So Kissinger suggested that Ukraine secede territory to Russia in order to reach peace. Here’s an interview with the former Polish foreign minister rebutting that idea as well as responding to other questions such as “Americans might cool their enthusiasm if the economy slows down.” I think he made some very good points.
Russian Trainers welcome back to active combat duty. Your T72 tanks are greased and waiting.
Huh. I thought F-16s were very good.
Aside: Your comment made me think of the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. It’s not very fast, but it’s fast enough. It doesn’t carry a lot of weight, but it carries enough. It doesn’t have a great range, but it’ll go for four hours, which is enough. I always say that the Skyhawk is the most-successful aircraft ever made because, while it’s not particularly good at anything, it’s good enough at everything.
Some is not most. Apple probably has more pull in Congress than the entire defense industry combined.
It’s a reasonably safe bet that your average Congressman’s personal portfolio outlay matches the valuations of American companies. The closest I see to a defense contractor in the top 100 companies are Qualcomm and Boeing, and neither of those is dependent on their defense revenue (not to say that they don’t enjoy it). Caterpillar, the last company on the list, probably has more pull than Lockheed Martin.
The economy is getting slammed. One small portion of it, sure, that one part is going to do well over the next few years. That part isn’t in the running for controlling the USA against Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Makeup, Big Oil, and Big Agra.
Defense probably lobbies a lot harder, simply because the government is literally their only customer.
Apple is a consumer seller. Their “lobbying” is their extensive public marketing and advertising portfolio.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, in order not to lose equipment, commanders of logistics units of occupying troops are prohibiting drivers from evacuating the wounded and bringing food and fuel to forward units.
‘What is the purpose of your logistical unit?’
‘To take food, fuel, ammunition and other supplies to the front lines so that our brave soldiers can fight the war. Also to evacuate the wounded.’
‘But you are not doing that.’
‘Nyet! Our equipment might be destroyed!’
‘So… You’re keeping your equipment safe so that you can perform your logistical duties, but you’re not performing your logistical duties so that you can keep your equipment safe? That’s some catch, that Catch 22.’
‘Is best!’
Oh, it is, especially for the amount it costs. But it’s designed to do a little of everything. For a specific task, such as air superiority, we have better planes.
But yeah, it’s like the 172. If we decide we’re going to give Ukraine only one plane, it’s the one I would send. It can do most jobs very well.
At the point where the government starts trying to ruin the economy, you can rest assured that Apple is there to run in and offer your least favorite politician an infinitely deeper bag of cash, if only he’ll work for peace.
No, is Katch-2022. Better katch.
In Russia, Katch 22’s YOU.
Well, now what? Seems unlikely NATO would actually deploy under the current situation.
Guardian blog
There is zero chance we get involved while we can get someone else to die for us.
How ideologically blinkered does someone have to be to think that ceding territory in this case is going to achieve peace? I wish a sharp interviewer would challenge Kissinger on this point.
It’s disappointing to see Kissinger discrediting his own foreign-policy expertise. It was he who rightly warned – as early as the 1990s – that Russia was unlikely to remain within its post-Soviet borders.
Hey, leave Kissinger alone. He’s 99. How much advice do you take from a 99 year-old? Let the shriveled up, non-deserving Nobel Peace Prize winning PoS enjoy his last few days before he slides on down to Hell.
Moderating: Reminder that this is a breaking news thread. Please take the politics elsewhere.
Getting there…
In other news…
The metaphor I have heard used is “grinding your seed corn.” Pretty evocative, huh?
Kissinger still thinks in terms of the Congress of Vienna as being the highest expression of statesmanship, never mind what that means to small nations on the borders of larger ones or to minorities within nation-states, who simply endure what they must while the strong do what they will.
Heck, it seems to me that’s actually killing the stalks before they can even make any seed corn. They seemed to be grinding up officers earlier, and have now added their trainers to the mix. I’m not complaining, but it’s certainly not what I’d do in the same situation.
That same behavior seems apparent in the current assessment of the assault on Siverodonetsk. It seems that Russia has prioritized it and is simply throwing all the troops it can muster at it. That seems like a recipe for breaking your army on one offensive objective and neglecting defending the others (e;g. Kershon). Apparently heavy equipment is still arriving from the west for Ukraine, while Russia is sourcing equipment from Belarus now. It’s grim in the east of the country, but it still seems that the long term trend is in Ukraine’s favor.
Video of one of the incredibly daring helicopter supply missions to Mariupol: