Message #47660

[mccoy]

Steve, the Biden administration did commit some tiny blunders over there in Afghanistan, that might have contributed to Putin's invasion. Clearly, a flaw of Trump's administration was to reopen negotiations with the Talebans. but his mandate was interrupted, so we cannot say what would have happened.

I think that the shape of Ukraine clearly cannot be the shape it was at the beginning of the invasion. There will be hopefully some negotiations in which Mr Putin can be given something so that he can show his nation, in the usual aberrant ways the Russian government does, that they have won.

On the other hand, if such negotiations really happen, Mr. Zelenski will not be happy with the compromise. But he will have made a huge contribution to a historical stand against an evil aggressor, hopefully a deterrent to other would-be invaders in the world. And the destruction of his country will end it is hoped.

Anyhow, the orchestra directors will be the Trump administration and its consultants.

I think that, rather than no one else is willing to stop the tyrant, no one else has the capacity to do that, excluding a dangerous extended conflict with a nuclear hazard. In other words, Europe and UK may send troops and fight aircraft and bombers and more, but this could trigger some far more dangerous conflict. We are speaking of a 3rd world war which doesn't sound much fun.