Comment by dmos62
2 days ago
I find it funny how if you marginally, but consistently, offend a geopolitical entity (Europe), you can actually train it to reduce the limits of what it considers acceptable. Just like a dog, or a person, I guess.
2 days ago
I find it funny how if you marginally, but consistently, offend a geopolitical entity (Europe), you can actually train it to reduce the limits of what it considers acceptable. Just like a dog, or a person, I guess.
The problem is, what more can Europe do? Sanctions are already in place. What is the next step? Conflict?
Sanctions are partial, the shadow fleet is operating, support for Ukraine is partial, China and India are not experiencing notable repercussions for supplying Russia, Europe is buying Russian gas. There's a lot Europe could do to show that it's serious about security, without troops in Ukraine. Oh, troops and training personnel in Ukraine's rear is another one.
My guess is that this is how much they can do before seriously impacting people's cushy lives. Wouldn't want to inconvenience your population in any way, would you? /s
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If you aren't willing to move to conflict (or whatever the next step is) at some point, then you are, in fact, just bluffing, and you are being called out on that bluff.
You can choose what that point is, but it's weird not to expect enemies to continually test where your line is, and walk you right up to it.
I'm not sure what you expect to see here?
Let's assume for a second armed conflict is the "natural" next step.
Either you are willing to get into an armed conflict over it or not. If you aren't, and they are willing to accept everything other than armed conflict (sanctions, etc), why should they care at all what you think or do? They already know you won't escalate past a certain point. As long as they are willing to accept how far you are willing to escalate, ....
In the end, people monitor actions, not words.
And how much of Russia's puffed up chest and militaristic culture is America's fault?
You edged them during your whole cold war thing & now you got a headache and want the neighbours to take care of it.
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EU is just being out greyzoned by RU in this area - greyzone because under UNCLOS subsea infra regulations, RU suppose to pay for indemnities but we know that's not going to happen unless EU returns siezed RU $$$. TBH RU still has 100B+ more worth of cables to sabatoge and other shenanigans going forward in response to EU shooting firt with greyzone seizing of RU assets. People calling for blockades / shooting ships think that's worth escalating to actual kinetic war, in which case EU will simply be the relative larger loser since a 20T EU economy vs 2T RU economy has much more to lose, i.e. would be fairly easy to just fuck up EU energy / energy import infra.
Yes, this all comes back to Russia calling our bluff on war. They can continue to harass and invade and pursue their territorial expansion, because they have less to lose than the EU.
But, at some point there is a limit. If the EU does choose, as you call it, kinetic war, Russia will be toast. They cannot win a conventional war against a far larger economy. Just like Ukraine cannot win the war against Russia.
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Do sanctions work? Russia is buying things I am not going to name without issues while some European countries buy Russian LNG.
Investing a lot more into Ukraine's military, so Ukraine can defeat Russia for us.
Also increase Sanctions even more. We still have Banks like the Austrian Raiffeisenkasse that operate in Russia.
Sink any russian ship making a move.
Conflict already exists. Next step is punching bully back in the face.
I'm a Swede and I'm mostly upset that my government isn't acting more forcefully.
As another swede, I'd be happy to se Kristersson show some backbone. But he's apparently made out of snail so that won't happen.
Not condemning the aggressor over and over make us look soft, indeed.
Just as an aside, I love the term, “made out of snail.” Is this a Swedish idiom?
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If that's what you're hoping for, Ukraine is very grateful for volunteers. There's a bunch of Swedes who did go there to fight. There's a bunch who are there right now.
Or is it "somebody else" who has to show a backbone and take action?
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I'd prefer they didn't act until there's actually proof what is behind it.
Chamberlain all over again...
Actually slow stress is how you build muscle.
Europe is a case of being crippled by assistance, like a man who uses an electric wheelchair until his leg muscles atrophy. They've leaned on US security guarantees so long that most countries have no functioning deterrent (look up the German air force sometime if you want to be sad).
Europe now knows US is supporting Russia and not a reliable ally.
It's not an ally, it's an enemy now.
>Europe is a case of being crippled by assistance
Europe has past its good times phase and is hitting the reality of the hard times.
The question is if it can overcome the next phase without another Adolf or war.
Usually, good times create agricultural surplus, transport infrastructure, better organization and larger, healthier armies. But in the specific case of being dependant on a larger, benevolent state for protection, that gets undermined. Anyway, hard times create desperate people, not exactly strong ones. And then something about interesting times, but that's a different saying.
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That trope has been well debunked. It makes a nice saying, but it isn't true. There are plenty of examples of good times creating strong people; and others of hard times creating weak people.
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I can't believe this message is flagged:
> I have several issues with this quote from the manosphere. The manosphere was infested with both Russians and Ukrainians who were busy "preparing for the big war" with lifting etc. since at least 2014. Now they are in a trench warfare and barely make any progress in either direction. Could it be that talking up war for so many years leads to a self-fulfilling prophesy? The people doing most of the talking of course are "public intellectuals" who tell others to go lift and prepare for war. TV commentators on the Russian side, Lindsey Graham and a couple of RedPill folks on the Ukrainian side. Now the weak EU leaders who barely have 20-30% public support have a big mouth and tell others to go to the gym (metaphorically).
In a thread full of hatred and calls for more senseless violence and calls to sink all ships etc.
I don't know if wealth makes us weaker, but it apparently don't make us less prone to be manipulated by emotions.
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Behold the north koreans hardest and smallest of all warriors
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> Europe has past its good times phase and is hitting the reality of the hard times. > The question is if it can overcome the next phase without another Adolf or war.
This whole thread is a joke right? The US is the one who just elevated the modern day Hitler to world leader and is now cheering him on as he collaborates with the Russia to commit genocide in Ukraine, and the Israelis to commit genocide in Gaza.
Hurr durr we was stronger back in da good old days when we beat our wives and killed the gays!
Why do so many people resort to that argument, as if they can predict what would happen if Europe went to war.
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I'm pretty sure the next Adolf won't be from/in Europe
Hard times create broken people. Good times create good strong people. In general, historically it was so.
Christ can people stop with this stupid quote? And could we stop using fiction as argument about real world too?
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