Fascinating reading this thread.
If this isn't a demonstration of the slow death of the Western world, I don't know what is. While Putin's Russia has the West scrambling around for a response, and potentially escalating the conflict to the rest of Europe, China must be thinking about the potential opportunities to pick up the pieces and vacuum left behind. Let the West fight amongst themselves and with Russia, while it galvanises its position and emerges as the new global power, rather like how the US emerged from the ashes of WWII.
Apart from the blatant hypocrisy on show by the West, it demonstrates to all their partner nations that they cannot be trusted. Time and time again they have shown throughout the World they are more than willing to fuel the fires of conflict when it suites them, and use nations to achieve their means.
This is a massive realignment of global strategic tectonic plates, with the World increasingly split again between the 'West', and a new 'Eastern block' comprising Russia, China, Turkey, Pakistan, and perhaps many more to come. A very interesting time in history to be living in, I must say.
Gotta love those Ruskies for throwing a spanner in the works!
My assessment is that Vladimir Putin have rejuvenated European identity and NATO with his miscalculation in Ukraine. More on this in following post:
Does someone know where Mexico stands on this conflict? Has Mexico put sanctions on Russia as well?
defence.pk
Fair? This is the kind of mindset I hate. If something is bad then it needs to be called out. And if something is worse then it needs to be called out even more. No ifs and buts. Scale matters. Intensity matters.
Tell me another country that have dropped nuclear bomb on a civilian population. USA is the only country to do it, not once but twice. There is no comparison.
This is the country that dropped more bombs on Laos than it did during entire ww2. Even today unexploded bombs are being found in Laos. People are still dying today because of that. Invaded Iraq on false pretences. Sanctioned international court judges and their family when they simply expressed desire to investigate it's war crimes. This is the country that destroyed many middle East countries, leading to migration crisis that led to rise of anti immigration and far right in Europe. And what about the many and many government overthrows. Even in countries where people have genuine concern and genuine reasons for political change, this country hijacks those movement for its own benefits. Where do I even stop.
But somehow I am not being fair in my criticism? The fact that I choose to call out atrocities of USA more, because they are worse, is somehow not being fair in my criticism. Bruh you are the one not being fair in your criticism.
I totally agree with you on the part that if something is bad then it needs to be called out.
My take is in following post:
Does someone know where Mexico stands on this conflict? Has Mexico put sanctions on Russia as well?
defence.pk
I am not telling you (or any member) to dislike Russia. I am all for PAK - Russia relations.
My contention is that PDF communists tend to bash USA and the WEST a lot but make excuses for Russia. This is hypocrisy.
Let us also consider what (humanitarian) USSR was up to:
USSR invaded Hungary (1956), intervened in Czechoslovakia (1968–1989), and invaded Afghanistan (1979 - 1989).
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan had significant cascading effects which haunted Pakistan in times of the War On Terror as well. General Tariq Khan (retired) summed up these effects nicely in one his articles.
You DO NOT realize to what extent USSR corrupted and damaged Pan-Islamic identity in times of the Cold War. USSR also supported creation of Israel. USSR instigated conflicts in the Middle East as well. There is much academic literature and declassified accounts which expand on this theme. This is a topic in itself.
You need to sharpen your searching skills.
Let us also consider what (humanitarian) Russia was up to:
Russia invaded Chechnya
twice and annexed it.
First Chechen War (1994 - 1996)
Second Chechen War (1999 - 2009)
Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and annexed parts of its territory.
Russia invaded Ukraine
twice and attempting to remap it since 2014.
Russia also intervened in Syria to prevent downfall of the brutal and dictatorial Assad regime.
Russia had a rationale for preventing independence of Chechnya - understandable.
But Russian rationale for annexing territory from Georgia and now Ukraine is ridiculous. This is worse than 'regime change' interventions. This is blatant disregard of internationally recognized borders.
Putin administration can also choose to silence its critics everywhere (REPEAT: everywhere).
You asserted that Russians are showing much restraint in Ukraine but I contended that you are wrong. Please check what is happening in Kharkov for instance:
Situation is very bad in Kyiv and its surroundings as well.
As I pointed out to you in my earlier post:
"Just wait for the war to progress further."
Now half of the battle is being fought on PDF.
defence.pk
- - - - -
USA used nuclear weapons in World War 2 - things were different back in the days. USA did not use these weapons in other conflicts, not even in Vietnam.
USA under different Presidencies have done both good and bad things.
Americans helped liberate South Korea (from North Korea) in the 1950s, Kuwait (from Iraq) in 1991, and Kosovo (from Yugoslavia) in 1999. They also helped dismantle Al-Qaeda Network in Af-Pak and ISIL in Middle East in recent years. These were sensible interventions.
Vietnam War (1965 - 1973) was absolutely unnecessary and could be avoided.
Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003 - 2011) could be avoided as well. Saddam Hussein was a crooked man but he wasn't responsible for 9/11. It is true that many Iraqi wanted to get rid of Saddam regime and some Iraqi politicians were in contact with Bush Jr. administration for the needful but the WMD rationale was ridiculous. Iraq had limited stockpiles of chemical weapons at maximum.
What happened in Libya is unfortunate but Muammar Qaddafi is responsible for the mess as well. He had ruled for too long and made too many enemies in the process. Benghazi became the hub of Anti-Qaddafi movement in 2011 but Qaddafi regime's response was to surround and crush Benghazi movement by force instead - Libyan Civil War commenced at this point and NATO decided to intervene in support of Benghazi movement (Operation Odyssey Dawn). This is the problem of dictators - they do not respect common people and have no sense of political dissent. They are so full of themselves.
en.wikipedia.org
You need to understand that global affairs are like FIFTY SHADES OF GREY.
My take is very simple: I do not support or condone acts of oppression in any way or form. If a local bully is destroyed by a big bully in this process, so be it. This is called karma.
I said so! The facts on the ground will grow exponentially in the next days. Talk is cheap, but ...
Edit: Longer version:
Now this is the epitome of "pessimistic mentality." Putin administration created a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine to begin with. Putin administration threatened Finland and Sweden as well. The powerful shall be allowed to prey on the weak unabated? This is how the World Order will collapse.
Should Pakistan have assumed that it will be hopeless to resist Soviet forces in Afghanistan?
![[TR]AHMET](/data/avatars/m/27/27358.jpg?1397822937){kind=avatar}
