Russia wants a bunch of NATO territory but only wants open war with individual states - so they will keep picking at dominos. However they are conducting sabotage and assassination inside the West and will until we wake up that we are at war with them...
We have been at war with Russia, the USSR previously, since 1945. The only thing that stop was the actual fighting. The espionage and subterfuge never stopped.
Add in regime change in Iran. That would take alot of wind from their sails. Put in a government that allows the west to station troops within Iran - bam - major major problems/challenges for Russia.
I think that we need to get both McDonald's and Coca Cola onside, say tax-free status and exclusive Iran only rights for 20yrs? Get them onside and my level of confidence that Iran flips triples.I think that short 'to do' list just covered about $1tn in proposed investment with a doubtful ROI, which has been the pattern since the 90s pretty much
Get armed moderate women in Iran, and wham…Or, even better and more effectively...
Some are thinking we could see a new eastern bloc alliance form out of that mess.
If the US pulls out of NATO, 100% chance that Poland gets Nukes and would not be afraid of using them on Moscow - there is 0% chance that the Poles would ever - ever - go back under Russian or German hegemony.
The Hungarians suffer from the 'Serbian' syndrome - illusions of grandeur of times long ago. They have beefs with almost all of their neighbours - Slovaks, Rumanians, Ukrainians. The Poles/Czechs won't allow Hungarian incursions into Slovakia, the Romanians are now able to deal with the Hungarians on their own and if Ukraine is independent, they can handle them as well.
The real solution is for the rest of NATO to wake up and realize that NATO ≠ USA. Plan for a European defence of Europe with the USA able to assist if/when required rather than sitting back and counting on an American defence of Europe with the rest of NATO assisting with the minimum they can possibly get away with.
Pretty much, we also need to get out of the mind set of operating as multinational battlegroups, and instead acting as part of a multi national division or corp. Meaning we need to bring all our own pieces of the puzzle, not just the 3/4 solution.
Haven't the Europeans, or at least France or Germany being talking about that for years? Probably the reason the idea has stalled is that the rest of Europe doesn't particularity like the idea of the French and/or Germans being in charge.
