Almost like they had time to plan beforehand
So you see, that’s where the trouble began. That smile. That damn smile.
That does make him sound qualified for the role
Is it my support for genociding Palestinians to blame?
No, the Muslims are homophobic. That must be it.
Responsible Statecraft - When Will The War In Ukraine End?
There has long been a growing recognition in private among Western experts and officials that it is in reality impossible for Ukraine to recover its lost territories through victory on the battlefield. However this has not so far led — even strictly in private — to suggestions that Ukraine and the West might propose terms that the Russian people (let alone the government) could accept as a basis for negotiations.
In the meantime, the evidence suggests that it is Russia, not Ukraine, that is strengthening its military position for eventual negotiations; and it is not at all clear that Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia would significantly change this trend.
There is no reason therefore to think that time is on Ukraine’s side in this conflict, and that it makes sense to delay the start of negotiations. That however does not mean that all the cards are in Russia’s hands, and all the Kremlin has to do is wait for Ukrainian collapse. The economy has performed far better than the West hoped, but the Russian Central Bank itself is warning of serious problems next year. As for the situation on the battlefield, while Ukrainian soldiers are exhausted, that also appears true of many Russian troops.
… As Russian establishment interlocutors acknowledged to me, Russia probably does not have the troops to capture major Ukrainian cities, unless President Putin launches an intensified wave of conscription — something he is clearly unwilling to do.
This means that if given a clear choice between what they could regard as a reasonable peace and a continuation of war to complete victory, it seems probable that a majority of Russians would opt for peace; and that it would therefore be very difficult for Putin to continue the war, if to do so meant the conscription of many more Russian sons and husbands. Such a compromise peace would be very far from what the Ukrainian and Western governments hope. It would also be very far from what Putin hoped for when he launched this war in February 2022.
It’s them or me!
No wait
Israeli finance minister threatens to block labor strike
Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to seek immediate injunctions to prevent tomorrow’s planned general strike.
In a letter to Baharav-Miara, Smotrich argues that the strike is “clearly political and lacks any legal basis,” according to a report by The Times of Israel.
He contends that the strike was declared to improperly influence diplomatic and national security matters, which he claims fall under the jurisdiction of the political echelon and should not be subject to labour strikes.
Smotrich also points out that there was no advance notice of the strike and that it was organised without labour leaders having full access to national security information. He warns that allowing such a strike could set a dangerous precedent.
Going on record as team nothing ever happens with the Prokhorovka direction and the collapse of the Donbas line. I think it’s too big and too defensible to fall quickly or to abandon without a fight. No big arrows until spring at least by which time Ukraine has a new army and some kind of next defensive line has been built.
Interesting point from Simplicius (chud with decent military analysis) about the collapse of the Donbas front
But my contention is that, if and when we start seeing multiple Ukrainian fronts collapsing at the same time, that will be the final siren song notifying us that the ‘snowball effect’ has truly begun and that Russian manpower is now overwhelmingly superior as a generality. That’s because as a last desperation move, Ukraine would be forced to pull forces from other fronts just to plug holes to keep from being entirely overrun and surrounded. The fact they’re not necessarily doing this yet likely means there are still some reserves available. When those reserves run out, it can create a cascading effect where reserves are pulled from other fronts, and then those fronts subsequently begin collapsing just as fast as the Pokrovsk one. Only then can we say that the AFU’s final stanza has begun.
We are not yet seeing a general collapse which means Ukraine must have some ability to manage unit rotations and some reserves left. Wait for two or more ongoing collapses before calling it curtains.
and Blues Clues
As VP, she has her own constitutionally protected office.
If anyone, if even one person in the executive, is free from the authority of the president, it’s the Vice President.
kittin
joined 8 months ago
Air traffic controllers are not the solution to our problems. Air traffic controllers are the problem.