Are we near the brink of WWIII?

[Oldbloke]

Well, perhaps a few think its inevitable and preparing.


https://theconversation.com/billionaire ... ism-223987


https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifes ... 235822762/

[mchughcb]

I have bothered commenting much on this thread.

Nothing but Ad Hominin attacks on various leaders by people who agree with the mainstream narrative. The reality is after all the jokes about Russian competency and equipment in Russia they are now grinding forward at a faster pace as Ukraine runs out of people, weapons and monetary support from the West. The continual narrative is that sanctions and weapons flow into Ukraine will weaken their army to the point they will give up and cease to be a fighting for decades appears to be misplaced. Putin said in his interview with Carlson he has no desire to invade Poland but if they enter the conflict then they won't hold back either.

In reality it is Europe that is panicking now that have depleted their stocks. Their defence forces have suffered years of reduced funding. Goodness me even the UK is looking at selling the prince of wales https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/na ... s-BB1j6cnY.

Macron might be talking tough about putting troops on the ground overtly but they are on their own and I can't see anybody in the USA willing to risk fighting the Russians on their own backyard. Poles are already throwing trains of grain on the ground so the last thing that government wants is a fight at the border with their own farmers for a country dumping grain in the EU that isn't theirs.

This ends when Putin says so, or Zelensky is removed and replaced by a leader that can negotiate what they have left.

[wanneroo]

There is no real need to put ground troops on the ground, unless the powerful mathusians can think they can pull off a war they can get out of clean and rich with plenty of people dead.

Russia is dead demographically, Putin is getting older, all the Ukrainians need to do is bleed them out with drones and missiles over a period of years until they can't sustain it anymore and/or China starts putting pressure on the Far East.

Personally being part way in the business and talking to people in the military and government, conflict in the 21st century is gonna be different. Drones, cyber warfare, economic warfare, internet propaganda, missiles, fire as a weapon, space warfare and spying, etc. Things are changing fast.

[Lazarus]

I have bothered commenting much on this thread.

Nothing but Ad Hominin attacks on various leaders by people who agree with the mainstream narrative. The reality is after all the jokes about Russian competency and equipment in Russia they are now grinding forward at a faster pace as Ukraine runs out of people, weapons and monetary support from the West. The continual narrative is that sanctions and weapons flow into Ukraine will weaken their army to the point they will give up and cease to be a fighting for decades appears to be misplaced. Putin said in his interview with Carlson he has no desire to invade Poland but if they enter the conflict then they won't hold back either.

In reality it is Europe that is panicking now that have depleted their stocks. Their defence forces have suffered years of reduced funding. Goodness me even the UK is looking at selling the prince of wales https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/na ... s-BB1j6cnY.

Macron might be talking tough about putting troops on the ground overtly but they are on their own and I can't see anybody in the USA willing to risk fighting the Russians on their own backyard. Poles are already throwing trains of grain on the ground so the last thing that government wants is a fight at the border with their own farmers for a country dumping grain in the EU that isn't theirs.

This ends when Putin says so, or Zelensky is removed and replaced by a leader that can negotiate what they have left.

So did hitler, mchughcb, remember how that went?

Transnistria is about to be his next move, the Kremlin has reported that Russian officials in the enclave have "asked the Kremlin for protection from the Moldovan authorities".
The same excuse he used to send the "little green men" into Crimea and Donbass.

You continually decry and belittle the opinions of others as being influenced by the mainstream media, then give us a reference from Tuckwit Carlson and expect to be taken seriously

Carlson's own emails proved he knew he was pushing bullsh!t about the fantasy of a stolen election, so much bullsh!t that not even Murdoch could stomach him.

[Oldbloke]

I have bothered commenting much on this thread.

Nothing but Ad Hominin attacks on various leaders by people who agree with the mainstream narrative. The reality is after all the jokes about Russian competency and equipment in Russia they are now grinding forward at a faster pace as Ukraine runs out of people, weapons and monetary support from the West. The continual narrative is that sanctions and weapons flow into Ukraine will weaken their army to the point they will give up and cease to be a fighting for decades appears to be misplaced. Putin said in his interview with Carlson he has no desire to invade Poland but if they enter the conflict then they won't hold back either.

In reality it is Europe that is panicking now that have depleted their stocks. Their defence forces have suffered years of reduced funding. Goodness me even the UK is looking at selling the prince of wales https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/na ... s-BB1j6cnY.

Macron might be talking tough about putting troops on the ground overtly but they are on their own and I can't see anybody in the USA willing to risk fighting the Russians on their own backyard. Poles are already throwing trains of grain on the ground so the last thing that government wants is a fight at the border with their own farmers for a country dumping grain in the EU that isn't theirs.

This ends when Putin says so, or Zelensky is removed and replaced by a leader that can negotiate what they have left.

Yes grinding.
Unlike your predition when it all started that they were, would steam roll all over Ukraine. Putin I think also predicted a quick win.

Given Russia has abt 4x the population of Ukraine its a piss poor performance on Russia's behalf.

Given the differences in population, size and resources I expect Russia will win,,, eventually, but they will pay, big time.

[mchughcb]

Steam rolling vs mobile high pressure grinding mill. Outcome is the same. Advancing west and degrading the Ukrainian army in its path.

[alexjones]

People forget that from 2014 until the invasion in 2022 Ukraine was strengthening its defensive positions. If Russia had fully invaded Ukraine in 2014 and not just taking the Crimea it would of been over very quickly as the Ukrainian army of 2014 and 2022 were vastly different. Russia did underestimate Ukraine in this regard.

Just because Russia has a lot more people does not mean anything. They have nowhere fully mobilised whilst Ukrainian pretty much has. If things get any worse for Ukraine we could see 16, 17 and perhaps even younger getting called up for support or even combat duties.

Wars of attrition are absolutely brutal.

[Lazarus]

Steam rolling vs mobile high pressure grinding mill. Outcome is the same. Advancing west and degrading the Ukrainian army in its path.

What exactly is your problem with Ukraine?

From the start you've been crowing at every advance by the Russians into the territory of a sovereign neighbour whose sovereignty Putin guaranteed.
Like he guaranteed he has no designs on Poland.

Hundreds of thousands have died, including some I know, and to you it's an armchair footy match.

One you seem to enjoy like a kid burning ants with a magnifying glass

[mchughcb]

I don't have a problem with Ukraine. However Ukraine has a big problem.

[Oldbloke]

Steam rolling vs mobile high pressure grinding mill. Outcome is the same. Advancing west and degrading the Ukrainian army in its path.

What exactly is your problem with Ukraine?

From the start you've been crowing at every advance by the Russians into the territory of a sovereign neighbour whose sovereignty Putin guaranteed.
Like he guaranteed he has no designs on Poland.

Hundreds of thousands have died, including some I know, and to you it's an armchair footy match.

One you seem to enjoy like a kid burning ants with a magnifying glass

He says he has visited many times. My bet is that he is Russian born.

Also has no compassion or empathy.

[Lazarus]

I'm willing to have a reasonable discussion on this mchughcb, if you are.

Your past comments suggest your support is squarely behind Putin, everyone has their druthers, would you be willing to expand on why?

Russian eyes are now on Moldova, do you support an invasion of them too?

[mchughcb]

I have noticed a sudden uptick in talk about WWIII in regular news sources, as distinct from the usual grist for the mill found on the doom porn websites I sometimes visit.
Add to that the US and UK (accompanied by their favorite mascot Australia) have started bombing the middle east in order to avert WWIII ?
Where do others think things are headed; business as usual? recession leading to depression? economic collapse? WWIII ?

Well the Russians intercepted and published the German general conference call discussing that tge uk and France have troops in Ukraine operating long range missile systems bombing Russian territory as they discussed how they were going to blow the kersch bridge. Then the NY times releases and article saying the US has 12 spy centres set up after 2014.

When the Russians bombed the hotel in karkiv and killed all the French mercenaries macron was saying civilians mercs not official troops which Russia didn't believe for a minute.

The UK and France have blasted Schultz for the German breach of security so now its official troops are on the ground with full knowledge of their governments and Russians are tracking them and taking them out.

As I have said over a year ago. The west is sleep walking into WW3 with Biden at the helm.

[Oldbloke]

I'm willing to have a reasonable discussion on this mchughcb, if you are.

Your past comments suggest your support is squarely behind Putin, everyone has their druthers, would you be willing to expand on why?

Russian eyes are now on Moldova, do you support an invasion of them too?

Could be. Who knows what goes on between the ears of a mad man.

[Lazarus]

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/29/putin-c ... egion.html

"Just let him have Ukraine, he will be satisfied with that"

Like Hitler was satisfied with Sudetenland.

And that was a direct comparison, alexjones.

[Oldbloke]

Sweden is now officially part of NATO.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68506223

[mickb]

I don't find it exciting mick, I find it tragic.

A good friend lost his entire family in Kharkiv, his wife lost all but one, that one had been forcibly deported to Russia and took months escaping via Finland, Lithuania and Poland.

He finally couldn't stand being so far away so he went back, and now he's in the ground too.

Nothing remotely exciting about that tale mate.

What's more tragic is the mean spirited Australian army and gummint.

https://asiapacificdefencereporter.com/ ... -failures/

Mate again, some news reports, a lot of news reports, some really heart wrenching, even battle reports, and a lot of people dying, do not mean the war is being represented as it is.

I have been in two wars, 3 years in one that lasted 20 years... the most complete BS nothing burger until this one. When you have the UN setting up solid shop in a major warzone before the country is taken, Ukraine airports still operating, their athletes flying about all over the place and blogging all over the fkn place, so called targeted strikes against NATO collaborators whilst actual UN bosses set up essentially anti- russian propaganda stations( LGBTQ equality advisers), the story has more holes than an episode of he goodies.

The idea half a million soldiers are perishing( with tank armies to boot good heavkens!) while so much major infrastructure still remains should even prick the ears of the most non-military aware person out there. That level of carnage and the countries systems would be rubble and the nearest UN arts graduate would be back in England not swanning around setting up LGBTQ counselling offiices in the middle of hell!


We have to agree to disagree and sadly keep paying the bill...to the rich.

[Lazarus]

I appreciate your experience and your service, mickb, but I'm talking about a different scale.

To the rest of the world, the murder of my friend's family and that of his wife by invading Russians, and his eventual death upon returning, are soundbites on the news, statistics on a graph.
Functionally meaningless.
But to those who knew them it's very far indeed from a "nothing burger".

I truly hope the conflict can be resolved, but as my late Ukrainian friend used to quote "If Russia stops fighting,the war ends, if Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends."

Now the Kremlin is "reporting" that Russian backed officials in Transnistria are requesting protection from the Moldovan authorities.
Just as they did in Crimea and Donbass.

Moldova is next.

[mickb]

Fair call Lazarus. We have differing opinions. My scale is probably even different.. I believe its more likely Russia and Ukraines bosses are probably in kahootz, and probably ours as well. Land and money grab. The new style of raiding Euro countries.Screw the people getting invaded, billionaires on all sides are making bank and us with everyday escalating life costs.

Want to hear a prediction on Russia Ukrain right now? years long, the UN with its nose in the trough( already is), multiple rebrands( war will be renamed every few years to make the public feel like its watching a sequel not the same old show) and you and me paying $10 a loaf of bread.

Also, Elon musk, bezos, arnault etc will have need to add a jockey wheel to their smartphone just to get all the fkn zeros on the screen when they check their net worth,.

[Lazarus]

Fair call Lazarus. We have differing opinions. My scale is probably even different.. I believe its more likely Russia and Ukraines bosses are probably in kahootz, and probably ours as well. Land and money grab. The new style of raiding Euro countries.Screw the people getting invaded, billionaires on all sides are making bank and us with everyday escalating life costs.

Want to hear a prediction on Russia Ukrain right now? years long, the UN with its nose in the trough( already is), multiple rebrands( war will be renamed every few years to make the public feel like its watching a sequel not the same old show) and you and me paying $10 a loaf of bread.

Also, Elon musk, bezos, arnault etc will have need to add a jockey wheel to their smartphone just to get all the fkn zeros on the screen when they check their net worth,.

I've been a broken record on the 1%ers and feudalism for a long time, what with me being the oracle of the internet and all, trying to explain to people that while love of money isn't the root of all evil, the unequal distribution of it is.

Unfortunately, to the fringe dwellers, that makes me a socialist at best, a baby eating lizard extraterrestrial paedophile at worst.

It never fails to amuse me when someone, not you, asumes they know more about how I think and what I believe, from the snippets of what I might say on the internet while backing one out.(1)



(1.)
I'm a mouthy prick, so not all my verbiage is posted from the throne room.

[5-0]

Fair call Lazarus. We have differing opinions. My scale is probably even different.. I believe its more likely Russia and Ukraines bosses are probably in kahootz, and probably ours as well. Land and money grab. The new style of raiding Euro countries.Screw the people getting invaded, billionaires on all sides are making bank and us with everyday escalating life costs.

Want to hear a prediction on Russia Ukrain right now? years long, the UN with its nose in the trough( already is), multiple rebrands( war will be renamed every few years to make the public feel like its watching a sequel not the same old show) and you and me paying $10 a loaf of bread.

Also, Elon musk, bezos, arnault etc will have need to add a jockey wheel to their smartphone just to get all the fkn zeros on the screen when they check their net worth,.

I've been a broken record on the 1%ers and feudalism for a long time, what with me being the oracle of the internet and all, trying to explain to people that while love of money isn't the root of all evil, the unequal distribution of it is.

Unfortunately, to the fringe dwellers, that makes me a socialist at best, a baby eating lizard extraterrestrial paedophile at worst.

It never fails to amuse me when someone, not you, asumes they know more about how I think and what I believe, from the snippets of what I might say on the internet while backing one out.(1)



(1.)
I'm a mouthy prick, so not all my verbiage is posted from the throne room.

It all comes down to luck, until society can even the playing field on luck than its going to play the deciding hand in how things play out.

[alexjones]

People need to focus on themselves and not worry about what others are doing. Make your own wealth. I could not care less that there are people with hundreds of billions of dollars(on paper). What I do care about is the government stealing my self loading longarms and telling me how to live my life.

People complain about the so called rich yet they support them by buying their products.

Lets take super as an example. I do self managed super and it astounds me how people in this country have little to no concept about their finances. There are so many financially retarded people out there that do not understand how stuff works. They would have no clue about what their super is invested in and how much fees they are paying to these companies. However I guarantee if people had money in their savings account they would know exactly what the total amount is.

Instead of worrying about people with hundreds of billions of dollars in shares people need to worry about their own life so they can break the conditioning and escape the matrix(I sound hyperbolic I know).


I would bet if polled most people would not understand the basics of compound interest.

[alexjones]

My mate won't buy a new car yet buys smoko and dinner every day. That alone will cover the repayments of a new car. And whilst a car is a depreciating asset he will still be left with some value to resell after the loan is done. Yet he complains about rich people to me. Just straight up jealously and poor financial management on his part. Rich people are not the problem. Stupid people are. Which is why I hate communism because it allows for the stupid to dictate over everybody. Where free market capitalism allows for the smart and the individualistic to be left alone to prosper or to suffer. The choice is on them.


This 22 year old worked at mcdonald and coles and buys a new house. This is the type of stuff that needs to be praised. Good financial responsibility.


https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/22-ye ... NxfHsA_OTL

[wanneroo]

I used to work for the super rich in one of the wealthiest communities in the USA in my 20's.

Sure there are some trust fund babies out there or some Hollywood types living their temporary life of fame but most of the truly wealthy folks were pretty down to earth. They were usually guys that worked their asses off and became the best in their profession or built a business from scratch. And they didn't get there by treating people like dog crap, they were very good with people and looked after people well.

Taught me quite a lot about how the world really is and learned a lot from those people. I always call it my Master Degree I got.

I wouldn't be too concerned with rich folks, they aren't taking it with them and everything eventually ends up as landfill.

[gunderson]

My mate won't buy a new car yet buys smoko and dinner every day. That alone will cover the repayments of a new car. And whilst a car is a depreciating asset he will still be left with some value to resell after the loan is done. Yet he complains about rich people to me. Just straight up jealously and poor financial management on his part. Rich people are not the problem. Stupid people are. Which is why I hate communism because it allows for the stupid to dictate over everybody. Where free market capitalism allows for the smart and the individualistic to be left alone to prosper or to suffer. The choice is on them.


This 22 year old worked at mcdonald and coles and buys a new house. This is the type of stuff that needs to be praised. Good financial responsibility.


https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/22-ye ... NxfHsA_OTL

Everyone wants to blame the world for their failures and the failures of their parents.

[Oldbloke]

Ukraine is begging for military assistance while the West and AU scratches their balls.
Our politicians should feel ashamed.

Watch the Australian press club presentation from the Ukrainian ambassador.

https://youtu.be/VMbdjPDY01w?si=MbKcp9vVTk1kvXQC

[Lazarus]

While Albanese has been stroking his own feathers at every opportunity about our contribution to the defence of Ukraine, he has been shrinking it dramatically.

Since the big media announcement that Australia and France were going to "join forces" to supply Ukraine with artillery ammo, weve managed to supply 10,000 rounds, about what Russia fires at Ukrainians every day.

OK, we have a cost of living crisis, but the people of Ukraine are fighting for their existence. They are fighting a war that will eventually come here in one form or another if not stopped at the source.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-13/ ... tent=other

[Lazarus]

Further to my last blurt, it seems that China's strategic move to entice Putin into Ukraine, knowing the west will draw down their strategic stocks to hold him in place, knowing the western value on human life will make us hesitate to put "boots on the ground", and knowing that the nuke card will empty bladders in the west, is coming to fruition.
The real worry, in my view, is the growing economic problems in China.
Even western politicians start wars to divert the attention of the electorate.
Additionally, whether fat boy Kim, with Xi's support will kick off on the Korean peninsula is anyone's guess given recent developments in the DPRK

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-paci ... 023-12-27/

[alexjones]

Further to my last blurt, it seems that China's strategic move to entice Putin into Ukraine, knowing the west will draw down their strategic stocks to hold him in place, knowing the western value on human life will make us hesitate to put "boots on the ground", and knowing that the nuke card will empty bladders in the west, is coming to fruition.
The real worry, in my view, is the growing economic problems in China.
Even western politicians start wars to divert the attention of the electorate.
Additionally, whether fat boy Kim, with Xi's support will kick off on the Korean peninsula is anyone's guess given recent developments in the DPRK

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-paci ... 023-12-27/

That makes sense mate. China would love the west to pump more resources into Ukraine whilst they move on Taiwan. China needs to take Taiwan to help distract its people from its own internal struggles.

[gunderson]

china has had insurmountable financial issues for a very very long time, their entire construction sector has been a white elephant this entire time, and its completely collapsed, there is no saving their economy from total recession/depression.

[Lazarus]

Further to my last blurt, it seems that China's strategic move to entice Putin into Ukraine, knowing the west will draw down their strategic stocks to hold him in place, knowing the western value on human life will make us hesitate to put "boots on the ground", and knowing that the nuke card will empty bladders in the west, is coming to fruition.
The real worry, in my view, is the growing economic problems in China.
Even western politicians start wars to divert the attention of the electorate.
Additionally, whether fat boy Kim, with Xi's support will kick off on the Korean peninsula is anyone's guess given recent developments in the DPRK

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-paci ... 023-12-27/

That makes sense mate. China would love the west to pump more resources into Ukraine whilst they move on Taiwan. China needs to take Taiwan to help distract its people from its own internal struggles.

We are reaping the results of our self-impressed smugness.

Fukuyama's "End of History" makes him look a bit of a nong, even in 1992 it was a flight of fancy.
Clemens reputed quote says "History may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes"

As with your hard time reference on another thread, things cycle, we are inevitably moving back to the "authoritarianism vs liberalism" flashpoint.

We are like a goldfish, circling our small bowl, and endlessly surprised at everything we pass.