Comments by "Alan Friesen" (@alanfriesen9837) on "Balkan Mapper" channel.

  1. It's not just a Russian thing. Military history is filled with powers that got embarrassed in the beginning of a conflict, but eventually got their act together and crushed their adversaries.
    19
  2. Thank you very much, this was helpful.
    8
  3. I think it unlikely that Russia will accept the offer. Russia doesn't want to see any expansion. So long as it's just Russia vs. Ukraine it stays limited and winnable. And while I'm sure they would appreciate the additional manpower, they don't want to tempt other countries to come in on the other side. However, if some other country does send troops to Ukraine, that would change the equation.
    5
  4. Hypocrisy is the water we swim in. All sides participate in it, and it's truly unavoidable if you want to participate in global diplomacy. When your side acts it's right and just, when the other side acts, it's heinous, even if it's the exact same thing. It's a lot easier to convince your people that you have the moral high ground than it is to actually have the moral high ground, because committing to the moral high ground keeps you from actually accomplishing your goals.
    3
  5. I think the idea that NATO would send troops against China is a bit of a stretch. It would probably be the United States, Britain, Australia and maybe Japan.
    2
  6. Things are not so black and white.
    2
  7.  @pads6367  Yeah, I don't know either. I wonder if any inflation in Russia is due to public reaction to the news that they've been sanctioned or if it is due to actual product scarcity of some product that I can't think of. I've heard that the Russian ruble has "collapsed" but I wonder if it's buying power within Russia has fallen significantly.
    2
  8.  @cyanproductions4517  Actually the key to control of the country is control of the countryside. I'm not sure Russia has that either though. Isolating a city from the rest of the country is an effective strategy because it undermines the ability of the provincial seat to manage the region and to care for its people.
    2
  9. Some are appalled by the use of pubic funds, others point out that it's not that much of a percentage of our overall budget. It depends mainly on their political slant.
    1
  10.  @America938  India has other problems. China's future looks brightest, but nothing is for sure.
    1
  11. I'm trying to think what Russia needs that the countries boycotting them would otherwise provide. I'm kinda coming up empty. Are there goods that Russia desperately needs from the west? We talk about the collapse of the ruble on international markets, but I'm not sure that matters to Russians unless they have investments outside the country.
    1
  12.  @pads6367  But what do they need to use it on? What does Russia need from the rest of the world?
    1
  13.  @retired-s5h  If Europe and the United States didn't bring NATO to the borders of Russia itself none of this would be happening right now. But now that Russia has invaded its weaker neighbor, it's very hard to put a pretty face on that level of aggression. Perhaps NATO should throw down in Ukraine and let the winner take all. That, of course, would leave Ukraine a smoking ruin regardless of who triumphed in the end. It would, however, answer the question, at least for a while, of whether Russia gets to be a great power and heavily influence their near abroad or whether Russia has to be satisfied with middling power status as all of Europe that isn't Russia falls entirely into the domain of the West.
    1
  14.  @TheWanderer8490  Usually POWs aren't released before the war ends, but those who sought asylum at the end of hostilities might be given that option.
    1