The War in Europe

This is an ivory tower egghead, Stephen Kotkin, history prof, Princeton, of some renown. Credentials and standing in the community.He analyses Russia, Putin, history, all on why this war in Ukraine. He is also a fellow at the Hoover Institute. Ok, his personal politics may not be to everyone's liking but his scholarship is respected. Beside, I liked what he said and wanted to share.A Scholar of Stalin Discusses Putin, Russia, Ukraine, and the West | The New YorkerThank you, Pharyngula.Edited by AZPaul3, : No reason given.

Edited by AZPaul3, : No reason given.

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Russia signed the deal with Germany in August (every person on Earth knew it would only delay the certain future war between Nazi Germany and Communist Russia).

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Which doesn’t at all change the fact that it gave the Soviets permission to invade Finland.

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Stalin wanted Finland to swap a bit more than 5% of its land, in return for Russian territory.

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And Finland was free to refuse the deal. Why should more Finns be subject to the imperialist oppressors?

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(Finland got a generous deal when Lenin granted Finland independence in 1917, and Russia never oppressed Finland! Not Soviet Russia, anyway)

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You’ve argued otherwise. “Accept the deal we offer or we’ll declare war” is oppression, and you support that.Besides you are ignoring the Soviet oppression of Finns in East Karelia.

Yes. Because they needed allies against the Soviet Union. Moose has already covered that one.Now why don’t you explain why a neo-Nazi wrestler coming from Finland to the US in 1993 justifies the Winter War. I’d love to hear why you used that argument.

We can't really do anything about #TuckyRose but we can humiliate him. Then again it is not possible for him to feel humiliation.

Finland was a German (essentially Nazi) ally BEFORE the Sugust, 1939 deal between Hitler and Stalin.Finland wanted Russian territory before the Hitler/Stalin deal.And the area East Karelia was always Russian territory.Ethnic Finns only recently arrived there, and it was not due to Finns fighting Russia. Finns were fighting someone else, when there was a migration to the land.You are a westerner who brings all types of prejudice into every storyline. You are not alone in distorting history.You find MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more "serious history" claiming Stalin wanted to make Finland a "Soviet Republic" (despite every single secret document showing that Stalin wanted Finland to be a democracy, and outside of Russia) than you will ever find slight references to the fact that Nazi German General Franz Halder was invited to Finland in June, 1939 to observe Finnish military maneuvers in the Karelian Isthmus.Try finding any information, online, about Franz Halder having a relationship with Finland in 1939.All historical obsessions start after the Winter War.It is selective amnesia that massively affects your historical view.There was no actual line of demarcation between 1938/39 Finland, and 1939/1940 Finland. No difference between June/July 1939 Poland and the Poland after August/December 1939 Poland.Finland did not suddenly covet Russian land after the Winter War.The Continuation War was a continuation of the 1938 Finnish designs.The fact that Stalin defends Russia in the Winter War (1939 to 1940) has nothing to do with any action Finland took in 1941.
(Continuation War).

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Finland was a German (essentially Nazi) ally BEFORE the Sugust, 1939 deal between Hitler and Stalin.

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Hardly. The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact left Finland to the Soviets.

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Finland wanted Russian territory before the Hitler/Stalin deal.

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Well before.

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And the area East Karelia was always Russian territory.

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When it wasn’t Swedish.

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Ethnic Finns only recently arrived there, and it was not due to Finns fighting Russia. Finns were fighting someone else, when there was a migration to the land.

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Really? The only evidence of that I can find is of Finns arriving in the Ingria region in the 17th Century. The population of Karelia at the end of the first millenium was Finnic.

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You are a westerner who brings all types of prejudice into every storyline. You are not alone in distorting history

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Says the guy who regularly makes false accusations, and uses them to justify his wish to murder those who oppose his falsehoods.(ABE) and here’s an example of you attempting to distort history: Message 302

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You find MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more "serious history" claiming Stalin wanted to make Finland a "Soviet Republic" (despite every single secret document showing that Stalin wanted Finland to be a democracy, and outside of Russia)

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I think that the various Warsaw Pact states illustrate Stalin’s idea of “a democracy outside of Russia”.

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Try finding any information, online, about Franz Halder having a relationship with Finland in 1939.

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In 1939? I doubt that there would be much. Operation Barbarossa planning did not start until 1940. It is easy to find information on Halder and Finland’s participation in that.

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All historical obsessions start after the Winter War.

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Yours, maybe. For instance your neglect of Sweden’s involvement in the region.

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The fact that Stalin defends Russia in the Winter War (1939 to 1940) has nothing to do with any action Finland took in 1941.

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As you’ve already admitted Stalin wanted more than defence from the Winter War - which was a Soviet attack on Finland. The land taken from Finland in that war was certainly one of the motivations behind the Continuation War. Indeed the very name indicates a relationship between the two conflicts.Edited by PaulK, : No reason given.

Not sure what Finland and Stalin have to do with this current war except that Putin described the war initially as a "special assignment to root out Nazis.. Go figure From the BBC: The teenagers at war with only three days trainingBBC News BriefI worry about whether chemical or biological weapons will be introduced.
Russia allowed them in Syria but later distanced themselves from international condemnation.Two more from Al Jazeera. I suspect that Putin wants to "crash" the US Dollar and force us to suffer. The global economy could be facing one of the largest energy-supply shocks ever, oil experts warn.
Analysts say sanctions are likely to push Moscow toward developing alternatives to the US-led financial system.Edited by Phat, : No reason given.

Edited by Phat, : No reason given.

#TzarVladimirTheCondemned can not crash the US dollar.

#TzarVladimirTheCondemned can not even change US gas prices.

Russia has no economic power to "crash" the US dollar. Their economy just is not that significant on the world stage. Anything they do is going to have a larger negative effect on the Russian economy. Meanwhile the world is tightening the screws on their economy also.

Russia - and Putin - is now fucked.It's a pariah state. Before this calamity it spent 11% of its GDP on defence (sic) but has an economy the size of Spain. Their ruble is toast, they have no access to foreign currency and no-one wants their oil and gas if they can possibly avoid it.The question now is how much damage does this lunatic do before he's disappeared and whether the West and just possibly China neuter the turd.

Maybe we can talk Russia into replacing Putin with Trump? (The art of the Deal kind of deal.)His campaign motto could be Make Russia Not So Shitty Again, MRNSSA! They would have to get rid of their nukes first though, so they probably will tell us to keep him, damn!

Fun facts.Russia has the 11th biggest economy in the world, but the 57th in per capita terms behind Kazakhstan, Trinidad and Tobago (one country for those geographically challenged), and Oman.The US has the world's biggest economy, but the 13th in per capita terms behind Switzerland, Ireland and Luxembourg.--Percy

Another reason they shouldn't be part of the G8.

Hey folk, most accept that NATO's entry into Ukraine would start a nuke exchange everywhere. Not good form.But, Tzar Vladimir the Condemned may very well use tactical nukes in his Ukraine struggles. Or Chemical weapons. USA has already warned Putin the Maniac about chemical weapons.Use 'em and there will be more sanctions.If Tzar Vladimir the Condemned uses either in Ukraine does anyone expect NATO to do anything? Besides take more caviar off the shelves?If Putin pops a nuke in Kiev what the fuck could we do about it?