https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...l-david-barash

''Also the weapons are small enough and precise enough to be used without much of a consequence.
So why should militaries be afraid of using them?''


Wow Slammer! and that is indeed the massive worry here- the belief that limited nuclear strikes are acceptable and winnable.

Retaliation would ensue very fast, and then.


No Russia propaganda from me, for sure. And I certainly feel massive empathy for anyone with family in Ukraine- but tbh in the whole of Eastern Europe in view of the above. And Switzerland's neutrality won't shield us this time if it all kicks out. And if the UK sticks its neck out too far in support of USA- they will become suitable targets- perhaps even more so due to relative geographical isolation from the rest of the world.

There is a difference between Russian propaganda and looking at history and "reading the room" as it were. If one sees only one side as you are doing then ones opinion tends to be biased.
Sadly Ukraine in my opinion is simply a new pawn in a reboot of "The great game"

Don't worry. With the exception of Ukraine, the rest of Eastern Europe is way calmer than you are. We know the drill and thus we're realistic

Johnson, Truss and Wallace making stupid threats does not help!

As Europe pushes for peace, clueless Johnson snipes from the sidelines

Simon Tisdall in the Guardian

Brexit Britain’s isolated leaders resort to posturing and fist-waving over Ukraine while France’s Macron pursues diplomatic solutions in Moscow

The UK has NO mandate, nor does it represent NATO.

I agree with you. Moreover, I think this plays really well into Putin's hand as it shows the discord within EU and NATO and thus undermines Ukraine's safety even more.

This is what I meant when I said that the objectives of Putin are already achieved and one more step and he's likely to suffer consequences and actually consolidate the West against him. Right now he has them exactly where he wants them to be - disunited, chaotic and clueless.

Perhaps time to mention again Russian influence in the Brexit vote?

No. It is time to care for Ukraine. While you are correct in pointing to Russian propaganda in order to divide the West, you can keep the Brexit stuff elsewhere.

C'mon, don't try to outsource the massive brexit fraud campaign led by the brexit parties! Yes, there was interference, but the problem was purely and predominantly internal. It's painful, but the reality is the British voters were misled by their own politicians, the noise created by the Russians was nowhere near a decisive factor. And only btw, it has nothing to do with Ukraine.

This is what you wrote- and a clear link

'Right now he has them exactly where he wants them to be - disunited, chaotic and clueless.'

Unbelievable it's almost as if I went to sleep in 2022 and woke up back in the 1980's all that's missing is President Reagan's address about 'The Evil Empire' fortunately I still have my copy of 'Protect & Survive' that I bought as a teenager from HMSO maybe you still have yours JackieH ?

On my next trip back to the UK, I must check out my local village ROC Post, there were 1500 of them built across the British Isles during the Cold War where 3 men ( all volunteers from the Royal Observer Corps ) would take it in turns to man the ROC Post bunker in the event of TTW ( Transition to War )
Parents served in the Corps and what a scary mission that was if the Cold War ever turned hot - as their job was to report back on how badly Britain had been damaged in the event of a nuclear war with Russia. Of course the Corps was stood down after Cold War 1 finished in 1991.

As you know the Cold War turned out to be a phoney war as far as it turning hot was concerned and I actually looked forward to joining them
on one of their ROC Post cluster meetings at the local village pub or village hall. Pub even served 'real ale' so popular with CAMERA.

You will be surprised where you can find these abandoned ROC Posts in the UK as they were arranged in clusters of 3 posts, usually at some vantage point in the corner of a farmers field around the English Countryside.

In fact this must be where the TV drama series saying 'Meanwhile somewhere in England' takes on a new meaning.

So without further ado here's a brilliant piece from the BBC's Ramble through the Yorkshire Wolds Way where Paul Rose looks in
a Royal Observer Corps ROC Post from the Cold War.

BBC - Yorkshire Wolds Way, Paul Rose checks out a Cold War ROC Post bunker

__________________
Surely the time has come for Boris to 'circle the wagons' for a bit of herd immunity ?

Remember ours very well, but don't think I have copy now.

I remember visiting the large nuclear bunkers below a large Council building in Leicester.

Of course, Putin has his spies everywhere.

Well I reckon nows the time to launch those 99 Red Balloons.

99 Red Balloons 1980's pop video by Nena

It's hard to deny it looking at the events of the recent months, but the relations between Russia and other ex-USSR countries are much more complicated than just a reaction on actions of USA.

There were rumours that the annexation of Crimea was planned regardless of Maidan, it's just that they got a good occasion to do it at that moment. Putin wants Ukraine to be fully controlled by Russia in a way how he controls Belarus right now. He want Ukrainians to speak Russian and Ukrainian kids to learn the history in a way that is defined by Russian government. He absolutely hates an idea that Ukraine might be a democratic pro-western state as it will give a very bad example for ordinary Russians. Ukraine is a main subject in Russian news for many years to distract the attention of Russians from their own problems, including inflation, corruption, 1M of covid deaths etc.

The strange world of the Cold War built among the hedges in Britain, this BBC news item is about the Cold War in Northern Ireland.

BBC News - Cold War: Built among the hedges for Armageddon

Did you feel this empathy for anyone with family in Serbia back in 1999?

(oh I forget - you do care about Serbian children, that this monster Djokovic does not infect them with a virus...).

Uff! That was interesting, Tagesschau did a short report on the situation in Ukraine and called it "The NATO-Russia conflict!"
The hawks in the Kremlin and the Pentagon must be sporting a massive war boner by now.
At the same time there is a suggestion that this coming conflict is not about Ukraine joining Nato but America not happy with Russia selling cheap gas to Europe via Northstream 2 instead of buying expensive US gas. And a conflict would put a full stop to NS2. Interesting to speculate.

Your ability to bring up your Serbian and Djokovic fetishes in absolutely every topic here on EF is truly amazing. I'd suggest you create a thread "for Serbian and Djokovic fans" and knock yourself out there.

It's a conspiracy theory with no merit. Remember that Russia is already selling it's gas to Europe and is getting close to finalizing NS2. So in terms of business, they are doing quite well. If someone wanted to push them out they would need to be the agent provocateur (read: NATO) and yet, the initiative is in Putin's hand, he was the one to escalate, not NATO.

I´m not reading anything into that, except that gas deliveries to the EU from Russia maybe cut, perhaps that is why Germany is only making half hearted carping noises, I get the feeling that Olaf Scholz doesn´t want to be in this situation one bit.