Lyubov

what alternative?

The result of this? We don't know because we don't have a crystal ball, the fine balance of everything is being shaken up. There will probably be more conflict but also some problems might be resolved from it. We will have to see. I think USA will become weaker overall and there will be zones of influence instead of the globe working towards rules based order. We already have different internet from China, we will see the China sphere expand when they move into Taiwan, USA will throw fits with it's democratic partner states like Canada and Mexico who it no wants more control over, and Russia will regain some territory from the Soviet times and have more say over Europe, which will develop it's own army and potentially meet Russia in war in the baltics or Ukraine for a second time, I don't see this peace deal lasting if there is one.

I personally think the best way of understanding this is not by throwing around labels like devil or saying Trump is a Putin puppet. Trump aligns with Putin because he has a dictator perspective, he sees himself above the law and respects Putin for that. Trump has a isolationist world view because he thinks the ally countries are ripping the USA off and keeping tensions between Russia going. He has a very simplistic world view of things about how he wants to throw blame at anyone bringing complexity and nuance to an issue and hearing all sides and would rather just side with who he vibes with. It's the same as voters, how they vote off vibes, Trump lives his life the same way when it comes to policy and governing. He thinks slimming the country down from these engagements will make America more effective and he doesn't have the development to actually realize governing these issues requires deep complex thinking and coalition building. He's on the side of Israel and sends weapons there because their lobby buys his campaign, Ukraine doesn't do that and isn't able to lobby the same. He also sees the modern Europe world view as a threat to his authoritarian style, which they back Ukraine, and Trump is a petty contrarian as well so of course he's going to just play big table bully. Trump would rather just cut some dirty big power deal with Russia or China without any dialogue rather than work with smaller ally countries under the democratic process which is what's necessary in order to have so many allies and alliances like the USA does/did.

Europe equally fucked up as well. Trump has been salivating over leaving NATO for ages. It should have been a wake up call the moment you saw he was running again to get your shit in order, way before that, back in 2022. It’s time for Europe to build an army. Not these stupid summits which they never do anything after.

I mean, I don’t entirely disagree with you up until your last sentence which is pointless and a bit ridiculous to say. I don’t see how giving up on Ukraine keeps China from starting a war with Taiwan. This literally shows that with the switch in administration, support can be dropped. Ukraine being sold out basically means all China has to do is start shit and wait for the American public to get tired. Trump won’t do shit about anything. NATO is dead at this point. USA has tarnished its image beyond repair after Trump diplomacy. I don’t even see how anyone can see this leading to diminished perks for us as citizens. I await the eventually war in Asia and USA citizens just sitting by surprised.

It’s difficult to have a productive discussion on left criticisms usually because a lot of contrarian and dishonest Trumpist brain rot capitalizes on this. Self reflection of the left is something that should only take place and be open to people on this level of development, otherwise lower stage right wing weaponize it.

You label it as escalating, I see it as defending against an aggressor country that attacked another country. You don’t get to play the victim card when you yourself are the aggressor. In addition Putin is the one escalating while Ukraine is defending, the very logic of escalating doesn’t apply when you are the defending country having another one come into your land and try to topple you.

I think Trump will try something when it’s time for the next election. He will either try to call the elections off and put JD in as a fake president while he rules de facto or he will try to twist things so radically and make up some reason to stay in. And it will cause some crisis because the entire system is grid locked and rotted. Jan 6th basically proves the entire Republican base thinks he’s above the law and can do anything. He will try something again most likely.

Dems really need a strong leader, the entire dem campaign should be about arresting and imprisoning Trump, they don’t play dirty enough.

Because it’s clear these peace talks are disingenuous and ignorant altruism born from the ineptitude and near sidedness of the Trump administration looking for a quick political victory. This is an issue that requires contemplation and a strong coalition of everyone involved especially NATO and the countries that comprise of it. Arrogance and overconfidence from the orange man, repeating the same silly talking points that “this never would have happened if I was president” which his brain rotted moronic voters eat up. Just a terrible way to go about ending a massive and nuanced conflict that could spiral again into a bigger one, which if Trump does indeed rush this and give concessions to Russia there’s a good chance Russia will attack Ukraine again and this time Europe will probably get dragged in. No one is against peace talks. It’s just clear to anyone with half a brain who has done some research on every aspect of this that the USA is going about this the entirely wrong way. I don’t have a crystal ball but given the damage that has been done to the trust of NATO / USA, Putin is going to rebuild his army and test NATO in 5-10 years form now, probably attack a Baltic state or enter Ukraine with European peace keeping troops, and dare the USA to respond, which they probably won’t given the direction this administration is going. No one is against peace talks, they are against appeasing an aggressor that has zero intention of peace, Russia is clearly not serious at all about peace talks, they want capitulation. Russia knows it can sit and play the attrition game and it’s only a matter of time for the grid locked and dysfunctional western political process to fuck up and fall apart. So what does that mean for the future? Europe building an army, Ukraine a constant conflict zone and the real possibility of Europe vs Russia in the next 5-10 years.

It’s blatant corruption but I do think Elon has some higher values compared to say an oil tycoon who just rapes the land. He helped create a EV car company and has spoken on climate change. He’s definitely corrupted but I would rank him above most Trump bureaucrats based on development. Much of the Trump camp is pure fundamentalist brain rot. Elon has stooped down to them but still serves some purpose.

That was 2 years ago…. Wars change you know? What are you even on about? A lot has happened since 2023. No one has been saying Ukraine has the upper hand since spring 2023 before their failed counter offensive. Western media has been saying Ukraine is in a dire situation for a while now. You’re just throwing out falsehoods now to back up your point.

Many of you blabber about how “AMERICA HEGEMONY BAD” as if somehow making it fair for Russia is going to lead to a more peaceful world. They are going to keep coming for more land. Some of you guys in here can barely stomach supporting Ukraine with your tax dollars. You think such people will stand and fight in a war? I don’t possibly see Europeans having a stomach to stand up and fight when Russia rolls in. More of Ukraine and the Baltics are next. NATO is done after Trump. Europe start arming yourself.

Russia can only spin so many plates at once. They aren’t trying to hit NATO with a knock out punch. It’s not possible and they don’t have the resources for that. They are trying to undermine NATO and exploit fractures in it. Someone like Trump weakens the alliance so much with his ambiguity and clear lack of support. You’re telling me a Trump lead USA will lead NATO to defending itself or giving an appropriate response if say Putin fires a few missles at Estonia or Poland or sink a few ships in the Black Sea? He will hand wave it and say they haven’t paid enough for our protection and the alliance will be basically dead even if it’s still on paper. He isn’t trying to conquer Europe. He’s trying to chip away at it and claim parts of countries closer to his sphere of influence.

1) I don’t believe Russia will ever agree to that nor would it occur in reality even if they agreed to it in some form on paper. Russia has no incentive concede anything nor are they in the position to now. Trump just wants a bullshit ceasefire for a quick political win and Russia will build up its army again and go back in. 2) This is why this situation is so fucked. It’s like one of those animal traps where if the animal moves it gets more and more stuck. There is no clear path towards lasting peace from this. The only path there is for Europe is to prepare for an inevitability bigger war with Russia. I’ve accepted that there is going to be another war there and am just hoping Europe starts preparing for it; that’s all.

What’s mutually beneficial to Ukraine or the USA by abandoning an ally and setting up a peace deal that’s likely to be broken by Russia the moment they smell weakness? which is exactly what this is. A cease fire benefits Russia just as much because they will be able to rebuild and there is absolutely nothing to trust about them saying they are fine with whatever deal is reached. It’s pretty clear in their minds they believe they are entitled to annex land from all countries that were part of the Soviet Union. You mention the uncertainty about borders and of course that’s true but how is that an excuse to agree to a flimsy peace deal? That’s not how to navigate uncertainty, not by chasing flimsy political wins with morons by parading how you’re saving lives. Stopping killing in the short term this way will lead to far more dead and the destruction of several countries in the 2030s. What we have now is division and what will amount to a cease fire where a wider war will start again because all the unsustainable conditions are there for a new war to start the moment Russia can build back its military with Chinese tech and recruit more minority soldiers from the stans of Russia and North Korea. Russia plans to expand its borders more or less up until they reach where the iron curtain geographically stood. In their minds it’s their land and they are entitled to rule over it and take it back by force. They will wait for an idiot like Trump to weaken relations and then test NATO by shooting some missiles at Poland or something and then gage the response. They will poke for weaknesses until they feel comfortable to go into the baltics and further into Ukraine. This is exactly what will happen if Putin gets what he wants.

That’s a draft. Tons of draft dodgers. Most people don’t want to die for their state or country. You cannot escape responsibility to your state. You either honor the draft or you dodge it and pay the consequences.

Very nearsighted. What makes you think this peace will last? What’s being set up now is for this conflict to freeze and turn into a bigger war in 5-10 years from now. A rushed ceasefire by Trump to get a quick political win with his stupid voters is not a long term solution.

It's exploitative for sure. The only way out is to uplift men so they don't spend money on this. They are willingly giving money away to these leeches.

People eat this shit up too. It’s hilarious. They are corrupt too. The crazy thing is in their minds they see themselves as saviors.

This seems sort of oddly reasoned though. You would prefer to live in a world with a strong China? They aren’t exactly a bastion of human rights nor are any of their decision making aligned with your economic wellbeing. A weaker US means a more fragile and economically unstable life for yourself. This power going to China does not mean a more peaceful world. If anything ensuring an emboldened and strengthened China starting a war to take back Taiwan. Do you understand that a stronger China actually means more likelihood of war there? China wants to expand. Read their doctrine. If anything we should be keeping USA strong and working to bring about fair values and harmony form a place a strength. Not giving away power to despots who will do what the US does and even more to strengthen their states at the expense of everyone else. The thing is the USA is being overtaken by a despot and is starting to have wet dreams about expanding itself, get ready for USA / China / Russia to eat their neighbors, Russia has already started. We are headed towards a bi polar world where two powers have expanded up against each other and are in a Cold War.

Really? I found them to feel sort of cheap, creaky plastic. It didn’t feel like a solid car. There were some perks about them for sure and the engineering is cool. I like how silent they are and how seamless the experience is. Other than that I wasn’t as wow’d as other people though.

He’s a massive attention whore.

I think Biden should not attend this inauguration. They are so steeped in tradition and this softness they think keeps things safe and in order. This guy literally tried to overthrow the government last time. Democracy is dead. Dems need to forge a new and strong way forward to cut through this bullshit.

How do you explain the Baltics, Romania and Poland then? All previously under the shadow of Moscow, all stage blue orthodox / catholic, all previously ran by despots, and experienced a fraction of the interference while building their modern democratic states. You’re just playing into your own confirmation bias. After their revolution (Ukraine) it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for them. Russia has been fucking with them at every step, creating division that the USA has barely got a taste of. Russia’s economy is not evidence that democracy is a failure in Ukraine. They have tremendous resources and are geographically much more self reliant no matter what due to the cards they were given. Who’s to say they wouldn’t be more successful if they adopted democratic principles in the 90s and cracked down on corruption an oligarchs who formed their country in the 90s? Your last point makes little sense, as opposed to “the Ukraine” being sold off to Russian corporations? What western corporations have damaged Romania, Poland, and the Baltics? They enjoy a higher standard of living on average than most Russians. Russian soldiers even reported being shocked going into Ukraine and seeing how Ukraine roads were paved and how much nicer their home appliances were. What’s this big bad boogeyman west with better economics than Russia going to do to ruin Ukraine other than it not being a puppet state for rebuilding the fantasy of the Russian empire?