This is the most important comment I have heard this week — Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk:
“500 million Europeans are asking 300 million Americans to defend them against 140 million Russians […] Europe, if there is something we lack today, it is not economic or demographic power, but the belief that we are truly a global force.”
I think Tusk hits the bullseye here. Those 140 million Russians are already fully occupied by fighting Ukraine, and our leaders act like we are Liechtenstein.
@randahl the 21st Century is in the nuclear age. In the nuclear age the size of one’s population does not define survivability.
To treat a conflict between nuclear powers in 2025 as if it is merely an echo of world wars from the last century is to mischaracterize the realities of now in vital ways.
"I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - likely falsely attributed to Albert Einstein
@davidaugust @randahl Only few years ago i expected the escalating climatecrisis would end all this in some time. Considering the upward spiral of crazyness on superpowerlevel i am not sure about that anymore.
@davidaugust @randahl Putin can hardly moan about other countries doing what he does himself, e.g., inviting troops from elsewhere (North Korea) to take part.
@davidaugust I am not seeing nuclear weapons making much of a difference for Russia in Ukraine, no matter the constant sabre rattling.
@randahl @davidaugust Nuclear weapons, since they were developed, have always between about deterrence: “Cross this line and we’ll nuke you.”
In the Ukraine war, it’s all been about keeping NATO member states out of the war.
The power of a nuclear threat is that you can never truly ignore it.
With people as crazy as Putin & Trump in power, you can’t be certain they won’t actually deploy them at some point.
@randahl @davidaugust My only consolation is that it just doesn’t make sense for Putin to invite retaliation from NATO in this stage of the war. He has his hands full in Ukraine. Can he really afford another front?
Even if NATO is much less scary now if the US withdraws its nuclear umbrella, there are still nukes in Europe and, indeed, financially and in terms of population and economy, the EU beats Russia.
@randahl @davidaugust His best bet is to keep European leaders scared and in appeasement mode, ideally also squabbling with Trump, while he tries to bring his “special project” to a successful end.
But, I’m a layperson, so this is my personal assessment, not based on any real strategic knowledge (disclaimer in case anyone wants to lend too much credence to my opinion. 
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@randahl @davidaugust I think they make all the difference. If not for the bombs Russia has NATO would be much more aggressive in protecting it's borders. There are several operations NATO countries completed- Iraq, Serbia, Afganistan...