Europe under extreme duress

[Griz882]

The Ukraine is one thing, but failing to come to the defense of a “lesser” NATO nation (read Balkans) would mean the end of the organization. If it were to show the world that NATO really means “western” Europe I doubt the club would make it another three years. The odd part is that recent events are driven by something entirely different than old Cold War tensions but more like those before WWII. From my work in history it is interesting to see how fast “The End of History and the Last Man,” Fukuyama, has failed as a theory but what we are seeing isn’t exactly Huntington, “Clash of Civilizations”…or is it? If you read both of them together it paints an interesting story of contemporary politics where we find Biden, an “End of History” kind of guy being challenged by a “Clash of Civilizations” world crisis.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

It is, I'm sure. Mr. Huntington was clearly wiser. Let me quote his "Clash..." 1996 second issue, pp. 167-168:

That election did, however, raise the possibility of the western part of the country seceding from a Ukraine that was drawing closer and closer to Russia. Some Russians might welcome this. As one Russian general put it, “Ukraine or rather Eastern Ukraine will come back in five, ten or fifteen years, Western Ukraine can go to hell!”. Such a rump Uniate and Western-oriented Ukraine, however, would only be viable if it had strong and effective Western support. Such support is, in turn, likely to be forthcoming only if relations between the West and Russia deteriorated seriously and came to resemble those of the Cold War......... The Russian-Ukrainian relationship is to eastern Europe, John Morrison has pointed out, what the Franco-German relationship is to western Europe. Just as the latter provides the core of the European Union, the former is the core essential to unity in the Orthodox world.

It seems that man had used time machine...

 

[Flash]

The Ukraine is one thing, but failing to come to the defense of a “lesser” NATO nation (read Balkans) would mean the end of the organization. If it were to show the world that NATO really means “western” Europe I doubt the club would make it another three years. The odd part is that recent events are driven by something entirely different than old Cold War tensions but more like those before WWII. From my work in history it is interesting to see how fast “The End of History and the Last Man,” Fukuyama, has failed as a theory but what we are seeing isn’t exactly Huntington, “Clash of Civilizations”…or is it? If you read both of them together it paints an interesting story of contemporary politics where we find Biden, an “End of History” kind of guy being challenged by a “Clash of Civilizations” world crisis.

Small point, but 'the Ukraine' is what was used when it was part of the USSR. Now it is just 'Ukraine', for the next few days at least.

 

[Griz882]

Sorry…I was thinking like THE Ohio State University!

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Small point, but 'the Ukraine' is what was used when it was part of the USSR. Now it is just 'Ukraine', for the next few days at least.

Right, and in-Russian there was traditional "going ONTO Ukraine" when Ukranian language rules insist that there should be "going INTO Ukraine". Thus nowadays everyone uses "ION-TO Ukraine" or even simply put "ION" instead of "Ukraine"

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Putin is fucking crazy, that's for sure. Reportedly airstrikes in several major Ukranian cities this early morning

@Flash, you were right

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

All major airports in Ukraine are closed due to the missile strike damages to navigation sites and equipment at about 03.30 CET this morning. Russians went crazy, guys. Never thought they would go so far, but they do. Blossom spring for China, the major beneficiary of all that's happening. Big game started with pandemic from their side steps into hot stage

 

[Random8145]

You have Bulk and Skull in charge of the U.S. right now, Putin is 70, and Ukraine is a major strategic asset for Russia. It supplied a huge amount of food to the Soviet Union during the Cold War and has been known as the "Bread Basket of Europe" for many years, having the most fertile soil in the world. It is a route through which to invade Russia, which might seem ludicrous to us in the West that the Russians would think such but given what the Russians went through during WWII is still something they haven't gotten over, it has other natural resources, and it provides access to the warm water port at Sevastopol.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Gosh, the most fertile soil of the Globe is Italy, but millenia-long used for grape instead of wheat. Russians can create tons of reasons to invade Ukraine but there will be no peace on this land from now on, nor on Russian soil as well

 

[Griz882]

Can’t imagine what’s happening to air traffic here…

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

About 20 Russian Hips are landing troops on airport Gastomel near Kyiv. Some of them damaged by manpads and AAA, but only on the site. Where they came from? Logically it seems that they came from Belarus, since there is just 200 km from BY/UA border to Kyiv. Thus, Belarus involved too. Is there some Marine NA here who'd planned vertical assault for -53s? Is that possible that they made all the way from Russia?

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Airport Gastomel seizured by Russian troops. The world largest airplane An-225 sits there, in Russian hands too. Personnel pushed out of the airport. Gastomel has no military units based on, and never had. This is war...

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Ukranian Army artillery shelled the strips of Gastomel and ruined runways just to prevent 16 or 18 Russian Candids to land there with troops. Note this is essentially Kyiv, this airport and cargo hub is just 14 km from the center of the city. But Russians land forces are attacking the Chernobyl nuke station remnants, reportedly due to suspected Ukranian activity there to produce nuke weaponry, despite the IAEA crowd stationed there permanently.


It seems that I'm sleeping being drunk to death and seeing a vivid stupid dream, or reading fucking sci-fi paperback.

 

[Griz882]

The Russians seem to be spread pretty thin across several fronts. It looks like fewer than 120,000 soldiers to hold and pacify Kyiv…not a pro move. Russia is having a field day now, but will suffer if there is an insurrection.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

It already suffers - the rate of national currency, the rouble, is dropping down hour by hour. Aside of Kyiv Gastomel assault, there are three land fronts - Donbass from the east and two northern narrow strikes, first in direction of Chernigov city from Belarus and second via wilderness of closed polluted zones to Chernobyl ruines. Reportedly two former are stopped by counterattacks but Chernobyl dash was mostly unexpected and unopposed.