Was this the start of a US Presidential campaign

[jonu]

A few questions to think about. The US is both an Atlantic and a Pacific country. If you strip out the atomic weaponry and infrastructure, which the USA has as a counter to China, how does the percentage of gdp spent on defence compare with the rest of the NATO countries? How would the US economy fare if Russia countrolled much of Europe and China controlled much of Asia? How would the balance of power change? How safe would the USA be? What percentage of defence spending actually stimulates the US economy?

Fair questions...I think a lot of the answers come down to foreign policy and whether you consider arming your allies a form of defence...or whether it is just seen as an aggression by your competitors. There are multiple ways to skin a cat. But aside from all that, consider the second Iraq war and destruction of Iraqi infrastructure that was mostly unnecessary. Iraq had nothing to do with 911, yet most US citizens conflated the two. That war was pure business...and I'm not convinced the Russia Ukraine war won't end up being something similar.

Again I raise the gifting of 8 billion to the Afghani government after the US withdrawal. Terrorists across the region would have been lining up with their hands out....the ones that weren't already full with the munitions the US left behind when they left.

See the picture. The US stokes the war, arms the enemy and profits from both sides.

[Panda-NZ-]

Again I raise the gifting of 8 billion to the Afghani government after the US withdrawal. Terrorists across the region would have been lining up with their hands out....the ones that weren't already full with the munitions the US left behind when they left.

Which wouldn't have happened if the aghan army didn't stop fighting after one hour of resistence (which surprised the army staff who planned the withdrawal).

Yes Iraq and Afghanistan were not ideal and I personally disagree with Neocons. But if dems have to ally with neo-cons to prevent WW3 against tough opponents (rather than vs hollowed out vessels like Russia currently is) then so be it.

[Panda-NZ-]

I think Ukraine has partly destroyed the russian fleet too, a direct benefit for us and NATO. There's your value for money

[Balance]

Fair questions...I think a lot of the answers come down to foreign policy and whether you consider arming your allies a form of defence...or whether it is just seen as an aggression by your competitors. There are multiple ways to skin a cat. But aside from all that, consider the second Iraq war and destruction of Iraqi infrastructure that was mostly unnecessary. Iraq had nothing to do with 911, yet most US citizens conflated the two. That war was pure business...and I'm not convinced the Russia Ukraine war won't end up being something similar.

Again I raise the gifting of 8 billion to the Afghani government after the US withdrawal. Terrorists across the region would have been lining up with their hands out....the ones that weren't already full with the munitions the US left behind when they left.

See the picture. The US stokes the war, arms the enemy and profits from both sides.

Jonu, you keep going on and on about the $8 billion ‘gifted’ to the Taliban. You know of course that the money was frozen funds (legally belonging to Afghanistan) and was released to provide humanitarian relief?

Forget about the BS from the Republicans about the money going to the Taliban etc etc - same Republicans never mentioned a single thing about Trump betraying the Kurds, ‘gifting’ them to their enemies to be slaughtered.

There are effective ways to engage with allies and ‘enemies’ to achieve desired results. Trump’s public disagreements with allies about defense spending and appeasement of Putin & Kim have achieved nothing but encouragement for Putin to act as he has - a weakened NATO gifted by Trump.

[jonu]

Jonu, you keep going on and on about the $8 billion ‘gifted’ to the Taliban. You know of course that the money was frozen funds (legally belonging to Afghanistan) and was released to provide humanitarian relief? Forget about the BS from the Republicans about the money going to the Taliban etc etc......

No, I don't know that. And frankly, neither do you. There was also an estimate I saw that only about one third of funds sent to Ukraine could be accounted for.

Why wouldn't I go on about the 8 billion? The report I read said it went to the Afghani Reserve bank to supposedly stabilise the currency.

[Panda-NZ-]

There are effective ways to engage with allies and ‘enemies’ to achieve desired results. Trump’s public disagreements with allies about defense spending and appeasement of Putin & Kim have achieved nothing but encouragement for Putin to act as he has - a weakened NATO gifted by Trump.

He may simply be continuing the war because he knows the cavalry is on the way with a Trump white house.

If there's four more years of Biden; combined with uncertainty on the Republican side over whether a neo-con will replace trump or another isolationist the Russian secret service will want to wrap it up and find another distraction for the populace.

[Balance]

No, I don't know that. And frankly, neither do you. There was also an estimate I saw that only about one third of funds sent to Ukraine could be accounted for.

Why wouldn't I go on about the 8 billion? The report I read said it went to the Afghani Reserve bank to supposedly stabilise the currency.

Because you are reading the reports about the $8 billion which come from the Republicans whose sole aim since 2020 are to undermine US democracy in favour of Trumpism - that’s why you should read other reports.

Next, you will be posting about how Trump won the election in 2020 and how Jan 6th sacking of the Congressional Building never happened. And how Pelosi was the one who declined to call in the troops!

And you are very quiet about Trump ‘gifting’ the Kurds to be slaughtered? Why so?

[jonu]

Because you are reading the reports about the $8 billion which come from the Republicans whose sole aim since 2020 are to undermine US democracy in favour of Trumpism - that’s why you should read other reports.

Next, you will be posting about how Trump won the election in 2020 and how Jan 6th sacking of the Congressional Building never happened. And how Pelosi was the one who declined to call in the troops!

And you are very quiet about Trump ‘gifting’ the Kurds to be slaughtered? Why so?

I have already replied re the Kurds.
I find it the blinkered Biden good/Trump bad thinking on this thread extraordinary. Warmongering has been made an art by the BushSnr/Clinton/Bush/Obama/Biden administrations. Note that accounts for 12 years of Republican presidency as well. They are as bad as each other.

[Panda-NZ-]

I have already replied re the Kurds.
I find it the blinkered Biden good/Trump bad thinking on this thread extraordinary. Warmongering has been made an art by the BushSnr/Clinton/Bush/Obama/Biden administrations. Note that accounts for 12 years of Republican presidency as well. They are as bad as each other.

Minor conflicts more recently though, with an all volunteer force (no americans at all in ukraine).

In the korean & vietnam wars there was conscription which was a trainwreck. Veterans in these conflicts rightly deserve to have compensation.

[ynot]

I have already replied re the Kurds.
I find it the blinkered Biden good/Trump bad thinking on this thread extraordinary. Warmongering has been made an art by the BushSnr/Clinton/Bush/Obama/Biden administrations. Note that accounts for 12 years of Republican presidency as well. They are as bad as each other.

It is indeed extraordinary. You have to be ignoring plenty of realty to believe the covert nature of US politics. Whatever helps you feel warm and fuzzy I guess.