Prediction Thread: When Will Ukraine Conquer Russia

[Berzerker]

Where was NATO when the US (prez Bush) launched its neocon crusade in Iraq 2003 Berz?

Nato is ostensibly a defensive alliance, the main players in Nato nonetheless helped in that war. If you dont think the USA runs Nato, who does?

[Berzerker]

Its 2024 and Libya/Iraq weren't Nato operations

[BeBMan]

France even left NATO for a while, at least the military part. Aside from back and forth diplo-moaning nothing happened back then, except the NATO HQ moving from Paris to Brussels. When Hungary had the idea to leave the Warsaw Pact in 1956 otoh Soviet tanks moved in...

[BeBMan]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68056939

Some people have strange ideas

[pchang]

Also, France made us fly around their airspace when we bombed Libya back in 1986.

[Ming]

He was just repeating something he saw in an internet video.
He had nothing else to add to the previous post, so he just bailed with more internet nonsense

[Geronimo]

The USA runs Nato

Where was NATO when the US (prez Bush) launched its neocon crusade in Iraq 2003 Berz?

[Berzerker]

The US didn't decline. The pushback was all from Russia's neighbors already in NATO. The US *did* decline to pressure cajole or otherwise convince Russia's neighbors to committing to a speedy acceptance on Russia's special terms. If you recall, Russia insisted that its accession to NATO involve immediate accession of Russia without any of the official process setout in NATOs charter and structural agreements other than the immediate vote for membership. I certainly think the US should have run with it. The US could have threatened to leave if Russia were not accepted. That would probably have been enough to make it work. However the Bush and Obama administrations were both cowards and never pushed for NATO to make the request by Russia for special treatment in joining NATO work. That's not at all the same as "the US declined". The US likely, almost certainly in fact, would have voted yes but the vote would never even occur because massive opposition to Russia's demand for special treatment in joining by the newer members who all had to jump through the painful official hoops and by almost all of Russia's neighbors who frankly publicly didn't trust Russia at all. Russia never joining NATO was certainly a shame but the US was hardly the obstacle. Of course Putin is seldom surprised and it's quite possible he knew his demands would be rejected and his request was insincere but the US probably could have made him prove it.

The USA runs Nato

[Berzerker]

Was/is... neocons want was, not is... Hows that pipeline doing, Joe cares for the environment. The only Russian Nazi I saw was that Wagner guy on the plane with Prig. In Ukraine the children hail cabs when soldiers drive by.

[pchang]

He heard Berz is against spending tax money on war. So he decided to push as far as he can.

[pchang]

Molon labe

[Geronimo]

It's a standard ploy... make up lies, and then try to steal more land.
Like they did in Crimea and then even more of Ukraine once they got away with it the first time.

How incredibly effing stupid would be they have to be to actually do anything with his absurd claim. I have no idea in this case why he's talking about this and hope someone comes up with a plausible explanation.

[Ming]

It's a standard ploy... make up lies, and then try to steal more land.
Like they did in Crimea and then even more of Ukraine once they got away with it the first time.

[Broken_Erika]

Putin stokes tensions with US, declares 1867 sale of Alaska 'illegal'

A brief history of how Alaska became part of the United States: Russia sold it in 1867 for $7.2 million, a deal considered to be mutually beneficial at that time. Nowadays, Alaska, a detached piece of the USA, stands as one of the fifty states constituting the country and has been an integral part of it for over 150 years. Nonetheless, the Russians aren't content with this.​
​https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...4a58b777&ei=18

[Geronimo]

Russia asked to join Nato... The US declined. Now why do you suppose we did that? Didn't want Russian resources fueling Europe.

The US didn't decline. The pushback was all from Russia's neighbors already in NATO. The US *did* decline to pressure cajole or otherwise convince Russia's neighbors to committing to a speedy acceptance on Russia's special terms. If you recall, Russia insisted that its accession to NATO involve immediate accession of Russia without any of the official process setout in NATOs charter and structural agreements other than the immediate vote for membership. I certainly think the US should have run with it. The US could have threatened to leave if Russia were not accepted. That would probably have been enough to make it work. However the Bush and Obama administrations were both cowards and never pushed for NATO to make the request by Russia for special treatment in joining NATO work. That's not at all the same as "the US declined". The US likely, almost certainly in fact, would have voted yes but the vote would never even occur because massive opposition to Russia's demand for special treatment in joining by the newer members who all had to jump through the painful official hoops and by almost all of Russia's neighbors who frankly publicly didn't trust Russia at all. Russia never joining NATO was certainly a shame but the US was hardly the obstacle. Of course Putin is seldom surprised and it's quite possible he knew his demands would be rejected and his request was insincere but the US probably could have made him prove it.