The Russian economy (catch all)

[JMA]

I do read most of the posts, though given the sheer volume and occasional incoherence it's always possible to miss something. I've seen little or nothing that indicates a specific suggestion. From JMA the closest I saw was a presumably facetious recommendation that the Ukraine be provided with nuclear weapons.

A selective memory I see.

Another example of a misrepresentation of what I said. Deliberate I'm sure but perhaps to you a nuke is a nuke and the yield of a tactical nuclear weapon is lost on you. Not facetious at all. Do you really think the Russians would be invading eastern Ukraine if they were facing - albeit low yield - tactical nukes?

[Dayuhan]

Another example of a misrepresentation of what I said. Deliberate I'm sure but perhaps to you a nuke is a nuke and the yield of a tactical nuclear weapon is lost on you. Not facetious at all. Do you really think the Russians would be invading eastern Ukraine if they were facing - albeit low yield - tactical nukes?

Possibly not, but if the US threw the NPT out the window I'm sure others would take the opportunity to do a bit of proliferating for themselves. If we can send a few low-yield tactical nukes to the Ukraine, the Russians can send a few to Iran... and why wouldn't they? Imagine the price of oil - and the Russian revenues - if one got used? They might very well do it, or something equally stupid, just to show that they aren't going to be bluffed and any move we make will be matched in kind. That kind of escalation doesn't go anywhere useful.

Handing over nuclear weapons wouldn't stop the proxy war in any event... that's why the cold war was fought by proxies. A nuke of any size is a last resort weapon, as long as you keep even the slightest shred of implausible deniability it won't be used. I'd guess that if the Ukraine had a tactical nuke the Russians would be doing exactly what they are doing now, secure in the knowledge that the Ukrainians wouldn't use it unless their very existence was threatened.

Since we all know it won't happen it's a fairly pointless suggestion anyway.

[JMA]

You can't help yourself can you?

Under the terms of the Budapest Memorandum Ukraine gave up the world's third largest nuclear weapons stockpile in exchange for security assurances against threats or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence.

Bet they are sorry they trusted the US to stand by that commitment.

Of course the US are not going to send any weapons to Ukraine to allow them to defend themselves against Russian aggression... they don't have the balls for a confrontation with Russia.

If you were indeed as intelligent as you would have others believe you would know that appreasement does never prevent escalation.

Pointless? Of course we are just discussing what we as individuals believe should be done. The thought of the US standing up to Russia - or China for that matter - is indeed laughable, I agree. Those days have passed.

Possibly not, but if the US threw the NPT out the window I'm sure others would take the opportunity to do a bit of proliferating for themselves. If we can send a few low-yield tactical nukes to the Ukraine, the Russians can send a few to Iran... and why wouldn't they? Imagine the price of oil - and the Russian revenues - if one got used? They might very well do it, or something equally stupid, just to show that they aren't going to be bluffed and any move we make will be matched in kind. That kind of escalation doesn't go anywhere useful.

Handing over nuclear weapons wouldn't stop the proxy war in any event... that's why the cold war was fought by proxies. A nuke of any size is a last resort weapon, as long as you keep even the slightest shred of implausible deniability it won't be used. I'd guess that if the Ukraine had a tactical nuke the Russians would be doing exactly what they are doing now, secure in the knowledge that the Ukrainians wouldn't use it unless their very existence was threatened.

Since we all know it won't happen it's a fairly pointless suggestion anyway.