• barsoap@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Complete nothingburger. What military capability do the Baltic states bring? Isolated geographical position, small countries with small armies and small economies.

    So it’s not a factor in the first place. But even if it was, Ukraine handily outranks Poland when it comes to providing capability. They have an extensive (largely state-owned btw) arms industry, very capable engineers, and, in case you haven’t noticed, fighting spirit.

    Last but not least they’re punching above their weight in Eurovision. Oh wait that was EU accession, not NATO.

    • usernamesaredifficul [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      1 year ago

      Isolated geographical position, small countries with small armies and small economies.

      worse than that what they bring to an alliance is pretty much no extra money or anything else but also a significantly higher chance of getting into a war

      frankly I’m of the opinions that everything east of Germany is a pretty cheeky imposition on Russias traditional standing in Europe. You can’t just break all the old rules for operating in Europe and not expect consequences

      • barsoap@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Traditional standing, yes, as colonial empire. It may be cheeky but why would it be bad standing up against that?

        You know what Russia could have done to prevent NATO expansion? Not invade Moldova, not invade Georgia, and deal with Chechnya in a manner that doesn’t smell of genocide. Make sure that Eastern Europe doesn’t feel threatened so that they don’t feel the need to join NATO. Of course the Baltics, Poland, etc, joined, they don’t want to repeat the experience of being a Russian colony.

        And just for the record no I’m not actually a fan of NATO, or better put the US being part of the whole shebang. Only positive thing about that is that without Europe in the mix the yanks would likely be even worse.

        • usernamesaredifficul [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          1 year ago

          they have that standing because they have the guns. They still have the guns so they still have the standing

          those rules don’t just exist for no reason they are to prevent war between the powers in Europe break those rules and you risk war. It doesn’t matter what the Balkans and Poland think they don’t have nuclear weapons

          • barsoap@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            Oh yes Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine not being in NATO totally prevented war. How could I forget.

            It doesn’t matter what the Balkans and Poland think

            You’re a hexbear, so presumably self-identify as being on the left. Which then leads me to the question of WTF are you pushing talking points of geopolitical realists, “there are players and there are chess pieces”.

            It very much matters what those states think because, as sovereign states, they enjoy freedom of alliance. To deny that means that you think it is all nice and proper for Russia to still treat them as colonies.

            • usernamesaredifficul [he/him]@hexbear.net
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              1 year ago

              It very much matters what those states think because, as sovereign states, they enjoy freedom of alliance

              I don’t want to be allied with them because they bring nothing to an alliance except liability.

              Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine not being in NATO prevented war between Russia and America, Britain, and France. And that is the big war that can’t be allowed to happen

              this isn’t a new phenomenon we are talking about the great game of empire and there are very good reasons why it was always the conventional wisdom to not mess with Russia over eastern Europe. If they are sovereign states then let them be sovereign states and deal with problems on their own

              • barsoap@lemm.ee
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                1 year ago

                the great game of empire and there are very good reasons why it was always the conventional wisdom

                That wisdom is called appeasement and has failed again and again. Empires will empire, if you give them a finger they’ll wait for a bit and then take an arm.

                You seem to be completely realism-pilled. I have my issues with Kraut but watch this, it’s good stuff.

                If they are sovereign states then let them be sovereign states and deal with problems on their own

                If they are unemployed and homeless then let them be independent and deal with problems on their own. The fuck. And you call yourself a leftist.

                • ShimmeringKoi [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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                  1 year ago

                  That wisdom is called appeasement and has failed again and again. Empires will empire, if you give them a finger they’ll wait for a bit and then take an arm.

                  I agree, the US should be forcibly disbanded by an international peacekeeping force after the last two centuries of imperialism and genocide. No point in waiting for us to get worse, we need to be stopped now.

                  • You joke (I think) but you actually illustrate why so many people are supporting Ukraine. The reaction of a lot of people to “the US should be forcibly disbanded by an international peacekeeping force” would be one of indignation and fury at the suggestion that foreign powers should violate one’s home and put their loved ones in danger in order to satisfy global political objectives.

                  • barsoap@lemm.ee
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                    1 year ago

                    I appreciate the sentiment but I don’t want to see what certain states will be up to if they don’t have the federal level to keep them in check.

                • usernamesaredifficul [he/him]@hexbear.net
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                  1 year ago

                  That wisdom is called appeasement and has failed again and again. Empires will empire, if you give them a finger they’ll wait for a bit and then take an arm.

                  No it’s called a sphere of influence and it’s just playing by the old cold war rules.

                  If they are unemployed and homeless then let them be independent and deal with problems on their own. The fuck.

                  countries are not people.

                  • barsoap@lemm.ee
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                    1 year ago

                    No it’s called a sphere of influence

                    You say that as if geopolitical realism was the truth to end all inquiry, the insight to end all history.

              • barsoap@lemm.ee
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                1 year ago

                Because there’s people living in those countries.

                Go on, write a letter to an imaginary 6yold niece of yours in Mariopol explaining why it’s better that she lives in a mafia-run police state, than for Ukraine to decide its own fate.

                Also, states generally refuse to be poker chips, and they have all right to do so. Thus, by insisting that they be, you invariably create conflict.