US Foreign Policy 3.0: We're The Mets of International Diplomacy

[Steffek]

Apparently Ukrainian soldiers capturing Russian soldiers are so appalled by their provisions they are sharing their food with them.

This is starting to remind me of Austro-Hungarian WW1 stories from The Good Soldier Svejk.

Sort of expected from Russia. Their first few waves of attack are always under-supplied conscripts. They’ll send in the big boys later. All this after bombarding everything in sight beforehand.

A doctrine thoroughly devoid of the value of human life.

 

[Kepler]

This footage, comms, translation, explanation, and thread about a Russian convoy getting decimated by Ukrainian defense is almost worth the moral cost of becoming a member of reddit alone.

- Nitro?
- Hello Nitro?
- Reporting...
- Nitro, I'm Strike.
- Hello?
- Nitro, I'm Strike, listening to you.
- Strike I'm Nitro. 6th regiment almost lost.
- What?
- 6th regiment, can't report at the moment. Gathering information. Lots of losses. They were waiting. Head of column was ambushed. Commander is dead. Figuring out the rest.
- As you figure out, gather everyone, and then report to me. Understood?
- They were hitting from here, artillery, tanks, drones, and as far as I understood bayraktars. Figuring out other losses.

 

[aparch]

What ever happened to that "massive" Freedumb Convoy? Did they burn up some diesel and complete a second lap of the Beltway before heading off to a massive lunch and a long nap?

Yep.

Although, it appears it took them all day to make two laps.

"The convoy did not cause any major slowdowns for other travellers, who continued to move in and out of the rally.

On Sunday, the convoy drove a lap around the 64-mile Beltway though some ended up lost amid the highway’s substantial traffic."

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-b2030770.html


It seems poetic that the little guy, blindly stating his case, marches to Washington DC to only find out he doesn't event warrant being a cog in the flywheels that make the city, nation, or world spin.

A Mr. Smith Goes to Washington moment they wanted never even had a chance.

 

[Kepler]

The essential characteristic of the conservative is his irrelevance. To everything: history, modernity, culture, science, civilization, society, humanity. It's why he screams and kicks so hard. He's the child ignored by adults who have work to do and are too busy to indulge him.

And like a child he retreats into a fantasy ChildWorld where he matters, and his juvenility is taken seriously.

 

[rufus]

Read yesterday there was one entire Russian unit, can't remember size, regiment, division, whatever, pulled out and withdrawn to Russia because combat ineffective.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Heard China's Xi has always had taking over Taiwan on his bucket list. Heard after this disastrous takeover of Ukraine by his bed buddy Putin he might reconsider.

 

[Kepler]

Heard China's Xi has always had taking over Taiwan on his bucket list. Heard after this disastrous takeover of Ukraine by his bed buddy Putin he might reconsider.

Interestingly some Chinese diplomatic BMOC referred to Ukraine as a "war" yesterday. Twice. The Forbidden City is not happy with Vlad.

 

[RaceBoarder]

Heard China's Xi has always had taking over Taiwan on his bucket list. Heard after this disastrous takeover of Ukraine by his bed buddy Putin he might reconsider.

I think the biggest takeaway here will be that if any world power wants to try something like this again, they need to take out the internet before this, cause everything will be broadcast to the world. You need to make a hell of a 1st impression, or else the rest of the world will laugh at you as they prepare to jump into the fight...

This would apply everywhere except for the Middle East, which has been in constant war for close to all of existence...

 

[ScoobyDoo]

I like how Russia lies about everything. They bomb the shit out of Children's Hospitals and Maternity Wards and then they just go Trump on the bit and lie. it's not working. We can see the video you idiots. After this Russia will be even more of a Pariah than Iran.

 

[RaceBoarder]

I like how Russia lies about everything. They bomb the **** out of Children's Hospitals and Maternity Wards and then they just go Trump on the bit and lie. it's not working. We can see the video you idiots. After this Russia will be even more of a Pariah than Iran.

And yet we will have to walk on eggshells with this cause of the Nukes...

 

[aparch]

And yet we will have to walk on eggshells with this cause of the Nukes...

At this point, what's the life expectancy of solid rocket fuel? These candles might not even light if the Russian army hasn't maintained their ICBM's.


I'm more scared of a rogue dirty bomb by a splinter cell who doesn't have two sh**s to give than I am actual calculated rocket warfare decided upon by a room full of decorated generals.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

At this point, what's the life expectancy of solid rocket fuel? These candles might not even light if the Russian army hasn't maintained their ICBM's.

All you need is one...

Meanwhile, the U.S. announced they are sending Patriot missile systems to Ukraine. I don't know how they are going to get trained on them. The first time we sent those to Israel, I believe we initially manned them.

 

[MichVandal]

I like how Russia lies about everything. They bomb the **** out of Children's Hospitals and Maternity Wards and then they just go Trump on the bit and lie. it's not working. We can see the video you idiots. After this Russia will be even more of a Pariah than Iran.

They are not even talking about this to their own citizens. Saw a report of a Ukrainian who had to get to Hungary- he wondered why his dad, who lives in Russia, never called. So once they settled a second time, he called, and dad denied it was even happening. The guy is starting a movement to get all Ukrainians who have families in Russia to make sure they know what is going on- there's something like 11M living in Russia.

Which is to say- for vladdy- it really doesn't matter who he lies to. Eventually, though, the dead soldiers will be sent home.

 

[aparch]

All you need is one...

Meanwhile, the U.S. announced they are sending Patriot missile systems to Ukraine. I don't know how they are going to get trained on them. The first time we sent those to Israel, I believe we initially manned them.

Fair enough.

I'm sure a couple of "salesmen" familiar with the Patriot system will be more than happy to stick around and show the Ukranians how to use them.



Also, it seems the Russians are using all their resources to discredit the war... from their UK Embassy...

https://twitter.com/RussianEmbassy/status/1501913563073556498

And then they double down, because an Instragram beauty blogger would *never* get pregnant...

https://twitter.com/RussianEmbassy/status/1501916418245279746

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

They are not even talking about this to their own citizens. Saw a report of a Ukrainian who had to get to Hungary- he wondered why his dad, who lives in Russia, never called. So once they settled a second time, he called, and dad denied it was even happening. The guy is starting a movement to get all Ukrainians who have families in Russia to make sure they know what is going on- there's something like 11M living in Russia.

Which is to say- for vladdy- it really doesn't matter who he lies to. Eventually, though, the dead soldiers will be sent home.

Not sure about that sending home part- there are pics of mobile crematory units that the Russians had on border a few weeks ago

 

[ScoobyDoo]

With the Internet the world is so freaking small now going to war, any war is just fucking stupid. It was stupid when we did it and it's stupid now.

 

[RaceBoarder]

With the Internet the world is so freaking small now going to war, any war is just fucking stupid. It was stupid when we did it and it's stupid now.

You have to remember that there are still parts of the world that don't understand the internet. So they will be taken advantage of. It's low hanging fruit.

Think of Boomers/Gen-X'ers here who fell down the propaganda rabbit hole over the past 10 years. Lots of the world lags behind us when it comes to people using/understanding the internets. Those growing pains are still to come for them.

 

[Handyman]

reddit definitely has a lower bot presence, for Russia and most glaringly for conservatives.

I swear 90% of "conservative" traffic on social media is Russian bots trying to cripple the US.

The terrible grammar makes sense now.

As do the generic profiles and avatars on Twitter.

 

[aparch]

Aaaaaaaaand Russia is threatening to shoot down civilian aircraft for fun.

https://twitter.com/mfa_russia/status/1501880265584615425

 

[dxmnkd316]

Interestingly some Chinese diplomatic BMOC referred to Ukraine as a "war" yesterday. Twice. The Forbidden City is not happy with Vlad.

The West has strengthen its relationships pretty substantially over the last fortnight. For China and Russia, instead of a two-front war with The East, Ukraine is giving Russia everything they can handle. Opens up the rest of the world to focus on China and Taiwan. One more reason the US cannot get involved in a hot war with Russia. (SPeaking in future terms with regards to dealing with China.)

Prior to this war, Russia and China sort of orbited around each other in binary. A fairly powerful partnership. Now that Russia has imploded back to the 1850s, it's basically just China with Russia orbiting it. That's more of a parasitic relationship. Unless China goes buddy-buddy with India, it's kind of out of options looking for a dance partner.

Russia may have crippled itself (long term) and China (certainly in the short term).