International News Russian War With Ukraine

[werthersoriginal]

Don't act like you're above name calling.

You do it in your own arrogant, snide and elitist way on here and you always have done.

Is he elitist? I think he works for a reggae record company. You seem perfectly articulate and to have plenty of leisure time, I don’t think you’re some untutored street urchin.

 

[Basham Wonderland]

We are not a world power- sorry.

World powers

USA

China

European Union

Japan

India

Brazil

Possibly - because of resources or other geopolitical necessities

Saudi Arabia

Iran

Israel

I too can pull a list of G20 countries out of my a**e...

Iran a "world power" with more sway that the UK? What is this absolute hogwash you've come up with.

 

[The Voice Of Reason]

He's just trolling, and he does it well.

Thing is, if Trump leaves NATO it's probably a dead duck. We'd have to go in with Germany, France, and other countries of that continent to form a defence union, not sure what we'd call the organization.

Trump won't pull out of NATO

 

[The Voice Of Reason]

There are only two world powers currently, the US and China, all the others are regional powers at best.

Agreed tho it's really China

For the last 50 years they have been very clever, in the background.

So.much so they own huge amounts of USA debt

 

[Oslernorth]

There are only two world powers currently, the US and China, all the others are regional powers at best.

You have to add the EU to that list, even without Britain’s participation. It’s a wealthy market of 500m million citizens, and is/would be, considered an equal partner in any trade deal with either China or the USA.

 

[holdsteady]

You have to add the EU to that list, even without Britain’s participation. It’s a wealthy market of 500m million citizens, and is/would be, considered an equal partner in any trade deal with either China or the USA.

It’s not just trade though is it? It’s not got any military power to back it up and it’s not got the power of a single entity like the other two.

 

[holdsteady]

Agreed tho it's really China

For the last 50 years they have been very clever, in the background.

So.much so they own huge amounts of USA debt

That’s not true is it? The idea that the most powerful military nation on earth is not a world power is a bit mental. It’s still the most powerful nation on earth, has huge reach financially, militarily and culturally.

 

[Foley]

You have to add the EU to that list, even without Britain’s participation. It’s a wealthy market of 500m million citizens, and is/would be, considered an equal partner in any trade deal with either China or the USA.

Not sure about that at all.
Sure it is an economic power ( far less influential than the US and China). But Europe can't defend Ukraine against Russia without huge help from the US.
European defence is fragmented ( many of the Countries don't contribute their share- one of the things that Trump is right about).

 

[Marked Ox]

If this is true/accurate, I doubt Ukraine will be agreeing to anything and war will continue. If Trump pushes this then he really would be Putin's useful idiot and Moldova will be next.

 

[Basham Wonderland]

If this is true/accurate, I doubt Ukraine will be agreeing to anything and war will continue. If Trump pushes this then he really would be Putin's useful idiot and Moldova will be next.

In another 10 years, when Moldova (or Georgia again) really is next, Russia will have replenished their manpower and the good Ukrainian work done to date will be for nothing.

That's why we should be getting some boots on the ground and pushing them back, with France and Poland.

 

[werthersoriginal]

If this is true/accurate, I doubt Ukraine will be agreeing to anything and war will continue. If Trump pushes this then he really would be Putin's useful idiot and Moldova will be next.

'Western Ukraine would be labeled “disputed territories,” with decisions on these areas left to negotiations involving Hungary, Poland, and Romania'. Putin has got his man in place in Hungary, while a far right eurosceptic is doing well in Romania. Putin's puppets really are everywhere, including in the UK, doing his work for him.

 

[chuckbert]

boots on the ground

 

[Basham Wonderland]

View attachment 23746

Thanks, and thank you to Shutterstock.com for hosting the image too.

Shutterstock - for all your .jpeg needs.

 

[chuckbert]

Thanks, and thank you to Shutterstock.com for hosting the image too.

Shutterstock - for all your .jpeg needs.

I come from an army family with close members who’ve been in armed conflicts, and have been evacuated from a warzone myself as a child. This “boots on the ground” armchair bravado doesn’t cut it.

 

[werthersoriginal]

I come from an army family with close members who’ve been in armed conflicts, and have been evacuated from a warzone myself as a child. This “boots on the ground” armchair bravado doesn’t cut it.

Oh, he was enjoying that

 

[Basham Wonderland]

I come from an army family with close members who’ve been in armed conflicts, and have been evacuated from a warzone myself as a child. This “boots on the ground” armchair bravado doesn’t cut it.

Maybe not for you, but everyone is allowed an opinion. People willingly sign up for the forces knowing there is a chance of combat. Their whole purpose is to defend and attack aggressors. The time has come.

 

[Eric Blair]

Maybe not for you, but everyone is allowed an opinion. People willingly sign up for the forces knowing there is a chance of combat. Their whole purpose is to defend and attack aggressors. The time has come.

It's true that everyone is allowed an opinion but it's also true that opinions can be challenged

 

[holdsteady]

If someone comes on here who has military service does that mean that view wins the top trumps? Until someone who has fought in more wars perhaps?

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Trump wants more money going towards NATO from other countries with the US not being seen as the provider.
He is pushing for that basically.

 

[Basham Wonderland]

It's true that everyone is allowed an opinion but it's also true that opinions can be challenged

That's right. I'm more than happy to read Chuckbert's opinion. We were challenging eachother.

 

[Deleted member 2689]

British boots on the ground is a fantastic cost cutting idea. We won't have to worry about pensions or support for PTSD.
Absolute insanity. This war is meat grinder. We don't have the men. We don't have the artillery. Instead of investing to support Ukraine long term with increased 155mm manufacturing, we've sent a few fancy Storm Shadows and hoped that'll do the trick.
It's dawning on Europe that maybe Trump has a point and for all our snide remarks, America has been the mighty backbone of NATO from the very start. And that hasn't changed.

 

[chuckbert]

Maybe not for you, but everyone is allowed an opinion. People willingly sign up for the forces knowing there is a chance of combat. Their whole purpose is to defend and attack aggressors. The time has come.

That's right. I'm more than happy to read Chuckbert's opinion. We were challenging eachother.

I’m not really challenging opinions, I’m challenging how people refer to deployment of troops in this wannabe-Montgomery style. Too many years of Victor, Warlord and Sun headlines. It cheapens the potential sacrifice those people are making on our behalf. People sign up because they want to defend our country, and that bravery deserves respect and acknowledgement of what’s really at stake. IMNSHO.

 

[Isle of Wight Yellow]

It would be absolutely insane if we sent British soldiers to go and die in Ukraine. Luckily, there seems to be almost no chance of that happening

 

[Village-Yellow]

If someone comes on here who has military service does that mean that view wins the top trumps? Until someone who has fought in more wars perhaps?

I actually do think it gives them a much better understanding of the impact of war.

We can all see the news on TV etc, and form an armchair opinion. However, as someone who has no personal or family experience of the impact of war, I am not sure my own views can be on a par with someone who has either personal experiences of the horror of war/conflict or experienced such horrors vicariously through friends and family members.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[Village-Yellow]

I come from an army family with close members who’ve been in armed conflicts, and have been evacuated from a warzone myself as a child. This “boots on the ground” armchair bravado doesn’t cut it.

I wouldn't admit to living in Swindon too often, if I were you.

I was born in Luton and I am still traumatised, even though I too was evacuated as an infant.

 

[holdsteady]

I actually do think it gives them a much better understanding of the impact of war.

We can all see the news on TV etc, and form an armchair opinion. However, as someone who has no personal or family experience of the impact of war, I am not sure my own views can be on a par with someone who has either personal experiences of the horror of war/conflict or experienced such horrors vicariously through friends and family members.

Just my opinion of course.

It obviously does, but we don't insist that the defence minister has served in the armed forces so I don't see why someone can't have an opinion on her without doing so?

People on here have had ago at who Trump has picked for his cabinet, but his equivalent of our defence minister has served in the military while ours has been a lecturer at the open university, no one says anything about that.

 

[Village-Yellow]

It obviously does, but we don't insist that the defence minister has served in the armed forces so I don't see why someone can't have an opinion on her without doing so?

People on here have had ago at who Trump has picked for his cabinet, but his equivalent of our defence minister has served in the military while ours has been a lecturer at the open university, no one says anything about that.

Well the majority of our ministers past and present (generally) all seem to have an element of ineptitude about them that makes me question how they ever got to where they are.

Again, just my opinion.

 

[tonyw]

It obviously does, but we don't insist that the defence minister has served in the armed forces so I don't see why someone can't have an opinion on her without doing so?

People on here have had ago at who Trump has picked for his cabinet, but his equivalent of our defence minister has served in the military while ours has been a lecturer at the open university, no one says anything about that.

It's not just Trump's pick for his administration. The current Defense Secretary (Lloyd Austin) is a 40 year Military veteran, and the two in Trump's previous term (Esper & Mattis) both served in Iraq and saw combat.

There's a much stronger tradition of military leadership going into politics in the US than the UK - and it's widely viewed as a very positive thing, and not just by the nutty rednecks in flyover states.....my wife is a tree-hugging liberal, but she worked with folks from the US military in previous jobs and has a ton of respect for them as a staggeringly competent organization.

Maybe something the UK could copy? A lot of government departments are basically just massive exercises in logistics, which is exactly what the military does best.

 

[windmill]

It's not just Trump's pick for his administration. The current Defense Secretary (Lloyd Austin) is a 40 year Military veteran, and the two in Trump's previous term (Esper & Mattis) both served in Iraq and saw combat.

There's a much stronger tradition of military leadership going into politics in the US than the UK - and it's widely viewed as a very positive thing, and not just by the nutty rednecks in flyover states.....my wife is a tree-hugging liberal, but she worked with folks from the US military in previous jobs and has a ton of respect for them as a staggeringly competent organization.

Maybe something the UK could copy? A lot of government departments are basically just massive exercises in logistics, which is exactly what the military does best.

"Staggeringly competent"? The yanks predicted the UK would need 4 commandos to every Argentinian to take the Falklands. Yeah, right.