I think this is fair and reasonable. I think we’ve already crossed the Rubicon however in terms of supplying arms that are killing Russian soldiers. I am more worried about those arms going to targets inside of Russia. That seems even more like direct warfare.
Either that or we hope and pray that if Putin decides to get frisky with his nuclear football that the Strategic Rocket Forces see sense and tell him that they won’t transmit the firing orders to the missiles.
We have, but before we were doing it in a manner similar to how the US and the USSR used to play the “game” in Latin America and Sun-Saharan Africa during the Cold War. Both sides supported their own Allies directly, but we both did it in such a way that we could reasonably argue that we weren’t.
A week ago, we could tell the Russians “We have no real idea how Polish built T-72s are turning up in Ukraine.” And while everyone knew the truth, it was just plausible enough that it kept relations a little less heated and tolerable.
If the Russians ask us “why the ■■■■ are our soldiers being killed by ex USAF reserve F-16 strafing runs?!” we won’t be able to say “we have no idea.” It doesn’t give us any options to talk them down.
But you do it in a way that you can deny it if you need to.
The USSR could just blame China for MiG-21s, SA-2s, and AKMs turning up in Vietnam.
If Abrams tanks turn up in Ukraine, who are we gonna blame? The Australians or the Egyptians? They don’t have the means to mass transport tanks to Ukraine without raising a ton of eyebrows.
I don’t see much difference. It’s no secret that this us a proxy war, and Putin’ gonna do what he’s gonna do.
In the meantime, Russia is an adversary of the U S., and the west more broadly, and history shows us that it is better to smack down bloody minded tyrants sooner rather than later.
Listen I fully support Ukraine. What we were doing before was great. The strategy was working for them. We get our Eastern European Allies to give them old Soviet equipment (that mostly matches what most Russian divisions are working with) and a few easily “losable” stuff like Javelins.
I don’t, however, support giving Putin ammo to start playing fast and loose with tactical nuclear weaponry. Once that happens, strategic nuclear war is not far behind. We would need to train the Ukrainians on how to use the Abrams effectively, same with F-16s. That would mean American advisors on the ground. And if history has taught us anything, it’s not uncommon for advisors to end up on the front lines fighting for their lives.
If that happens, we all lose. Ukrainians, Europe, the US, the Russians, everyone loses.
We have to play this smart. There are nuclear weapons involved on both sides.
So…what? Let the tyrants stalk the globe because we fear war?
I know you do. If I came off as strident, I apologize.
And for the record, I find this whole thing horrifying, but this charnel house is not of our making. History shows us that we must stand up to tyrants, or it only gets worse.
One key difference between Putin and tyrants we’ve previously smacked down.
He has a nuclear arsenal. And not some small one where delivery would be bootleg. I’m talking SS-18s, RS-24s, and Topol Ms, the road mobile versions which have been dispersed and are at their equivalent of DEFCON 2.
It’s the one ultimate trump card he has. We have our own nuclear trump card as well.
Under these circumstances, we have to be very careful with how we do things. Because a nuclear war doesn’t bring anything good to the table for any of us. And it isn’t hard to walk blindly into it. They wargamed these types of scenarios on both sides of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. Same result always occurred. Strategic nuclear exchange.
“We” as in the freedom loving peoples of the world. I would remind you that America isn’t acting alone here, me are contributing more because we have more to contribute.
And I would also remind you that Russia is an adversary of us and our allies
Compared to what progressive liberals have done to my county, russia is not my adversary. Soros, Obama, Bidens, Clintons. … THESE ARE MY ADVERSARIES…THEY ARE THE TYRANTS THAT OPPOSE OUR CONSTITUTION. NOT PUTIN.