Comments by "Geoffrey Lyons" (@granatmof) on "Russia's Attempt to Surround Eastern Ukraine" video.

  1. Ukraine has significant natural resources. Not just oil and minerals, but farmland. This war is going to cause an increase in European and probably global food prices. Now if Russia is able to totally capture Ukraine or keep it under their thumb, then Russia has a other big bargaining chip besides the oil and gas pipelines into Europe. Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe. The US spending $100B today to keep such a bargaining chip out of Russia's hands saves money in the long term. Further during a growing recession without any active wars, it keeps part of the military industrial complex churning, which does benefit the American Economy. Further in a Diplomatic and military sense this aid is all benefits and no detriment to US standing. As a result of Russian expansion, NATO allies are interested in the first time in 30 years in meeting their treaty obligation on military spending. And while some of those countries spend in on internal programs that completement the US forces, some of those nations are buying US weapons directly. Early in wlthe war, i figured it was the time for the US to take something of a step back and let Europe take more of a leading role, however American spending has ensured in many way that the US is still leading the charge. So in a rare bit of insight the US government is actually making long term investments, just not in America. Ironically many progressive polices work out to be long term investments in the people of a country which pays of dividends in greater economic stability and productivity. But I digress. I'm curious if historians in the far future will consider Ukraine the first of the water wars or not.
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