Niall touched on it briefly a bit: the role of desperation.
Remember, The Third Reich came to power because Germany had embraced a man who they believed would return them to greatness. Germany was once the home of mystics in Europe and home of the Rational Enlightenment. But the crushing economic obligations placed upon the Germans to prevent the resurgence of a belligerent European power ended up blowing up in their faces. Why? Desperation has a way of pushing people to the edge. Remember, Putin has been quoted as saying, "If there's no Russia, why do we need the world?"
The other mistake I see, again, comes from lessons in WWII. Letting Adolf run amok in Europe for years led to a very, very, very BAD conflict later on. I'm concerned NATO is allowing the same thing with Putin.
Regardless of which outcome comes forth, it will be rooted in desperation and avoiding shame. China is certainly taking notes on everything being done on both sides. And, today! Saudi Arabia will accept the Yuan for oil. Bye bye petro dollar?
It was a good episode. Mike Gallagher comes across as an impressive person & HR was in his element. I prefer the Goodfellas episodes with someone who has real knowledge about something -- rather than people who are professional yakkers.
Thanks for an interesting conversation. Niall Ferguson seemed to be the most informed and closest to the reality, which is to be expected, as a historian he knows the history of the conflict and the history of Ukraine and Russia. I am glad that John seemed to back up on enforcement of a no-fly-zone, and he ruled out bombing Moscow. It would be nice if the conversation discussed the events leading to the war, such as USA arguments, Ukrainian arguments, Russian arguments, NATO expansion, and other major relevant events. Well, I guess this would be out of scope and would take too much time.
Comments are welcome. Keep it short, polite, and on topic.
Thanks to a few abusers I am now moderating comments. I welcome thoughtful disagreement. I will block comments with insulting or abusive language. I'm also blocking totally inane comments. Try to make some sense. I am much more likely to allow critical comments if you have the honesty and courage to use your real name.
Niall touched on it briefly a bit: the role of desperation.
ReplyDeleteRemember, The Third Reich came to power because Germany had embraced a man who they believed would return them to greatness. Germany was once the home of mystics in Europe and home of the Rational Enlightenment. But the crushing economic obligations placed upon the Germans to prevent the resurgence of a belligerent European power ended up blowing up in their faces. Why? Desperation has a way of pushing people to the edge. Remember, Putin has been quoted as saying, "If there's no Russia, why do we need the world?"
The other mistake I see, again, comes from lessons in WWII. Letting Adolf run amok in Europe for years led to a very, very, very BAD conflict later on. I'm concerned NATO is allowing the same thing with Putin.
Regardless of which outcome comes forth, it will be rooted in desperation and avoiding shame. China is certainly taking notes on everything being done on both sides. And, today! Saudi Arabia will accept the Yuan for oil. Bye bye petro dollar?
It was a good episode. Mike Gallagher comes across as an impressive person & HR was in his element. I prefer the Goodfellas episodes with someone who has real knowledge about something -- rather than people who are professional yakkers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for an interesting conversation. Niall Ferguson seemed to be the most informed and closest to the reality, which is to be expected, as a historian he knows the history of the conflict and the history of Ukraine and Russia. I am glad that John seemed to back up on enforcement of a no-fly-zone, and he ruled out bombing Moscow. It would be nice if the conversation discussed the events leading to the war, such as USA arguments, Ukrainian arguments, Russian arguments, NATO expansion, and other major relevant events. Well, I guess this would be out of scope and would take too much time.
ReplyDeleteGreat episode - highly recommended!
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