that Gary Kasparov also speaks to. The West - especially Europe - long appeased Putin which is why Ukraine and Georgia are not in NATO/EU and why this attack is occuring. European leaders were corrupted by the oligarchs and by Putin's oil/gas. Europe tended to view America as the bad guy and Putin as unfairly demonized by the US.

Establishment 'experts' have failed in their analysis and it's time to listen to those like Kozyrev and Kasparov who have a better perspective on how Russians and Putin thinks.

Putin has long been a thug - but he was normalized and appeased just like Trump was.

to include all of the countries within the free world, including Japan, South Korea and Australia.

We need the best and most modern weaponry and fighting forces.

We need to make it clear that any attempt to threaten the free world will be met with certain doom.

Your threads seem to promote the strength and power of Russia/Putin while minimizing ours.

To be clear, NATO is the most powerful military alliance the world has ever known.

Russia is the aggressor nation here, and would deserve any reaction it receives, should it attack a NATO nation - or commit genocide in Ukraine which would force the West to react.

Biden, Harris et al have stated forcefully and repeatedly that 'we will defend every inch of NATO territory' and NATO Sec General has activated the NATO response force to bolster NATO's eastern flank (Poland and the Baltics).

An attack against any NATO country is an attack on the West (not just that particular country) and would trigger Article 5 which states that an attack on one is an attack on all. NATO (and the US) would indeed enter direct conflict with Russia at that point, which does not mean nuclear warfare, which is just something Putin says to scare the West out of the conflict. Putin/Russia would not use nukes knowing we have many nukes aimed directly at their major cities and it would be the end of him and his country.

It's all about public support. Before Putin invaded, there was still alot of anti-American cynicism in Europe, ie that we were alarmists who were unfairly demonizing poor Pootie, whose oil/gas they love. But now that everything we said has come to pass, the West is thoroughly united. It's just a matter of time before the West would be unable to stand by - whether or not Ukraine is in NATO (which they begged to be for many years, and this would not be happening if they were). NATO is simply a military alliance - not some final word on which countries go in or not.

Putin/Russia are bluffing about nukes... to scare the West out of the conflict. Even if there is direct conflict between the West and Russia, Putin will not use nukes, knowing we have many aimed right at all of Russia's major cities and it would be an instant end to him and his country.

If Putin attempts to use nuclear weapons we have to fully ready to respond and destroy him instantly.

We can't be lulled into the idea that he's bluffing or sabre rattling.

'When someone shows you who they are, believe them.' - Maya Angelou

The far-left hates the West due to the expansion of capitalism and the MIC.
The far-right hates the West due to the expansion of diversity and rights for non-whites.
Putin hates the West due to the expansion of democracies and the weakening of autocracies like his.

Putin funds all of the fringe movements; they've found common cause though their motivations are different. They tend to view Putin as their hero in counterbalancing the US. They all fear NATO and the EU due to their role in expanding and defending Western military and economic interests.

The reason is that all of them are anti-West/anti-liberal democracy and see NATO as the defender of it.

The far-left hates the West due to the expansion of capitalism and MIC.
The far-right hates the West due to the expansion of diversity and rights for non-whites.
Putin hates the West due to the expansion of democracies and the weakening of autocracies like his.

his buddy he called in to help suppress the uprising after rigging the elections. The people of Belarus, just as the people of Ukraine desperately want to be a Western (NATO/EU) nation. It's why Putin's desire to reconstitute the USSR won't work - humans naturally have a desire for nice things - and don't want to live in a bleak police state.

by badmouthing NATO, promoting isolationism etc. Putin was hoping Trump would just hand him Ukraine and more on a platter. Once Putin realized 'America was back' he went berserk. This is desperation, not strength on the part of Putin. And now the West and NATO is fully united in a way it previously was not. Russia and Putin have been exposed as the thugs they are and have guaranteed their own demise. Biden has handled this perfectly and history will view him as the one who brought down Putin.