Chamberlain’s actions WWII may have started earlier and with a different result.
It was Chamberlin who declared war on Germany in defence of Poland and he was the wartime PM for seven months and then served in the war cabinet till his death some months later.

Is Mise,

http://newstatesman.com/culture/history/2022/01/why-neville-chamberlain-will-forever-be-discredited-by-his-policy-of-appeasement

Foxy,
Interesting link; what cannot be doubted is thar Britain’s most successful fighter planes were developed during Chamberlain’s time.
It stretches the imagination to think that Chamberlain did not foresee war as inevitable and that he did not prepare for it.
Many British firms were preparing for war by 1937 and this is shewn by their rapid transition from peace to war.

A good example is Alvis who built aero engines and other parts for aircraft and supplied their 4.3 litre engine for armoured cars ( Alvis enthusiasts used to visit the Western desert in the 1950s and ‘60s to get spare engines).

Is Mise said "All very interesting, but it’s got nowt to do with Lincoln being like Putin.."

Answer- With respect Is Mise. I see it differently or perhaps more holistically. You could look at this situation in a number of ways depending on how you slice and dice the situation. Perhaps others agree perhaps not.

Putin's situation- Foxy said- "The Ukrainian people voted overwhelmingly in 1991 in a democratic referendum to leave the Soviet Union and become independent." (But Putin is not letting them be independent. Because he perhaps believes that the buffer agreement takes precedence.)

Lincoln's situation- Lincoln felt that the will of the people in the south to separate from the US was irrelevant and considered that the nation took precedence.

The information provided previously about the 1860's election was supposed to indicate that the North and South enmity started well before Fort Sumpter.

Iron isn't the only required resource for the economy- but critical in conflict- Rhett Butler referred to this in "Gone With The Wind" saying the south had fewer canons (and smaller). Industrialism came late to agriculture and so was labour intensive as I understand but the north probably had more manufacturing (could be wrong) which requires more technology and less but more expensive labour and is usually accompanied by better financing. The better manufacturing capability probably was advantageous to the prosecution of the war. This is an example of asymmetry in conflict and business economics (Ohmae talks about this). But as I said there are a multitude of perspectives here- some producing contradictory conclusions.

Your comments about Neville Chamberlain seem reasonable to me.

Thanks Bazz for the information. Kudos.

What does Putin want - Now?

At this point, I think that Putin desperately wants to dig himself out of the deep hole that he is in.

His army has been stopped in its tracks and is being smashed every day with morgues in Belarus overflowing with Russian war dead.
He has lost hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles and scores of aircraft.
He is isolated and branded a war criminal,
His economy is in the toilet,
His mate Xi who has announced a friendship without limits has done nothing beyond rhetoric after the US left him in no doubt that China would face consequences if it tried to break the sanctions.