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Europe wants peace

Eddi

Christianity
Premium Member
In Belgium we have this expression... not sure if it is a thing in english also:

If you give a bully a finger, he'll be back for the hand and then the arm and then the rest.
Putin is getting on now in terms of age and I think there have been rumours about his health

His power and personality cult will die once he finally pops his clogs
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
Well, can you show me a law in Russia that allows non-Russian nationalities to only use their own language and reject the Russian one?
So many laws in the so called republics of the Russian Federation .
That's the difference between republic and oblast. The latter don't have such a linguistic autonomy.
 

Viker

Your beloved eccentric Auntie Cristal
Everyone wants peace. Some want freedom from tyranny. Some want the freedom to be tyrants. This is why we can't have what we really want.

Freedom must prevail in order there be peace.
 

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
So many laws in the so called republics of the Russian Federation .
That's the difference between republic and oblast. The latter don't have such a linguistic autonomy.

So advocate the freedom of all the non-Russian nationalities from the rule of the Russian. That is only fair, right. All nationalities including the non-Russians one should have their freedom.
 

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
No, sir.
My point is that if Austria invaded Italy to take South Tyrol back on the basis of the linguistic identity of that region, it would be 100% rightful.
And it would be very foolish and stupid to prevent Austria from doing that.

So you advocate the breaking of international law that both Austria and Italy have signed onto?
 

fantome profane

Anti-Woke = Anti-Justice
Premium Member
You only need to watch the two hours of interview with Putin by Carlson.

After that interview, the pro-Putin sentiment rose by 90% here.
Because people here did watch it.
Effective propaganda is still propaganda.

Assuming I believe your statistic, which I don't.
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
So you advocate the breaking of international law that both Austria and Italy have signed onto?
Back then there was no international law. Americans gave South Tyrol to the Nationalists of Italy, the Fascist who forcefully italianized it in the 20s. For the record.
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
Everyone wants peace. Some want freedom from tyranny. Some want the freedom to be tyrants. This is why we can't have what we really want.

Freedom must prevail in order there be peace.
I do agree and understand. But sometimes compromise and sacrifice should prevail because a war cannot last forever.
 

Wu Wei

ursus senum severiorum and ex-Bisy Backson
No, sir.
My point is that if Austria invaded Italy to take South Tyrol back on the basis of the linguistic identity of that region, it would be 100% rightful.
And it would be very foolish and stupid to prevent Austria from doing that.
And Hitler took Poland and multiple other countries because there were German speakers in them.....Mexico once controlled Texas..... and there are a lot of Spanish speakers there...so by your logic, Mexico has the right to invade the USA and take Texas back.....sorry, not a justification, major flaw in your logic there.....

And you mean South Tyrol is not an Autonomous province of Italy..... you may want to check that.... because I am pretty sure it is.... you asked me what country should South Tyrol belong to.... I answered your question..... I know Austria invaded, I also know it has a considerable number of German speakers..... Just stop avoiding the point of my original post by trying redirect your flawed point to a defensible position I never even brought into this.... your post below
With all due respect...but European borders are based upon national identities which have been existing for centuries.
I know it's a very difficult to understand for an American.
But those regions were Russian.
So it doesn't deal with an imperialist invader.
Croatians took several regions from us. But we accepted that because those were Croatian lands.
No double standards. Please. :)
My point is, by this logic, Germany, France, Spain, Russia, Portugal, England, and even China and Japan have the right to invade an area because they once controlled it, or felt they owned it, or because there are speakers of their language there. And for that matter, by your statement Austria, since they once controlled it, has the right to invade South Tyrol again...... While we are on this.... then by your logic Alsace–Lorraine should be invaded by Germany and taken back from France, and Germany has every right to do it.... I seriously do not think France wold agree
 

mikkel_the_dane

My own religion
Back then there was no international law. Americans gave South Tyrol to the Nationalists of Italy, the Fascist who forcefully italianized it in the 20s. For the record.

Yeah, and now there are other laws, which would be broken if Austria did what you would accept. I though you were in favor of international law and against war.
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
You may be correct, but I'm hard pressed to think our representatives failed to act according to this nation's best interests. I'm certain most would have likewise acted according to their own, also. It's the broad brush of government action that the rest of us are subject to. I'm guessing the non action came from want for peaceful relations and less violence. The pitfall of diplomacy and negotiation is that it's slow going and often enough involves compromise. For example, at least in terms of effect and process, you decide you would like to own a Ferrari. So maybe you could steal one quicker than you could earn one, but would that theft justify the means by which it was obtained?

Well, for one thing, when looking at a broad and subjective issue such as "this nation's best interests," there are different and conflicting points of view on that matter.

For the most part, since WW2, our leaders have defined national interests along ideological lines.

Ever since Woodrow Wilson uttered the phrase "to make the world safe for democracy," that's been the cornerstone of U.S. foreign and military policy ever since, up to and including the present day. Of course, it sounds good on the surface, and many people favor democracy. But it clearly addresses an ideological interest, not a bona fide "national" interest, which is something more material, tangible, and strategically practical.

Of course, one could simply observe that both Russia and China were big and powerful - and could threaten us just on that basis alone, regardless of their ideology. That's also more of a national interest concern, not necessarily ideological. However, we chose to make it ideological, but also within the defined parameters of the world treaty system which had zero tolerance for malignant nationalism or aggressive warfare of any kind - at least on paper. Whatever we did for our national interests had to be somewhat muted and even hidden from the public eye, since it would not be politically expedient to reveal the "underside" of national interests. That's why various revelations which came out during the Vietnam War, the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, reports on the underhanded activities of the CIA, NSA, FBI - all came as quite a shock to people and created a great of dissension among the masses.

Did our representatives fail to act for our national interests? When looking at the actions of our government, their public rhetoric, and the overall effect it has had on America's physical well-being and our reputation in the world, one has to really wonder. Their support of numerous non-democratic regimes around the world would indicate that it was never really about supporting democracy. And considering America's faltering and diminished economic and industrial/technological capabilities, one might question whether anything our government has done has been for our practical national interests.

The only thing we have to judge them by is the results and consequences of what they have done and what they have produced. We can look at America's position today and ask the question: Have America's leaders acted in good faith for our national interests?

Or to put it more generally: Is war a necessary evil to achieve some "higher purpose"? If so, what is that purpose? What is the goal?

This brings us to your question about the Ferrari. Of course, there was once a time when war was waged strictly for loot and booty - so that one tribe or clan might enhance and better their own lives at the expense of others. Much of the history of America has been about Europeans pushing across the continent and building up their own lives while tearing down the cultures and nations of other people. To go around stealing and mass murdering like some kind of unruly band of pirates is an atrocity - a crime against humanity.

Of course, we recognize that now, but we still engage in and enable wars to happen, yet behind the premise that it's some kind of "just war" which is necessary and proper. Up to now, the major powers of the world have been able to contain and restrain themselves to the point where it hasn't erupted into WW3 - not yet, anyway. Let's hope it never happens.
 

soulsurvivor

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Maybe you ignore that as for Russia, the war is terminated. The Kremlin has annexed the four regions. Period.
The war goes on because some elitist cabal overseas is forcing Zelenskyy to keep fighting, to conquer those four regions back.
;)
What are talking about? Russia is bombing Ukraine every day particularly the power plants so Ukrainians freeze this winter. Recently they even bombed a shopping mall. Also they recently started a campaign to take the major city Kharkiv by sending waves of troops across the border. For Russia the war is definitely not over. In fact, it is getting more vicious. It looks like you like watching this slaughter and the only thing you want is to prevent Ukraine from defending itself.

If your neighbors get invaded by heavily armed robbers, you would not help them, because you 'want peace'? You would silently watch them being beaten and raped? Not only that, you would prevent other people from helping your neighbor? I am glad you are not my neighbor
 

icehorse

......unaffiliated...... anti-dogmatist
Premium Member
If you ask my people: do you prefer Putin or Soros? The 80% will answer Putin.
Since they know that Ukraine has been sorosized, of course they will never side with Zelenskyy.

I mean...of course we empathize with Ukrainians and we support them economically, but only because they desire to join the EU.
Defeating Russia is foolish. It's like Luxemburg wanted to defeat Germany.
The EU is strong enough to stand up to Putin, and if you do not, you will regret it :(
 

Viker

Your beloved eccentric Auntie Cristal
I do agree and understand. But sometimes compromise and sacrifice should prevail because a war cannot last forever.
I know. Remember when the Allies got the Nazis to surrender? There was peace and relative freedom for a while. We can always keep our fingers crossed.
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
.but European borders are based upon national identities which have been existing for centuries.

When I see satellite pictures of Earth, I don't see any boundaries. Also, people move and there's probably no time in human history whereas they didn't. My ancestry is from Europe, Asia, and North America [Amerindian]. I had relatives who live on the Arctic Ocean just east of the Urals but also some who lived in Spain and Portugal and even as far east as n.w. India [probably why I like samosas so much].

Most Ukrainians do not see themselves as Russians, but they got gobbled up by the Soviet Union anyway as did Poland. Much the same is true with Lithuanians, Latvians, ... Yugoslavia no longer exists. Etc.
 
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