This is shaping up to be the biggest flashpoint so far, of NATO trying to finesse through its own engagement rules without triggering an Article 5. They're obviously after the ammo stash in Transnistria. The Rooskies will have to blow up the entire facility without firing a shot.
ALERT RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE - Consolidated Thread
- Thread starter danielboon
- Start date
Knoxville's Joker
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Which is a supposed fail safe contingency. The blast though would rival that of a nuclear bomb, and if they want to be real butts all they have to do is sprinkle in a few DU munitions to make it super nasty for all involved.
Tristan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
"in any strike to date..."
Wonder how many Civies the Ukes killed in the Donbas prior to the start of the current festivities?
Tristan
Has No Life - Lives on TB
No truer statement have I read recently...
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Food for thought:
Possible Outcomes Of The War In Ukraine
Via 'Jim's blog',Both sides have been fighting in Ukraine using World War I tactics, and developments in the war have so far recapitulated World War I.
Towards the end of World War I, the Germans, finally realizing they were going to lose the war of attrition, because of the immense industrial capability of America, attempted to regain war of movement, with underwhelming success, and eventually could no longer attempt to do so. They gained considerable territory, which gains merely put them in a worse position to fight the war of attrition. Like Ukraine, tactical victories but strategic defeats, as with the costly attempt to relieve Bakhmut, which has resulted in them advancing on the flanks of Bakhmut to a position far worse for them in attritive warfare.
Ukraine has been throwing reserves at various points on the front, with underwhelming success similar to that of the Germans in World War I, which similarly has resulted in gains that put them in a worse position for fighting a war of attrition.
They are now moving troops around from one active front to another, which you only do when desperately short of reserves. I previously posted that the Greatest Ukrainian Counter Offensive had started some time ago, and had not been announced for lack of impressive results. That they are redeploying troops involved in active fighting suggests that the Greatest Ukrainian Counter Offensive is now most likely over for lack of reserves, though fog of war makes it hard to speak confidently.
In World War I, the incapacity to mount further attempts at war of movement was followed by 100 days of increasingly rapid and costly German defeats and retreats in attritive warfare, and it became apparent that if the Germans did not make peace on any terms they could get, then eventually there would be attritive warfare all the way to Berlin, most German men would die, and Berlin would be flattened. So they cut a deal where they handed over their heavy weapons, but the army and the nation remained an army and a nation. Without that deal, the war would likely have gone on for years, with enormous costs for everyone, but by far the greatest costs for Germans.
And a sane and capable Global American Empire would accept, in a hundred days or so, the deal that Putin has been offering – assuming it will still be on offer after major retreats and losses in attritive warfare.
But a sane and capable Global American Empire would probably have been capable of winning.
So a possible and likely outcome is that the war goes on till Kiev starts being flattened and most Ukrainian men are dead. Which may well take quite a while. At which point there is a significant likelihood that Nato will be thrown in to relieve Kiev.
In a full war between Russia and Nato, neither side has any incentive to refrain escalating all the way to nukes.
If Nato intervenes the rationale will be that quick decisive victory is attainable, which is unlikely to be the case. So, nukes.
Do anyone’s nukes still work?
My guess is that Global American Empire nukes stopped working a long time ago, but some Russian nukes still work.
Nukes were and are made out of components that deteriorate over time, and have to regularly refurbished, reconditioned and sometimes rebuilt. And if you are not testing, your maintenance process is likely to go off the rails when the men that built those bombs retire. The test ban treaty was a stealth slow motion nuclear disarmament treaty.
If someone’s nukes still work, this is likely to bring the war to a quick and decisive end, with relatively small destruction and casualties. I estimate that only about twenty percent of Americans would die in the course of losing a nuclear war, deaths insignificant compared to abortion and all that, and destruction insignificant compared to the Rust Belt and all the Detroits. No big deal in the broad historical sweep that this blog looks at.
If, on the other hand, technological decay means we fight World War I all over again, but this time political decay means that it is fought all the way to the end, the death and destruction could be considerably greater. But perhaps, in a hundred days or so, while the Global American Empire still holds most of the Ukraine, as the Germans still held most of Europe, the Global American Empire will figure out that it is 1918-11-11 all over again.
We shall see.
Possible Outcomes Of The War In Ukraine | ZeroHedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com
Remember he said SANE administration, so there is that, as a qualifier. Do we have a sane administration?
155 arty
Veteran Member
1 front line trigger puller and 6 to 8 personnel in support ,used to be a fairly accurate ratio
northern watch
TB Fanatic
The Pretend Phase of Cold War II Is Over
America is now openly in a cold war with China and Russia. Here is a list of indicators that would demonstrate American seriousness about tackling this challenge.by Dan Negrea James Jay Carafano
National Interest
June 2 2023
Great power competition is old hat. Systemic rivals are already passe. The Second Cold War has started. China and Russia started it. It is past time to acknowledge this and start fighting back.
The Chinese regime is an existential threat to the peace and prosperity of the United States and its allies, partners, and friends. Xi Jinping’s appetites are global—from occupying democratic Taiwan to reshaping land borders with India, from redrawing maritime boundaries with its neighbors to imposing strategic dependencies on other nations and blackmailing them economically—all the while building both nuclear and conventional forces to intimidate any opposition.
Xi also greenlit Vladimir Putin’s aggressive war against Ukraine and forged a de facto alliance between China and Russia. Over the past decade, the two autocrats have held an astonishing forty one-on-one meetings—a frequency surpassing their engagements with any other foreign leader by more than twofold. While the United States and other democratic countries were isolating Putin diplomatically, Xi paid a visit to Moscow in March of this year, concluding his trip with a remarkable statement: “Right now there are changes—the likes of which we haven't seen for 100 years—and we are the ones driving these changes together.” The Russian president agreed. Russia, in short, has made itself part of the China challenge.
The thought of living in a world dominated by China and Russia is intolerable to Americans and all freedom-loving peoples. Like any war, a cold war is a contest of will between determined, committed adversaries. It is high time that the United States and its allies start fighting back. We thought long and hard for the list of indicators that would demonstrate America was serious about protecting its interest from the onslaught of aggressive forces that want to remake the world. Here is what we came up with.
The Biden administration has never communicated clearly to the American people and the world what we are up against. When it comes to China, Biden’s mantra is weak tea a decade out of date: “compete where we must, but cooperate where we can.” When it comes to Russia, Biden declares the United States will “support Ukraine as long as it takes,” without giving thought to explaining in detail what the plan to deal with Moscow as a threat in the long term. This makes our adversaries sound more like a nuisance than a threat, akin to saying that it’s not our business what Hannibal Lecter does next door, as long as we don’t go over for dinner.
That does not cut it. China has 1.4 billion people, the second-largest economy in the world by various measurements, and a nuclear arsenal that will soon rival that of the United States and Russia. They already dominate many of the world’s most critical supply chains. Beijing is a destabilizing influence on every continent. It is among the world’s worst dictatorial regimes, abusers of human rights, and polluters. Russia is a nuclear peer, meddles in every theater where the United States has vital and important interests, and has violated every norm of responsible behavior. If we can’t label them the cold war adversaries they are—we have lost before we begin.
Secure Your Own Territory
What nation leaves its borders wide open in times of cold war? This is madness. Under Biden’s presidency millions of illegal aliens from all over the world are pouring into the United States through our southern border. In 2022 alone, the Customs and Border Patrol encountered almost 100 people on the terrorist watchlist. Apprehensions of Chinese nationals, many of them men of military age, crossing into the United States illegally are up over 800 percent over the same period last fiscal year. Nobody checks their backgrounds and they are released into the United States on their own recognizance with a court date to be determined at some point in the future. Until America regains control over its open southern border, no nation in the world will believe America is serious about defending its interests.
Claim the Moral High Ground
America is in a contest with brutal dictatorships. The Biden administration must stop describing its China policy as competition, confrontation, and cooperation. This language implies an equivalence between the United States, a democratic country that respects international law, and Xi’s China, a brutal dictatorship that routinely violates key international norms, including through its support for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Biden administration should communicate more about America’s freedom and achievements and less about its flaws. Some of the criticism of America’s shortcomings undermines the legitimacy, cohesion, and confidence of the American polity. It simply must be stopped.
Strengthen Deterrence
America cannot prevail unless we demonstrate the will to defend America’s interests. That’s not done by being the world’s policeman, babysitter, or any other metaphor. It is not about muscular actions like regime change or supposed “nation-building.” Nor does the United States have any inherent responsibility to protect some illusory world order. It is simply this: we must have armed forces with the capacity to protect America’s vital interests and be unafraid in our determination to safeguard them.
Grow and Protect the Economy
America can’t win without economic might. Too many Biden economic actions, from energy policies to inflation and infrastructure, have made the economy worse and ballooned our national debt. We must adopt policies that foster economic growth at home, including unleashing American energy, tax cuts to incentivize entrepreneurs, and targeted deregulation. Economic security is national security.
We must expand the safeguards that prevent China from exploiting America’s economy. We are efficient today at stopping Chinese companies that want to invest in U.S. companies in national security-sensitive sectors. We must also prevent U.S. investments in Chinese companies related in any way to the military or repression establishments in the People’s Republic.
Challenge Allies to do a Lot More
Putin’s war in Ukraine served as a global wake-up call for America’s allies. For instance, twenty countries in Europe are increasing their defense spending—but the figures ultimately amount to only about one percent in real growth over last year’s level.
The willingness to spend more on defense is not the long pole in the European tent—the big challenges are inflation, energy costs, debt servicing, and weak economies. There are serious fiscal structural challenges to Europe spending a lot more on its own defense. This is a key point because it’s not just about telling Europe to “defend yourself because the United States has to pivot to Asia.” Post the Ukraine war, Europe now agrees that it must do more for its own defense.
America’s task nowadays is to encourage Europe to overcome self-imposed constraints on economic growth. This is particularly true regarding energy, where the “green agenda” is hamstringing Europe—energy prices are so high now that there are serious concerns that European companies will move to countries with cheaper energy, resulting in the old continent deindustrializing.
Make the Case for a Freedom-Based Development Model
The unfortunate reality is that many developing countries have little interest in joining one camp or the other on the basis of ideals such as freedom. Their primary focus is on lifting the standard of living of their people. America must be very clear that our free market economic system is superior to the Chinese economic model controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and to the Russian model controlled by the kleptocracy in the Kremlin.
Contra popular notions, the China-Russia model has less to offer. In 2021, the United State’s GDP per capita was $63,670. In stark contrast, after seventy-four years of Communist Party rule and twenty-three years of Putinism, Russia’s level was $27,960. And after seventy-two years under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, China’s was only $16,997.
America ought to partner with developing countries to help them on the path of prosperity, not write blank checks of foreign aid. Economic partnerships that encourage foreign direct investment are the better answer for development. Partnerships are the answer even on security matters: Active diplomacy, encouraging foreign direct investment, security cooperation on strategic projects, and building stronger bridges can do more than raw military force.
Check the Checklist
When Washington starts delivering policies that achieve the ends we have laid out here, it will be a sign the United States is serious about winning the new cold war. Until then, we are just a target.
Dan Negrea is the senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center. He served at the U.S. Department of State in leadership positions in the Policy Planning Office and the Economic Bureau.
Dr. James Jay Carafano is a Heritage Foundation vice president, directing the think tank’s research on issues of national security and foreign relations.
The Pretend Phase of Cold War II Is Over
And once you summarize all the required remedies,The Pretend Phase of Cold War II Is Over
America is now openly in a cold war with China and Russia. Here is a list of indicators that would demonstrate American seriousness about tackling this challenge.
by Dan Negrea James Jay Carafano
National Interest
June 2 2023
Great power competition is old hat. Systemic rivals are already passe. The Second Cold War has started. China and Russia started it. It is past time to acknowledge this and start fighting back.
The Chinese regime is an existential threat to the peace and prosperity of the United States and its allies, partners, and friends. Xi Jinping’s appetites are global—from occupying democratic Taiwan to reshaping land borders with India, from redrawing maritime boundaries with its neighbors to imposing strategic dependencies on other nations and blackmailing them economically—all the while building both nuclear and conventional forces to intimidate any opposition.
Xi also greenlit Vladimir Putin’s aggressive war against Ukraine and forged a de facto alliance between China and Russia. Over the past decade, the two autocrats have held an astonishing forty one-on-one meetings—a frequency surpassing their engagements with any other foreign leader by more than twofold. While the United States and other democratic countries were isolating Putin diplomatically, Xi paid a visit to Moscow in March of this year, concluding his trip with a remarkable statement: “Right now there are changes—the likes of which we haven't seen for 100 years—and we are the ones driving these changes together.” The Russian president agreed. Russia, in short, has made itself part of the China challenge.
The thought of living in a world dominated by China and Russia is intolerable to Americans and all freedom-loving peoples. Like any war, a cold war is a contest of will between determined, committed adversaries. It is high time that the United States and its allies start fighting back. We thought long and hard for the list of indicators that would demonstrate America was serious about protecting its interest from the onslaught of aggressive forces that want to remake the world. Here is what we came up with.
The Biden administration has never communicated clearly to the American people and the world what we are up against. When it comes to China, Biden’s mantra is weak tea a decade out of date: “compete where we must, but cooperate where we can.” When it comes to Russia, Biden declares the United States will “support Ukraine as long as it takes,” without giving thought to explaining in detail what the plan to deal with Moscow as a threat in the long term. This makes our adversaries sound more like a nuisance than a threat, akin to saying that it’s not our business what Hannibal Lecter does next door, as long as we don’t go over for dinner.
That does not cut it. China has 1.4 billion people, the second-largest economy in the world by various measurements, and a nuclear arsenal that will soon rival that of the United States and Russia. They already dominate many of the world’s most critical supply chains. Beijing is a destabilizing influence on every continent. It is among the world’s worst dictatorial regimes, abusers of human rights, and polluters. Russia is a nuclear peer, meddles in every theater where the United States has vital and important interests, and has violated every norm of responsible behavior. If we can’t label them the cold war adversaries they are—we have lost before we begin.
Secure Your Own Territory
What nation leaves its borders wide open in times of cold war? This is madness. Under Biden’s presidency millions of illegal aliens from all over the world are pouring into the United States through our southern border. In 2022 alone, the Customs and Border Patrol encountered almost 100 people on the terrorist watchlist. Apprehensions of Chinese nationals, many of them men of military age, crossing into the United States illegally are up over 800 percent over the same period last fiscal year. Nobody checks their backgrounds and they are released into the United States on their own recognizance with a court date to be determined at some point in the future. Until America regains control over its open southern border, no nation in the world will believe America is serious about defending its interests.
Claim the Moral High Ground
America is in a contest with brutal dictatorships. The Biden administration must stop describing its China policy as competition, confrontation, and cooperation. This language implies an equivalence between the United States, a democratic country that respects international law, and Xi’s China, a brutal dictatorship that routinely violates key international norms, including through its support for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Biden administration should communicate more about America’s freedom and achievements and less about its flaws. Some of the criticism of America’s shortcomings undermines the legitimacy, cohesion, and confidence of the American polity. It simply must be stopped.
Strengthen Deterrence
America cannot prevail unless we demonstrate the will to defend America’s interests. That’s not done by being the world’s policeman, babysitter, or any other metaphor. It is not about muscular actions like regime change or supposed “nation-building.” Nor does the United States have any inherent responsibility to protect some illusory world order. It is simply this: we must have armed forces with the capacity to protect America’s vital interests and be unafraid in our determination to safeguard them.
Grow and Protect the Economy
America can’t win without economic might. Too many Biden economic actions, from energy policies to inflation and infrastructure, have made the economy worse and ballooned our national debt. We must adopt policies that foster economic growth at home, including unleashing American energy, tax cuts to incentivize entrepreneurs, and targeted deregulation. Economic security is national security.
We must expand the safeguards that prevent China from exploiting America’s economy. We are efficient today at stopping Chinese companies that want to invest in U.S. companies in national security-sensitive sectors. We must also prevent U.S. investments in Chinese companies related in any way to the military or repression establishments in the People’s Republic.
Challenge Allies to do a Lot More
Putin’s war in Ukraine served as a global wake-up call for America’s allies. For instance, twenty countries in Europe are increasing their defense spending—but the figures ultimately amount to only about one percent in real growth over last year’s level.
The willingness to spend more on defense is not the long pole in the European tent—the big challenges are inflation, energy costs, debt servicing, and weak economies. There are serious fiscal structural challenges to Europe spending a lot more on its own defense. This is a key point because it’s not just about telling Europe to “defend yourself because the United States has to pivot to Asia.” Post the Ukraine war, Europe now agrees that it must do more for its own defense.
America’s task nowadays is to encourage Europe to overcome self-imposed constraints on economic growth. This is particularly true regarding energy, where the “green agenda” is hamstringing Europe—energy prices are so high now that there are serious concerns that European companies will move to countries with cheaper energy, resulting in the old continent deindustrializing.
Make the Case for a Freedom-Based Development Model
The unfortunate reality is that many developing countries have little interest in joining one camp or the other on the basis of ideals such as freedom. Their primary focus is on lifting the standard of living of their people. America must be very clear that our free market economic system is superior to the Chinese economic model controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and to the Russian model controlled by the kleptocracy in the Kremlin.
Contra popular notions, the China-Russia model has less to offer. In 2021, the United State’s GDP per capita was $63,670. In stark contrast, after seventy-four years of Communist Party rule and twenty-three years of Putinism, Russia’s level was $27,960. And after seventy-two years under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, China’s was only $16,997.
America ought to partner with developing countries to help them on the path of prosperity, not write blank checks of foreign aid. Economic partnerships that encourage foreign direct investment are the better answer for development. Partnerships are the answer even on security matters: Active diplomacy, encouraging foreign direct investment, security cooperation on strategic projects, and building stronger bridges can do more than raw military force.
Check the Checklist
When Washington starts delivering policies that achieve the ends we have laid out here, it will be a sign the United States is serious about winning the new cold war. Until then, we are just a target.
Dan Negrea is the senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center. He served at the U.S. Department of State in leadership positions in the Policy Planning Office and the Economic Bureau.
Dr. James Jay Carafano is a Heritage Foundation vice president, directing the think tank’s research on issues of national security and foreign relations.
The Pretend Phase of Cold War II Is Over
nationalinterest.org
and realize that implementation of those remedies will require
a 180 degree shift in politics, monetary policy, economics, culture, and morals,
you realize that it will require another war and a generation of re-education.
And you are right back where you started.
DuckandCover
Proud Sheeple
Russia deployed its feared thermobaric missile launcher on its own territory to repel an attack by insurgents, UK intel says
Russia has "resorted to deploying the full range of military firepower on its own territory" as rebel groups attack, the UK defense ministry said.
www.businessinsider.com
onetimer
Veteran Member
The Russian rebels in the Belgorod/Bilhorod Oblast achieved with less than 500 fighters absolute chaos along the border. Hit-and-run, next target, destroy regime bases and soldiers, next target, rinse and repeat. This is exactly how a rebel army operates, until it establishes permanent bases.
On top of that, the whole episode showed how weak Russia has become. And no, only fools tell you that this is the way to defend a border. It is not. You preemptively strike at the first sign when seeing the enemy to mass troops along the border, especially in wartime.
This event forced redeployments of the Russian regime army which would have been needed along the frontlines in Ukraine. That alone is already another Russian regime defeat.
View: https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1664972810383507458?t=-F-vVvudPNJ6lAVRpRVUOA&s=19
On top of that, the whole episode showed how weak Russia has become. And no, only fools tell you that this is the way to defend a border. It is not. You preemptively strike at the first sign when seeing the enemy to mass troops along the border, especially in wartime.
This event forced redeployments of the Russian regime army which would have been needed along the frontlines in Ukraine. That alone is already another Russian regime defeat.
View: https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1664972810383507458?t=-F-vVvudPNJ6lAVRpRVUOA&s=19
Good points, but .... Actually, due to entropy, I think we'd be worse off regardless of any other motion or system shifts. It's almost the same thing as loss of line voltage when transmitting electricity (clearly not the best example one could use), or maybe the inexplicable loss during distilling of the "angel's share".
So the best we can consider is treading water but losing headway, or absorb the same loss while we're trying to improve our situation. The conundrum: if we're not transmitting electricity, there's no loss of line voltage, but there's no work being done.
bw
Fringe Ranger
What?
Well, gosh, to me it's inexplicable! LOL Old moonshiner's term, I guess -- at least the moonshiners who went on to become creators of bourbon and other spirits which needed aging in oaken barrels.
Whereas classic moonshiners age in jars as their product tends to go down the hatch a bit quicker.
Cedar Lake
Connecticut Yankee
The war drums are ramping up again.The Pretend Phase of Cold War II Is Over
America is now openly in a cold war with China and Russia. Here is a list of indicators that would demonstrate American seriousness about tackling this challenge.
by Dan Negrea James Jay Carafano
National Interest
June 2 2023
Great power competition is old hat. Systemic rivals are already passe. The Second Cold War has started. China and Russia started it. It is past time to acknowledge this and start fighting back.
The Chinese regime is an existential threat to the peace and prosperity of the United States and its allies, partners, and friends. Xi Jinping’s appetites are global—from occupying democratic Taiwan to reshaping land borders with India, from redrawing maritime boundaries with its neighbors to imposing strategic dependencies on other nations and blackmailing them economically—all the while building both nuclear and conventional forces to intimidate any opposition.
Xi also greenlit Vladimir Putin’s aggressive war against Ukraine and forged a de facto alliance between China and Russia. Over the past decade, the two autocrats have held an astonishing forty one-on-one meetings—a frequency surpassing their engagements with any other foreign leader by more than twofold. While the United States and other democratic countries were isolating Putin diplomatically, Xi paid a visit to Moscow in March of this year, concluding his trip with a remarkable statement: “Right now there are changes—the likes of which we haven't seen for 100 years—and we are the ones driving these changes together.” The Russian president agreed. Russia, in short, has made itself part of the China challenge.
The thought of living in a world dominated by China and Russia is intolerable to Americans and all freedom-loving peoples. Like any war, a cold war is a contest of will between determined, committed adversaries. It is high time that the United States and its allies start fighting back. We thought long and hard for the list of indicators that would demonstrate America was serious about protecting its interest from the onslaught of aggressive forces that want to remake the world. Here is what we came up with.
The Biden administration has never communicated clearly to the American people and the world what we are up against. When it comes to China, Biden’s mantra is weak tea a decade out of date: “compete where we must, but cooperate where we can.” When it comes to Russia, Biden declares the United States will “support Ukraine as long as it takes,” without giving thought to explaining in detail what the plan to deal with Moscow as a threat in the long term. This makes our adversaries sound more like a nuisance than a threat, akin to saying that it’s not our business what Hannibal Lecter does next door, as long as we don’t go over for dinner.
That does not cut it. China has 1.4 billion people, the second-largest economy in the world by various measurements, and a nuclear arsenal that will soon rival that of the United States and Russia. They already dominate many of the world’s most critical supply chains. Beijing is a destabilizing influence on every continent. It is among the world’s worst dictatorial regimes, abusers of human rights, and polluters. Russia is a nuclear peer, meddles in every theater where the United States has vital and important interests, and has violated every norm of responsible behavior. If we can’t label them the cold war adversaries they are—we have lost before we begin.
Secure Your Own Territory
What nation leaves its borders wide open in times of cold war? This is madness. Under Biden’s presidency millions of illegal aliens from all over the world are pouring into the United States through our southern border. In 2022 alone, the Customs and Border Patrol encountered almost 100 people on the terrorist watchlist. Apprehensions of Chinese nationals, many of them men of military age, crossing into the United States illegally are up over 800 percent over the same period last fiscal year. Nobody checks their backgrounds and they are released into the United States on their own recognizance with a court date to be determined at some point in the future. Until America regains control over its open southern border, no nation in the world will believe America is serious about defending its interests.
Claim the Moral High Ground
America is in a contest with brutal dictatorships. The Biden administration must stop describing its China policy as competition, confrontation, and cooperation. This language implies an equivalence between the United States, a democratic country that respects international law, and Xi’s China, a brutal dictatorship that routinely violates key international norms, including through its support for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Biden administration should communicate more about America’s freedom and achievements and less about its flaws. Some of the criticism of America’s shortcomings undermines the legitimacy, cohesion, and confidence of the American polity. It simply must be stopped.
Strengthen Deterrence
America cannot prevail unless we demonstrate the will to defend America’s interests. That’s not done by being the world’s policeman, babysitter, or any other metaphor. It is not about muscular actions like regime change or supposed “nation-building.” Nor does the United States have any inherent responsibility to protect some illusory world order. It is simply this: we must have armed forces with the capacity to protect America’s vital interests and be unafraid in our determination to safeguard them.
Grow and Protect the Economy
America can’t win without economic might. Too many Biden economic actions, from energy policies to inflation and infrastructure, have made the economy worse and ballooned our national debt. We must adopt policies that foster economic growth at home, including unleashing American energy, tax cuts to incentivize entrepreneurs, and targeted deregulation. Economic security is national security.
We must expand the safeguards that prevent China from exploiting America’s economy. We are efficient today at stopping Chinese companies that want to invest in U.S. companies in national security-sensitive sectors. We must also prevent U.S. investments in Chinese companies related in any way to the military or repression establishments in the People’s Republic.
Challenge Allies to do a Lot More
Putin’s war in Ukraine served as a global wake-up call for America’s allies. For instance, twenty countries in Europe are increasing their defense spending—but the figures ultimately amount to only about one percent in real growth over last year’s level.
The willingness to spend more on defense is not the long pole in the European tent—the big challenges are inflation, energy costs, debt servicing, and weak economies. There are serious fiscal structural challenges to Europe spending a lot more on its own defense. This is a key point because it’s not just about telling Europe to “defend yourself because the United States has to pivot to Asia.” Post the Ukraine war, Europe now agrees that it must do more for its own defense.
America’s task nowadays is to encourage Europe to overcome self-imposed constraints on economic growth. This is particularly true regarding energy, where the “green agenda” is hamstringing Europe—energy prices are so high now that there are serious concerns that European companies will move to countries with cheaper energy, resulting in the old continent deindustrializing.
Make the Case for a Freedom-Based Development Model
The unfortunate reality is that many developing countries have little interest in joining one camp or the other on the basis of ideals such as freedom. Their primary focus is on lifting the standard of living of their people. America must be very clear that our free market economic system is superior to the Chinese economic model controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and to the Russian model controlled by the kleptocracy in the Kremlin.
Contra popular notions, the China-Russia model has less to offer. In 2021, the United State’s GDP per capita was $63,670. In stark contrast, after seventy-four years of Communist Party rule and twenty-three years of Putinism, Russia’s level was $27,960. And after seventy-two years under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, China’s was only $16,997.
America ought to partner with developing countries to help them on the path of prosperity, not write blank checks of foreign aid. Economic partnerships that encourage foreign direct investment are the better answer for development. Partnerships are the answer even on security matters: Active diplomacy, encouraging foreign direct investment, security cooperation on strategic projects, and building stronger bridges can do more than raw military force.
Check the Checklist
When Washington starts delivering policies that achieve the ends we have laid out here, it will be a sign the United States is serious about winning the new cold war. Until then, we are just a target.
Dan Negrea is the senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Freedom and Prosperity Center. He served at the U.S. Department of State in leadership positions in the Policy Planning Office and the Economic Bureau.
Dr. James Jay Carafano is a Heritage Foundation vice president, directing the think tank’s research on issues of national security and foreign relations.
The Pretend Phase of Cold War II Is Over
nationalinterest.org
onetimer
Veteran Member
Yep!
There are speculations about the Ukrainian Army being ready to restore Moldova’s territorial integrity by taking out the 1500 Russian soldiers stationed in Transnistria if a request comes from Moldova
Zelensky advises the Russians in Transnistria to flee if they want to live.
View: https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1664999710963163136?t=oOJ_vMGZ6Cxek_Wed8rTIw&s=19
tactical maps and info on the invasion of russia proper by the anti-regime forces
basically, it is to draw forces away from the Zaporozhe/Crimea front .
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SwN6Tr8zDs
basically, it is to draw forces away from the Zaporozhe/Crimea front .
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
Russia is apparently gassing NATO in Ukraine on $67 billion a year. Which is about a quarter of what their enemies are throwing at them.
Beyond showing that Russia can fight this war until doomsday, this is a damning indictment of Western MIC bloat.
View: https://twitter.com/ArmchairW/status/1664813780298244096?cxt=HHwWgIDR_YDUzZouAAAA
Beyond showing that Russia can fight this war until doomsday, this is a damning indictment of Western MIC bloat.
View: https://twitter.com/ArmchairW/status/1664813780298244096?cxt=HHwWgIDR_YDUzZouAAAA
WTSR
Veteran Member
"Contra popular notions, the China-Russia model has less to offer. In 2021, the United State’s GDP per capita was $63,670. In stark contrast, after seventy-four years of Communist Party rule and twenty-three years of Putinism, Russia’s level was $27,960. And after seventy-two years under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, China’s was only $16,997."
That's a bunch of smoke, the rates of inflation here are driving the people broke.
People here have yet to realize that the we are more communist than the Chicoms.
That's a bunch of smoke, the rates of inflation here are driving the people broke.
People here have yet to realize that the we are more communist than the Chicoms.
Doc1
Has No Life - Lives on TB
On a related note you should all remember the various ammunition and component shortages we've experienced in recent years. There was the .22 ammo shortage, the primer shortage and the general ammunition shortage. All of these, though not equal currently, are still ongoing to one degree or another. Where individual items are available now, prices have generally skyrocketed from the previous norm.
It's important to realize that there is now an pan-international effort to gear up for war. To a greater degree than many realize, US civilian shooters will be affected by this: A great deal of US civilian ammunition is sourced from foreign suppliers. Further, American ammunition manufacturing companies are gearing up for .mil production. As a very simple example, consider that .270 ammunition is not a military caliber and isn't used by armies anywhere. Companies that currently produce this are almost certainly going to shut down their .270 production lines and switch to whatever is required by military demands. The same is true for other calibers and (especially) primers. Also, consider that production of .mil calibers widely used by the civilian market, such as 9mm, 5.56 and 7.62 NATO will likely be diverted to military logistics channels.
The bottom line is that this portends yet another future ammunition shortage and one possibly greater than anything we've experienced so far. In WWII, there was virtually nothing available to civilian shooters. I recall reading one story of a man who had illicitly acquired a supply of .mil .30 carbine ammunition during the war. He didn't own a .30 carbine, but desperately needed primers and spent an inordinate amount of time painstakingly pulling bullets, emptying the powder from the cases (and saving it) and then - almost unbelievably - carefully lathe turning the cases one by one to salvage each precious primer!
I would strongly recommend that our readers immediately begin acquiring whatever ammunition and components they think they'll need for at least the next several years.
Best
Doc
It's important to realize that there is now an pan-international effort to gear up for war. To a greater degree than many realize, US civilian shooters will be affected by this: A great deal of US civilian ammunition is sourced from foreign suppliers. Further, American ammunition manufacturing companies are gearing up for .mil production. As a very simple example, consider that .270 ammunition is not a military caliber and isn't used by armies anywhere. Companies that currently produce this are almost certainly going to shut down their .270 production lines and switch to whatever is required by military demands. The same is true for other calibers and (especially) primers. Also, consider that production of .mil calibers widely used by the civilian market, such as 9mm, 5.56 and 7.62 NATO will likely be diverted to military logistics channels.
The bottom line is that this portends yet another future ammunition shortage and one possibly greater than anything we've experienced so far. In WWII, there was virtually nothing available to civilian shooters. I recall reading one story of a man who had illicitly acquired a supply of .mil .30 carbine ammunition during the war. He didn't own a .30 carbine, but desperately needed primers and spent an inordinate amount of time painstakingly pulling bullets, emptying the powder from the cases (and saving it) and then - almost unbelievably - carefully lathe turning the cases one by one to salvage each precious primer!
I would strongly recommend that our readers immediately begin acquiring whatever ammunition and components they think they'll need for at least the next several years.
Best
Doc
Last edited:
You post well.
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I was thinking the same thing. Could it be we are all from the same state? LOL
May not be that easy - recall an article on troops in Transnistria - while around 1500 Russians the local force is around 15,000. Still it is an area that is almost impossible for Russia to reinforce - but Ukraine looking for ANY PR WIN might view this as an option. Their are under enormous pressure to - DO SOMETHING - cross border raids just don't cut it as the end result of Billions in military aid. As for the storage - before they would let Ukraine take it - it would likely no longer exists.
Ukraine's - Former Air Defenses:
sonar21.com
Russia continues to pummel Ukrainian positions throughout the country and Ukraine continues to insist that it is shooting down Russian missiles and that the Russian attacks are inconsequential. Well, as Chris Berman of ESPN was fond of saying, “let’s go to the video tape.” The following video provides clear evidence that Ukraine’s air defense system is not working (you can see the launches from Patriot or IRIS batteries) and that Russia is blasting the Ukrainian air defense system into smithereens.
Russia Cancels More Ukrainian Air Defenses While the U.S. Admits the Economy is stalling - A Son of the New American Revolution
Russia continues to pummel Ukrainian positions throughout the country and Ukraine continues to insist that it is shooting down Russian missiles and that the Russian attacks are inconsequential. Well, as...
sonar21.com
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Talk about how many ways to start World War 3!
There are speculations about the Ukrainian Army being ready to restore Moldova’s territorial integrity by taking out the 1500 Russian soldiers stationed in Transnistria if a request comes from Moldova
Zelensky advises the Russians in Transnistria to flee if they want to live.
Doc1
Has No Life - Lives on TB
In 80 years, you will be able to get rid of the Bolsheviks, like Russia
. . . and find that you are still communist.
wait-n-see
Veteran Member
Blinken trolls Russian military, Putin failure. Wallace, out of weapons. Petkov-Ursula scandal.
Run time - 34:40
Jun 3, 2023
I am sure it is.
northern watch
TB Fanatic
northern watch
TB Fanatic
One must ask the question
"Did he omit the requirement for Transgender Themed Amusement Parks intentionally, or was it a simple oversight?"
(because you absolutely know that it must be in the terms of surrender)
Knoxville's Joker
Has No Life - Lives on TB
So how do they ramp up the production gap between them and Russia? Once stockpiles are depleted you are literally waiting for shipments to get arms. They learned that one in the Napoleonic and Prussian wars.
You're absolutely correct. Central planning not only tends to create its own inertia; it's the heavy favorite of bureaucrats everywhere.
Ridding themselves of the Bolsheviks but leaving all the agencies and bureaucrats in place is a hard lesson but one which needs to sink in to the very core.
Not as easy as it may seem, with adversaries in control of the raw materials.
Ask the fascist warmongers an open-ended question and you get a "Oh, that's Ukraine's decision" answer.
Ask something about the future of Ukraine or the path towards peace and you get a clear "no".
Why is one subject only for Ukraine to answer but every chance they get, the warmongers stick a wrench in the spokes?
I know, I know ..... dumb question.
Knoxville's Joker
Has No Life - Lives on TB
And I hope that causes some nationalist pushes for insourcing production. They had to learn that as well in those waay back when wars too...
northern watch
TB Fanatic
I would think that Zelensky did not touch Transgender Themed Amusement Parks as that would stir up the Orthodox Church.
northern watch
TB Fanatic
So how do they ramp up the production gap between them and Russia? NATO countries must put themselves on a war economy, no more social handouts.
Right now, I do not see any signs the Western nations are moving away from their socialist policies.
Last edited:
Can you give a little more detail on Napoleonic and Prussian wars.