this dude is seriously out here acting like not arming ukraine for a losing conflict at the cost of a catastrophic bill to the US tax payers (who overwhelmingly don't support this) is some rare position samfisher is like that lowest rung you hope to never sink to, even below DD despair
Buck -- I have a JUICY question for you. Are you ready? See below. Spoiler Why, after 20+ years and 86,000+ posts have you not contributed to Clutch's site?
to understand why the US got involved in Vietnam, you must understand why we got involved in Korea. I recommend starting here: https://a.co/d/cjVDeFH
ELBRIDGE A. COLBY Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development https://www.defense.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/1230279/elbridge-a-colby/ Elbridge A. Colby served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, in which capacity he was responsible for defense strategy, force development, and strategic analysis for OSD Policy. During 2017 and early 2018, Colby served as the Department of Defense co-lead for the development of the Department's premier strategic planning guidance, the National Defense Strategy, which was released in January 2018 and focuses the Department on major power competition and sustaining the Joint Force’s military edge in a more competitive era. Colby is also responsible for developing the Defense Planning Guidance and the Defense Planning Scenarios, and serves as a lead Policy representative to the Program and Budget Review and Support for Strategic Analysis processes. Prior to entering government service, Colby was from 2014 to 2017 the Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and from 2010 to 2013 a principal analyst and division lead for global strategic affairs at CNA. Earlier in his career he served for over five years in the U.S. Government at the Department of Defense, Department of State, and in the Intelligence Community working on a range of strategic forces, WMD, and intelligence reform matters, including service with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in 2003. Colby has also served as a staff member for or consultant to a number of government commissions, including the 2014 National Defense Panel, the 2008-2009 Strategic Posture Commission, and the 2004-2005 President’s WMD Commission. Colby is the author of many book chapters, reports, and articles on defense and foreign policy issues, and co-edited a volume on Strategic Stability: Contending Interpretations. He has testified before Congress and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Colby is a recipient of the Exceptional Public Service Award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and of the Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards from the Department of State. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute of Strategic Studies. Colby is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School.
Except that we haven't sent US forces to Ukraine, the local populace has been doing the fighting and has shown a willingness to fight, the local populace doesn't see itself as being the same people like the South Vietnamese and North Vietnamese did, and the local populace sees its fight as a battle to maintain their independence from an invading power than the other way around.
we hadn't sent forces to Korea or Vietnam initially either. then they started losing. that's the entire point.
And right now it’s European countries mulling sending troops to Ukraine, particularly the Baltic states, France, and Poland. Unlike Vietnam and S Korea at the time, Ukraine actually does have strong neighbors militarily that are against Russian imperialism so it seems like the Vietnam comparison is borderline just lazy. Poland really hates Russia.
Sure and we haven’t sent soldiers yet to Ukraine. There are some stark differences then too in the calculation about whether we would at some point mainly that it would then put us in direct conflict with another nuclear power.
People saying young Ukrainian men shouldn’t be forced to fight are morons. 1. Conscription/coercion is how the vast majority of fighters have been acquired throughout human history. Including wars like WW1 and WW2. 2. If you won’t fight for Ukraine, Ukraine will lose and the Russian federation will make you fight in their military, that is for damn sure. Young Ukrainian men will be some of the first conscripted by the Russian military for any future military actions. So, fight for Ukraine now against Russia or fight for Russia in a couple years.
