re: Putin Orders Third Troop Expansion Of War, Making Army 2nd Largest After China's

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War causes disruption in global trade.

Disruption causes uncertainty. Uncertainty causes increase in the cost of doing business.

The reason why the global economy works is because of Pax Americana. That peace starts eroding and things get a lot more expensive for everyone.


You’re correct about all of this but ignore that our strategy is to carve out influence for ourselves at the expense of Russia

Which I don’t disagree with in principle. It’s obvious that huge countries are looking out for their own self interests. But on the flip side you act like Russia is irrational when they are doing the same thing as us. The fundamental flaw is the US government does not give Russia any respect. Yes they are not as powerful as we are, but they are powerful enough for us to back off from time to time.

My biggest gripe with US foreign policy is we seem to have become incapable of deciphering the proper balance in these matters. Russia is not acting irrationally, we are just too arrogant to see their concerns

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The problem with this entire view is that you are assuming little to no agency on the part of the other nations at issue. Why is Russia the only one allowed to look out for its self interests in this?

You know why Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Finland, and so on and so on want to join an American-led international alliance? Because it's proven to be a tremendous boost for economic growth and stability. Because we don't frick with their internal politics ten ways to Sunday like Russia does. Because standards of living are much higher. Just look at Korea, Canada, Japan, most of Europe, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and so on and so on - it has been proven over and over again that alliance and cooperation with the U.S. is the best strategic play for these places.

If I were Russia, I'd be asking myself why all my bordering countries sans backwards authoritarian buttholes like Belarus and Kyrgyzstan want to split away from my sphere of influence and join an American-led world order. Maybe it's because they've been a hyper-aggressive, toxic, instable regional power for hundreds of years from the early Russian empire all the way through the USSR, and those neighboring countries have born the brunt of the consequences of that.

Mexico has been thrown out there as an example of "what if". The first thing I'd be doing if Mexico were to make such a move is asking why Mexico sees the need to ally with a rival power. If we still treated them like we did in the Porfiriato, then we'd deserve it. As much as I think they are making a mistake, I can at least understand where places like Cuba and Venezuela are coming from when they go full anti-Yanqui. We had a history there that deserved pushback, and we should be asking questions about how we were partnering with these places. It's an American advantage that we have self-reflected and, to a large degree, self-corrected. Russia has chronically been unable to do that.

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You know why Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Finland, and so on and so on want to join an American-led international alliance? Because it's proven to be a tremendous boost for economic growth and stability.

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The war in Ukraine was the result of NATO expansion. It made the region less secure.

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Because we don't frick with their internal politics ten ways to Sunday like Russia does.

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We’re heavily involved in their internal politics

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Because standards of living are much higher. Just look at Korea, Canada, Japan, most of Europe, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan

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The West is free fall right now. Our culture is collapsing, and we’re being physically replaced by foreigners.

And we helped deindustrialize Germany. But, hey, can't have them getting too chummy with Russia.

Everyone forgets how in WW1, it didn't matter how many times Germany slaughtered the Russians in battle, the Russkies would throw up another army.

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but nobody actually cares about Ukraine being in NATO.

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WUT?!?!?

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NATO is the US military. Let’s get that out of the way. You saying Putin doesn’t fear the US military setting up bases along its border when he told them that was the line not to cross? Mother fricker

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the thing is, putin doesnt get to tell other countries where they can setup military bases, especially when his sad sack military cant even defeat a country like ukraine

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Putin will eventually lose support.

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No he won't, people really do not understand the Russian mindset.

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Putin is a nationalist he has his own countries best interest in mind.

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Yes, a strategic plan to devolve their economy and standard of living shows this strategy

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. It’s not a coincidence every country who believes in Nationalism is painted the boogeyman by our government.

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Russia was a boogeyman long before nationalism became cool, and they jumped up a tier by invading Ukraine, which has shite to do with nationalism.

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Besides Cuba is not like Ukraine. The entire crisis was brought about by Russia placing nukes in Cuba not soldiers

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Russia didn't just up and decide to put missiles in Cuba for no reason. They were responding to the US placing nuclear weapons in Turkey and Italy. Part of the negotiation ending the Cuban missile crisis was the US agreeing to remove the nuclear weapons from Turkey and Italy.

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. They refuse to to see both sides and understand the actions of the US and NATO towards Russia for decades is what led to this.

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What did the US or NATO do within Russia or as a form of direct aggression against Russia?

Note: adding countries to NATO is an indirect form of aggression (at best), so that isn't the answer to the question.