Ok, so of the 7 Billion hike (of the total 64B he aims at!), what is the business case?

Has anyone seen it? Is it 3B for troops and 1B for French made equipment and 3B on American made? Or 6B on American equipment and 1B on troop readiness? What percentage is for contingency? (American made stuff, very easily and practically instantly Trump can make them grounded), is the 7B hike for France defense, or to buy American to directly ship to Ukraine? That, and many others, are question you will never see the media ask, and until there is an answer and accountability, it is just money laundering … pretty much just like shipping airplanes full of sacks of money to Baghdad and expecting desirable outcomes.

Good point!

For once I believe on that “out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones”, because the BS the State Department spokesperson would have said instead would have been extremely infuriating for the mourning family.

It is a trend started that started a decade ago (ironically with Obama!) but the transition is now complete; Americans with a skin color, let alone if naturalized, are not considered “actual American” therefore no longer news worthy. At least, they still give a conditional pass to those darker skins conforming with the ideology of the presidency that happens to be ruling at the time.

I disagree, You insinuate that Spain acts like Turkey or Saudi Arabia with their leaders saying one thing while completely at the service of Israel. Spain’s case is very different, its position inspires to many people worldwide. It is not revolutionary, it does not do justice to the severity of the issue, but it is a beginning of the West to start awaken to the reality. if you take the premise his coalition will fall and loose elections, it is better to resist with little deeds than succumb and another flame of hope vanishes.

Now, Spain may not doing much, but it does not support Israel and Israel is furious at Spain and most likely actively doing covert work to both undermine Sanchez and Spain. Spain banned selling weapons and the usage of its ports to transport of weapons and its components to Israel… if all countries did just that Israel would have behaved long ago.

I think your are based in Mexico, your government has a similar stand as Spain, but as Spain, it has most of its trade with the devil in the north so you have to be pragmatic and make your stand without unleashing havoc to your own people.

Great oaks from little acorns grow… Mexico and Spain are two of them, and both face similar animosities from their norther neighbors for their standing.

EU, as an institution, has no mandate to say anything on this, but we all know were Von der Leyen shamefully falls and vividly advocates for, probably pressuring states too. These matters are controlled by member states but, unfortunately almost all fall in line to whatever Germany says (the well NATO vetted Von der Leyen comes from). Almost all countries in the EU would let Netanyahu or Israelis operatives in their land without much reservation, if any… that is the hard true.

If you understand the intricacies of Spain.

Spaniards has been very sympathetic to Palestine since decades ago, but the current coalition government is very week. Spain, unlike countries in Latin America or Ireland does have a significant trade with Israel so it has more to loose with commerce restrictions. Let’s no mention the amount of pressure Spanish politicians must be facing from US and Germany for its stands on Gaza.

Of course, Spain should do more, but I have a feeling US will penalize it heavily and the extremely fragile government coalition would fall and elections would be called. In this elections, a notable winner would be VOX as the king maker, a party, kid you not, financed early on by anti-iranian groups (AKA… Israel!!). Spain is doing A LOT given the circumstances.

Thanks… wait, wait… hold the horses… I can only take one reading at the time! I had never heard about “Anna’s Archive” as a thing… glad you told me and that I searched it.

Well, I was referring to Post-WWII USSR. Finland did loose 1/3 of its land to Moscow’s ambitions earlier on. However, unlike Ukraine today, Finland discovered what the Soviets wanted from them was to cover a security hole more than just grab plain land mass. Finland gave them that security and no more confrontation ever since and Finland was able to prosper immensely… even during the most expansionary moments and power of the Soviets. All that lesson from the Finnish elders is forgotten now, and instead of neutrality, they choose now to follow Kyiv’s path and head to NATO.

I’ll check that book.

Conscription per se is a healthy thing for a country and individuals alike, as long there is the option of opting for non-military training, that I think most in Europe have that option. But these new policies are not been set in place with that rational in mind!!! The rational, is that there is a drive for war and, due to Europeans not having appetite for it, they need to force people into the service (of course, pairing it with strong policies against any anti-war dissidence!)

How northern Europeans are falling into this scheme is perplexing! A decade ago I would never though Sweden and Finland would have given up on their military neutrality when they have benefit so much from even when the USSR was indeed aggressive an invaded Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Hungary but now that Russia partially only invaded neighbor Ukraine and because it was about to become a de-facto NATO country and Russia had set that up as a red line for more than a decade (not to mention the 14000 deaths of completely disfranchised 5 million Russian speakers in Ukraine since 2014.)

Even if you believe that Moscow really wanted to invade European Union members, Sweden and Finland would had simply be left alone so it could concentrate in the large powers… short like Germany did in 1930s… now, a hypothetical aggressive Russia would have no other chance than getting rid of Scandinavian posts first to set their fleet free into the Atlantic.

Finland, after promising Moscow a non-NATO alliance, enjoyed a formidable peace and developed a amazing democratic that became the envy of the world… but now considers Moscow far more dangerous than the Moscow of the 1950s… but of course, Israel’s aggressiveness and genocide in Gaza is not enough for the Scandinavians to even bother the Israeli ambassador. Are you really that blind to what is happening today?! The level of propaganda today in the north of Europe must be out of this world!? Nothing is left of the cold-thinking and the right combination of pragmatism + idealism from what Scandinavians used to be known for, nothing!

You know “Poland, the Baltic states or Finland” are not representative of Europe, don´t you? They represent 11% of the EU and 7% in Europe. As someone that witnessed the rise of irrational nationalism in the Balkans, I am fed up with political parties (with the aid of foreign entities) using media to polarize their population against the “monster neighbor” that just want o ‘rape your woman’… it is sickening whether in Warsaw, Moscow, Kyiv, Delhi or Tel Avid.

But even in Poland, is there a risk of confrontation with Russia in a foreign land and the overwhelmingly majority of young in Poland will flee overnight. The noise is there, but few actually believe that Russia wants to roll tanks in Warsaw. Russia made clear for a decade already that their only drive is no NATO inference in Ukraine and that is it and made several fierce statements continuously, last one being a letter 2 months to NATO before the invasion. Russia did not even wanted Dombas region, those Russian speakers would be far more utilized within a democratic Ukraine since any constitutional change would require their approval so the facto maintaining Ukraine constitutional neutral. After the coup that disfranchised millions of residents in the East of Ukraine… the Moscow equation changed.

Countries like Baltic countries, Germany, Scandinavians and France (their leaders at least) are probably wondering if to simmer the drums till next US election, go all in themselves or change course with the head high. Europeans, rightly so, are not buying it and will not join any armed group even if constricted… and those leaders know it… so the dillenma is either to wait or how to get out. With Trump back, I was hoping, European leaders, in their highly antagonism to Trump, would reverse course, at least with Gaza… but not so… if Trump, does indeed reverse course… my gosh… The EU will be insignificant and a pariah in the global stage for decades to come.

As someone who publicly predicted Trump’s wins in both 2016 and 2024 (I live in the most representative county there is!) I can tell you Americans are fed up with war expenditures abroad (even they do benefit the US in the short run!). Specially with the Ukrainian so, even if a Democrat would win in 2028, he/she would not pull off tens of billions on aid to any country… that, it is going likely to be a heavy issue in next elections and even demand a commitment no for massive aid packagers. I think they will even include Israel in the restrictions.

There are some, and well know by the West in other to appease some EU region that cannot easily accommodate for the sanctions. Do you really, really, think is would it, in any shape or form, even noticeably by Moscow? Their economy is much faster growing with respect the EU and far more diversified in customers than 4 yrs ago (they need now to do it also in types of exported goods). Fr sure, Russia would like to normalize relations with the West, but if you give Moscow the choice of 5Billions trade in the West for the cost of 1Billion from Asia, he will chose to maintain the Asian one without any further thought.

It is so pathetic… I thought Russia was in maximum sanctions for 2 yrs already! These “leaders” do know better though, they just generate these acts with the hope something will get posted on their heavily subsidized media (it has been a decade since any publication can survive without being subsidized).

Russia is desperate to move one, Ukraine still in their delusion, but coming to terms with the reality, US wants to move on and the EU (north only) wondering how to maintain the war flame alive for 4 yrs and hope for a new Biden in 4 yrs. It won´t happen, here, in the US, people are increasingly getting tired of the billions spend abroad even in Israel, let alone in Ukraine (even though it most of that aid is in US weapons and services that Ukraine pays with the funds the EU gives). But yes, Macron does care that Russian-speaking in Donesk that for 11yrs have been disposed of all representation, cut from all social services and bombed daily will rejoin Kyiv like nothing happended.

I get in on UK now… Japan… gosh, I hope not but I am very afraid that is the underlying truth.

You have a point… a scary point!

Those that claim it is a “Special Operation” say it to deny the word invasion… of course, is nonsense. That is what I was referring to. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Oh… there are! I oppose the invasion 100%, like oppose US trying to invade Cuba with the same claims. Now, I accept as an argument that when you have been invaded three times through Ukraine by western powers and each resulted with millions of deaths… you may have a cause to ask for neutrality from Ukraine. Very unfair for the sovereignty of Ukraine, but I understandable from Moscow. Ukraine should have been more pragmatic. Mexico’s current leader detests the US leadership, but instead of asking from Russian or Chinese assistance, it tries to keep a neutral yet clear stance tone. Acting like Cuba or Ukraine is just asking for trouble. Finland learned that in the 50s too, the best way to deal with a country that stole 1/3 of your country was to be neutral and it flourished in that premise… to now becoming NATO… good luck flourishing from now on!!! Singapore and Switzerland also learned the benefits of genuinely assuring neutrality to the powerful neighbors.

I agree with many of your premises, but not the main one. People are brainwashed for sure that migrants, jews, muslims, etc are the problem, but they do have grievances that the state does not care for them. Blaming Putin on that perception is silly, he wish he was that powerful. US had for decades massively aired propaganda in all corners of the world, financed NGOs, payed journalists and the results were mixed. Putin does not employ not even a 5% of the US budget into those operations. Farage is a good example, he noticed that the British are not happy, that Brussels was getting more powerful and blamed all in Brussels with memes like curved bananas etc (I know trade and knew Brexit was horrible for both side of the Channel) but I don’t blame Putin for Farage or Trump… they both are just opportunistic in a situation those countries fail to deliver. UK and US are both in a worse situation due to these two politicians, but banning them both would have been far worse since the discontent still unaddressed. Blaming in Putin for them both is just ridiculous, he wish he had that power!

I don’t think is that… the EU happily come to “rescue” Uyghurs from Beijing, or Kosovars from Belgrade, or Chechens from Moscow… the pattern I find is always to support Washington DC. For sure, you have much more chances of success by standing with the US (till now at least), but tens and tens of countries… that is not a normal statistical curve! And Corbin’s expulsion doubt US had anything to do with it.

One thing you said lighted my mind though, countries that committed genocide are very into Israel today though… well, no Belgium though… it is complicated I guess, not a normal curve though.