Comments by "King Ace" (@kingace6186) on "William Spaniel" channel.

  1. This Arab Barometer survey is a golden trove of relevant information. Polling isn't perfect but this shows a credible snapshot of how Gazans were feeling the entire week before the war. This is a stroke of great luck for military & political analysts. So thankful to this organization.
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  2. Opportunism has always been the name of the game in international relations. Especially when dealing with non-state actors, and not just nation-states.
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  3. I really love these long, "look back" analyses with story-act structures that this channel has been producing. I know that they are a break from this channel's convention and so YouTube's algorithm might not be kind. But, regardless, they are important and powerful. I also like how the timing of the release of this video coincides with one-year commemoration since the invasion began.
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  4. "Israel, a state 8 years younger than Biden--"😳That contextualization was shocking.
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  5. While that is great, it is anecdotal. Try visiting all over. From the communities on either side of the Gaza blockade to the encroaching illegal Jewish settlement on the West Bank. From the southern desert lands to the northern heights. From the rich, metropolitan of Tel Aviv to the humble, divided Jerusalem. But yes, in general, the Israeli people are much more "liberal" than Netanyahu's far-right government. There is a divide between what the citizens of Israel want and what the government wants.
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  6. Poor police. They didn't sign up to fight a military insurrection 💀
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  7. Couldn't have said it better myself. The rest of the West should just trust the process and "let Ukraine cook". Also, I like how you included Ukraine in "the West". At this point, Ukraine has earned it.
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  8. Since the war started, I keep learning more and more about the early post-revolution Russian Empire (1917-1923ish). Slava Bilhorod😂
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  9. All three of you couldn't have missed the point more.
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  10. Especially after Afghanistan... So many people were so mad at how useless the Afghan National Government was due to 20 years of corruption. TRILLIONS wasted just so the leaders of the government could flee, dooming Afghan civilians and loyal soldiers to the consequences of Taliban rule. Many people feared that Ukraine's Government would be the same. They must not have watched 'Servant of the People'.
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  11. Yes. But when a state resorts to war as a distraction from domestic affairs, it can't be hurt more than it distracts. Due to the scale they chose & the fact that Israel has neglected the threat from Gaza, Hamas is the only one to blame for the attacks and subsequent retaliation from the IDF. Hamas shot itself in the foot and now Gazan voters are suffering for it. That is a shit campaign strategy.
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  12. This is the best analysis any expert with open-source intelligence can give. This channel taught me a lot about how war works.
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  13. William Spaniel keeps spoiling us with his rapid-fire releases! It's shocking that he doesn't have AI assistance or a huge team. Thank you for making information objective, relevant, and timely.
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  14. Technology just keeps on evolving. Impressive.😂
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  15. One poor move after another for Russia.
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  16. Slava Ukraini! And glory to freedom!
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  17. Strong, powerful words. Props to Hamilton & Reagan. Especially, Reagan. He would hate how isolationist his party has become.
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  18. Yeah. Russia's foreign ministry have been put in an awkward position after the October 7 attacks. Some of the hostages were Russian; Russia noted that it is anti-Hamas but pro-Palestinian; Russia is allied with Iran; Russia is still calling for a ceasefire in the UN while blocking any resolution on Ukraine; Russia is decrying the IDF's collective punishment while doing the same in Ukraine; there was that anti-Israeli mob in the Dagestan Airport, too.
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  19. Yup. As if China would ever be dumb enough to actually attack the 3rd most powerful person in the US. They barked without biting.
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  20.  @Chuck_Hooks  Stop crying, snow❄ flake
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  21. At the end of the day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are an army-focused military. It would take a long while to get enough F-16s in the sky, so no battles for air superiority anytime soon. The navy is the weakest arm of the UAF and will only matter in a future Battle for Crimea. So NATO's military doctrine was never gonna be the solution for Ukraine. The next best thing is to wear down the Russian forces while gambling on low reinforcements, causing a major breakdown in the Surovikin Line. But for this, the Ukrainian Army is going to need serious artillery commitments from NATO to minimize potential casualties.
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  22. It is a smart decision to use William's videos for studying.
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  23. Very well said. I will keep this video in mind when considering "forever wars" and other wars that have lasted longer than first thought.
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  24. People be like "America first", but then advocate for something that would crippled America.
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  25. "Superpowers don't bluff" unless you want absolutely no one to believe you. BTW, that was a quote from Blinken to Obama after Asad ignored his "red lines".
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  26. The fact that Russia's most capable industry was its defense sector is one of the main reason I believe that Putin's War Machine was formidable... until the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraini that is.
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  27. On that note of 'happier times' and honest work before the war broke out: I hope to see more videos from this channel even after the war ends in a Ukrainian victory. I am here for the long haul!
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  28. They gotta do what they gotta do. And the fault lies with our dysfunctional House of Representative.
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  29. The history book on this war will be crazy
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  30. ​ @johnfaw  Did you forget that both Hitler AND Stalin started WW2 in Europe when BOTH sent their armies to divide Poland? The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?? Or the fact that right after the War ended, the Cold War began?
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  31.  @shorewall  This is such an ignorant take. If Americans haven't benefited from our Superpower status, then why are so many migrants willing to endure harsh conditions just to have a chance at living here.
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  32. Actually, the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb (Serbians were backed by the Russian Empire) as the start of the war. Therefore, the Kingdom of Italy was obligated to join in on the war as the defensive pact was triggered. Instead, Italy broke that promise, declared "nEuTrAlItY" and only joined in 1915 for its own territorial interests -- ultimately switching sides, again, for its own territorial interests. These are the objective facts.
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  33. LMFAO. Literally Moscow since the fall of the Soviet Union
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  34. Yup. Harris was never the radical candidate that she portrayed as. She campaigned with Liz and Dick Cheney and was endorsed by Arnold Schwarzenegger for crying out loud. She was firmly advocating for a strong military posture, constantly talking about the Constitution, and touting her record as prosecutor. 20 years ago that would be a Republican campaign. Some say this reduced turnout for the left-wing of the Democratic Party.
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  35. For me, when I hear alliance abandonment, I think of the CSTO and how Armenia was left out in cold.
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  36.  @tovarase6760  Your pfp says it all. Awww, did you have a panic attack because his comment wasn't censored? That joke was hilarious, it doesn't matter which "side" you're on.
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  37.  @anreey8632  "There is no war in Ba Sing Se" head ahh
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  38.  @capablanc  Actually, Europe side of NATO wants to individually deploy offensive troops, taking Article 5 off the table. Macron is the one spearheading this effort with Poland & the Baltic (Germany is skittish tho). But the US is vetoing any such action. This time around it is us Americans who are avoiding a direct response :(
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  39.  @jakejackson6730  Stalin was Hitler's ally. They invaded Poland together. Stalin started WW2 in Europe by allying with Hitler.
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  40. Armenia is great example of this. To make matters worse, it is even apart of the CSTO alliance which is also experiencing alliance abandonment from Russia.
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  41. Honestly, as long as Ukraine didn't give up, it was always gonna last years. Russia is incapable but not inept.
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  42. Vote Blue to MAKE SURE it doesn't happen!🗳
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  43. Manufacturing internal competition within a monopoly? That's actually pretty clever, in a corrupt way.
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  44.  @Iv4Bez  Your hysteria aside, the '90s and arguably the early 2000s were very warm times for American-Russian relations.
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  45.  @---jj9lf  You're correct. Oil from the Urals can easily be transported on existing pipeline infrastructure. However, the larger point, is that the European Union & UK are willing to undergo some, but not all, hardships needed to make the global oil industry more competitive. More oil on the market which correlates to; More competition which correlates to; Weaker Russian Monopoly oil exporting oil which correlates to; Less profitable Russian energy sector which correlates to; POSITIVE FEEDBACK CYCLE>
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  46. I think bringing in Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief was a brilliant move. First of all, he deserves it. Dude has a stacked resume that's even better than any Pentagon general. Second, "fresh eyes" is actually a very valid reason. It is the same concept as switching out your most battle hardened soldiers to avoid burnout. Finally, he effectiveness is already validating Zelenskyy's decision by creating a huge turning point in this war. The gamble isn't done yet, but it has already achieved massive tangible and intangible gains. The West doubts Ukraine way too much.
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  47. They had a win-win bill. But Trump said no, and like puppets, they listened.
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  48. We are a country that votes on vibes. Trump has successfully turned "liberal" or "Democrats" into unappealing words. He is most successful at rebranding things.
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  49. Yes. It might not be the best thing for marketing, but what is more important is his credibility as an educator. So thanks, "Political Will".
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  50. They did expect a strong response from the IDF. Provoking Israeli war crimes upon Gaza helped Hamas cause friction between Israel & the international community. Where the plan backfired was that Hamas failed to anticipate the level of American response. Hamas thought the US was weak and too preoccupied to meaningfully help while also having to condemn Israeli war crimes. However, the US can walk and chew gum at the same time.
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  51.  @CMarkem  "Proposed", not ordered.
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  52. That is a huge factor. The underlying hatred has always been a substantive issue and is a huge bargaining friction, too. Especially, as things have become more and more turbulent over the past few years.
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  53. Europe has better education, and so, it is making the smarter decision. Meanwhile, stateside, we are too busy banning books.
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  54. Ethnic cleansing followed by gentrification still haunts demographics and geopolitics everywhere. And "correcting" these scars of history leads to further ethnic cleansing followed by gentrification.
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  55.  @lommelykt5  That is blatant Islamaphobia! NATO's problem with Turkey is Erdogan's problematic leadership. NOT Turkey's religious demographic. Also, maybe you should read up on Mustafa Attaturk -- you might actually learn something about religion in Turkey.
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  56. Oh damn. I forgot Pittsburgh was your city.
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  57. At least Ukraine was able to make use of those lessons, after all.
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  58. 😂 @General12th 
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  59. Neither do Netanyahu's Government nor Hamas and Iran want a ceasefire. But what is crucial is forcing them to get over their wants. That's where the lines on maps come in.
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  60. Great video that actually disects the subject matters.
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  61. One thing I want to add is the fact that the Lebanese state cannot afford to get involved in a war, normalization or not. The people of Lebanon, most of all, don't want anything else to make their lives harder. And while Hezbollah has political influence in the country, even Hezbollah doesn't want to rock the boat too much. Despite being allied with Hamas, Hezbollah's colossal arsenal is only a threat if it is not expended. Similarly, the daddy of the proxies, Iran, does not want to go up against the US military in a direct engagement. And, that's Middle Eastern realpolitik for you.
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  62. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We've had a century's worth of experience doing just that.
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  63. That is nature of covering current events.
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  64. Those B-1s are globetrotters. B-2 gets all the attention, so they wanted the chance to shine.
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  65. If you turned on the news, you might mistakenly think it's already October.
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  66. China is only sending dual-use goods. Ammo only has one use: war.
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  67. Gigachad reference.
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  68. I would prefer to read about this in history videoes rather than experience it in real time. Living in historic times can get real exhausting.
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  69. Honestly, compared to Putin's flimsy excuses, that actually seems pretty valid. lol
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  70. If that's not the future, I don't want it
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  71. Exactly. Everything is behind a paywall nowadays. It's like gatekeeping information.
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  72.  @ud75h  Yes, that is a war crime. But target civilian infrastructure (like hospitals) is also a war crime. Besides, you're framing is inaccurate to the reality. This is because the IDF has been bombing Gaza indiscriminately, which is another war crime. The Israeli Minister of Defense has even publicly stated that the goal of the bombardment isn't precision strikes, but to maximize the death toll. According to him, the goal is to level Gaza. So, by your logic, the IDF is just as guilty as Hamas.
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  73. That last line especially. Even after enabling the systems to shoot down previously unaccounted-for drones, consumer-style drones are significantly cheaper than any Air Defense System. Plus, kamikaze drones are basically just cruise missiles that are also way cheaper than the missiles used in Air Defense. Russia did this with Iranian drones, but a better example is how Iranian proxies try to attrite Israel's Iron Dome through sheer hard-economics.
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  74. this made me smile so hard
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  75. That is true in Israel, too. Yet, both regimes will most likely continue to survive.
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  76. Interesting. If true*, they are on a surprising roll. Although, his credibility isn't exactly reliable.
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  77. An unemployed Jake Sullivan is a safer, better-off America. Having him as the National Security Advisor is an oxymoron.
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  78. They also deserve a raise!
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  79.  @Zz_Mike-Hawk_zZ  Boiling WW2 down to an oil war is beyond reductionist. Energy was a major factor in keeping the global war machines running. But the most destructive war in human history was caused by facism, imperialism, militarism, isolationism, ultra-nationalism, hate and block hyper-polarization.
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  80. This should have been a slam dunk for the Congresspersons subpoenaing the CEO. Instead, they spent that time hounding the CEO on whether or not he is Chinese ("Sir, I'm Singaporean.") TikTok isn't slick. It's just that our Congresspersons are an embarrassment.
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  81.  @lommelykt5  That is an excuse that Turkey can also use. But on September 12th, 2001, Turkey joined to trigger Article 5 (for the first time ever) and entered the Global War on Terror -- DESPITE being a majority Muslim country. And also, religion is not the same as culture. The UK is wildly different from France both culturally and ethnically despite only being one short channel apart and both being overwhelmingly Christian.
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  82.  @lommelykt5  Again. This is baseless speculation. Turkey has historically upheld its NATO commitments when they are needed. No need to slander the alliance based off of subjective concerns.
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  83. I was honestly worried about a Stalingrad-type battle consisting of irregular, urban warfare. But the chances of a Russian false flag operation (ie dirty bomb, defacto dirty bomb, ZNPP attack, or an attack on the Nova-Kakhovka Dam) are rapidly escalating. In any case, all eyes are on Kherson because the Battle of Kherson will be the most brutal engagement since the Fall of Aleppo.
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  84. There were several better alternatives. And Netanyahu was against most of them because they didn't fit within his personal political vision. But now, at this point, Bibi has tied his own handed and the dice has been cast.
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  85. This century is going to be when the Northwest Passage gets to truly shine. There's gonna be some serious economic competition from the Northeast Passage. Arctic countries can't sleep on the North anymore.
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  86. Maybe complacency from being US's top hat? With the North Pole rapidly melting, Canada should shake itself out of this complacency.
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  87. Not even checkers🤣
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  88. Bars. That's how Reagan brought down a whole ass empire.
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  89. Good ole strategic ambiguity.
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  90. Putin is NATO's greatest ally lol
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  91. Not anymore. The only reason we care is because OPEC can still influence general global prices and our allies in Europe & Asia depend on foreign oil to sustain function.
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  92. Lenin is pretty wise dude when he wasn't doing stupid shit.
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  93. If he wasn't in geopolitics, he would have had a great career in comedy.
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  94. Yeah sure it would be fun. Ethiopia is biting more than it can chew. Ethiopia will lose more than it's worth just for an unlikely possibility of expanding to the Red Sea. (What Ethiopia needs is less military action and more diplomacy, not an annexed sea port.) But then again, wars are incited by existing tensions exceeding an allowable threshold of bargaining frictions. Namely, PM Abiy Ahmed really wants to revive the Ethiopian Empire and frictions with Eritrea has offered a descent opportunity to realize his political ambitions.
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  95. Surface level analysis.
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  96. I agree on the vote linkage.
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  97. 27:33 I know the F-22 and F-35 are hype, but the real lethal machine is Santa's Sleigh🎅💪In just one night, it is can go all around the world at hypersonic speeds. All powered by just milk, cookies, and a pack of aerodynamic reindeer. And it has six-gen stealth but still has jingling bells to flex.
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  98. Losing Tartus and losing the naval war in the Black Sea will cripple the Russian Navy for decades to come. All they can do now is twiddle their thumbs and wait for the North Pole to be navigable year round.
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  99. Ouch.
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  100. Great video as usual. I loved the Q&A section. Would love to see it done more!
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  101. Sir, this is a Wendy's.
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  102.  @landotucker  Forget Hollywood, I get my movies from "Lines on Maps Production".
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  103. You're crazy. As an American, I refuse to die for Netanyahu's political survival.
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  104. That's the anarchic world of geopolitics for you.
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  105.  @tovarase6760  Then just let the people make jokes in peace, please.
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  106. If they aren't using lines on maps, I ain't voting for them.
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  107. Yeah he does rock!
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  108. One of these days, William is going to take over the world with the power of his lines on maps.
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  109. Also he said in a past video that protecting Taiwan mainly required naval weapons, so the US don't have to ration land-based weapons. And ignoring a possible war with Iran, Israel mainly uses our weapons to drop bombs from attack aircrafts and bombers. Although, the US Army is famously the most stingy branch of the military.
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  110. Empty threats are only words. It's been 2 years and Russia is still not persuaded by this leverage.
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  111. LMFAO
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  112. Mood.
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  113. Containing China and supporting Israel are some of the few subjects that enjoy bipartisan backing amongst the public and politicians.
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  114. Begone, Ivan!
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  115.  @LuckyFlanker13  Yeah. During peacetime, his only policy was on corruption, which wasn't too successful. But now, he is leading his country past an invasion, standing up to Putin, securing strong relations with countries worldwide, and is actually seeing a lot of success in his anti-corruption campaign. Sometimes, it takes a crisis to see what someone is really made of.
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  116. 1) Whether it is Iran or Russia, economically speaking, an unhindered trade relationship with the West is the most beneficial path to prosperity. 2) In this last stretch in the Petroleum Age, oil and gas are more valuable than ever before. Making the competition between OPEC and other nations (Russia) especially fierce. 3) And already within OPEC, the Sauds and Pres. Biden have already brokered a deal to bring fuel prices down by increasing global supply (with the West being prioritized). Some subsequent correlations include lower gas prices, more stable gross inflation, and the world at largest easing away Russian energy. 4) Iran's economy and government have more benefits with the sanctions lifted and political relations normalized than with withholding access to its the oil supply. So unless Russia has a sweeter bundle of carrots, positive US-Iran relations are a win for both countries ...under the "right" terms, that is (which is why negotiations are still on the table).
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  117. You are referring to poll done by GOP sponsored groups. Of course they have a right-leaning bias.
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  118. 3 TIMES In Cod we trust.
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  119. Wait? Is he still missing?
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  120. The only thing Ukraine could have ever done was to slowly attrite the Surovikin Line. Successfully doing so is in itself a huge victory. After that things will go much smoother.
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  121.  @invaderjoshua6280  You know nothing. Those billions are going to the AMERICAN defense industry. What we have been giving Ukraine is military equipment from our stockpile. When you resource from a stockpile, you are supposed replace them -- those billions are replacing our aging arsenal and replacing it with newer weapons. Ukraine is getting older military products, we are getting new ones. That's a win-win. Very little "pure cash" or whatever is involved.
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  122. LOL can yall imagine what Article 5 would have looked like if the US played strategic ambiguity.
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  123. William said initially. Meaning spring of 2022.
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  124.  @Real_MrDev  I don't know why this is so hard to understand. The heir to the AH crown was killed by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo. If an enemy's proxy kills a "vice president (for example)", then that is the spark of war. The Entente didn't recognize the unsanctioned assassination as aggression because they didn't want the responsibility of accidentally indirectly starting the war.
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  125. More likely, it's more about political will for Israel to actually agree to releasing the prisoners. 15 months of war has wrecked the Israeli economy and political class.
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  126. I thought I was reaching. Glad you noticed too.
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  127. You are fast asf!!
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  128.  @theothertonydutch  Invading a country thinking everything would be done in 3 days IS NOT THE SAME AS deploying tactical nukes. Use your head not your imagination.
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  129. Interesting theory. If there might be evidence for this, then this could be a major factor. Washington can walk and chew gum at the same time, but juggling is still hard act.
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  130. IDK why it took so many pundits so long to learn about that simple fact. We did not set Ukraine up for success.
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  131. Drones are the "great equalizers". Plus, Russians are going to remember Navalny as a martyr for change.
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  132. I wouldn't hold my breath on the "Tehran-Beijing-Moscow" alliance.
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  133. I like how you said the quiet part out loud, since this isn't the type of thing that officials can talk about publically.
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  134. I sincerely don't think it will do it (even though it easily can). Ukraini has been completely transparent and has invited the IAEA countless times to inspect their nuclear facilities
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  135. Yeah. I mean... it's not like the UK could give the Storm Shadow an acronym, anyway.
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  136. Not to mention, if democracy in Ukraini falls and greater Russia is achieved, Europe as a whole will be far too destabilized to thrive.
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  137. Same.
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  138. Biden has horrible economic advisors if they couldn't foresee this. They are overly worried.
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  139. Thank you for clarifying. That's an embarrassing mistake.
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  140. Today, I learned that the Cuban Missile Crisis had a casualty. Seasoned U-2 pilot, United States Air Force Major Rudy Anderson.
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  141.  @huwenkai440  Russia is a paper tiger at heart. But I think Armenia can count on Iran... once Iran stabilizes that is. Jesus, it is a sad year to be Armenian.
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  142.  @huwenkai440  True. Everything you stated is objectively factual. But with so much attention being given to the war in Ukraine and other crises around the world, I feel like Azerbaijan-Turkey might continue until it is too late to help Armenia. Nonetheless, I will endeavor to stay hopeful.
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  143. Congressman Gerasimov
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  144. Yup!! Shame on the people that wanted an open convention. We refuse to have another '68 Convention disaster.
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  145. Not surprising, but still shocking.
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  146. I see it as democratic poetic justice.
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  147.  @KingdomOfDimensions  "I don't need a ride. I need ammunition!"
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  148. Woah. It's History Scope. Nice.
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  149. I came for the petro politics, I stayed for the perfect alliteration.
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  150. Thanks for this video. I was curious about this conflict and how it may unfold. Yet, it would only be mentioned in passing by traditional media houses.
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  151. Their mounting casualties in just a year and a half of fighting feels overwhelming.
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  152. Kinda like the Russian Trump vs DeSantis💀
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  153. Mexico? Really? I thought maybe an Southeast Asian country or maybe even a Middle Eastern country. But the last thing I would have guess is Latin America's Mexico😂 Turns out that geopolitics can still surprise from time to time.
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  154.  @blind8686  DAMN. But I agree.
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  155. This ambitious video left me satisfied, so here's some props.
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  156.  @Homer-OJ-Simpson  Dude. Stop spamming. We get. You're a bot. Just chill out. Go on a walk. Touch some grass.
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  157. Thank you for sharing.
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  158. I would! Honestly, Armenia's only ally was Russia. Now thanks to alliance abandonment, Armenia has no help or support other than France*.
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  159. Perfectly describe this situation.
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  160. Damn right. The only thing politicians listen to is election results.
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  161. 2,030 casualties suffered in just one day is crazy because that is only 400 shy of the casualties from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
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  162. Same. William is honest and sticks to proven methods of war analysis.
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  163.  @lommelykt5  You are throwing out historical precedence & present unity for your subjective understanding of human sociology.
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  164. 13:28 Well, would you look at that. After the assassination of Alexei Navalny on the 16th, the US unleashed 600 new sanctions against Russia for the murder and the continued invasion. Additionally, the $300 Billion worth of frozen assets seized from Russia's war chest is about to be given directly to Ukraine. ++Several more sanctions on those who are responsible for kidnapping Ukrainian children, trafficking them to Russia. The EU also joined in to sanctioned 100 companies that are helping Russia evade sanctions, including Chinese companies that export dual-use goods to Russia.
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  165. This^ is how to NOT run a military.
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  166. It's unfortunate the amount of time I have heard "well Palestine likes Hamas so..." whenever talking about the Israel/Palestine conflict when the reality of Palestinian politics is much more complicated than that oversimplification. Edit: Digging deeper, the reason Bibi allowed Hamas to thrive was to keep this narrative at the heart of any "2 State Solution" debates, so maybe that is why this piece of misinformation is so widely circulated.
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  167. True. The problem is Jerusalem is not the State of Israel's internationally recognized capital. That is Tel Aviv-Yafo. This is because Jerusalem is supposed to be a shared holy city. So, almost all countries that recognize Israel have their embassy only in Tel Aviv, making it the de-facto capital. That's why the Trump Administration's decision to recognize Israel's de-jure claim for Jerusalem, and moving the US Embassy there accordingly, was so controversial in the international community. The status of Jerusalem is still very complicated.
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  168.  @Real_MrDev  Actually, 1) Black Hand's involvement is alleged. 2) Even if Gabrilo Princip was really trained by them, Black Hand was also a secret military society spawned from the Serbian Military; not just simple terrorists. 3) What's more, the leader was an active Captain within the Serbian Military. In fact, Apis was promoted in 1916 to the rank of colonel before he was even charged with treason. 4) Apis and his Black Hand went further by creating the July Crisis. 5) AH sent the July Ultimatum to Serbia w/ point 6 being chief -- a role within the trial against the Archduke's killer + accessories. So AH tried to give Serbia a way out and only declared war after point 6 was refused. You're not really helping your case.
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  169. Damn. That is really fucked up. People should not underestimate the far-right polarization of the Israeli Government as a factor that led to this war. Just look at the new National Security policies made by the literal fascist, Ben-Gvir.
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  170. My only hope for 2024 is for the West to take the difficulties of Positional Warfare seriously enough to fully commit to supporting Ukraine accordingly -- artillery is the name of the game. The very last thing the world needs rn is for this conflict to turn into a 20 year long forever war all because of avoidable mistakes made by Ukraine's allies. But the chaos they have caused in the US Congress this year shows us that Republicans are more than willing to leave Ukraine out in the cold.
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  171.  @kenlieberman4215  Not just the HIMMARS platform but also the precise ATACMS missiles.
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  172.  @Sharkamfss  "Yankee Missile"🤣
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  173. It's easy to stay objective about war when it does involve you. Good luck.
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  174. Seems likely
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  175. Thanks for this insight.
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  176. Insurance policies are wasteful until they are needed. Our entire supply chain, civil and military, needs to be reformed. Cus Just in Time production is only effective for certain companies in specific circumstances. It works for Toyota BECAUSE it is Toyota.
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  177. Zelenskyy is a world leader. He is 46.
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  178. Blinken warning to Obama will never stop being relevant: Superpower don't bluff. Funny enough, Blinken was referring to how Obama shouldn't have lied about his Syria red lines in the sand.
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  179.  @TheEDFLegacy  😂At this point I'm convinced they are all rusty and ineffective.
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  180. Oh come on. We didn't need hindsight to see this coming. Rational heads can see further.
    3
  181. And petroleum, coal, etc. are limited non-renewable resources. The circumstances that created these resources will never happen again. Even in a 100% green future utopia, we will still need these non-renewable resources. Except we are rapidly depleting them for the sake of turning over eye-watering profits. The major oil exporters + Big Fossil are reacting to this shift in energy by furthering exploitation of these fossil fuels while they still can.
    3
  182. Incompetency isn't it. Short-sighted corruption is what led to Venezuela's fall from grace.
    3
  183. The irrationality factor of being human.
    2
  184.  @herptek  Revert ALL the way back to positional warfare.
    2
  185. If Ukraine is not allowed to join both the EU and NATO, then all of the aid, sanctions, and defense would just be a band-aid to an eventual relapse of security. The former will rebuild Ukraine's wealth and the latter will guarantee Ukraine's peace.
    2
  186.  @CedarHunt  The comment is saying you still don't understand those abstract issues. All you know is what you hear in your news bubble. Yet, Americans don't want to pay attention to the issues that they do understand (like our broken education system, crumbling democracy, abortion bans, Ukraine War.)
    2
  187. The Administration wanted to Ukraine to succeed in a combined-arms offensive, but refused to send the combined arms in a timely manner.
    2
  188. Actually, the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb (Serbians were backed by the Russian Empire) as the start of the war. Therefore, the Kingdom of Italy was obligated to join in on the war as the defensive pact was triggered. Instead, Italy broke that promise, declared "nEuTrAlItY" and only joined in 1915 for its own territorial interests -- ultimately switching sides, again, for its own territorial interests. These are the objective facts.
    2
  189. Great video. Thanks to our love for Lines on Maps, this channel has grown a lot over this past year. I loved this outro and the finishing line, too.
    2
  190. Egypt wants Hamas dealt with. Egypt also wants to not deal with a refugee crisis of biblical proportions. Egypt is walking on a tightrope that it really doesn't want to rock.
    2
  191. I'm glad that you are starting to add outros and inside jokes, again. Those are great.
    2
  192. Thanks for adding this to the discussion. Happy holidays.
    2
  193. Ohhh true. That definitely changes the status quo of William's entire analysis on Putin's coup proofing.
    2
  194. The UK is politically and economically unstable, yet it somehow still maintains its leadership role as a bedrock NATO member state. Like when it was the first NATO nation to send Western-made battle tanks to Ukraine, which made Washington and Berlin move their feet.
    2
  195. Reminds me of the appeasement policy against Hitler. It's true that unearned concessions delayed the war until GB could mobilize, but all that did was emboldened Hitler and made Germany more powerful. Same story with the League's appeasement of Imperial Japan. All this made WW2 that much more deadly than WW1. Instead of appeasing Trump, the Machiavellian/Prince thing to do is to move closer with China while remaining strong and only giving token concessions (a la Mexico & Canada).
    2
  196. Attritional austerity.
    2
  197. i agree
    2
  198. Yeah. People should never think they know what Kyiv will do next because it might just surprise everybody (except American intelligence.)
    2
  199. "Spiraling the Nether"🔥🔥🔥
    2
  200. Nice!
    2
  201. Actually, the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb (Serbians were backed by the Russian Empire) as the start of the war. Therefore, the Kingdom of Italy was obligated to join in on the war as the defensive pact was triggered. Instead, Italy broke that promise, declared "nEuTrAlItY" and only joined in 1915 for its own territorial interests -- ultimately switching sides, again, for its own territorial interests. These are the objective facts.
    2
  202. Hello from America. Welcome to the Alliance.
    2
  203. 'Escalating to deescalate' is an insane gambit that only General Douglas MacArthur is ignorant enough to believe that it is a plausible scheme. MacArthur: "Nuke 'em." Truman: "No." MacArthur: "Nuke 'em!" Truman: "No!" MacArthur: "Aw c'mooooon..." Truman: "You're fired."
    2
  204. The so called Mr Negotiator already gave these concession to Russia from the get-go: recognition of occupied territory as Russian, no NATO membership or no US security guarantee for Ukraine, no US peacekeepers, removal of US troops from the Baltics, decrease of forces in Europe, and sanctions relief. Yet Russia is making ZERO concessions. Moreover, Trump called President Zelenskyy a dictator + the aggressor of the war, and is now blackmailing him for 50% for Ukraine rare earth minerals. The US is now no different from Russia.
    2
  205.  @amlord3826  ABSOLUTELY🦅🏴
    2
  206. 4:20 HELL YEAH! You're a rockstar William Spaniel!
    2
  207. Personally, I think those "proactive reparations" should be given to Ukraine as a post-war recovery fund. Estimates of rebuilding were between $400 Billion to a couple $Trillion. But with Congress being a clown car of useless fools, I think Ukraine should get those reparations NOW and can decide for itself how to use the money.
    2
  208. (15:50) Military percent would be shrink to 1/9 and social percent would swell to 8/9 as a baseline. So for a nation at war it means that the scale has gotten stretched smaller. It would be much harder to spend on the military while still keeping up with social spending demands. So I'm guessing production would be cut by 25-50%, ideally.
    2
  209. Then you should be disappointed in the majority of Arab Americans that elected this guy. They voted for the man that will let Israel END Palestine. I used to care, but now I have to focus on surviving Project 2025.
    2
  210. Priceless.
    2
  211. I did not expect to get jumpscared by younger version of Cheney and Rumsfeld.
    2
  212. NATO & EU really fumbled their chance to strike a devastating blow to Putin's Russia that would have redeemed the Alliance's failures of Georgia, Crimea, & Donbas. They could have made/changed history by exploiting the greatest blunder of Putin's life. However, the thing about these golden opportunities is that they only come once in a lifetime. And NATO fumbled their singular chance.
    2
  213. Yes, it would. Hopefully, the winter freezes the ground enough to allow continued operation so we can see. If not, the whole world will probably wait until summer 2023, when both sides will have certain advantages over the other.
    2
  214. The Ukrainian Army's Hall of Fame: Javelin AAWS HIMARS Storm Shadow And now maybe F-16 Falcon ?
    2
  215. Woah. I feel like this is the biggest news about Ukraini since the Russian invasion began.
    2
  216. This is a very unpopular isolationist mindset shared by a small minority of misinformed Americans. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you, cupcake.
    2
  217. interesting but also terrifying.
    2
  218. As if he wasn't the main target. Zelenskyy has balls of steel. He is the Castro of our times.
    2
  219. The Budapest Memorandum is an ant compared to the EU's Article 42(7) and a speck of dust compared to the battle-tested Article 5.
    2
  220. LMFAO My bad. I wasn't really familiar with your game.
    2
  221. Which they already are.
    2
  222.  @davidsuzukiispolpot  You say it like Israel is immune to that. Netanyahu has refused any ceasefire or hostage negotiations. That's why Israelis are protesting his government. All they wants is for thee hostages to be released and for the violence to end.
    2
  223.  @ruZsiaNa-C  Don't argue with bots. Their monitors make them meet comment quotas. By interacting, you are helping this bot meet his quota.
    2
  224. If Iran really did cooperate with Hamas to at least a certain degree (as I assume), it would be plausible given the wider political shifts in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is pursuing peaceful relations with Israel AND Iran. Since the Iranian-Saudi Cold War is coming to an end, that frees up Iran to concentrate its proxies on its primary geopolitical opponent, Israel. At the very least, we already know that Hamas has been building up its arsenal with the help of Iran. Furthermore, these unconventional terrorist tactics of Hamas's attack are reminiscent of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
    2
  225. Appeasement causes World Wars.
    2
  226. Just an update or a key point: All parties suspected did NOT claim any form of responsibility for this. Obviously, the attack is ugly becuase a civillian was the target & the actual target was killed, so any official prepertrator would distance themselves from this. So the most likely attacker(s) would be a maverick, partisans group. William suggested that said partisans would be Russian Resistance against the war/regime. And what's interesting is that a new supposed anti-Putin (& seemingly Pro-Ukraininan) underground partisans group -- the NRA -- claimed responsibility Monday, August 22nd. And, even calling Putin a "war criminal that betrayed the Slavic people" in the Monday statement they released. Now, since reliable, fresh inteligence is hard to get so into the Russian heartlands to effiectly investigate, none or all of this could be true. At the very least, I am sure that the Russian and Ukrainian heads of government were not directly involved -- highlighted by how irregular the attack was -- , but one should never easily underestimate the historcal precedent of a False Flag Operation. Whatever the case maybe, Putin's Regime is surrounded by more enemies than President Zelenskyy's Administration .
    2
  227. Kinda related thought: If this really was a soft "attack", then that would mean all those missiles and drones were largely an acceptable price Iran could afford. If the worst ever came to be, just how many drones and missiles is Iran capable of fielding in total war escalation? Forget nukes. Their conventional arsenal capabilities is concerning.
    2
  228. That's all y'all care about isn't it? Credit. That's why Trump but his name on the Covid stimulus checks when Biden didn't. Blinken and Biden don't want the credit to satisfy their ego, they just want the hostages to come home and for the war to end. It's called empathy. Radical, right?
    2
  229. There is hope but making peace is harder than making war. Also, outside powers like Turkey will have the ability to influence any potential future.
    2
  230. Actually, the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb (Serbians were backed by the Russian Empire) as the start of the war. Therefore, the Kingdom of Italy was obligated to join in on the war as the defensive pact was triggered. Instead, Italy broke that promise, declared "nEuTrAlItY" and only joined in 1915 for its own territorial interests -- ultimately switching sides, again, for its own territorial interests. These are the objective facts.
    2
  231. It would explain why his analyses are always so on point.
    2
  232. Honestly speaking, Biden is the only President that practically pivoted to Asia/China. The First Island Chain has become insanely militarized and a successful technological trade war has been waged. But if a world war in Europe or the ME breaks out, the US will get dragged in one way or another. So the only way to maintain our pivot to Asia and keep China contained is to flood Ukraine with arms and stabilize* the ME. That way, if anything pops off, we will be in a much better position to act.
    2
  233. Very big brain. 🧠
    2
  234. Pray for Bilhorod💀
    2
  235.  @kingbaxter1945  Actually that is not true. Secretary of State Blinken & the State Department have been working nonstop on diplomatic efforts to moderate Israel's response. (Seriously, Blinken has barely gotten any sleep.) President Biden even visited Israel to urge caution and to "not repeat the mistakes the US made after 9/11". The US Military isn't going gung ho to rescue its citizens, but instead making sure nobody does anything to spiral things into a regionwide conflict. So the US is doing a lot actually.
    2
  236. Oddly, my favorite part of this video is the outro. I hope "lines on pants" becomes a reoccurring outro format.
    2
  237.  @Real_MrDev  Funny how you keep making up excuses and calling it common knowledge. And I am stating facts. If that makes you feel like I am an Austrian apologist, then maybe by that same logic you are a Serbian apologist. Since you keep repeating that Black Hand had no affiliation with the Serbian Army, how can you deny the leader's role as a Captain (and then as a Colonel) inside the Serb Army? Your subjective interpretation can't wash away objective historical facts.
    2
  238.  @Real_MrDev  1) Well at least you admit your bias. 2) For your information, I am glad AH and the German Empire fell. But I refuse to dilute history for my ends. . . . . 3) I grew up surrounded by military and even went to a military academy. So I understand that the actions of a soldier or group of soldiers reflect on the entire collective. If one soldier does not perform well, then the whole group is held responsible.
    2
  239.  @Real_MrDev  When confronted with the truth, you made a U-turn towards more nonsense. Take the L and walk away.
    2
  240.  @gluegobbler5740  Have you actually read the ultimatum? All 10 point technically violated their autonomy. But this is pre ww1 politics we are talking about. AH cared about point 6 the most, so if Serbia agreed to point 6 and violated point 3, the war might have not broken out. Serbian-affiliated nationals not only engaged in the plot to kill the Archduke, but they also refused to allow AH to be involved in the trials. (If the V POTUS were killed outside the US, the FBI would still be involved in the criminal procedure. So there shouldn't be a double standard.) Also, btw, I research before I speak so I have read that page and 10 other pages-- all of which are from credible sources.
    2
  241.  @Real_MrDev  Facts are facts. They don't alter regardless of how much you yell at them.
    2
  242.  @diegodessy9700  Your overgeneralization doesn't spare you from the truth that it was a way out for Serbia. But since we are generalizing: Anyone that reads the ultimatum themselves would see it as fairly reasonable, especially when the alternative was the Great war. I urge you not to view history in a vacuum.
    2
  243.  @Real_MrDev  It's cute how you warp reality.
    2
  244.  @Real_MrDev  LOL.
    2
  245.  @andresmartinezramos7513  I'm not trying to defend countries that don't even exist anymore LOL. Just stating facts and calling out bs. IDK why everyone is getting so offended over objective history. Whatever. I am more interested in modern warfare anyways.
    2
  246. This is even more amazing because precision-guided missiles have a tendency of locking on to the wrong target or malfunctioning.
    2
  247. This would be accurate without the coastline part. After all, 2023 has made the Baltic Sea a NATO lake.
    2
  248. Is this the first sponsorship? Cool. I hope this channel keeps growing.
    2
  249. Please be safe, my friend.
    2
  250. The only upside is that Trump and his circus aren't smart enough to get all of this. He might see either option as desperate hail marys Ukraine is willing to take. We just saw Trump pull off a huge hail mary by winning reelection to stay out prison. This and Russia screwing him over could make him flood the field with weapons.
    2
  251. Not so fun fact: Allies gave the Soviet Red Army air support in areas across the Eastern Front but never got credit for it. In fact, one piece of Soviet propaganda in occupied East Germany was to claim that Dresden was a victim of WW2 by (not the Nazis) but the allies. Dresden was bombed by Allied air power so the Red Army wouldn't have to undergo brutal urban warfare like Stalingrad. But after the war, Stalin lied and used it to rally East Germans against NATO & West Germany. The Soviets even built a memorial for Dresden alongside the victims of the Holocaust and Nazi occupation. No shame.
    2
  252. Lockheed Martin: "W.H.Y.N.O.T."
    2
  253. "I have concepts of a plan."🤣
    2
  254. Yeah I was surprised William left that out because he discussed the ramification in full, earlier this year. It was a lot easier for Russia to defend the Surovikin Line with a 1/3 it was being flood lands. At least, most of the flooding is over now, making the Left Bank a viable front once more. I agree with your second point too.
    2
  255. In my opinion, because of Russia war crimes and aggression, I believe what Ukraine views as the "line (the cost of war)" is nothing less than the original borders. At this point, every last Ukrainian is motivated enough to defend every single inch of the nation's sovereignty -- including the territories that Russia is occupying.
    2
  256. Ich bin ein Berliner! These words still hold weight.
    2
  257. I guess he is waiting for more on that to develop before diving in. Especially since the last video he did on Hormuz was a behemoth. He is probably trying to space out the workload (since you know he has a day job as a professor)
    2
  258. Nice
    2
  259. Actually, the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb (Serbians were backed by the Russian Empire) as the start of the war. Therefore, the Kingdom of Italy was obligated to join in on the war as the defensive pact was triggered. Instead, Italy broke that promise, declared "nEuTrAlItY" and only joined in 1915 for its own territorial interests -- ultimately switching sides, again, for its own territorial interests. These are the objective facts.
    2
  260. Honestly, France has been playing ball since the war in Ukraine began. Although, its checkered history with NATO (especially during de Gaulle's reign) should not be easily forgotten.
    2
  261. It's a happy day, but an uncertain future.
    2
  262. Just a simple special military operation.
    2
  263. Don't forget about how the Russian Federation betrayed Armenia a month ago.
    2
  264. Most people predicted this. Russia focused wayyyyyy too many essential resources into invading Ukraine. And unlike when America does something that stupid, Russia is not the richest country in the world. It literally cannot afford this war AND to protect the homeland at the same time. Apparently, to Putin, fighting a losing war in Ukraine is more important to him than protecting the Russia people and state.
    2
  265. True. TLDR News covered this well.
    2
  266. Actually, the real reason is because Iran is desperate not to escalate in the Levant. They essential told Hezbollah that they are on their own. Meanwhile, to disprove the weapons capacity issue theory, Russia is sending the Houthis supersonic glide cruise missiles that can actually hit US Navy ships. This could actually change the security dynamic of the whole Suez Canal, Red Sea, & Bab Al-Mandeb.
    2
  267.  @aerohydra3849  Don't pat yourself on the back just because you oversimplified complex geopolitical reality so you can win an online argument.
    2
  268. The bridge too far for Putin was his overinvesting in Ukrainian Crimea.
    2
  269. That's what you don't understand. Hamas is NOT fighting for the Palestinian people or for Gaza's well-being. Hamas is ONLY fighting for itself and for an Islamic Revolution. The organization that is fighting for Palestinians is the PLO based in the West Bank.
    2
  270. True
    2
  271.  @Jaysusitsme  "USS Taylor Swift" The Navy is hilarious🤣
    2
  272. So it seems they will start with the ~$15B interest gameplan.
    2
  273. The sarcasm of this comment jumped out of my screen and uppercutted me LMFAO.
    2
  274. As usual, you are the most clear eyed when it comes to lines on maps.
    2
  275. Ukrainian ingenuity never ceases to amaze me.
    2
  276. Well said, Dio. Now if you don't me saying... "ZA WARUDO!!"
    2
  277. I appreciate all these Star Trek references sprinkled throughout this one!
    2
  278.  @Jondiceful  Typical sassy Churchill 😂
    2
  279. This is the funniest satirical joke of 2024.
    2
  280.  @burningphoenix6679  Even if Moscow and Tehran maintain control underneath the same regime, there is no way they would join an alliance together. It doesn't matter if all of them find NATO to be an enemy. China and Russia's relationship is one of economic convenience. Iran and Russia's relationship is one of geographic convenience -- both want to stifle Turkey and the Caucasus. And Iran and China's relationship is frosty at best -- particularly because of Beijing's treatment of Muslims.
    1
  281.  @TN-bp2cf  Yes. But China can't wait forever. Because its hard power is projected to begin waning at the end of this decade.
    1
  282. Like Putin was at the start of his invasion.
    1
  283. Crazy how Hamas wins* while the rest of Gaza suffered hell. It doesn't seem fair. The worst part is now public sentiment for the group is higher than it was before the war.
    1
  284. That's not a guarantee but I can only hope.
    1
  285. NATO's military doctrine hinges on gaining Air Superiority and Naval Dominance. Those just aren't in the cards for the Ukrainian Army.
    1
  286. fr
    1
  287. Somehow, I think Trump will manage to start WW3 in the ME or Asia before a second Russo-Ukraine War starts.
    1
  288. Possibly. Possibly not.
    1
  289. 😂😂💀
    1
  290. Dude. This is literally just doom mongering. Europe will do just fine. And if China invades Taiwan, nah shit this will happen to them to. This not new information for any country. Also, you are incorrect. The biggest wealth fund in the world is Norway. You don't see Norway shaking. Why? Because Norway doesn't abuse the rules of the Global Financial System. A financial system without enforced rules is a system investors fear.
    1
  291. True. That it was just a part of the slide until I took a closer look.
    1
  292.  @rogerhearn5243  Europe is once more facing the iron grips of tyranny; a fight that the United Kingdom knows all too well. And just as Great Britain under PM Winston Churchill weathered through the brink, it must do so again. For if Ukraini is allowed to be trampled by the odious apparatus of Russian Authoritarianism, Europe and the world at large shall be worse off for it. So we must all share in the struggle together, "until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."
    1
  293. Current Middle Eastern politics is complicated, but it can be best summarized as a Cold War between Iran and Israel, backed by the US. The worst part is that Israel has secrets nukes, and Iran could acquire nuclear weapons w enough political will, too. (+In opposite corners are Erdogan's "neo-ottomanism" and Pakistan, a nuclear power, on the brink of collapse.)
    1
  294. New book. Who dis?
    1
  295. It's crazy how one side note/extra detail by a President while answering a question can turn into media anxiety and change in oil markets.
    1
  296.  @ilikehardplay  Well yeah. If you read my comment you would know that I said it was merely an easier (yet unfavorable) option.
    1
  297.  @lokomike2911  Sir. You have missed months of action. Right now the front line stretch from Kharkiv (NE) & the Donbas region (E) to Mariupol + Sea of Azov (SE) & Crimea + Kherson (S). That is the entire Russo-Ukraini Border and 80 percent of Ukraini's Black Sea coast line.
    1
  298. This is the best video on the possibilities of and prevention of an Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
    1
  299. Unlike most channels I actually get entertained by your sponsor segment. It just feels so weird & funny to hear you in advertiser mode😂
    1
  300. To be fair to Khruzchev, when he said "We will bury you!", he followed that up by reaching Space first. Back then, the Space Race was fueled by a desire to launch rockets into low Earth Orbit capable of carrying nukes (aka ICBMs), just as much as it was by scientific exploration. So by being the first nation in space, the Soviets literally could have buried any capitalist country (theoretically) -- which motivated the US to send Alan Sheperd into space ahead of schedule.
    1
  301. As an American who voted for Harris, this is my advice for Europe. Give up on us. It will take us 4 or 8 years to recover from this. Functionally, NATO is now just a European defensive alliance + Canada. Unfortunately, the same is true for the Paris Agreement.
    1
  302. (10:45) Why is IAEA flexing on us so hard? LMFAO
    1
  303. Yeah. Whac-a-Mole theory is a very old strategy for Israel but it hasn't seemed to decrease violence output or terrorism. This feels like the Israeli Government is trying to double down on the theory as a hail mary. It's a precarious gambit.
    1
  304. You don't desperately cling to power for 30+ years just to throw it all away to appease a dictator whose military is already bogged down. It's a loss of leverage for Russia. Moreover, doing Putin a favor won't be worth it if Lukashenko sees Putin as someone who won't pay back his debts. Same reason that Russia can't properly attack Belarus if it disobeys is the same reason that Russia can't properly defend Lukashenko's hold on power.
    1
  305. Here is an extra tangent that might be more realistic. Despite already being under the NATO, Poland is flirting with the idea of getting nukes themselves. It's in a much better position to pull it off than Ukraine. Hypothetically, Warsaw could go as far as claiming their nuclear deterrent has an umbrella that also covers Ukraine due to fallout or something. It's kinda unsettling how a lot of countries are even thinking about resorting to this.
    1
  306. The ironic part is that Russia manufactured or froze the disputes for the Kremlin's political benefit. Now those disputes are coming back to bite them in the ass.
    1
  307. That says a lot about the ever-burning fire that is the world.
    1
  308. And Finland had/has the benefit of winter
    1
  309. That part.
    1
  310. Seriously. If his cabinet picks weren't lying about their intent to cut defense spending waste, that would be a great place to start.
    1
  311. 😂😂 @Gametheory101 
    1
  312. The saddest part about all of this is that this all happened while Alexei Nalany was being charged with even more fake crimes in a closed trial to serve even more time in a prison filled with far-right convicts that are sympathetic to either Putin or Prigozhin. He is still the only President that Russia deserves.
    1
  313. Same here. Same here.
    1
  314. I like how the US's response to North Korea deploying to fight Ukraine with Russia is just to instigate a rift with China. Pentagon and State Department were like, "Are you really gonna let you puppet state get so chummy with your weaker frenemy/rival? I thought you wanted to apply pressure on South Korea and Japan as it relates to Taiwan. Then why is North Korea in Europe? See if that happened to me, I'd--" And just like that: Welcome Mr. Nixon.
    1
  315. That's the obvious choice. And Kherson Oblast or the Donbas are still equally strategic targets. At least on the surface level, the difficulty of all three targets is equilateral.
    1
  316. Now that's the trillion-dollar question.
    1
  317. Lol. It would be amazing if William's books were sold in bookstores. Like a local Barnes & Noble.
    1
  318. Russia keeps attacking Ukrainian energy? Well, 2 can play at that game.
    1
  319. Less ammo and equipment, but still more soldiers.
    1
  320. Russia: "Help! I am drowning! I need help!" China, Brazil, India, & Saudi Arabia: "Here, buddy." Throw a lifeline Also Russia: "HA! Screw you!" Pulls them into the water to walk on top of them.
    1
  321. I would also like to mention the global protest/boycott of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. For the women, the LGBTQ+ Community, and all the migrant workers that live oppressed in Qatar
    1
  322. Maybe. Maybe not. Let's see.
    1
  323. The Saudi people are increasingly hating Israel, but the Sauds have been trying to formalize an alliance for years now. So inevitable, yes. But the timeline depends on Israel's policies, OR how pissed off Saudi Arabia gets at Iran. Also if MBS messes up the timing, his alliance could cause a direct war.
    1
  324. Fking positional warfare
    1
  325. I keep thinking this. He is basically dead weight. What use does he serve Putin now?
    1
  326. Actually, the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb (Serbians were backed by the Russian Empire) as the start of the war. Therefore, the Kingdom of Italy was obligated to join in on the war as the defensive pact was triggered. Instead, Italy broke that promise, declared "nEuTrAlItY" and only joined in 1915 for its own territorial interests -- ultimately switching sides, again, for its own territorial interests. These are the objective facts.
    1
  327.  @burningphoenix6679  That is just a matter of subject semantics. If Ukrainians killed Putin's hypothetical son, that is tantamount to a declaration of war.
    1
  328. LMFAOOOOO You are so naive. You are all fked. Trump is going to let Netanyahu "finish the job". The entire Middle East is fked.
    1
  329.  @huwenkai440  I see.
    1
  330. Kerch* Bridge
    1
  331. The West doesn't like learning from history. That's our greatest weakness.
    1
  332.  @diegodessy9700  Maybe the Kingdom of Italy did get treated poorly by the Germans & Austrians. But at the end of the day, the Austrian heir was assassinated by a nationalist of one of the Russian Empire's proxies. When the Austro-Hungarians were attacked, the German Empire upheld its part of the defensive pact, but the Italians did not. Whether Italy was justified is a matter of debate. But what is objectively true was that the Kingdom did not answer the call of war (a war that Austria-Hungary did not spark).
    1
  333.  @diegodessy9700  So all three are guilty of alliance abandonment at one point or another.
    1
  334. Putin wanted an empire to be feared and got incompetent pariah status, instead. If anything, China and India are the only winners.
    1
  335. LINES ON MAPS... of planets!???
    1
  336. If this war ends in a ceasefire and a dmz, it is only a matter of time (maybe a decade) until Russia decides to try its luck against. It's not just about Putin's mortality. The Russian establishment is still pro-imperialism, regardless.
    1
  337. My man William has been over here releasing video after video at breakneck speed. This channel is amazing.
    1
  338. Hungary isn't a problem for NATO. Hungary is a problem for the EU. If NATO's problem was a nation it would be Erdogan's Turkey.
    1
  339.  @phantorang  If Article 5 was ever triggered in any meaningful way -- like say 9/11 -- I am sure the West can count on Turkey .... hopefully.
    1
  340.  @phantorang  But Orban really does concern me.
    1
  341. That part
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  342. This is why I saw Russia was no "hero" in WW2. Eastern European Slavs and other people were deprived of peace and life twice over; by the Nazis and by the Bolsheviks. Yet, NATO is the "villain" in Russian propaganda.
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  343.  @awalk5177  What you are not mentioning is that Crimea has always been ground zero for proxy wars and expansionism for countries around the Black Sea and from the Euroasian Steppes. Before the Ottomans, several nomadic tribes conquered and settled it; the Mongols being the most well-known. The Ottomans controlled Crimea for centuries until the Russians tried taking it (starting with Sevastopol). During the Crimeans War, the Russian Empire was defeated by the Ottomans and the other European empires. The Russian Empire could never secure the peninsula long enough to rule. Then came the Soviets who took Crimea and annexed it -- since the Ottoman Empire died and AttaTurk advocated for semi-isolationism. This is when Stalin came to power and deported the ethnic Tartars, native to Crimea, and began moving Slavic people there. Premier Khrushchev gave it the Soviet Ukraini as a sort of Trojan Horse, since it had a large Russian population. In conclusion, the history of Crimea is one of military annexations and ethnic cleansings. The latest case of ethnic cleansing was when Putin invaded & invaded Crimea; then, deported or scared off ethnic Ukrainians living there since 2014.
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  344.  @BRMCX69  So in summary, "I am gonna deny everything you said so Russia doesn't look as bad". This comment wraps facts to support a pseudo-claim just like how Noam Chomsky denied the Milokovic-sanctioned Bosnian genocide.
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  345.  @awalk5177  A biased comment that dilutes the facts. But, hey! Freedom of speech, right?
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  346.  @BRMCX69  Here is some education. During the 1990s, Chomsky felt very sympathetic toward the Milosevic Regime. Because of this, he utilized his linguistic skills to twist the fact. All to deny the Bosnian Genocide carried out by the Serbs. Similarly, you are twisting the facts due to your Russian sympathies to deny the state-sanctioned ethnic cleansing in Crimea.
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  347.  @BRMCX69  Okay bro. One the Russian Empire IS DEAD so Cathy the Great IS IRRELEVANT. Jesus, you sound like Putin talking about "Greater Russia". The Bolsheviks were the ones that reconquered the territories of the DEAD Russian Empire (and then some). And Stalin was the one Lenin sent to subdue the Ukrainians and the Pole. It was then when the Red Army militarily annexed Crimea. I gave Stalin the credit because he was the one responsible for the ethnic cleansing that followed the annexation.
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  348. It seems my generation is starting to experience the spiraling realities of Cold War brinkmanship.
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  349. You started a really cool easter egg. #wheresputin
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  350. 14:19 That's surprising. Not the Harris lean, but the Non-American lean. Does that mean more non-Americans are subscribed to this channel than Americans?
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  351. Great video. I agree.
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  352. This is the October Surprise. According to reports, Netanyahu wants Trump to win and so is refusing to participate in ceasefire/hostage negotiations until after the Presidential Election is won. To help Trump and hurt Harris (someone actively calling for a ceasefire), Israel is gambling on escalating to win. Iran doesn't want to escalate and doesn't want Trump to win; so if Harris loses, Netanyahu sees it as a win-win. After all, Trump/Vance have actively called for war with Iran, either way.
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  353. All News should take notes.
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  354. Since the war began, the phrase "Special Military Operation" has been cycling throughout my mind. It started out as a bad joke, then an internet meme, and now words that haunt me and overshadow the rest of 2020. It honestly brought me back to a phrase from two decades earlier, in 2002. Both false flag pretexts; following unprovoked military invasions; lead to humanitarian abuses and even wider destabilization. Essentially, "Special Military Operation" is the new "Weapons of Mass Destruction".
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  355. Putin is soft boy. He is obvious not a hard-boiled MAN! So he probably eats his eggs soft-boiled. Edit: TEN EGGS, scrambled!!?? That's too much for a human. (But he is still not hard-boiled!)
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  356. That's a good thing. Wagner should just keep going and leave Ukraine alone!
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  357. US said 'how come Hamas won't come to the table?' Gee, maybe because Israel killed all their negotiators. Also, most experts think that Netanyahu won't agree to a ceasefire until after Nov 5 to hurt Harris's chances.
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  358. Yeah. Precision-guided missiles aren't necessary accurate all the time. It was bound to happen.
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  359. Everybody keeps saying that, during WW1, Italy was in the right and that it didn't abandon its alliance. BUT: Actually, the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb (Serbians were backed by the Russian Empire) as the start of the war. Therefore, the Kingdom of Italy was obligated to join in on the war as the defensive pact was triggered. Instead, Italy broke that promise, declared "nEuTrAlItY" and only joined in 1915 for its own territorial interests -- ultimately switching sides, again for its own territorial interests. These are the objective facts.
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  360. First and foremost, Ukraine will never surrender. Kyiv would simply transition from positional to guerilla warfare and start checking off to Geneva "suggestions". Second, even if Kremlin-lover Trump wins by some miracle and stops all aid, other NATO members like France & Poland are dedicated to the war. Given how the whole world is Trump-proofing in, I'm sure Ukrainian war planners have such drastic contingency in mind.
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  361. Definitely. I think Merk is a goat but she really made the wrong bet by getting too economically entangled with a country hostile to you.
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  362. Great video and very objective reasoning. Also, it seems like you have a solid understanding of a gambler's psychology. LOL I like that outro. I can't believe I still remember that funny ass story about the Olympics. 🤣 Thank God we're using the same calendar now!
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  363. I'm honestly sick of the narrative that the United States contributes the lion's share of aid going to Ukraine. That is just flat out false. Europe contributes more than us. Yet, we are about to hit $30 Trillion in GDP.... These last six month we sent ZERO while everyone else ramped up aid. Trump's GOP is making the US commit alliance abandonment as he accuses Europe and Asia of the very same thing.
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  364. Exactly. And quite frankly, it seems to me like Ukraine has better war planners than our government. Also, Biden is a hypocrite. He refuses to restrain the way Israel's fights, but Ukraine is constantly getting second-guessed by his Administration.
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  365.  @advancetotabletop5328  Excuse me? Little to no support from the West. I WISH! We are financing their genocide with taxpayer money and arming them with American weapons. When they got attacked by Iranian barrage, WE defended Israeli airspace. Israel is the favorite child that is spoiled rotten and can get away with doing anything.
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  366. Dread and terror from possible nuclear detention starting in Europe then spread + great power backed civil wars and/or coups all over the globe. It's funny how the US is not responsible for half of the aggression this time like the used to be. Now they are trying to mediate everywhere and epically failing.
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  367. One thing that wasn't noted is that, if or when the dam is destroyed, most of the flooding will happen on the east side of the river, due to geography. Do with this information what you will. I just wanted to share it.
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  368. TikTok's response to the "secret" voting on the divestiture bill -- organizing users across America to influence their representatives -- was its 'Mask Off' moment and it totally backfired. More importantly tho, that just goes to show how power these social media apps are. Can you imagine the immense potential for sociopolitical change that these platforms could bring by simply organizing people and resources across states and maybe even countries? Yet, that type of great power is in the hands of companies like ByteDance and Zuck's Meta. Crazy world we live in.
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  369. For Putin, what's in the middle of general mobilization and 'Special Military Operation'? "Reports of Putin signing a decree on partial mobilization for citizens."
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  370. He did mention this, but great point.
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  371. 50 years before your time, kiddo.
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  372. ​ @letao12  Your talking about just lines. Lines on maps are a social & state construct unique to humans. AI would be horrible at the political calculus needed for reaching an end to the war based on abstract costs and benefits. (I know you're (probably) joking btw.)
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  373. I like that but we just finished warning America about Project 2025 as best we could and they said we were "fearmongering". People just won't listen until it is too late.
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  374.  @user-je3sk8cj6g  We are, dude. Read Project 2025
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  375. What kind of war will Trump wage against Iran. Will he make Israel fight it? Will he order a direct naval war? Or a bomber war? Because even Trump-Vance can't be crazy enough for a direct land war against a million-man army in some of the most mountainous regions in the Middle East.
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  376. 1:50 Dandy! Thanks for asking.
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  377. You might be underestimating partisan activity. If Ukraini really wants to, helped by the US backchanneling, it could discretely communicate with partisans in occupied territory (most likely what happened with the explosions in Crimea). The most likely reality is that Kyiv has factored in the risk-to-reward ratio. So, objectively speaking, they probably decided they shouldn't destroy the Crimean bridge -- at least for now.
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  378. ​ @spyofred1791  You're entitled to your opinions. But here is a fact: the only dictators that have caused more damage to humanity than Hitler are Stalin and Mao. When talking about the Soviet Union's actions in and leading up to WW2, you HAVE to talk about Stalin's Holodomor, Stalin's military/political purges, how Stalin got in bed with Hitler, Stalin's gulags, ​Red Army's war crimes, Stalin's gentrification and prosecution of minorities; you get the idea. Because of him, Poland was dismembered and Eastern Europe became one of the worst fronts in the entire war. Stalin is (indirectly) responsible for the siege of Stalingrad by trusting the Nazis. At least the Allies' appeasement was so they can get more time to militarize...
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  379.  @eaman11  momentum* One; The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, a major OPEC state, has already made a deal with Biden to increase supply (not by drilling but by process existing reserves). Two; For Tehran, the West lifting sanctions would give it much-needed breathing room in its foreign policy -- which it needs if it is to become a great power.
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  380. ......maybe Uncle Sam needs that flexing. Cus they got us f'ed up.
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  381.  @IronWarrior86  Ignorant take. That's a political problem, not a resource problem.
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  382. Well said
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  383.  @jonnnybfly  I don't want to repeat myself so: WOMP WOMP. Go cry me a river.
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  384. Putin: A little busy bro. This must be how Hitler felt dealing with Mussolini
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  385. LMFAO William is a savage for that one.
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  386.  @kennethlandert8350  Your grammar is ironically horrendous. How is that for vocabulary?
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  387.  @AJAtcho  LOL They thought all the oxygen on Earth would ignite. Hitler and his superweapon scientists like "he said all the oxygen-- you got that boys!?"
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  388. @Boomstick McNugget His point still stands. Rolling Thunder failed to escalate to deescalate.
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  389.  @latenerd2441  Russian propagandist bot here! Watch out yall. You guys might gain a contact brainwash.
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  390.  @kennethlandert8350  I have no idea who you are, nor do I care. And if you are going to be vain towards other people's semantics, refine yours first.
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  391. @Boomstick McNugget I (respectfully) disagree and I am going to leave it at that.
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  392. @Boomstick McNugget Chill bruh. We can agree to disagree without you getting defensive. Having multiple opinions IS the bedrock of democracy, after all. I know these are challenging times, but that hasn't changed.
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  393. The French are the ones exporting, the Storm Shadows will be set to a max of 290 km. Purposely just shy of 300km.
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  394.  @Aloo_Dum  That's the thing tho. Douyin is not TikTok. Douyin is a seperate app for meant just for Chinese users. ByteDances's international app is TikTok and that is the one that has been banned in China. Douyin is allowed but TikTok is not.
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  395. So accurate😂
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  396. Xi will emerge as the premier superpower by 2028 as long as he doesn't do something stupid. MY fear here is that Trump's unexpected love for Putin and Netanyahu will tempt Xi to finally test the theory of Strategic Ambiguity. And at this point, even we Americans don't think Trump will defend Taiwan. Hell they might get shaken down by Trump himself.
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  397. I completely agree. The Battle of Hostomov/Antonov Airport was the critical point that decided the fate of the war that the Russians started in 2014. And it probably also decided the final outcome of the invasion that started last February, too. On another note: Damn. It hasn't even been a full year since Putin launched the invasion. But President Zelenskyy looks like he has aged as much, in one year, as Obama did in 8 years of the Presidency.
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  398. US Congress is managed dystopia.
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  399. Blinken: "Superpowers don't bluff" Obama: "Hold my beer--"
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  400. I would be here for that.
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  401. Based on this [circumstantial] evidence, the more likely conclusion would be that Putin is in some kind of pain -- probably related to war-time stresses + possible abdominal concerns. For the more unlikely conclusion taker, one might theorize that, although not dying, maybe Putin is suffering from a serious-yet-treatable, stage-one illness.
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  402. Oh. I see. In any case, I do know that Germany has American nukes deployed on its soil.
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  403. If Ukraine was autocratic, only the US, the UK, & former warsaw/soviet states would care if it fell.
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  404.  @ZesTaDesigns  You're right. In Bakhmut, everything has already been destroyed. So Russian rebels are even more effective than Wagner and the MoD combined💀
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  405. China is worried but are relieved that they have time to brace for impact.
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  406. Did somebody say domino effect? Well, hello Mr. Eisenhower.
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  407. Gee. When you said "the longest video in this channel's history", I didn't think you meant double as long as the previous longest. This feels like a feature length film on lines on maps. Here is my review "Five Stars!"
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  408. TLDR: We are lucky Iran has more to lose than it has to gain. Even considering how the US surprisingly succeeded in tempering Israel's attack... That leaves Iran still powerful enough, retaining its nuclear threat and oil supply. Meaning the Ayatollah knows it has everything to lose if they FAFO.
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  409. Leave to actual expert to provide journalistic insight.
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  410. True. But Russia could blow it up. Ultimately, hurting itself but it would be an effective false flag operation.
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  411. Are you referring to Vladivostok, which is artificially kept ice free year around, because Sevastopol is de facto useless until this war ends. Turkey has closed off the straits and Ukraine has won the naval war in the Black Sea.
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  412.  @robertjones2811  You expect all the benefits with none of the responsibilities....
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  413. Yup. Meanwhile, President Biden said boots on the ground if China invades. WH walked it back every time he said it for the sake of strategic ambiguity, but the message was clear. China's strongest years were during the Trump years, and during the Biden years, China was falling off. I have no confidence for Trump version 2.
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  414. As companies were leaving Russia post-invasion, Russia seized many of their assets and even stole their IP
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  415. The way I see it, Putin is stuck in a bad romance.
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  416. Agreed💀
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  417. A very important observation that William no doubt understands. But what he is referring to is correlation, not causation.
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  418.  @kennethferland5579  If the American vice president (aka heir presumptive) was "mErElY" assassinated by a Syrian "dIsSiDeNt", endorsed by elements of the Syrian military, is that not a direct act of war? NOTE: Using Syria as an example because they are a proxy backed by Russia Federation -- like Serbia was backed by the Russian Empire.
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  419. Honestly, at this moment, the worst thing for Ukraine OR Israel is that their primary backer is amid political turmoil. The United States can't substantially help anyone until we get our House of Representatives in check. So far, we have been really on diplomatic power and hovering around the limits of what the Executive Branch alone can do. But, to send sufficient aid, for example, the House would need to open the nation's purse string, which it can't because a Speaker still has not been chosen. As an American, it feels like we are presenting as unreliable.
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  420. We wasted trillions in Afghanistan & Iraq and are giving blank checks to a war criminal in the Levant, yet Ukraine keeps getting the short end of the stick. 'Merica.
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  421. Actually, the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb (Serbians were backed by the Russian Empire) as the start of the war. Therefore, the Kingdom of Italy was obligated to join in on the war as the defensive pact was triggered. Instead, Italy broke that promise, declared "nEuTrAlItY" and only joined in 1915 for its own territorial interests -- ultimately switching sides, again, for its own territorial interests. These are the objective facts.
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  422. Obama failed us like he failed Syria. This should have never been President Biden's responsibility.
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  423. Actually, the Austro-Hungarians and the Germans saw the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb (Serbians were backed by the Russian Empire) as the start of the war. Therefore, the Kingdom of Italy was obligated to join in on the war as the defensive pact was triggered. Instead, Italy broke that promise, declared "nEuTrAlItY" and only joined in 1915 for its own territorial interests -- ultimately switching sides, again, for its own territorial interests. These are the objective facts.
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  424. It's complicated. On one hand, pollsters have gotten it wrong for the unteenth time, and this time, even the Iowa "Nostradamus" got it wrong. On the other hand, millions swore that the "understood the assignment" and that they hated Trump, but still voted for him. Polls aren't meant to factor in deception. As for how did non-pollster Alan Lichtman got it wrong? America changed too much for his keys not to be seen differently.
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  425. Ukraini is playing superpower-geopolitical-3rd-dimensional-chess for the sake of its future. Although, the US is famously renown for its strategic ambiguity, as well.
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  426. Also, Assad himself has gotten very weaken, while HTS had reorganized and institutionalized in recent years.
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  427.  @robclarkson3697  Your understanding is incorrect and is a product of propaganda. Palestinians have always supported a two-state solution that is fair. (The reason why they rejected the first UN two-state proposal was because it was very unfair to Palestine.) Many Palestinians and Israelis have tried to reach a lasting peace for decades now. It's extremists like Gaza's Hamas and Israel's Ben-Gvir that just want to violence.
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  428. Do you guys remember Bush 41's most famous line? "Read. My. Lips... This is not a bluff." LMFAO
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  429.  @davidsalcido383  ...what? Can I help you? Speaking proper English would help me understand!
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  430.  Walt Menc  Freedom that is achieved by kicking the Russian military out of ALL Ukrainian territory.
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  431. Honestly, I think Trump proofing this perfectly reasonable for Kyiv. While I have enormous confidence in a Harris/Walz victory, only a fool would put all his eggs in one basket. For Ukraine, it's sovereignty or subjugation so it can't afford to throw caution into the wind. I am once again impressed with the AFU's war planning.
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  432. It is worth mentioning that "3rd world" investors actually prefer having a financial system with enforceable rules. Many countries sympathize more w a developing nation like Ukraine than a permanent nuclear power like Russia. And if anything were to happen to their countries, investors would feel very secure knowing that the global financial system has their back. Simultaneously, countries that prefer abusing the system will be checked. On the other hand, countries like China & Brazil will slowly divest, but not completely, and not all at once. They depend on the system, too.
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  433. After successful buying a US President for the second time, I'm sure Vlad thought that it was smooth sailing from here. Life rarely goes the way any of us want.
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  434. "Coup Proofing" sounds like it is a legitimate class taught in Political Science.
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  435. LMFAO I love how casually #wheresPrigozhin blended in with the crowd. (24:50)
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  436.  @Ar1AnX1x  Well, the US only destroyed Iran's fleet with Operation Praying Mantis because Saddam had successfully baited Iran into attacking the Strait of Hormuz. Being the defender of freedom of navigation, this meant the US had to directly intervene in the war against Iran. Up until then, Iraq was on the back foot of the war, so if they had not fallen for the bait, Iran was set to win the war.
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  437. So not only did Putin flat out lie by stating the war was a "Special Military Operation" to "denazify" the Ukraini, but he also pulled the bs "Weapons of Mass Destruction" card.
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  438. Only one candidate advocated for political violence. Only one candidate called his opposition "vermin and thugs". Only one candidate mocked and made conspiracies about Paul Pelosi after he was brutally attacked by a Q-Anon conspiracy theorists.
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  439. At this point, it's on us, voters, to pressure our politicians to stop free riding.
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  440. Just as we we are coming out of the Global War on Terror, we get hit with an alarmingly warm cold war.
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  441. Remember how Trump said it would cut off American support to Ukraini if President Zelenskyy didn't somehow find dirt on (then candidate) Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. I don't expect this type of behavior from the entire GOP but certainly do from the Trump-aligned so-called "Freedom Coalition". And if the war in Ukraini were to turn into a forever war and Trump gets reelected in 2024 (suspend your disbelief for a second), then we would have a serious problem on our hands -- not just for the war but for the entire NATO alliance.
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  442. Crazy. Appeasement is a disease.
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  443. About embodiment, it is important to understand that more than any party involved w/ this unsettle conflict, Taiwan is the most invested in protecting the Status Quo. Taiwan needs its established relationship w/ both China & US (preferably w/o all the threats). Whenever Beijing oversteps its show of force, either through PLA Navy or PLA Air Force, it's always Washington and America who panic. Instead, Taiwan remains cautious, making sure to always respond (if CCP attacks it will look like a show of force -- until it doesn't), but it also always presents a relaxed posture after being used to the mainland shenanigans. And of course, if these shenanigans end up begetting real aggression, Taiwan will snap to the defense before the Pentagon even reacts.
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  444. The problem is they can't. They can try to do something from their leased port in Djibouti, but the truth is they are not the mighty navy they want the world to think they are. For starters, the PLAN is most untested military force in the world. It would be a disaster to Chinese propaganda if they were to take an embarrassing defeat by the Houthis. And on the political level, China just doesn't want to team up with the US or upset the Arabs. It's betting that the US can handle it without them.
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  445. Bet the Russian public ate that shit up tho. What is funny tho is how the Russian telegram groups be seeing through the Kremlin bs. Bruh they get so mad that it's hilarious. True comedy. (But why do those groups have better on-the-ground intelligence than actual Russian soldiers tho💀)
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  446.  @MasterBlasterSr  Your source: A "Youtube search"🤣
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  447. NATO might need the US more, but the US still need NATO. US Military is the most powerful military in all history, but modern warfare means nothing without a coalition.
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  448.  @bayrujiagu3594  Exactly. A US without NATO is a national security risk for America. People often forget that the only time Article 5 was actually triggered was when the Twin Towers fell on 9/11.
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  449. Woah. Great eye. (11:40) So that's where Lukashenko has been and why he hasn't been very public lately.
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  450. Bizarrely and terrifyingly enough, pre-pandemic, there actually was a push in USAF to delegate the nuclear authority of launch from POTUS & STRATCOM to POTUS & Regional Commands (I'm assuming STRATCOM would keep the authority for the non-tactical, strategic weapons). In fact, there were even rumors of bilateral talks with Russia to do the same -- I don't know if these were true. Quite compellingly, actually, the main persuasion given was that doing so would remove the need for hair-trigger readiness and its accompanying risks. However, the risks posed by tactical were in the hands of commanders (like General MacAruthr who advocated for their use in Vietnam, and people like Ramzan Kadyrov). Thankfully, the Pentagon ultimately decided to keep the status quo, at least for the time being, but the idea alone is unsettling.
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  451. Just like Tigray will cease to exist (nationally, ethnically, ideologically, etc) if the agreement pans out and the Isayas+Abiy-loyalists achieve a de-facto win. Slava Ukraini! Tigray Tesser!
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  452. SMH. Oh, shut up.
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  453. IDK about calling hypersonics "wrong" just because of the cost. At the end of the day, ain't no alternative like the ATACMS.
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  454. 🤣That's a funny one
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  455. One thing you completely left out is that the cluster munitions being sent to Ukraine are for the purposes of mine clearing. Cluster munitions that have very low dud rates are excellent for clearing minefields without risk to life.
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  456. Literally cheating. He only did that because most of NATO is finally at around 2% defense spending. Like 5%, wtf? Even we don't spend that much.
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  457.  @pawebielinski4903  No but an assassination of the next monarch is equivalent to a declaration of war. And that is the problem with the situation leading up to WW1. Everyone was super-militarized and had proxies that they couldn't control. And all it took was one disillusioned nationalist to ignite the flames of the Great War.
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  458.  @pawebielinski4903  Just because war wasn't declared immediately (because AH wants to give a chance to de-escalate) doesn't mean the assassination wasn't the reason the war began. Also, your entire argument is built on one of my phrase's semantics; not every strong solid ground to debate upon. SMH.
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  459.  @pawebielinski4903  1) It is fair that Italy isn't the best example of alliance abandonment, otherwise we wouldn't be having this educational debate. Ultimately, over the details, I think we are going to agree to disagree. And that's okay. 2) My assertion wasn't dubious at all. Most of the month of July was spent trying to de-escalate through diplomatic channels. Reading archives from, to, and between AH officials during this time proves this. 3) The assassination might have been an act of war but it wasn't a literal invasion so there was no need to mount a defense. AH asked GE for support in the attack because they wished to go on the offensive (not defensive) in a preemptive strike. People often take this last detail as an excuse to blame AH & GE for the entire war. But military doctrine suggests that a provoked preemptive strike can't be simply summed up as aggression. That's why Putin tried to make his invasion look like it was a response to a provocation against the Russian people by the west and "UkRaInIaN nAzIs".
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  460. Jack Sullivan is the Chamberlain of our time. His policies are nothing more than appeasement. As an American, I resent how we have forcibly tied Ukraine's arms behind its back. Sullivan doesn't want Ukraine to win, he wants Ukraine to stay on life support. He is ironically working against American national security.
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  461. We are the sole superpower in the world. How tf are we not dictating the terms and shaping the momentum?
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  462. The only bright side for Ukraine is that Democrats aren't petty enough to not work with Republicans if it's for the greater good. If Putin pisses Trump off enough to flood the field, the GOP will have the full support of Congressional Democrats. On the other hand, Republicans didn't even want to work with Democrats on multiple border security legislations because "it would give Biden and the Dems a win".
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  463. I'm a simple man. I just like a good ole logistics analysis.
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  464. 503K Subscribers. You deserve it, William.
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  465. It crazy how a weak non-state actor can hurt the global economy & compromise freedom of navigation simply by committing piracy or terrorism.
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  466. It funny how seemingly serious people will present the most obvious of revelations as if it was something that no one was talking about. Then they use that basic observation to support whichever "side" they like with selective bias.
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  467. Wow. No lines on maps.
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  468. Come on bro. Horrible comparison. Don't act like you know history when talking about Vietnam War. Nixon & Kissinger DID bomb the Ho Chi Minh Trail without Congress's permission. Yet this didn't stop supply runs from reaching South Vietnam. All it did was destabilize Cambodia leading to the rise of the evil Khmer Rouge that purged 25% of Cambodia's population. It also accomplished in turning Laos into a cluster bomb graveyard. Again, horrible comparison. Learn about history before yapping.
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  469. Fortunately, most European countries in the EU & NATO have all saved up an averaged ~70% of their energy reserves to brace for the winter. And the countries that do not have storage capabilities are also covered because Europe has decided to share the energy scarcity burden (nations storing energy for other nations). And since most Western European countries have, are expanding, and/or building facilities for importing LNG, the United States is in an empowered position to finally achieve their net energy exporter goals. Not to mention, President Biden controversially going to Saudi Arabia and getting Crown Prince MBS to break w/ the OPEC cartel's "keep the prices high" policy. Unfortunately, there are some countries that aren't covered. Namely, the United Kingdom, not because it is sacrificing itself for Ukraini, but because of a lack of proper governance. With the insanity of Boris Johnson's final light and exit from office, the election shenanigans, the threat to unity, and Brexit tension with the EU, Great Britain didn't carefully prioritize saving for energy like the rest of Europe. But not just the UK, because small neutral nations like Austria, caught in the crosshairs, that depend on Russia for 100% of their gas are in trouble, so Putin is ironically killing neutrality. (Although, Ireland Sweden & Finland is neutral but are covered because they're in the EU). Also, other than not freezing to death, ex-soviet countries like Estonia are connected to Russia's power grid -- thankfully Finland is trying to build infrastructure to connect Estonia to their grid, but it's not as easy as pushing a button.
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  470.  @gf2e  Thanks for the info.
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  471. I love all the puns and meta jokes of this channel.
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  472. All I am saying is if Biden had just stopped half-assing his Ukraine policy, Ukraine wouldn't have had to strike Russian refineries during an election year. This is what happens when you procrastinate as the Leader of the Free World.
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  473. China's Cold War plan: Make the World indebted to Beijing. Russia's Cold War plan: War and coup bananza! US's Cold War plan: Fight the fire while pretending everything is "Fine"
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  474. Realistically speaking, it's most likely just a warmer-than-average winter. And by how it's looking, February might not see a true peak freeze.
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  475. On the eve of WW2, while near the spectre of an amphibious invasion that would dwarf Operation Overlord, Okinawa taught the US military the true extent of Japanese civilian insurgencies. The realization that it would take 10 million more soldiers to even contain an insurgency during the occupation of the mainland forced the US to use atomic weapons to induce a surrender. So Russia can take occupied Ukrainian territories only as long as it can keep it. Russia's Vietnam is just getting started.
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  476. William: "Checkmate, Perun."
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  477. Our intelligence community has been in dysfunction ever since the 90s because of Post-Cold War complacency.
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  478. It's obvious what will happen. The Kremlin will agree to the deal only to break it. Then they'll will blame Ukraine which Trump will agree to, giving Russia the ability to say "I tried".
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  479. It's crazy how Trump winning means Putin has an ally in the White House. As if the threat Trump posed to democracy wasn't bad enough.
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  480.  @Not_that_Brian_Jones  Putin only invaded when he did because he thought 4 years of Trump had weakened NATO enough. Luckily, Biden's first year in office (2021) was characterized by a mending our alliances. If Putin knew NATO was going be this strong and united, he would have never bothered with this quagmire.
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  481. So many destroyed cities...
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  482. The Articles of the NATO Alliance -- specifically Article 5 -- is the greatest piece of political writing since the very first Magna Carta Libertatum.
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  483. Egypt is doing it because Hamas is a terrorist org and Egypt has been fighting a decades-long insurgency against terrorists based in the Sinai. If Hamas was able to enter the Sinai unchecked, then the mountainous terrain of the peninsula would become a safe haven for Hamas. But tunnels exist...
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  484.  @caustictoad  You reek of xenophobia.
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  485.  @BL-yj2wp  Ignorant bigot. Egypt is very friendly with Palestinians, it's only hostile to Hamas.
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  486. That's cap. It's only a temporary display of false unity. Israeli politics is familiar to this. Netanyahu and co are still in charge and they definitely don't care about mandates or protocols.
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  487. Yup. Putin knows Trump will go with whatever excuse he makes up.
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  488. After the pandemic began, the same was done by dictators Isayas Afewerki and Kim Jong-un. Many people actually thought they planned their respective faked-deaths together because both schemes were executed during the same weekend. And both revealed themselves and acted against their respective coup-plotters on the same day.
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  489.  @seandelaney1700  At that point, he should have just pursued a career in Hollywood LMFAO
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  490. Remember those news headlines saying sanctions were a mistaken/ineffective?? Well, who has the last laugh now. While we also took a hit, overall NATO is winning this economic war by a long shot.
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  491. It is insane how Ukraine is fighting the former 2nd-strongest military, yet we are forcing them to fight without hands. It is pure insanity. Pentagon planners and war hawks are beyond incompetent. Biden's policies are insufficient, too. The current National Security Advisor is the Chamberlain of the 21st century.
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  492.  @masoodjalal1152  Thanks Sherlock. Also, good job at falling for Russian bluffs. You would get along with Jake Sullivan.
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  493.  @Testingdeployment-un8ng  Western weapons. Ukraine can only use weapons it got on its own to attack Russia, like drones.
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  494. #wheresurovikin He is smugly chilling in front of the crowd, but behind the sign; in between the O and the C of POCCИИ. He must be real gutsy to do that while on the run lol. Or maybe he just really likes parades.
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  495. Okay... What!? And I thought the Football War between El Salvador and Honduras was insane.
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  496. So timely. So relevant to the day. William Spaniel just might be the geopolitics GOAT of YouTube.
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  497. ​ @retired-s5h  Fatah & the PLO, the Palestinian organizations with the most legitimacy on the world stage, have been for the 2 State Solution since the late 80s. They even signed the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords in the early 90s where Palestine recognized Israel's right to exist and Israel promised. The Peace only failed because of Israeli & Palestinian terrorism and Netanyahu's political rhetoric which caused the Assassination of Prime Minister Rabin in 1995.
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  498. They ARE picking up the slack, but that obviously isn't enough. Only the US holds the title of most powerful military.
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  499. Unfortunately, I feel the same way
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  500. Sadly, long term benefits are unpopular.
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  501. I heard Netanyahu unveiled a plan for "Greater Israel" where he annexes the West Bank and the Gaza and Jordan was semi occupied. 2 months ago, I thought that was pure fantasy, now it's the likely future.
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  502. We seen Putin do this for 3 years now. I mentally primed to call Trump's bs
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  503. LOL yeah. The "sufferings" brought from success can be ironic.
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  504. Macron was right this entire time. Under Biden, we had a false sense of security under a NATO that was stronger than ever. But the time for Europe to decouple from the US was 3 years ago. America is a liability for Europe, and even our Asian allies. The only ally Trump will honor is Netanyahu.
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  505. Classic CNN polls. Their ratings were probably down.
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  506. I came back here for the memes, but I left with a new understanding of Anarchy in IR.
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  507. You are giving the military brass too much credit. They hounded Kennedy to invade both Cuba and Vietnam with American troops. They were evening willing to fake terror attack on American citizens (Operation Northwoods) After JFK got assassinated, Johnson gave the green light for invading Vietnam and became a war hawk president. Succeeding LBJ, Nixon & Kissinger made everything worse before FINALLY pulling out.
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  508. Onto the more serious matter at hand,... I keep wondering HOW THE HELL IS ZELENSKYY SO BUFF!! No, seriously. He's never served in the military and ten years ago he used to be a fit but thin comedian and dancer. Who tf is this man's personal trainer!? I need answers!!!
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  509. Congrats on how far this channel has grown. Interviewing the Sec General!! Almost 700K too! > You are misunderstanding us all together. We mean de facto alliance abandonment. In all likelihood, Trump won't answer an Article 5 call if it was the Baltics or Finland that got attacked, maybe eastern Balkans too. The question then becomes where does Trump draw the line, will he defend Poland? Turkey? Either way, breaking "an attack on one is an attack on all" = breaking NATO. Ofc, Mark Rutte can't admit it.
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  510. Exactly.
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  511. Rest in peace. Antonov Airlines's AN-225
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  512. This was a great video. Probably the fastest you have ever produced. All things considered, you did really great. Keep up the great analyses.
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  513. Brexit neonazi detected. Calm down, bob. Don't start another race riot, now.
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  514. Well, there goes the Middle East. Come January 20, President Biden won't be there to hold Israel back. What did the Vice President-elect say again? "America first, with the exception of Israel." The cherry on top is that Trump and Vance have said multiple times that they have a bone to pick with Iran. Here's hoping we don't get drafted. Is there no to avoid this Hormuz death spiral?
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  515. We give them a sincere warning. They turn around to blame us and the country they are invading. Classic Kremlin.
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  516. I think all ten reasons are cummulatively the reason why Ukraini hasn't destroyed the bridge. The main reasons are probably the difficulty of launching a ranged strike, the potential civilian casualties, and the negatives of backing Russia too far into the corner.
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  517.  @richardarriaga6271  Not Russia. If Russian sons and fathers were drafted out of Western Russia (ie: St. Petersburg/Moscow), mobs would form in Red Square. The Kremlin is juggling to make sure that doesn't happen. That's why the Russian MoD is resorting to such crude and undesirable enlisting tactics.
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  518. Before even watching this video, I suspect that Russia strategic arsenal is only 1/5 operational; +only 1/3 of tactical arsenal being operational. That being said, that is still a lot of (albeit out-of-date) nukes that still work. Even just 300 working nukes, similar to China's arsenal, is enough to cause a nuclear holocaust. Of course, it's not like I buy the Kremlin's nuclear bluff, either way.
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  519. I remember learning that the students attending UC Berkeley in 1940 held a large protest in favor of Hitler's "Leadership" in Europe and for the US to abandon her historical allies. That's something people on campus don't like remembering today. This was just a sample of the general sympathetic sentiments that were felt by many Americans across the nation in the years & months before the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
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  520.  @kremepye3613  That policy was largely disastrous and led to the destruction of 90% of Europe. The only reason Nazi Germany didn't conquer all of Europe was because of America's entry and Winter being a bitch in Russia.
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  521. A nation where children aren't taught math is a nation without a future.  orenelbaum1487 
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  522. Exposing the fact that the Kremlin prefers war in Ukraine over protecting the homeland... That is like spitting in the face of every Russian citizen. So instead they are try to downplay the tragedy while blaming Ukraine for it.
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  523. #wheresputin (17:26) Now, Putin has accomplished the espionage ability of time travel. Maybe he could go back to the start of the war and never do any of this in the first place. (He is in the top left corner; right of the door; below the hanged painting thing.)
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  524. Finding Zelenskyy is way harder tho.
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  525. It isn't the coup itself, but the threat of a coup. I believe the only way Russia will stand down from Ukraine is if Putin finds another way to strengthen the credibility of his regime. The unfortunate truth is... War is popular (amongst the general public, not the more informed elites), and it can keep desperate people in power. And as long as there is a threat to his reign (and the power of the Siloviki), there will remain a political appetite in the Kremlin to continue fighting the costly, forever war.
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  526. Probably not as embarrassing as all those nations who called Blinken and the White House liars when they started warning the world about the invasion.
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