Current Affairs Ukraine

[verreauxi]

No small wonder the war is not going well for Russia. Imagine being conscripted to die for nothing as a Russian versus volunteering to die for something as a Ukrainian.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

The more I see of this show and the reality on the ground it feels like they all really thought the Hunger Games looked like a good way to live and created their own real version.

 

[Charlie Sweet]

So chances of Putin launching "tactical Nukes" and the West not responding with Nukes of our own?

 

[Goat]

So chances of Putin launching "tactical Nukes" and the West not responding with Nukes of our own?

Depends where the nukes Putin fires land.

 

[PeregrineT]

WWI and WWII both started as limited local conflicts and werent known as a World War until well after the start and things escalated.

WWI started because of one assassination and countries declaring war as their pacts required, and one powerful evil enemy arrogantly thinking they could destroy countries they couldnt. WWII started because one powerful evil enemy invaded one country, and thought the world wouldnt fight back, and then with the goal of taking over a lot more territory kept going thinking it could defeat everyone else if needed. Sadly, both sound similar.

 

[tsubaki]

WWI and WWII both started as limited local conflicts and werent known as a World War until well after the start and things escalated.

WWI started because of one assassination and countries declaring war as their pacts required, and one powerful evil enemy arrogantly thinking they could destroy countries they couldnt. WWII started because one powerful evil enemy invaded one country, and thought the world wouldnt fight back, and then with the goal of taking over a lot more territory kept going thinking it could defeat everyone else if needed. Sadly, both sound similar.

This really isn't the case.

WW1 started because (to borrow from Blackadder IV) it was more trouble not to have a war; all the idiots who had come to power in a time of peace thought it was fitting to prove how tough they were by ruining the lives of millions of other people.

After it ended with one side insisting it hadn't been beaten, WW2 was only a leader away from trying to restart it. He did that and attacked the one country who'd thought they would benefit from him attacking someone else.

 

[LostLegend]

WWI and WWII both started as limited local conflicts and werent known as a World War until well after the start and things escalated.

WWI started because of one assassination and countries declaring war as their pacts required, and one powerful evil enemy arrogantly thinking they could destroy countries they couldnt. WWII started because one powerful evil enemy invaded one country, and thought the world wouldnt fight back, and then with the goal of taking over a lot more territory kept going thinking it could defeat everyone else if needed. Sadly, both sound similar.

WWI was simply 'The Great War' until after WWII - I think people would have gotten suspicious otherwise.
"What do you mean, World War ONE?!?!" ?

I don't think Europe is quite the tinderbox it was then, Princip killing Franz Ferdinand might have been the catalyst, but had he not, it's likely some other event would have kicked it all off sooner or later.

That's not to say the current situation isn't precarious though, the rhetoric coming from Putin is giving off some serious 'cornered animal' vibes and simply walking away doesn't seem to be a realistic option for 'the west' either. ?

 

[Tennessee Blue Mike]

Wonder why they even need to mobilize when you have tons of North Koreans and Syrians helping out?

 

[JimmyJeffers]

I say we just bomb Russia now and invade.

In the UK all the men under 40 years of age are automatically sent to the Frontline for on the job training while the men in the 40's and 50's look after everything at home.

The 65 plus also. They won the war before they were born and rebuilt the country. Massive assets

 

[Toffee in Jandals]

WWI and WWII both started as limited local conflicts and werent known as a World War until well after the start and things escalated.

WWI started because of one assassination and countries declaring war as their pacts required, and one powerful evil enemy arrogantly thinking they could destroy countries they couldnt. WWII started because one powerful evil enemy invaded one country, and thought the world wouldnt fight back, and then with the goal of taking over a lot more territory kept going thinking it could defeat everyone else if needed. Sadly, both sound similar.

No comparison. 1938 the western allies rolled over while two independent nations - Austria and Czechoslavakia - were allowed to be raped by the Nazis. 2022 the entire western world rallied to arm and financially support the Ukraine from the same day the Russians attacked.

 

[PeregrineT]

This really isn't the case.

WW1 started because (to borrow from Blackadder IV) it was more trouble not to have a war; all the idiots who had come to power in a time of peace thought it was fitting to prove how tough they were by ruining the lives of millions of other people.

After it ended with one side insisting it hadn't been beaten, WW2 was only a leader away from trying to restart it. He did that and attacked the one country who'd thought they would benefit from him attacking someone else.

Despite Blackadders generous reputation with history it was not less trouble to avoid WWI, its widely regarded it was regional tensions due to empire transitions and leaders seeing opportunity or need to jump in. They did not anticipate it going that far until it was too late and then no one would back down.

WWII was not a simple continuation of WWI and had very different motivations for most, outside of the likes of Germany wanting to return to trying to conquer most everything. WWII wasnt a leader away from restarting it, it was very specifically a Hitler away from it. Japan and China certainly didnt care about a beef between Germany and France. Russia didnt care, they wanted more territory. Italy saw the same opportunity. The rest of the world was past that point and saw a desperate need to survive or be on the winning side.

 

[Rook]

LOLOLOL can't even hold on until we switch sides in 2025.

 

[mmmmsnouts]

WWI was simply 'The Great War' until after WWII - I think people would have gotten suspicious otherwise.
"What do you mean, World War ONE?!?!" ?

Just ask David Mitchell:

 

[Toffee in Jandals]

There must be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Russians with Ukrainian descent, especially of course in the west / south-west. If dissent really kicks off within Russia that's a lot of people who could represent a major fifth column to Vlad's regime.

 

[bluestevon]

Despite Blackadders generous reputation with history it was not less trouble to avoid WWI, its widely regarded it was regional tensions due to empire transitions and leaders seeing opportunity or need to jump in. They did not anticipate it going that far until it was too late and then no one would back down.

WWII was not a simple continuation of WWI and had very different motivations for most, outside of the likes of Germany wanting to return to trying to conquer most everything. WWII wasnt a leader away from restarting it, it was very specifically a Hitler away from it. Japan and China certainly didnt care about a beef between Germany and France. Russia didnt care, they wanted more territory. Italy saw the same opportunity. The rest of the world was past that point and saw a desperate need to survive or be on the winning side.

Funnily enough lost in history on WW2 is after the Germans went into Czechoslovakia in 1938, Polsnd used it as an opportunity to seize part of Czechoslovakia too. In fact Poland was constantly from the end of the secibd works war involved in border disputes and conflicts to expand it's territory.

They even fought with Ukraine during that period trying to seize territory which had a significant ethnic polish population.


History repeats itself and is often written from the eye of the victor