We did that with the Japanese in the years and months leading up to Pearl Harbor. I agree that it's a tactic that should be considered, but if we go that way ... we'd better stand by.

_

I'm plenty worried. We bought EVA Air (Taiwan airlines) tickets to Thailand in 2019 for a 2020 trip. We ended up cancelling the trip for obvious reasons but when go again, it won't be on EVA Air through Taipei since I think they're months away from battle at the latest!

Is this buildup at Ukraine just a tactic to get NATO to promise to never admit Ukraine? What else does Ukraine have that Russia wants at enormous cost?

Why does China want Taiwan? For ego, since they think of it as being part of the old China? I agree with Norm K that we better get in gear making our own microchips and whatnot that we let Taiwan build instead for cheaper.

The CPR wants Taiwans GDP...

If Russia goes into the Ukr...Poland, Hungary, Slovika, Chek Rep, Austria, will have hissy fits..

It will force the worthless krauts to take a stand...

The question is will Nato let Putin get away with murder...Nato is seriously adverse to getting their hands bloody.. cant we all get along..

Simpering fools.. sooner or later you have to put up or shut up and with Putin he will bend you over and make a woman of you.

Americans are soft like kittys

The more important question is; would NATO want the most corrupt country in Europe in its fold?
I think not.

This isn't about NATO.

It is a complicated issue.
For Russia, the question is not so much what Russia wants, but what Russia doesn't want.

What is it that Russia doesn’t want?

Its complicated, and this is oversimplified:

If you ever saw the film the Inspector General by Danny Kay, think of Ukraine's government as being as disfunctional and uncaring as Brottney(SP?).
However, instead of one connected oligarch like Brottney's mayor there are multiple such groups interfering and competing.


Ukraine holds a lot of keys to Russian trade.
Russia doesn't want to pay the corruption "tax" of the kleptocracy anymore.

There are a lot of Pro-Russian factions within Ukraine, for various reasons.
A major one being that people see Russia as an upgrade over the existing government.

Against the pro-Russian factions are those that think they can yet recover their country without Russian interference.
They fiercely do not want Russian control.
However, it trends that most politicians get elected by this group end up getting bought out and joining the kleptocracy.

This post is like pointing to a brick to describe a house, the issues are legion.

If you were going to mug someone, would you be worried if loud mouth muscle builder who looks for a fight or a feeble old man who didn't know where he is was going to defend the victim? (not speaking about any person in particular)
The USA is not feared like it used to be.

They don't want NATO on their border.

There are a lot of interesting comments in this thread but most people here are forgetting something.

- Nuclear weapons and lots of them on all sides.

I can't see how anyone would think a major conflict like this wouldn't go nuclear at some point.

Ehh, this is not the result of just a few months.

Give me what I want....

Peace in our time.

and yes not a result of just a few months -- but I gotta think the other guys notice.

The old man's competition was also an old man in his seventies.
It's an executive position, not a running back.

BRD does play parts here going waaay back.
What's going on here isn't because he is a "weak old man".
He's connected to lots of moolah for what has gone on there.

Ukrainians are smart & good looking, the Russians are Mongol Cossacks. Just like California and the rest of our country. :D