A few points:
1) Putin's objectives, as he stated them tonight, reveal all of the diplomatic lead up to have been lies - he aims to overthrow the elected govt. of Ukraine.
2) Given that, it is not clear to me that any reasonable NATO action could have averted this.
1) Putin's objectives, as he stated them tonight, reveal all of the diplomatic lead up to have been lies - he aims to overthrow the elected govt. of Ukraine.
2) Given that, it is not clear to me that any reasonable NATO action could have averted this.
3) This was Putin's choice. He has chosen war because he thinks he can gain by it. I suspect he is wrong in the long term, but very likely to prevail on the field in the short term.
4) I wish I had confidence that the sanctions to come would be as severe as I want.
4) I wish I had confidence that the sanctions to come would be as severe as I want.
5) Putin is waging a naked war of aggression. The people defending him are defending a naked war of aggression. The people and businesses who associate with those quislings are also making that choice.
They should be judged by the friends they keep; there is now no excuse.
They should be judged by the friends they keep; there is now no excuse.
6) The fog of war is real. Everyone knows the assault has started, no one on twitter knows what precisely is going on.
7) God bless and preserve the people of Ukraine.
God damn Vladimir Putin.
7) God bless and preserve the people of Ukraine.
God damn Vladimir Putin.
Ok, adding one more for folks:
8) Direct military action by NATO - ground troops, a no-fly zone, etc - was never going to happen here because of nuclear escalation concerns. The risk of having a conventional shooting war between two nuclear-armed powers is much, much too high...
8) Direct military action by NATO - ground troops, a no-fly zone, etc - was never going to happen here because of nuclear escalation concerns. The risk of having a conventional shooting war between two nuclear-armed powers is much, much too high...
...War isn't a video game. Radar cannot tell the difference between a nuclear-tipped cruise missile and a conventional missile. Establishing a no-fly zone in Ukraine would mean strikes against AA emplacements in Russia and Belarus. Things do not stay contained.
Having ground troops even just in Kyiv would again means strikes into Russian territory - strikes that the Russians couldn't possibly know if they were conventional or nuclear.
The possibility for *literally* world-ending miscalculation is huge. Never was an option. end/
The possibility for *literally* world-ending miscalculation is huge. Never was an option. end/
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