@MartinDiCaro Unfortunately, we’re still waiting on leadership to articulate what constitutes “victory.”
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Adam Johnston
34 posts
Adam Johnston
@AmplifyLiberty
Writer | Podcaster | History Enthusiast | Rev. War Reenactor | Words in @FEEonline & @freethepeople | Follow me @JohnstonAdamK
Katılım Nisan 2022
103 Takip Edilen4 Takipçiler
Six months from now, where will these numbers be? Will the war be over?
Axios@axios
New Washington Post-ABC News poll on Ukraine policy: • 76% believe U.S. should provide more humanitarian support to Ukraine • 67% support increasing economic anctions on Russia • 55% say the U.S. should provide more military support to Ukraine trib.al/tDEcSry
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Sobering thread. This excerpt is spot on and exactly what our leaders should be doing.
Instead it’s nothing but escalating rhetoric and actions.
Sergey Radchenko@DrRadchenko
Does this mean we should back out and offer Putin "off-ramps." Not necessarily. But I would combine strong support for Ukraine with clear signalling that 1) the West does not seek regime change in Russia 2) de-escalation will lead to reciprocal measures 3) channels remain open.
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@miltimore79 It’s really hard to square the two, yet it’s something routinely observed.
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Is it just me or are the people most concerned about climate change also the most resistant to actual solutions like nuclear power? 🤔
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Being concerned about US/NATO escalation is not the same as siding with Russia.
You can simultaneously want to avoid a nuclear exchange while also supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Walk and chew gum, people.
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“We either back the Ukrainian people as they defend their country, or we stand by as the Russians continue their atrocities and aggression in Ukraine."
Reminds me of “you’re either with us or against us.” cbsnews.com/live-updates/b…
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@BenFreemanDC The amount and pace of Ukraine spending is breathtaking.
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Putting Biden's new $33B Ukraine package into context responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/04/28/put…
“The amount is more than twice the largest yearly total ever provided to Afghanistan — where the U.S. was actively at war — and approximately seven times Israel’s annual military assistance package.”
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The ramifications of escalation require deep thought and contemplation.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like anyone in Congress is ready to stop, take a breath and “carefully debate and scrutinize” these aid packages.
Ben Freeman@BenFreemanDC
Putting Biden's new $33B Ukraine package into context responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/04/28/put… “The amount is more than twice the largest yearly total ever provided to Afghanistan — where the U.S. was actively at war — and approximately seven times Israel’s annual military assistance package.”
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@MMazarr 💯 the multi-domain “war” that Russia has waged against the west thus far hasn’t been kinetic, which is actual war.
It’s ok to show restraint to avoid a lethal confrontation while treating Russia as an adversary.
Thank goodness Twitter wasn’t around during the Cold War.
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Agree that Russia has been targeting the West. But I'm puzzled by arguments that don't distinguish between an intense geopolitical contest short of war and actual war. If a true NATO-Russia conflict broke out, we'd instantly appreciate that we have not, actually, been "at war"
Rob Person 🇺🇸🇺🇦@RTPerson3
I'm puzzled by those who continue to call for restraint in our support of Ukraine, urging caution out of fear that this is developing into a "proxy war." Don't they realize that Russia has been waging a multi-domain war against us, our allies, and partners for years now?
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Well thought out piece.
The more we give to Ukraine, the more risk we assume. The US should have an idea (and more input) about what our strategic goals are.
Continuous escalation without these debates can lead to unintended consequences.
Justin Logan@JustinTLogan
Twitterless Gil Barndollar and I are back in @businessinsider: "If Kyiv wants critical Western assistance, it must hear Western advice as well. US assistance implicates us in this war and creates a US interest in the war's terms of conclusion." businessinsider.com/us-cant-take-u…
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@rajan_menon_ You'd think with so much at stake we'd be having robust discussions and debates about the risks of escalation.
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@MartinDiCaro 💯 it wasn’t the only factor for sure but a component, and in some ways simply an convenient excuse to put blame.
I’m reading “The Coming of the Third Reich” by Richard Evans now and will read that article for sure. Thanks for sharing.
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@JohnstonAdamK Yes, but let's also remember that history never moves in a straight line. A lot of things happened after 1919 that paved the way to the next war. Historian Margaret MacMillan (cited here) makes a good argument about not blaming everything of Versailles:
theconversation.com/world-war-i-is…
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And settlements should also be carefully crafted and thought out as to their ramifications.
The peace settlement of World War 1 led to an even more catastrophic World War 2.
Martin Di Caro@MartinDiCaro
The alternative at this point isn't to merely stop arming Ukraine. The alternative is diplomacy. Where the heck are the diplomats? Wars end in settlements, not total victory. WWII was an exception not the rule, yes?
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Agree 100% that the US + West must support Ukraine, and oppose + and ultimately defeat (however defined) this criminal Russian aggression. But our goal must be to accomplish those things *without* escalating to general war. That's where dilemmas come in. It is not at all simple
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@MMazarr For so many people pushing for endless military support of Ukraine, short of boots on the ground, there is no “dilemma” around the ramifications of escalation. It’s reckless.
You can believe Russia is criminally liable for this war while trying to avoid a more catastrophic war.
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@Nick_L_Miller Never thought I’d hear “It is what it is” associated with nuclear war
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@DanDePetris Unfortunately, I haven’t heard many people in positions of power honestly debate this question.
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What does it mean to help Ukraine “win?” What is the definition of winning? Pushing Russian forces to pre-Feb 24 lines? Pushing Russian forces out of Ukraine entirely? If Russia retains control of Crimea, does Ukraine still “win?” Let’s be precise & realistic with our objectives.
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I’m in the Goldilocks zone of worried about nuclear war with Russia.
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@MMazarr It’s as if everyone forgot about the end of WW1 and the Treaty of Versailles. Now imagine something like that but with a nuclear power.
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Overwhelming national fatalism, combined with a bitter sense of humiliation and nuclear weapons, is a recipe for very bad outcomes. Emphasizes again that yes, the West + others must punish Russia for an unjust war. But pushing a nation too far into despair can have its own risks
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The Russian public being treated to the glib statement that if the current crisis ends in nuclear war, "it is what it is." Not sure if these people believe what they are saying. But the idea that this escalating rhetoric is just theater seems far too optimistic
Visegrád 24@visegrad24
Russia’s most famous journalists and “experts” saying on state TV that nuclear war with NATO maybe wouldn’t be that bad after all since the Russians will go to heaven, while the Westerners...
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