You know these people - they say Ukraine is not allowed to do what Russia does. Russia can target ships calling Ukrainian ports, but Ukraine cannot target Russian ships. Ukraine cannot bomb Moscow, while Russia can bomb Kyiv. Ukraine cannot use cluster munitions and depleted uranium, but Russia can. Russia can jail journalists but don’t Ukraine even dare to arrest even an obvious Russian agent. When Russia shells Donbas, that’s humanitarian military operation, but when Ukraine shells Donbas, that’s genocide - and so on, and so on.
There exist people who insist Third Reich should not been bombed. There exist people who want "somebody do something!" when aggressive thug assaults passengers in a tram but will criticize use of violence in defence against him. And so on.
Same group of removed from reality lunatics believe in red lines, empty threats and Ukraine fighting a war with hands tied. Is there a cure for magical thinking?
This war actually changed my thinking about nuclear non-proliferation. Given how impotent the Western nuclear powers were at preventing another nuclear power from invading and wreaking havoc in a non-nuclear state, I don't see any reason why smaller countries which fear more powerful neighbors - especially if those neighbours already have nukes - should not have the right to obtain nuclear weapons. Ukraine definitely has the right to go nuclear the minute it can. So would, theoretically, Georgia (not that they could afford it). Or Taiwan.
I've just read in Sam Harris' "The End of Faith" (in the passage on pacifism but I think it's relevant here as well): "When your enemy has no scruples, your own scruples become another weapon in his hand".
"Remember: not even the biggest Russian patriot would actually prefer Lada over Toyota or Disneyland over Crimea. "
civic autocorrect ;-) I think that they prefer Disneyland.
There exist people who insist Third Reich should not been bombed. There exist people who want "somebody do something!" when aggressive thug assaults passengers in a tram but will criticize use of violence in defence against him. And so on.
Same group of removed from reality lunatics believe in red lines, empty threats and Ukraine fighting a war with hands tied. Is there a cure for magical thinking?
This war actually changed my thinking about nuclear non-proliferation. Given how impotent the Western nuclear powers were at preventing another nuclear power from invading and wreaking havoc in a non-nuclear state, I don't see any reason why smaller countries which fear more powerful neighbors - especially if those neighbours already have nukes - should not have the right to obtain nuclear weapons. Ukraine definitely has the right to go nuclear the minute it can. So would, theoretically, Georgia (not that they could afford it). Or Taiwan.
I've just read in Sam Harris' "The End of Faith" (in the passage on pacifism but I think it's relevant here as well): "When your enemy has no scruples, your own scruples become another weapon in his hand".
Good news everyone, we're now at the stage "we do it if the Americans do it" with German Taurus and US ATACMS missiles: https://www.globaldefensecorp.com/2023/08/08/germany-confirms-their-willingness-to-provide-ukraine-with-taurus-missile-if-u-s-delivers-atacms-missile/ So the decision isn't far ahead in the future.
If only we didn't have to go through this theatre each time...