Bob Homans attached an image copy of this article. Worth reading online. About Lawrence Freedman:
Sir Lawrence David Freedman, is Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London. He has been described as the "dean of British strategic studies" and was a member of the Iraq Inquiry.
''Vice speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation: Norway's refusal to allow a cargo of food for Russian miners to Svalbard "violates human rights and the principles of humanism".''
The criminal cries out in pain as he stabs his victim. It is a good rule of thumb that whatever the Russian regime accuses others of is what it is guilty of.
It's funny how none of this high minded talk was applied to shelling the Donbas for 8 years, or burning people alive in Odessa or cutting off water to Crimea and Donbas or litanies of hate against Russians and calls for ethnic cleansing and total corruption at the top.... yes, yes, yes, yes..... but par for the course, we know.
Let it be.
But what's not funny is no one gives a damn about the Ukrainians dying by the score and the hundred to support all this 'high minded talk'.
Everyone is very, very, very happy to turn Ukraine into a wasteland and kill all its children in order to support their 'high minded talk'. Most especially that paragon of justice and virtue, that veteran of Iraq, and Syria and Libya and Ethiopia and Sudan and Yemen,, etc. etc.... the noble US of A.
But no one, no one at all, gives a damn for the Ukrainian children nor their mothers and fathers, grandparents, dying and being maimed in this senseless conflict their thoroughly corrupt and rotten masters and that evil monster the USA brought upon them.
What is needed is a clear call from every quarter of the globe in synchrony for a CEASE FIRE.
Don't need all this bullshit.
We/they need a CEASE FIRE.
And that's what needs to be said and that's really all that needs to be said: CEASE FIRE
Firstly, you grotesquely exaggerate what was happening in the Donbass before this war. Then you make a lot of random, nonsensical accusations with no basis in reality. Then you claim that 'no one cares' about the suffering of the Ukrainians, despite that being what almost everyone is outraged about. Then you blame the USA for the Vladimir Putin ordering the invasion of Ukraine. Then you somehow fail to notice that almost the entire civilised world has been calling for Russia to ceasefire and end its aggression.
Are you actually delusional? I'm genuinely curious at this stage as to your grasp of reality. The words you write have so little relationship to reality it is startling.
This is as much as I will interact with you. I don't do ad hominem.
It is an irrelevancy, an impertinence, usually abusive, without merit, distracts from and generally ignores the issue and has the merit only of exposing the nature of the commenter: the way turning over a rock exposes a cockroach maybe.
However for the sake of possible readers who may not already be aware I will point out that the global clamour does NOT call for Russia to cease but instead is a welter of self gratifying and unhelpful criticism and pretended abhorrence of Russia and Putin and 90% weighted not towards stopping anything at all but on the contrary, very much to the contrary, bringing more weapons and people into the fray.
Virtually no one does care for the suffering of the Ukrainians, they care for their own 'high moral ground' and pretended outrage that anyone might do what they claim Russia has done.
It is self evident that caring for Ukrainian lives and suffering would not encourage them to go further to war and deeper into it.
What is front and centre everywhere you look is denigration of Russia, propaganda, playing loosely with the truth and often ignoring it completely and even downright lies and false flag 'reports'. Such as bodies in the street, hands tied, 'executed by the Russians'. This preposterous attempt as maligning the Russias was probably the feeblest false flag ever yet mounted by the CIA, the Azov and terrorists generally.
But that is what the reportage is. It is effectively an insult. Rational people are insulted on a daily basis by this diet of utter tripe. This warmongering and hatred.
If it were true that people were calling for Russia to ceasefire rather than falling over themselves to berate and abuse Russia then that still would be only half the job at best.
It is required to call on both parties to cease fire. Both parties.
Especially in this case as it was the Ukrainians who commenced this via 8 years of shelling and provocation.
In the absence of a general, persistent and clamorous call on both parties to ceasefire there is effectively no call for ceasefire and negotiation at all.
So true is this that I'd guess not one person in 100 has any idea of the current positions of the combatants regarding demands. Not one percent. Far from concentrating on and watching the 'state of play' of this most important aspect of all: 'how are negotiations going' the whole world is totally in ignorance of the whole thing. And happy to be so. Happy.
And happy is the word. Everyone is enjoying this Everyone. Each in their own way.
My own understanding is small for I'm locked in the insular Western bubble of censorship and isolation from truth presented by our governments and our pathetic media but I do believe something like this is currently where we are at or at least is where we were:
DEMANDS (as of 29 march 2022)
RUSSIA
. Recognise the independence of Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republics Recognise Crimea as Russian territory
Demilitarize to only defensive weaponry and no offensive weaponry
Declare neutral status and not join any military alliances or blocs like NATO (constitutional change)
COMPROMISE
Allow Ukraine to join the European Union
De-escalation of military activities in some parts of Ukraine, particularly near Chernihiv and Kyiv.
=====================
UKRAINE
"NATO Article 5" type security guarantee - guarantors to include: Russia, United Kingdom, China, United States, Turkey, France, Canada, Italy, Poland and Israel.
Guarantors will go to war to protect Ukraine if it is invaded (as per what the security guarantee expected)
Territory to be guaranteed do not apply to Crimea and Donbass, however it do include parts of Luhansk and Donetsk's oblast
No objection against joining European Union
15 years moratorium on the status of Crimea to negotiate Crimea's future
Both sides to not use military force to resolve Crimea issue
==========================================
something weird happened to the formatting as I pasted that in. And I can't make changes to it.
So assuming that is it or at least was it we can see that Russia asks only for what was agreed at the Minsk accords.
And we see that Ukraine wishes to have Crimea 'back'. And in fact, I'm told, this is the major stumbling block: Ukraine wants 'Crimea back' before it will begin to talk.
There is no 'Crimea back'. Crimea went its own way.
This is a joke. This is no way to ceasefire. This is what is called an 'ambit claim'. You claim preposterous amounts in the hope of getting something less, your secret goal.
But that's in negotiations.
We are not talking negotiations here. We are talking ceasefire, prior to negotiations.
Ukraine will not allow any ceasefire. Will not call for it. Will not set the stage for it.
And when I say 'Ukraine' I don't mean the Ukrainian people and I certainly don't mean the Ukrainian soldiers about to die or be maimed and I certainly don't mean the Ukrainian mothers and fathers and grandparents about to see their own destroyed and properties destroyed and etc. and etc. and etc..
No, I mean the murderous mob that are running the place and have been since 2014.
As a person, nothing more, a simple human being, always at the mercy of some government or other, I ask myself - what do I care who rules over me when the alternative is widespread death and destruction?
I give not a damn. Where I live is Australia. Our government is an America puppet. And riddled with power hungry braindead monsters like in Victoria where a monster locked the whole place down like the Chinese in Shanghai.
Now if his monstrous government and power declared war on my State would I advocate we destroy the whole State and thousands of my peers in order to fight them off? Or let them come and be ruled by that monster for a while?
Let them come. I would say let them come. Let him have the place. And I will move. I will find another place. I will keep my life and my property and I will help my countrymen keep theirs and I will identify the real enemy, which is not the population of his State that he's put into uniform and sent to work his will on me - but him, his government.
Different question if he were to be Nazi Germany and I a Jew. Realism is necessary. In an Australian context who rules us is relatively unimportant. Overall we all share the same burdens and if we don't like this mob we can move to that mob. Which is the main reason why I support independent States, republics rather than monolithic social organisations.
What we have is a total disregard of all reason. We've had it for more than two years now. It started long ago, I think, at least with 9/11 and the 'war on terror' but it reached critical mass with the covid insanity. And now it is ubiquitous.
This commenter with his virulence and eager ad hominem abuse is a perfect example of the modus operandi of the whole world today: find a band wagon, find some one to hate, open your mouth and start spouting abuse, advocate violence and war at all times. Avoid all reason, logic, data, intelligence, humanity, understanding.
Bob Homans attached an image copy of this article. Worth reading online. About Lawrence Freedman:
Sir Lawrence David Freedman, is Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London. He has been described as the "dean of British strategic studies" and was a member of the Iraq Inquiry.
https://samf.substack.com/p/paralysis-in-moscow
''Vice speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation: Norway's refusal to allow a cargo of food for Russian miners to Svalbard "violates human rights and the principles of humanism".''
The criminal cries out in pain as he stabs his victim. It is a good rule of thumb that whatever the Russian regime accuses others of is what it is guilty of.
It's funny how none of this high minded talk was applied to shelling the Donbas for 8 years, or burning people alive in Odessa or cutting off water to Crimea and Donbas or litanies of hate against Russians and calls for ethnic cleansing and total corruption at the top.... yes, yes, yes, yes..... but par for the course, we know.
Let it be.
But what's not funny is no one gives a damn about the Ukrainians dying by the score and the hundred to support all this 'high minded talk'.
Everyone is very, very, very happy to turn Ukraine into a wasteland and kill all its children in order to support their 'high minded talk'. Most especially that paragon of justice and virtue, that veteran of Iraq, and Syria and Libya and Ethiopia and Sudan and Yemen,, etc. etc.... the noble US of A.
But no one, no one at all, gives a damn for the Ukrainian children nor their mothers and fathers, grandparents, dying and being maimed in this senseless conflict their thoroughly corrupt and rotten masters and that evil monster the USA brought upon them.
What is needed is a clear call from every quarter of the globe in synchrony for a CEASE FIRE.
Don't need all this bullshit.
We/they need a CEASE FIRE.
And that's what needs to be said and that's really all that needs to be said: CEASE FIRE
Firstly, you grotesquely exaggerate what was happening in the Donbass before this war. Then you make a lot of random, nonsensical accusations with no basis in reality. Then you claim that 'no one cares' about the suffering of the Ukrainians, despite that being what almost everyone is outraged about. Then you blame the USA for the Vladimir Putin ordering the invasion of Ukraine. Then you somehow fail to notice that almost the entire civilised world has been calling for Russia to ceasefire and end its aggression.
Are you actually delusional? I'm genuinely curious at this stage as to your grasp of reality. The words you write have so little relationship to reality it is startling.
This is as much as I will interact with you. I don't do ad hominem.
It is an irrelevancy, an impertinence, usually abusive, without merit, distracts from and generally ignores the issue and has the merit only of exposing the nature of the commenter: the way turning over a rock exposes a cockroach maybe.
However for the sake of possible readers who may not already be aware I will point out that the global clamour does NOT call for Russia to cease but instead is a welter of self gratifying and unhelpful criticism and pretended abhorrence of Russia and Putin and 90% weighted not towards stopping anything at all but on the contrary, very much to the contrary, bringing more weapons and people into the fray.
Virtually no one does care for the suffering of the Ukrainians, they care for their own 'high moral ground' and pretended outrage that anyone might do what they claim Russia has done.
It is self evident that caring for Ukrainian lives and suffering would not encourage them to go further to war and deeper into it.
What is front and centre everywhere you look is denigration of Russia, propaganda, playing loosely with the truth and often ignoring it completely and even downright lies and false flag 'reports'. Such as bodies in the street, hands tied, 'executed by the Russians'. This preposterous attempt as maligning the Russias was probably the feeblest false flag ever yet mounted by the CIA, the Azov and terrorists generally.
But that is what the reportage is. It is effectively an insult. Rational people are insulted on a daily basis by this diet of utter tripe. This warmongering and hatred.
If it were true that people were calling for Russia to ceasefire rather than falling over themselves to berate and abuse Russia then that still would be only half the job at best.
It is required to call on both parties to cease fire. Both parties.
Especially in this case as it was the Ukrainians who commenced this via 8 years of shelling and provocation.
In the absence of a general, persistent and clamorous call on both parties to ceasefire there is effectively no call for ceasefire and negotiation at all.
So true is this that I'd guess not one person in 100 has any idea of the current positions of the combatants regarding demands. Not one percent. Far from concentrating on and watching the 'state of play' of this most important aspect of all: 'how are negotiations going' the whole world is totally in ignorance of the whole thing. And happy to be so. Happy.
And happy is the word. Everyone is enjoying this Everyone. Each in their own way.
My own understanding is small for I'm locked in the insular Western bubble of censorship and isolation from truth presented by our governments and our pathetic media but I do believe something like this is currently where we are at or at least is where we were:
DEMANDS (as of 29 march 2022)
RUSSIA
. Recognise the independence of Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republics Recognise Crimea as Russian territory
Demilitarize to only defensive weaponry and no offensive weaponry
Declare neutral status and not join any military alliances or blocs like NATO (constitutional change)
COMPROMISE
Allow Ukraine to join the European Union
De-escalation of military activities in some parts of Ukraine, particularly near Chernihiv and Kyiv.
=====================
UKRAINE
"NATO Article 5" type security guarantee - guarantors to include: Russia, United Kingdom, China, United States, Turkey, France, Canada, Italy, Poland and Israel.
Guarantors will go to war to protect Ukraine if it is invaded (as per what the security guarantee expected)
Territory to be guaranteed do not apply to Crimea and Donbass, however it do include parts of Luhansk and Donetsk's oblast
No objection against joining European Union
15 years moratorium on the status of Crimea to negotiate Crimea's future
Both sides to not use military force to resolve Crimea issue
==========================================
something weird happened to the formatting as I pasted that in. And I can't make changes to it.
So assuming that is it or at least was it we can see that Russia asks only for what was agreed at the Minsk accords.
And we see that Ukraine wishes to have Crimea 'back'. And in fact, I'm told, this is the major stumbling block: Ukraine wants 'Crimea back' before it will begin to talk.
There is no 'Crimea back'. Crimea went its own way.
This is a joke. This is no way to ceasefire. This is what is called an 'ambit claim'. You claim preposterous amounts in the hope of getting something less, your secret goal.
But that's in negotiations.
We are not talking negotiations here. We are talking ceasefire, prior to negotiations.
Ukraine will not allow any ceasefire. Will not call for it. Will not set the stage for it.
And when I say 'Ukraine' I don't mean the Ukrainian people and I certainly don't mean the Ukrainian soldiers about to die or be maimed and I certainly don't mean the Ukrainian mothers and fathers and grandparents about to see their own destroyed and properties destroyed and etc. and etc. and etc..
No, I mean the murderous mob that are running the place and have been since 2014.
As a person, nothing more, a simple human being, always at the mercy of some government or other, I ask myself - what do I care who rules over me when the alternative is widespread death and destruction?
I give not a damn. Where I live is Australia. Our government is an America puppet. And riddled with power hungry braindead monsters like in Victoria where a monster locked the whole place down like the Chinese in Shanghai.
Now if his monstrous government and power declared war on my State would I advocate we destroy the whole State and thousands of my peers in order to fight them off? Or let them come and be ruled by that monster for a while?
Let them come. I would say let them come. Let him have the place. And I will move. I will find another place. I will keep my life and my property and I will help my countrymen keep theirs and I will identify the real enemy, which is not the population of his State that he's put into uniform and sent to work his will on me - but him, his government.
Different question if he were to be Nazi Germany and I a Jew. Realism is necessary. In an Australian context who rules us is relatively unimportant. Overall we all share the same burdens and if we don't like this mob we can move to that mob. Which is the main reason why I support independent States, republics rather than monolithic social organisations.
What we have is a total disregard of all reason. We've had it for more than two years now. It started long ago, I think, at least with 9/11 and the 'war on terror' but it reached critical mass with the covid insanity. And now it is ubiquitous.
This commenter with his virulence and eager ad hominem abuse is a perfect example of the modus operandi of the whole world today: find a band wagon, find some one to hate, open your mouth and start spouting abuse, advocate violence and war at all times. Avoid all reason, logic, data, intelligence, humanity, understanding.
Here's some of the insanity behind it all - some:
https://abrogard.substack.com/p/they-tell-zelensky-what-to-do?r=b7hw3&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web