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Southern Elms's avatar

Hindsight, counterfactual arguments for the Western Allies in WW2 to have strung Stalin out for geopolitical reasons abound. Although with Soviet forces accounting for between 80%-90% of all Wehrmacht casualties and as the Russian people continued to suffer indubitably - the immorality of that bears significant weight. Here we are several decades later and again geopolitics rules with the West stringing Ukraine out. Surely, using Ukraine as a meatshield for the EU/West in general is immoral. It cannot be a fear instilled by Russian threats of a rescaled war with tactical nuclear weapons, chemical weapons. There are unforeseen consequences with throwing Ukraine to the wolf. The gains from short term trade are less than the costs of war, supplying arms - it merely encourages Russia’s aggression. Russia as a full time war economy using capital goods for military production has its costs yet as we saw during the Soviet era it takes decades to manifest. The Lanchester square rule for force/manpower decline has been derailed by hidden yet substantial Chinese aid. Given to preclude Chinese fear of Russian collapse that ends with a liberal perhaps even western orientated government [it won’t happen with 70% of the populace pro-war/Putin…] ends Russia’s function as a northern buffer state with the West. If that occurs see China quickly rescind the Amur and Aigun treaties. China’s belief Capitalism sows the seeds of its own destruction is hard to discredit. Western capital’s opportunism vis a vis a willingness to defend an emerging democracy to its medium term interest is another nail in the decline of the West.

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Lulu's avatar

Valeri Gergiev,a good friend of Putin, will perform at 9pm on July 27 at “Un’Estate da Re” in Italy. (Concerto sinfonico)

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