Did you mean the combination of Trump and Buttigieg as potentially the two 2024 choices?
Here’s Buttigieg:
For better or worse, he would work well with mainstream U.S. foreign policy experts who abhor isolationism.
Trump works so poorly with them they’d try to go around him. Could they? I hate to say yes, because maybe someone will read that and think – deep state!
Hey, Russia says they are only there because they are concerned by the Ukranian military build-up in the area.
Seriously.
After I pointed my gun in his face, I worried he might hit me, so I had to kill him in self defense.
“Cause & effect… effect & cause… [ shrug ] what’s the difference?”
Where are you getting that Taiwan is only being held back from declaring independence by the US?? The current government has repeatedly said they aren’t looking to declare independence. It’s only CCP propaganda that seems to be pushing this narrative, so wondering where you are getting it from.
I’d say that the only real difference between the Ukraine and Taiwan from the US’s perspective is we care a lot more about Taiwan and need it a lot more wrt trade, and have a lot longer relation with Taiwan than we do with Ukraine. Both are certainly about trying to deter a large power from simply taking a smaller power because they can. So, very similar from the macro perspective, the differences are really in how much the US cares and needs to maintain the status quo. Now EUROPE on the other hand cares a bit more about Ukraine and maintaining the status quo, as they should.
That is the kind of doublethink the Russians have always been masters of. 
So Russia is the Eastern European version of Kyle Rittenhouse?
From the perspective of spin, yeah…very similar to the spin a few posts up…
(I love how even this discussion is a way to bring in the case and spin it the way one wants to…because a Russian invasion of Ukraine is JUST like the case 
)
To be fair, I was thinking of Arbery when I made my crack. But even divorced from the allusion, I think the “logic” holds.
Ah, gotcha. It just seems a bit of a tangent to the thread and just a way to take a jab at the whole thing. I mean, I can see the side discussion wrt Taiwan being relevant, as they are similar…plus, Russia still hasn’t invaded (yet), and this thread is like 8 months old now so we are still waiting and have to talk about something. 
Well Russia has to be prepared for a (very) surprise attack. 
At least now we have a US President who wasn’t manipulated into actively helping Russia by withholding congressionally approved military assistance from Ukraine.
My comments were mostly based on the historic motivations regarding diplomatic ambiguity as expressed in the article on Wikipedia.
I agree that the current political situation makes detering provocative actions from Mainland China much more of an issue than those from Taiwan, so Biden’s leaning on the interventionist side of ambiguity probably makes sense under the current circumstances. My point was that even in theory there is no equivalent diplomatic necessity for ambiguity on our stance with Ukraine. So if Biden came out and unequivocally stated we will defend Ukraine no matter what, it wouldn’t be seen as a major break in long standing policy the way his statements on Taiwan were viewed.
Putin is a very smart person. He absolutely realized why the USSR failed, in all it’s many ways. He is determined not to repeat any of those failures. Number one on his list to avoid those failures, is for Russia to mind it’s own business. It is cheaper. Lessens the number of bad, dangerous roads to travel out on.
Much is made of Russia taking over Crimea. Crimea was already Russia. It was almost all Russian people, it did not need to be invaded, as it was already a huge Russian military installation in the midst of a Russian population. They voted to go back to being fully Russian. End of that non conflict.
The other portions of Ukraine that are in dispute are also almost all Russian. I do believe there is covert and overt support from both sides to win them over. The Minsk accords are not being adhered to. If they were, I think things would calm down quickly. Then a long term social political battle would ensue. But tensions, violence would be much less. If both sides could back off long enough, I think the areas could return to enough stability and personal prosperity, that the people there would not care too much which side of a border they were technically on.
As is often the case, outside players are fanning the flames for their own purposes. The U.S. likes to control everything whatever the costs. To their own people or the people in the foreign region. Having their military forces closer to any perceived threat is always their goal. Be it direct or through proxy. So Ukraine is a valued piece of territory to have direct U.S. forces and material arrayed towards Russia. Or by proxy of Ukraine and or NATO.
In spite of the U.S. and NATO having broken the USSR by making it spend itself militarily into collapse, along with it’s doomed overly socialist schemes, devised and continued by nutjobs. It seems only Putin has learned that lesson. He continues to hold back, hold firm. The best offense is a good defense. It is cheaper. Less complicated and expensive both militarily and politically, both at home and with those countries you interact with.
Russia continues to grow stronger. By investing in itself. Minding it’s own business. Just check out it’s standings on economic parameters. Most are positive and getting better. It’s debt is very low. It’s reserves in gold and solid investments is top of the world.
Here too, I question whether Putin is really all that smart. I can’t claim to know him (of course), but in various interviews with Masha Gessen (well worth the watch), they* seem to describe Putin as not particularly smart, but thuggish, and self-serving.
*I’m not honestly sure what pronoun Gessen uses, but this seems the safest bet.
Can’t track it down now. I read an article written by someone who lived and worked in Russia when Putin was still working in some bureau at a desk. The writer recalled dealing with Putin. Trying to get some sort of permit or permission. He was told to try and get to Putin by other folks.
His experience was that Putin figured out the situation quickly. Gave good advice on how to go about getting the proper permissions. Did not ask for a bribe. The writer felt Putin was very competent and honest.
Can’t figure out a good search phrase to find it again.
“some bureau”? You mean the KGB?
Here’s the latest:
There are a LOT of Russian immigrants in the US. Would you be ok with Putin attacking the US because of that fact?
Those politicians, journalists and businessmen who criticized Putin and suddenly find themselves dead in creative and interesting ways were just wacky coincidences?