What would have happened if Russia had helped Iraq when we invaded?

If they had armed,trained,and financed them against our forces? Or if they had helped Cuba break our Embargo? With military assistance.

Askin' for a Friend.

So. They learned all of that from Dubya.

When they do something it's "war crimes".

When we do something,or Israel commits obvious war crimes the whole world recognizes as such, it's somehow "rules based".

It's too obvious and too idiotic.

There is no meaningful international law.

If there was why would anyone need Nukes?

The only morality is what can be gotten away with.

Russia has Nukes. They can get away with this,just like the US got away with Iraq, for the same reasons.

Selective morality is contagious.

That's just how it is. How is living the same corrupt and criminal life making others More law abiding?

Putin saw Dubya get away with it.

You think that didn't influence or encourage him to try it too?

Nukes change everything. Pakistan didn't get invaded when they actually had bin Laden.

Iraq, with no Nukes got pulverized for trumped up lies.

How is that incorrect? The US led by example. They saw us invade and change the leadership of a country for spurious reasons. Steal resources and dominate their policies. Kill their elites and completely remake their country.

Why was it okay when we did it? Why isn't Dubya locked up at The Hague?

Why hasn't the US been forced to pay reparations and demilitarized for being an Outlaw nation?

I think we all know the answer to that.

Russia does too.

So was I.

The difference here is Russia has vital national interests in a non NATO Ukraine. Ukraine is also virtually Russia in many ways.

The US had no compelling national interests in Iraq. No cultural ties to Iraq. The war against Saddam was pure whim.

The Iraq war was far more immoral than the Ukraine war.

It was senseless violence that killed almost a million people. It created ISIS.

We live in A Stupid World. It's like we haven't stopped being stone age tribes.

War is the most defining characteristic of humanity...Not Reason.

Tribalism and Massacre are in our DNA.

It will be the cause of our Extinction.

A distinction without a difference. This is a tragic, almost civil war being inflamed by outsiders meddling in things they barely understand.

Russia, Ukraine, it's an almost identical culture. The language difference is more like a dialect.

This is literally brother against brother.

All for the benefit of outside interests feeding and encouraging the slaughter.

It's sickening to watch. It's worse to know the whole thing could have been avoided if reason and diplomacy had been allowed a place in policy decisions in both Russia and Ukraine.

Killing their own people wasn't a good idea,for Ukraine, and encouraging them wasn't a good idea for the US and NATO.

Russia had a Duty to Protect.

It wasn't like NATO was stopping the Ukrainians in the Donbass,they were arming and encouraging the killing.

Ukraine should have known better than to keep killing civilians. They did know better but the US pumped them up and sent them forward to continue their illegal killings and war on their own eastern oblasts.

This was intolerable to the Russian leadership. They were massively provoked by the senseless killing of Russians in eastern Ukraine.

They should not have invaded Ukraine proper.

Helping the breakaway oblasts in Ukraine fight off the Kiev attacks was justified by events.

Invading the whole country wasn't.

Getting the UN involved against the Ukrainian paramilitaries and regular troops attacking the Donbass would have been a better response.

War should always be the Last Option.

NATO made that more difficult and Putin was stupid to rise to the bait.

He got suckered and now you repeat "unprovoked invasion" in every context like a propaganda ------.

It's not true you know,and repeating it endlessly doesn't make it so.

It just makes you look like a mindless shill.

It's also The Rhetorical style of Nazis.

So now the Big One is even more likely.

I sure feel safe knowing NATO is protecting Lithuania.

It's just another Tripwire for Nuclear War.

The Russians have their version of the Monroe Doctrine.

NATO just makes it more likely to be have a major war,not less.

Without NATO this would not have even be a regional war, it would have been a Russian internal affair, like the Chechen wars.

I don't see anyone saying the Chechen wars were a vital Western issue.

Russia doesn't Meddle in The Western Hemisphere too much.

They know about boundaries and common sense policy concerning Spheres of influence.

Too bad NATO doesn't,we may all pay for that stupidity.

I defend none of that. Putin acted stupidly and rashly. I was never in favor of invading Ukraine itself.

Backstopping the breakaway oblasts was the right thing to do.

Getting the UN into the Donbass to stop the civil war would have been the more effective thing.

The SMO was not well thought out.

The hypocrisy of the Western allies could have been used against them if Putin had been subtle rather than stupid.

But he wasn't. So here we are.

I can't defend this war. But it's obvious that Russia will most likely keep the Donbass and Crimea as Russian.

The Ukraine will become a rump state and basket case liability to Europe.

All so a few Idiots in the US could feel self important.

It is Tragic.

You said it,not Me.

We were ready to go toe to toe over Cuba.

Good thing Kennedy wasn't Stupid.

With Biden in, in 1962?

Who knows.

#89 The four breakaway oblasts are Russia. Ukraine is what's left.

Before the war it was all Ukraine but they were fighting a civil war that Russia intervened in. Mostly because it was ethnic violence against Russian speakers.

The Minsk Accords, properly administered could have prevented war.

NATO has openly admitted not encouraging Ukraine to implement the Minsk Accords.

They acted in bad faith. Not a rare thing where NATO and the US are concerned.

Now Russia will just keep the eastern quarter of Ukraine.

It didn't have to be this way.

I'm sure many in Ukraine regret the decision to continue the war on Donbass rather than give them autonomy within Ukraine.

Tough.

Putin did Not Need to Invade. True.

NATO did not Need to Incite War.

Also True.

This war has many causes. Russian Paranoia, Western Hubris.

We all pay for expansionist policies,in Russia, in the US, in Israel.

But Russia is an Amateur compared to the US.

We always end up fighting the Wars we try to Avoid.

I just hope Reason prevails over Stubborn Stupidity.

I'm not Optimistic.

Not three days, three years.

The end will likely be the same.

Many more deaths than if it was three days.

NATO humiliation at not defeating Russia will be immense.

Russia will outlast NATO. I don't like it, but that's how I see it happening.

And none of it had to happen.

Putin didn't Have to do it. Like everyone else he has free will.

That being said. NATO didn't have to increase tensions and push the envelope leading up to war. Ukraine didn't have to slaughter their own people.

You're too propagandized to get the subtleties about the build up to war.

Maybe just too simple. I don't know.

Try to think outside the tiny box you've created for yourself.

I know it's scary.

You know this,how? Medical records aren't open information.

82 is not the new 71.. Trump is stupid and unstable. He also doesn't want to help NATO.

Putin is a Turd. Russia wouldn't need him to keep fighting anyway.

As long as NATO is pressing this the Russians will continue the war even if Putin died.

I don't believe propaganda.

I need factual information.

If comfortable lies make it easier for you, that's just fine.

But don't pretend there's any real evidence.

A lot of people "know" things that Ain't so.

It still took the Red army to defeat Germany.

I guess they weren't too strident about their "resistance".

Hitler killing himself and all.

No Putin, means aimless nukes pointing everywhere from submarines and silos at the world.

Chaos with six thousand nuclear weapons.

Sounds almost worse than having Putin around.

Be careful what you wish for...you may get it.

Got any baby wipes? I'm fresh out.