“It is also the case that American fickleness regarding our ability to sustain our political will to support Ukraine that inevitably will watched closely by any potential coalition partners in Asia.”
Hell, my Taiwanese mom’s stance seems to be more or less “if America can’t stick it out against Russia, do they really have the stones to hold out against the Chinese?”
An insult to British 19th century colonial administrators! They at least tended to invest years into understanding the language and local contexts in which they operated.
It would appear that you’re asking them for a level of systems thinking beyond the capacity of the transactional mindset to encompass. (The DOD bureaucracy that I remember was best at playing the long game and avoiding open, immediate confrontation that would probably fail and be personally costly)
I find I often ask for deeply unachievable objectives in our national security policies. Like understanding that other countries are independent actors. But it wouldn’t be a bureaucracy if they didn’t know how to survive in the long term.
But many if not most of our European allies in particular since the destruction of Nordstream 2 aren’t behaving like independent actors—they are speaking if not acting like NPCs who say what they’re told. Merz is not in the same league as a Schmidt or Kohl, nor Macron a Mitterrand, nor Starmer with Thatcher. Those were actual allies with agency not WEF puppets.
But that comes at a considerable cost over the long term. Anybody who thinks more than a handful of Germans will ever fight and die in combat with the Russians again especially for Ukraine is delusional.
Could not disagree more. No, the US cannot manage multiple conflicts and our resources are not infinite. We must prioritize our interests … and our interests are in the Pacific.
The United States has significant and long-standing interests in the region, which includes the Pacific Ocean. These interests are multifaceted, encompassing economic, security, and diplomatic dimensions. The U.S. views the region as vital to its own security and prosperity, and actively works to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
In this regard, China is consistently identified as a major threat, particularly due to its growing global influence and efforts to challenge US dominance. No other country has the capacity to be another regional hegemon and challenge US empire.
And yet we are alienating India the linchpin of any longer term IndoPacific strategy because the current Administration is seeking to punish the Indians for buying Russian oil and gas as well as arms, thereby hardening the stance of the pro BRICS elements in Delhi who say the West will always view them in imperialist fashion and not as equals and they need to sanctions proof themselves by ditching dollars in trade and reconciling with China. What a win to make our butthurt British allie’s hellbent on refighting the Crimean War feel better! And the same for the Europeans who know damn well they’ve been buying Russian crude refined by the Indians at a markup.
The problem with all these world war woke ists, pseudo liberals and Blob centrists making these arguments victory is at hand if ‘we’ only muster more rah rah political will and money for Kiiiiiiiiyyyiv is their collective denial that:
A) Ukraine is systemically lying and has been lying (especially since Summer 2023 Offensive / Battle of Bahkmut) about the scale and scope of its casualties and their losses being less than those of the Russians and thereby being somehow sustainable, as is the USIC (Rep Thomas Massie told Tucker Carlson he attended a classified briefing where Russian losses were gleefully discussed while Ukraine’s weren’t talked about at all)
B) eventually if not by the end of 2025 then sometime in late 2026 to the NATO must be ready to fight cited year of 2027 A will necessitate non Ukrainian soldiers from NATO fight and die for Ukraine in no longer disavowable or cover up able as ‘volunteers’ numbers. That comes with a hefty political as well as financial price tag.
C) Colby recognizes the danger to the US that for the PLA hard liners, this is a proxy war whereby Russia is their proxy to break any collective Western will to defend Taiwan by disavowably helping the Russians sending enough U.S., Canadian, British and French advisors back from Ukraine in caskets. And likewise using North Korea as their straw seller of artillery and GRAD rounds.
In short, all the collective liberal hawk lying and gullibility to Ukrainian feel good lies we see rampant on Substacks, in popular mil commentators and among the progressive veteran BlueSky brigades is about to bite in the butt this autumn and winter, as the Donbass lines undeniably collapse and Ukrainian desertion and TCC (press gang) resistance rates go through the roof.
The fundamental issue isn’t that you wanted to defeat Russia. It’s that you all smugly told everyone it could be done on the relative cheap without ever having to answer the question of how many non Ukrainians are willing to fight and die for this wartime dictatorship in Kiev.
“It is also the case that American fickleness regarding our ability to sustain our political will to support Ukraine that inevitably will watched closely by any potential coalition partners in Asia.”
Hell, my Taiwanese mom’s stance seems to be more or less “if America can’t stick it out against Russia, do they really have the stones to hold out against the Chinese?”
An insult to British 19th century colonial administrators! They at least tended to invest years into understanding the language and local contexts in which they operated.
It would appear that you’re asking them for a level of systems thinking beyond the capacity of the transactional mindset to encompass. (The DOD bureaucracy that I remember was best at playing the long game and avoiding open, immediate confrontation that would probably fail and be personally costly)
I find I often ask for deeply unachievable objectives in our national security policies. Like understanding that other countries are independent actors. But it wouldn’t be a bureaucracy if they didn’t know how to survive in the long term.
But many if not most of our European allies in particular since the destruction of Nordstream 2 aren’t behaving like independent actors—they are speaking if not acting like NPCs who say what they’re told. Merz is not in the same league as a Schmidt or Kohl, nor Macron a Mitterrand, nor Starmer with Thatcher. Those were actual allies with agency not WEF puppets.
But that comes at a considerable cost over the long term. Anybody who thinks more than a handful of Germans will ever fight and die in combat with the Russians again especially for Ukraine is delusional.
“for a war that is yet to be fought “
My speaking of amoral.
Are you going to be in the fleet or on the ground in Taiwan?
Ukraine isn’t American soil, nor was it ever worth risking nuclear war… for a money laundering operation.
Money laundered in Blood.
And the shortage of shells isn’t vague, although it is true.
What’s vague are the production numbers of produced versus hand waves about capacity.
Then again we’re short everything, except contractors and McMansions in Virginia.
Could not disagree more. No, the US cannot manage multiple conflicts and our resources are not infinite. We must prioritize our interests … and our interests are in the Pacific.
American interests are in America.
The United States has significant and long-standing interests in the region, which includes the Pacific Ocean. These interests are multifaceted, encompassing economic, security, and diplomatic dimensions. The U.S. views the region as vital to its own security and prosperity, and actively works to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.
In this regard, China is consistently identified as a major threat, particularly due to its growing global influence and efforts to challenge US dominance. No other country has the capacity to be another regional hegemon and challenge US empire.
And yet we are alienating India the linchpin of any longer term IndoPacific strategy because the current Administration is seeking to punish the Indians for buying Russian oil and gas as well as arms, thereby hardening the stance of the pro BRICS elements in Delhi who say the West will always view them in imperialist fashion and not as equals and they need to sanctions proof themselves by ditching dollars in trade and reconciling with China. What a win to make our butthurt British allie’s hellbent on refighting the Crimean War feel better! And the same for the Europeans who know damn well they’ve been buying Russian crude refined by the Indians at a markup.
Gee sounds like you better get your own United States there Emperor Gonzalo, or do you prefer Caudillo? .
this 🇺🇸 disagrees. Lol Atlanticist … ps that spiel reeks of bot 🤖. In a multifaceted way.
We agree to disagree. No bot just an observation.
Thank you, have a good evening.
The problem with all these world war woke ists, pseudo liberals and Blob centrists making these arguments victory is at hand if ‘we’ only muster more rah rah political will and money for Kiiiiiiiiyyyiv is their collective denial that:
A) Ukraine is systemically lying and has been lying (especially since Summer 2023 Offensive / Battle of Bahkmut) about the scale and scope of its casualties and their losses being less than those of the Russians and thereby being somehow sustainable, as is the USIC (Rep Thomas Massie told Tucker Carlson he attended a classified briefing where Russian losses were gleefully discussed while Ukraine’s weren’t talked about at all)
B) eventually if not by the end of 2025 then sometime in late 2026 to the NATO must be ready to fight cited year of 2027 A will necessitate non Ukrainian soldiers from NATO fight and die for Ukraine in no longer disavowable or cover up able as ‘volunteers’ numbers. That comes with a hefty political as well as financial price tag.
C) Colby recognizes the danger to the US that for the PLA hard liners, this is a proxy war whereby Russia is their proxy to break any collective Western will to defend Taiwan by disavowably helping the Russians sending enough U.S., Canadian, British and French advisors back from Ukraine in caskets. And likewise using North Korea as their straw seller of artillery and GRAD rounds.
In short, all the collective liberal hawk lying and gullibility to Ukrainian feel good lies we see rampant on Substacks, in popular mil commentators and among the progressive veteran BlueSky brigades is about to bite in the butt this autumn and winter, as the Donbass lines undeniably collapse and Ukrainian desertion and TCC (press gang) resistance rates go through the roof.
The fundamental issue isn’t that you wanted to defeat Russia. It’s that you all smugly told everyone it could be done on the relative cheap without ever having to answer the question of how many non Ukrainians are willing to fight and die for this wartime dictatorship in Kiev.