Ukraine

[HighlandDougie]

Well, I would no doubt be banished for life if I wrote what I feel about this post - ‘agrandissement’ (sic) as in aggrandisement by NATO. Um, well, maybe but more likely Mad Vlad’s Tsar-like vision of the reinstatement of Russia as it existed in, say, 1952.

[Serial_Apologist]

Well, I would no doubt be banished for life if I wrote what I feel about this post - ‘agrandissement’ (sic) as in aggrandisement by NATO. Um, well, maybe but more likely Mad Vlad’s Tsar-like vision of the reinstatement of Russia as it existed in, say, 1952.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other is my assessment of what has brought this situation about, but I have to disagree with my erstwhile friends on the Left that NATO's cautiousness when it comes to admitting the candidate states to membership cannot be argued to be the main cause, or the greater threat to world peace. It always used to be No 1 principle that invasion by one country of another's territory was a primary rule-breaker as regards transgressing national self-determination - one axiomatically knew which side to support, irrespective of political systems.

[french frank]

Possibly more of an opinion piece ('expert comment') than a truly academic article, but "Attacking and seizing territory in Ukraine, therefore, perpetuates a Russian narrative around its right to a sphere of influence – or, call it what it is, an empire" seems justified.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-02-22-expert-comment-three-decades-ukraine-sovereign-country-fighting-war-independence

Ukraine is - and was - internationally recognised as a sovereign state, therefore it also should be its right to seek alliances where it wishes: to join Nato and the EU if that is what Ukrainians want. Blaming Nato for 'provoking the war' ignores Putin's own self-evidently false claims: that Ukraine is not a real country, Ukrainians are Russians, the puppet government is run by Nazis (and more).

[Historian]

Here is Professor Lawrence Freedman's latest article: 'A third victory parade with no victory.'

It was written before Russia's latest offensive on the Kharkiv Front, but its conclusions ae still valid.

[HighlandDougie]

And here is the even more recent article from Sir L:

https://samf.substack.com/p/the-russian-advance-in-kharkiv?utm_campaign=email-post&r=w1xt&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

[french frank]

And here is the even more recent article from Sir L

It looks as if one may have to subscribe or register to read the complete article now?

Meanwhile, while trying to locate this thread I came upon the wise words of forumites on the 2014 invasion of Crimea

https://www.for3.org/forums/forum/politics-current-affairs/politics-current-affairs-aa/9946-ukraine

[Historian]

Professor Freedman's latest article: Fuzzy Red Lines in Ukraine. This focuses on the problems inherent in declaring a 'red line' and what to do if it is crossed.

FF is right that the previous article was 'premium content' and needed a subscription. This article is free to all (as are almost all the others).

[Serial_Apologist]

One therefore wonders what can possibly have motivated Macron, an important global strategist in thinking, to call a general election at a time when the "far right" in France (as elsewhere) appears to be on the rise. In the light of Prof Freedman's essay it seems not to make sense.

[HighlandDougie]

Professor Freedman's latest article: Fuzzy Red Lines in Ukraine. This focuses on the problems inherent in declaring a 'red line' and what to do if it is crossed.

FF is right that the previous article was 'premium content' and needed a subscription. This article is free to all (as are almost all the others).

I subscribe but, having previously been able to open the email links in my browser then copy/paste the URL into a post here in the forum, that browser link facility has disappeared. Next time I'll explore being able to do it through the App. - which I've now done. Older post but not sure that it has appeared in the thread:

https://samf.substack.com/p/a-reckless-gamble

[Historian]

I subscribe but, having previously been able to open the email links in my browser then copy/paste the URL into a post here in the forum, that browser link facility has disappeared. Next time I'll explore being able to do it through the App.

Thank you HD.

[Dave2002]

Here is a somewhat depressing article from the NY Times, which shows the scale of devastation.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/06/03/world/europe/ukraine-destruction.html

The comments section appears to have attracted the attention of Russian trolls - perhaps in other countries, such as India [allegedly].

[Historian]

The war has been going on for a long time: it is easy to forget what Ukraine has been going through.

Professor Freedman's latest article 'Lashing Out' explains the different possible reasons behind Russia's recent attack on a children's hospital. Sir Lawrence also provides some useful reminders about Putin's previous form in using such attacks to obtain his desired ends e.g. in Syria and Chechnaya.

I find it incredible that Western nations are still imposing limits on what Ukraine can do with some of the longer-range weapons being provided.

[Serial_Apologist]

The war has been going on for a long time: it is easy to forget what Ukraine has been going through.

Professor Freedman's latest article 'Lashing Out' explains the different possible reasons behind Russia's recent attack on a children's hospital. Sir Lawrence also provides some useful reminders about Putin's previous form in using such attacks to obtain his desired ends e.g. in Syria and Chechnaya.

I find it incredible that Western nations are still imposing limits on what Ukraine can do with some of the longer-range weapons being provided.

I find it incredible that some of my erstwhile friends on the Left in this country have abandoned what had always been a sacrosanct principle of support for any country subjected to uninvited invasion of its territorial integrity, apparently on grounds that Welenskyy is some kind of fascist leader and "Russia" has every right to feel threatened by NATO's eastward expansion. They appear to hold to some crazy idea that a nation should only go about defending its borders when it has "the right kind" of leadership - rather like the man in the apocryphal story who refuses to have an arrow removed from his heart until he knows every single detail about his assailant. The latter tale is actually attributed to the Buddha whose argument was over religious dogmas that insisted on their own truths concerning how the universe originated, but it applies here too.

[HighlandDougie]

Sir L's piece on "talks":

https://substack.com/home/post/p-146786251?source=queue&autoPlay=false

[french frank]

Have we heard yet what thoughts there are on Ukraine's incursion into Russia? I'm not sure that I understand why so much effort is being put into that - is it simply that the Russian defences inside Ukraine are proving just too hard to break down?