Biden to Putin. Don't, don't, dont.

[Twilight Hue]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...se-nuclear-weapons-dont-dont-dont/ar-AA1don't.

Think Putin will actually do it?

I figure there won't be a Russia anymore if he does.

Interesting times we live in.

Thoughts?

 

[amorphous_constellation]

I've already posted enough on this topic, conclusively talking about how we shouldn't pressure a potential madman. What other thoughts do you want

 

[exchemist]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...se-nuclear-weapons-dont-dont-dont/ar-AA1don't.

Think Putin will actually do it?

I figure there won't be a Russia anymore if he does.

Interesting times we live in.

Thoughts?

"The Briefing Room", this week on BBC Radio 4, was about the war. Lawrence Freedman, emeritus Prof of War studies at King's London, was of the opinion that escalating to battlefield nukes would serve no purpose in winning the war, since they are only useful against high troop concentrations, which are not a feature of Ukrainian tactics, informed as they have been by British military training (apparently!). The backlash however, involving, as it might, full Western participation, would be catastrophic for Russia. So he thinks that if Putin is rational he will not escalate to nukes.

The question is then what if Putin is not rational, goes all mystical slav/Mother Russia on us and becomes self-destructive, as Hitler was towards the end. The hope must be that those around him, especially the military leaders, remain rational and refuse to countenance such a path.

I do hope and expect there are still back-channels between the Russian top brass and their counterparts in the West, as there used to be throughout the Cold War, whereby they can get enough information about Western intentions to keep them anchored in reality and help them remain rational actors.

It is lack of good information that so often leads to bad decisions.

 

[SomeRandom]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...se-nuclear-weapons-dont-dont-dont/ar-AA1don't.

Think Putin will actually do it?

I figure there won't be a Russia anymore if he does.

Interesting times we live in.

Thoughts?

I don’t know what he will do.
I have hear many folks speak on how embarrassing this conflict was for Putin overall.
So that kind of makes me happy since I don’t like the guy lol
Though I’d be lying if I said I thought he’d never actually “do it.” Ya know?
He might just do it out of desperation/spite.

 

[Mock Turtle]

From what I have read, the decision to invade Ukraine might just have been informed by bad intelligence - as to winning quickly with little fuss - and unfortunate as it is, Putin seems intent on ploughing that furrow to the end, even if it is to the detriment of Russia as a whole and probably to Putin and his regime. But that doesn't mean that Putin will follow up with an even more catastrophic decision - to use nukes in some way - given that this might place Russia into the 'extremely bad/lunatic' category rather than just 'naughty/bad boy' category. One would hope that there are as many reasonably normal people in Russia as there are in most places - so as to prevent a single person causing any possible devastation that might result from such use.

 

[amorphous_constellation]

I do hope and expect there are still back-channels between the Russian top brass and their counterparts in the West, as there used to be throughout the Cold War, whereby they can get enough information about Western intentions to keep them anchored in reality and help them remain rational actors.

I thought I heard that in the 1980's etc., that there used to be a direct phone line between the countries, to talk about what each of them are seeing on the radar, in case mistakes are made. Earlier this year, I thought that they stopped that program

 

[amorphous_constellation]

From what I have read, the decision to invade Ukraine might just have been informed by bad intelligence - as to winning quickly with little fuss - and unfortunate as it is, Putin seems intent on ploughing that furrow to the end, even if it is to the detriment of Russia as a whole and probably to Putin and his regime.

Well they are all going to have dig in more now, if they are committed, because winter is probably going to set in over there soon. Putin is probably going to have start to drafting people, if he wants to continue conventional battle, I get the idea that he's suffered pretty heavy losses in all this

 

[Mock Turtle]

Well they are all going to have dig in more now, if they are committed, because winter is probably going to set in over there soon. Putin is probably going to have start to drafting people, if he wants to continue conventional battle, I get the idea that he's suffered pretty heavy losses in all this

I don't know how it will turn out. Just hoping some rationality is involved. Like Hitler, Putin is not a military expert.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I don’t know what he will do.
I have hear many folks speak on how embarrassing this conflict was for Putin overall.
So that kind of makes me happy since I don’t like the guy lol
Though I’d be lying if I said I thought he’d never actually “do it.” Ya know?
He might just do it out of desperation/spite.

His military sure is telling on just how bad it it for him.

I want to think its a bluff and ruse to influence the war for his own benefit.

I don't think we should concede to that or Ukraine will be a lost cause which so far, isn't caving in to his threats of nuclear aggression.

Putin knows what will happen if he does.

 

[exchemist]

I thought I heard that in the 1980's etc., that there used to be a direct phone line between the countries, to talk about what each of them are seeing on the radar, in case mistakes are made. Earlier this year, I thought that they stopped that program

Yeah, I've a funny feeling I heard something of the sort as well. But I hope it's back again, with NATO if not with the USA itself.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I don't know how it will turn out. Just hoping some rationality is involved. Like Hitler, Putin is not a military expert.

Definitely not an expert on logistics.

Good for the Ukraine who are experts on logistics.

"Soldiers win battles, logistics win wars" as famously stated.

 

[metis]

Unfortunately, I think there's a fairly good chance that Putin may either use tactical nukes and/or poison gas if Russian forces are stalemated. He's an elderly man with no ethics, so....

 

[Truth in love]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...se-nuclear-weapons-dont-dont-dont/ar-AA1don't.

Think Putin will actually do it?

I figure there won't be a Russia anymore if he does.

Interesting times we live in.

Thoughts?

The link did not work.

End of the day I see a lot of postering and no real investment in peace.

 

[questfortruth]

Think Putin will actually do it?

If he would feel boredom without coming new sanctions?

 

[AlexanderG]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...se-nuclear-weapons-dont-dont-dont/ar-AA1don't.

Think Putin will actually do it?

I figure there won't be a Russia anymore if he does.

Interesting times we live in.

Thoughts?

If Putin used nuclear weapons, presumably on a civilian population center (but even if not), he would be quickly assassinated by his own advisors. Russia would become even more of a pariah state. Only about 1/3 of trade its is blocked right now, but that would go up to 100% among everyone but China, Syria, and North Korea. Russia's cultural image would become even more filthy and universally condemned. I think Putin knows all of this.

 

[SomeRandom]

His military sure is telling on just how bad it it for him.

I want to think its a bluff and ruse to influence the war for his own benefit.

I don't think we should concede to that or Ukraine will be a lost cause which so far, isn't caving in to his threats of nuclear aggression.

Putin knows what will happen if he does.

I can agree with that