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duncan smith
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Comments by "duncan smith" (@duncansmith7562) on "CNN" channel.

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@johnroche7541 would that be the same Merkel who confessed the Minsk Agreements were just a way to buy time, that she signed them without ever believing in them? The same Merkel who thought it was such a wonderful idea to admit a million economic refugees into Europe, no questions asked, that Merkel?
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@alanbellas513 one hell of a precision guided missile that hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade!
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@johnroche7541 The moment NATO accepts the application from a former Warsaw pact country, then NATO has expanded eastward, and James Baker was aware of this reality when he promised Gorbachov that NATO would not expand one inch to the East. I mean we can all play word games. Henceforth we can all say Soviet missiles were never moved towards Cuba, rather Cuba just applied to a protector who had missiles and Cuba moved eastwards.
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@alanbellas513 how would you define "ethnic Russian"? The vast majority of Donbass was Russian speaking, about 25 % had a Russian passport and almost all had ancestors from Russia.
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@sssnake1654 the parents of the children buried in the Alley of Angels, murdered by the Azov Nazis, would disagree with you and say there was a good reason for Russia to intervene.
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@margraveofgadsden8997 so by your theory, if Russia is under no added threat by Ukraine having nukes, you are absolutely convinced that if Cuba or Mexico decided to have Russian nukes installed, all aimed at US cities, Joe Biden would happily give the thumbs up to such an idea and say "it's fine, these nukes represent no extra threat to US security"....you sure? yet a Chinese weather balloon, wow, that really IS a big threat and must be destroyed!
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@alanbellas513 ex means former, not non-existent. Liz Truss is an ex Prime Minister. But she still exists. Let me know when you have time to learn some language skills. Nothing in Ukraine, after the collapse of the USSR, could be claimed to be de facto Ukrainian. It was all up for negotiations. Hence Russia secured military bases in Crimea. If your father dies and your father's car is in your garage, this may surprise you, but you do not automatically inherit that car by rights.
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@heathermccall8015 Nope. 1) Ukraine recognizes Crimea as part of Russia. 2) DPR and LPR recognized as independent states (obviously their status changed since Feb 2022) 3) the demilitarization of Ukraine 4) the denazification of Ukraine 5) Ukraine has it written into its constitution that it will be a neutral country. now, we can argue about what those 5 points look like in practice, but look carefully....where do you see the objective of "taking over Ukraine"? On the contrary, Ukraine as a neutral state makes it clear Putin is fine with Ukraine remaining independent. Neutral, but independent.
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@alanbellas513 so, clarifying the international rules based order....invading a sovereign country is acceptable. violating the territorial integrity of a country is acceptable. destroying the infrastructure of said invaded sovereign country is acceptable. collateral damage (deaths of countless innocent civilians) is acceptable. all of this is fine, and well practiced by USA and NATO. The ONLY rule of the international rules based system that Russia has violated in Ukraine is the annexation part, right? all the rest of it is fine and acceptable to the West, in principle, agreed? just clearing up the rules. ok? the only and big stumbling block is the annexation question, right?
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@alanbellas513 you said that the UNSC authorized NATO's use of force in the Kosovo conflict. I said you were wrong, and to find proof, and not to confuse UN resolutions for NATO's presence in Kosovo with UN authorizing NATO use of force in Kosovo. Looks like your answer is "unfortunately, Russia is a permanent member of the security council". is that your way of admitting the UNSC never did authorize NATO use of force in the Kosovo conflict?
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@alanbellas513 FINALLY! an admission that NATO attacked Serbia with NO authority to do so! And Russia, seeing that, did exactly the same to Ukraine a year ago. So NOW you see why the world hears Western moaning of "unprovoked attack" and breaks the "international rules based order" and just looks at USA and NATO and says "you disgusting hypocrites. shut up"
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@randallturner9094 projection galore here. the West has alienated the BRICS group beyond repair. The Taliban showed what a bunch of useless goons NATO are in 2021. Putin has calculated very carefully how he will achieve his objectives. It is the West, totally reliant on crippling Russia through sanctions, that has failed miserably. Now, when Russia has achieved her objectives, the fun part. all the finger pointing and recriminations that will flow in the West. who gets to string Zelensky up do you think? The Wagner convicts or the 16 year old cannon fodder from Lvov that refuses to fight? Who gets to Zelensky's bunker first?
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@alanbellas513 we were always debating the international rules based order. what exactly makes the NATO attack on sovereign Serbia such a great idea, and what exactly makes Russian intervention in Ukraine so abhorrent. Your job was to explain why the first was to be applauded, and the second to be denounced and opposed, so that the whole world can clearly understand why US invasions are always great, but this Russian invasion is obviously horrific. so far, i don't see that you have succeeded.
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@alanbellas513 some would argue that NATO in effect did annex Kosovo. Are NATO troops still occupying Kosovo, yes or no?
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@randallturner9094 you used the phrase "at the behest of", which means "asked, ordered, requested to do". check it in a dictionary. looks like I do indeed understand English. Randall, take a quick look in the mirror....and now you see the one who ain't too sure what "at the behest" means! So, Randall, both France and UK, 2 NATO countries, bombed Libya. In my book, that is NATO bombing a sovereign country, unprovoked, wouldn't you agree? Maybe, Randall, all of Africa, and Latin America, and the Middle East and most of Asia sees NATO and USA as hypocrites, invading , bombing, attacking, then whining about Russia being the one breaking the "rules based order"? now do you see why Russia is not isolated but gaining support as quickly as the West loses support? Let's try the question again, dictionary in hand this time, Randall. What right did Italy have to request/ask for/order any clearing of air space over sovereign Libya?
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@margraveofgadsden8997 is that rambling twaddle your answer? Let's try again, and this time, try to answer the question. If you are right, that Ukraine having nukes does nothing to threaten Russia's security, then conversely, Cuba and Mexico having nukes would do nothing to threaten US security, agreed? So, in that case, Biden would be absolutely fine with Cuba and Mexico hosting nukes all aimed at US cities, right? or.....do you think Biden might object in the strongest possible terms, a la Putin? try and answer the question this time, nice though the lecture on ancient Muscovy and Prigozhin the fascist was.
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@alanbellas513 and I am chuckling that you connected something that is "ex" (former) to "no longer exists". The Latin "ex", "out of" appears as a prefix in many English words and has evolved to take on many senses of "out of", but only a clown like you, Alan, would connect the notion of "former" with "no longer exists". As I said, when you want to learn about use of language, contact me. You would learn a lot. My ex students (they still exist) from Ukraine could explain a lot to you too.
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@alanbellas513 Russia inherited no right to dictate to others who inherited what, at all. But the reality of the world is that Russia is the big boy on the block, so nothing gonna happen, buster, without the agreement of the big boy. it's called reality. have to negotiate with the big boy. But the larger point is that something on your territory/property does not belong to you by right if you just claim it from a previous owner, so let's quit all this "Ukraine gave up ITS nukes". No, it didn't. Ukraine never had any.
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@alanbellas513 Point 6 of the Budapest Memorandum. Read it, then tell me which side refused to implement it.
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@alanbellas513 "such bad language skills" or "such a bad language skills"? As I said, Alan "Lebenraum, oops" Bellas, my Ukrainian students could teach you a lot about language skills.
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@alanbellas513 as always, Alan, you pivot to start to make my point for me. Yes, as I said, "ex" and "former" are synonyms. We agree. But "ex" and "former" are not connected with "not existing". Simple question. UK is an ex EU member, agreed? Does that mean the EU no longer exists? yes or no? Even ESL students can figure this one out, dear Alan
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@alanbellas513 as expected, you are totally incapable of explaining what exactly Russia has done that goes against the West's much vaunted "international rules based order". what you succeeded in doing was equating NATO's actions in Kosovo with Russia's actions in Ukraine. BOTH were totally unauthorized by a UNSC resolution, BOTH were done to support a separatist cause, BOTH brushed aside the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a UN member, BOTH saw the destruction of civilian infrastructure with collateral damage aplenty, BOTH resulted in troops on the ground, a de facto occupation/annexation. The very fact you fail to delineate any key differences and the very fact that you bluster by saying "Oh, Serbia, that was such a long time ago" means you have no case, and the world sees that NATO is a stinking hypocrite and its rules and words are garbage. QED old boy, now you understand why the likes of me see no difference in Putin's actions and NATO's actions.
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@sssnake1654 on the contrary. the first firing of missiles came from the Azov Nazi battalion that you so love, firing on the newly independent DPR, in 2014. That was the start. Ukraine refused to implement the Minsk Agreements which would have brought peace. The deaths of those children are 100% due to Azov Nazi aggression that you support. The blood is on your hands. BTW, are all separatists "traitors"? Those who campaign for Scottish independence, are they "traitors" in your book?
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@randallturner9094 who the hell asked Italy to "administrate" anything? Ah, so no culpability can be laid at NATO's feet for 2 of its members deciding to bomb the s**t out of Libya. I see how it works. Just operate outside of the NATO umbrella, and the bombing of a sovereign country suddenly becomes totally acceptable? I think you now see why most of the world views NATO, ooops, sorry, the individual members of NATO, to be such weasels, hypocrites and bullies.
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@tomspencer1364 on the contrary, those with no brain are those who can't see how Putin has galvanized a global movement against the West's incessant bullying, lecturing and hectoring. With victory, as happened in Chechnya, Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Syria and now Ukraine, Putin will see his popularity increase and his stature, globally, enhanced. Only the brain-dead are blind to that. It will be fun to see all the recriminations in the West once Putin declares victory.
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@randallturner9094 "NATO didn’t drop a single bomb on Libya, liar. They didn’t get involved with anything but administrating the no-fly zone, at Italy’s behest," your original post, above. "Italy didn't request administration of a no-fly zone"....your follow up post. and there is no contradiction at all in your two statements!? and you think it's me that is confused by English?
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@alanbellas513 just a suggestion... "chuckling TO myself" would be better English, and "bragging", not "braging". plus, "in regard to that what is says" is awful English. As I say, let me know if you feel you need help with English. Is English your second language?
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@alanbellas513 as I said, you are not bright enough to see that an "ex" anything means that existence hasn't, somehow, just vanished. You need help. You make basic mistakes. You should be appreciative that you are being corrected. So, to recap, the EU still exists, even though the UK is an ex member of the EU. In the case of the USSR, both Russia and Ukraine became ex members of the USSR, so any Soviet property that ended up within Ukraine was not property of Ukraine at all. It was to be decided, by consultation, what to do with said property. There was nothing for Ukraine to "give up". End of discussion.
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@alanbellas513 so, given that ONLY annexation is a violation of the West's "rules based order", given what you said about Kosovo, did you cheer with enthusiasm as Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine? I mean I guess you cheered when US tanks rolled into Iraq? only at the moment that Russia mentioned "annexation" did you say to yourself, "wait a minute, suddenly this breaks the international rules based order!" right?
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@alanbellas513 you mean "try a little harder" or "do a little better". ok, let me try again. when you saw Russian tanks roll into Ukraine you thought, "Russia bad, USA good, therefore THIS invasion must be ALL bad, but US and NATO invasions must be all good, nuance does not exist in this world". did I get it right this time?
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@bonnie7898 I don't think the fate of the Russian ethnic minority in Ukraine is an existential threat to the RF.
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@bonnie7898 are you sure? or are you lying? googling "UN Resolution 173" brings up a load of stuff about the admittance of Burundi as a member.
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@randallturner9094 it changes nothing at all. I return to the question you absolutely refuse to answer. what right does Italy have to request ANYONE to administer ANYTHING outside of Italy? Libya was bombed by NATO members, UK and France, and as such, most of the world is disgusted by these same countries wringing their hands over the death and destruction happening in Ukraine. The hypocrisy is sickening.
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@bonnie7898 The reason you keep having to correct yourself, Bonnie, is that my understanding is spot on! I lived and worked in Ukraine in 2018. I still work with Ukrainian and Russian students. I have insights you lack and I have an understanding you will never grasp. As a Russian speaker I have seen, first hand, into the souls of the Azov Nazis. Bar Karabas, Vinnytsia, was full of them. But you weren't there. You know nothing.
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@randallturner9094 the problem, Randall, is that I read every word very carefully, and because you are a poor writer it takes several posts for you to say anything with any clarity. so, now you have switched from Libya to Syria. or are you so ignorant you think those two places are one and the same?
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@bonnie7898 There is something wrong with Ukrainians demanding that ONLY Ukrainian be the country's official language, just as there would be something wrong with the Canadians demanding that ONLY English be their country's official language. 17% of the population are NOT demanding SPECIAL treatment. They are demanding the EQUAL treatment they once had in Ukraine. And right minded people support them. When Germany was full of Nazis the Allies made it their business to destroy them. rightfully so. Russia is right to eliminate the Ukrainian nazis. i know you absolutely adore the Azovs and you probably have your own picture of Bandera and a swastika tattoo, but most of us despise such things.
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@bonnie7898 have you figured out which NATO member country was being defended by the defensive alliance, NATO, when NATO took command of the Libyan fiasco? was it Denmark?
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@bonnie7898 anyone who sees an injustice, and anyone who is begged by the victims of said injustice to intervene to restore their rights, has a duty to intervene. we could apply your inhumane argument to any conflict. Just because a small percentage of Germans were rounded up into concentration camps, what business did the Allies have to get involved at all? It's a nonsense argument. it would be inhumane NOT to get involved. You back the US invasion of Iraq to remove the "brutal dictator" Saddam Hussein. what right had USA to get involved in Iraq at all?
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@bonnie7898 only 5% of Swiss citizens speak Italian as a first language. But the Italian speakers are almost all in the one canton of Ticino. In Ticino, Italian is used in schools, in business, in government, in broadcasting. do you believe those Italian speakers should be stripped of their rights and compelled to use German (the language of the VAST majority in Switzerland)? yes or no?
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@randallturner9094 how can Russia be hypocritical for NOT blocking a resolution for military intervention? Russia believes in military intervention as a general rule. As you do. You obviously didn't notice, it's the pro Ukronazis, like you, that are the hypocrites, wringing their hands at Russia's military intervention, whining about "sovereign Ukraine", "territorial integrity", "unprovoked aggression", "rules based order" yet, clapping and cheering when USA and NATO ignore sovereignty, territorial integrity, unprovoked aggression and a rules based order with regularity and with aplomb. 100% hypocrisy on your side, and the world sees it and is disgusted.
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@aleksanderfradkin7955 bla bla bla, heard this nonsense for one year now.
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@Solbm27 clearly Russia is a superpower. Russia has reduced NATO to a paper tiger (actually the Taliban showed that in 2021), Russia has caused astronomical price rises in the West (you never heard of the Putin price hike?), Russia has influenced US elections, Russia hacks into cyber systems at ease. Russia exports what the world needs, energy, precious metals, food. This conflict has shown that Russia is THE superpower. Big wake up call for the complacent and arrogant West.
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@Solbm27 absolutely! If French speakers are stripped of their freedom of speech, France has every right to intervene. Given that USA gave itself the right to attack sovereign Serbia over separatist rights in Kosovo, Russia is just following the West's "rules based order", so gtfoh with this hypocrisy and double standards, just be consistent.
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@alanbellas513 and now the truth, dear Alan 1. Russia is following the "rules based order" of the West. Everything Russia has done or does, the west has already done or worse. 2. Chechnya wanted to separate from the RF? Really? cite the reliable opinion poll showing Chechens' wishes at that time. 3. Yes, Putin killed many in the Chechnya campaign. it's called war. The West has killed many more in its wars all across the globe over the last few decades. Russia is just following the "rules based order". 4. "Ukraine decided to go for the EU"? Really? Cite the referendum totals that showed a vote in favor of Ukraine wishing to become closer to the EU. 5. "expending" the borders? or "extending" the borders? or "expanding" the borders? looks like your English is still poor. 6. Maybe after you have improved your English you should gtfoh with your lies and garbage. you're pathetic.
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@alanbellas513 Yes, I will keep proofreading your English, and keep correcting your appalling reading comprehension skills. When you step into the ring with me, dear Alan, be prepared for an absolute hammering. The truth is that Putin is, indeed, copying what USA did in Kosovo. USA chose to support separatists, intervene militarily and thence occupy Kosovo. Russia is doing the same in Donbass. No, I am not denying that the first Chechnya War was about Chechnya attempting to gain its independence. I never denied such. What I denied was your absurd claim that Chechnya WANTED independence. Completely different. A minority that CLAIMED to represent the Chechen people decided to launch a jihad, in effect, to break away from Russia, but I asked you to cite evidence that this warmongering, breakaway, radical group represented the majority. You have failed, yet again, to prove your point. Regarding Ukraine, some Ukrainians wanted to move the country towards the EU, some towards Russia. Regardless, in democracies, a pro Russian president would be removed at the ballot box, not by a Nazi inspired coup. Will correct all your English errors in the next post, so you can avoid getting hammered every time you enter the ring with me.
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@alanbellas513 you are starting to get it! YES! Putin felt it was totally within the "international rules based order" to bomb a separatist insurrection in Chechnya, because Putin had seen the West do exactly the same on numerous occasions! And Putin was right. Again, your reading comprehension skills are lacking. Did you complete high school? I never said that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if it were not for Kosovo. What I said was that Putin could see from the NATO intervention in Kosovo that doing the same in Donbass would be just the same, thus only a stinking hypocrite could ever complain that Russia was acting outside the "international rules based order". And, again, Putin was right. Only stinking hypocrites wring their hands and cry "Kosovo was such a virtuous intervention, but Donbass is so awful". And you, sir, would be one of those stinking hypocrites. Wringing your hands over Yemen, are you? Of course not. unless the conflict includes Russia, you couldn't give a monkey's backside who gets massacared.
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@alanbellas513 it is not an English language boxing ring that I was referring to. It was a debate boxing ring. step in the ring with me and make sure your spelling and grammar are beyond 7th grade level (you really struggle there), make sure you argue with logic, reason, facts and evidence (you fail there), and make sure you can answer a question (you fail there), or prepare to get hammered every time. and you are getting hammered, every time. and, yes, it does bother you. otherwise why keep mentioning it? next tip...learn how to use the term "sic". or do you want me to explain it to you, 7th grader?
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@alanbellas513 Alan, what would be your suggestion to NATO right now to turn this debacle around? (try to answer with less than one embarrassing or grammatical error per line):)
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@alanbellas513 once again, you are struggling with reading comprehension and logic. I will try to explain, yet again. YES, I am saying that Putin is following the international rules based order of the West. What NATO did in Kosovo, Russia is doing in Donbass. However, that does NOT imply that otherwise Putin would not be doing what he is doing! You are confusing justification for what Putin is doing with the cause of Putin's actions. Putin is not invading Ukraine BECAUSE of Kosovo. He is invading Ukraine because it is the right thing to do! His justification for claiming he is following the all-important "rules based order" is to point to Kosovo. And Putin is right! Anyone who whines about "rules based order" only has to look at Kosovo and see, in fact, Putin is doing what NATO did. So, if you want to whine about Putin, whine about USA and NATO in equal measure, but you are a stinking hypocrite, so you refuse to do that. This is the morally bankrupt position such Russophobia and bias lands you in, you goon!
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@alanbellas513 Language reflects one's clarity of thought. Your poor language skills reflect your poor thought processes. If you get basic spelling and grammar wrong, what hope is there for you to understand the complexities of Ukraine and Russia?
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