My view is probably about as pessimistic as Abramson's.
My pessimism does not derive from my perception of the strength of the Russians (because barring nuclear weapons, they actually aren't all that strong). It derives from the weakness of the United States--and that weakness and lack of information and stupidity is not rooted in the per…
My view is probably about as pessimistic as Abramson's.
My pessimism does not derive from my perception of the strength of the Russians (because barring nuclear weapons, they actually aren't all that strong). It derives from the weakness of the United States--and that weakness and lack of information and stupidity is not rooted in the person of Joe Biden. He (and/or his people) seem(s) to have a pretty good grasp of what is going on.
The problem is that one of our 2 major political parties sees the other party as a greater danger than the Russians--and if they have to support the Russians to get over on the other political party, they will do so, in the end.
They will do whatever they think it will take to get back into control of Congress and the Executive--and then we are screwed.
Yes, Putin cannot afford to wait until 2024, but he might be able to wait until midterms, in the hopes that the GoP will regain the House and Senate. That will hobble any US response.
At this point I think there will be continual pressure (and agitprop) aimed at slowly ramping up Ukrainian casualties (especially civilian) without the Russians actually getting bogged down in urban combat in a big way.
There will be plenty of people to apologize for and to excuse what the Russians do--especially in the Right in the US. I think that Putin has much more time than people tend to think he does. At some point the US public will (as they always do) get fed up.. especially if the economy weakens and gas prices stay high and get higher.
In the end, we will sacrifice the Ukrainians to our own selfish desires... if Putin has the time and patience to use it.
My view is probably about as pessimistic as Abramson's.
My pessimism does not derive from my perception of the strength of the Russians (because barring nuclear weapons, they actually aren't all that strong). It derives from the weakness of the United States--and that weakness and lack of information and stupidity is not rooted in the person of Joe Biden. He (and/or his people) seem(s) to have a pretty good grasp of what is going on.
The problem is that one of our 2 major political parties sees the other party as a greater danger than the Russians--and if they have to support the Russians to get over on the other political party, they will do so, in the end.
They will do whatever they think it will take to get back into control of Congress and the Executive--and then we are screwed.
Yes, Putin cannot afford to wait until 2024, but he might be able to wait until midterms, in the hopes that the GoP will regain the House and Senate. That will hobble any US response.
At this point I think there will be continual pressure (and agitprop) aimed at slowly ramping up Ukrainian casualties (especially civilian) without the Russians actually getting bogged down in urban combat in a big way.
There will be plenty of people to apologize for and to excuse what the Russians do--especially in the Right in the US. I think that Putin has much more time than people tend to think he does. At some point the US public will (as they always do) get fed up.. especially if the economy weakens and gas prices stay high and get higher.
In the end, we will sacrifice the Ukrainians to our own selfish desires... if Putin has the time and patience to use it.
I really wish I didn't think you were right.