What do you think of the military?

If the amount of military bases we have opened in other countries since 1945 (japan, Korea, Saudi, Qatar, etc..) counts as keeping us in check I would hate to see how prolific we would have been without being kept in check.@Lapochka

@AthrillatheHunt I was talking about the Cold War idea of deterrent, mutually assured destruction. To stop you pulling the shit you pulled in Japan on anyone who disagrees with you.
Also your bases in the Middle East don’t get results. We fixed Syria, not you and your ISIS friends.

Japan did not disagree with us, they stealthily attacked us without even declaring war. No nation on earth had ever done that.
Our bombing of them WAS the deterrent against that type of future attack on any nation, and that deterrent still works.

You fixed Syria like you fixed Afghanistan in the 1980’s. Lol

@AthrillatheHunt like your stealthy bay of pigs invasion in Cuba?
We’re killing terrorists in Syria. Terrorists trained and funded by your military despite the fact they would jihad against you if they could

I don’t control the US military, and btw, you are doing a fantastic job of killing all those terrorists in Syria that we trained to kill us.@Lapochka

@AthrillatheHunt As I said in my original post. The US would have be a run away nuclear power, had we Russians not rebuilt our country from Nazi destruction as become the largest superpower, the first in space and the deterrent that stopped America acting without concern for our response.

You talk like a 75 year old who has never left USSR. You sound pre internet in your thinking. No one as young as you should still be that brainwashed. Not with the wealth of knowledge and truth available out there.
You sound like someone’s crazy drunk babushka ranting about the Cossacks coming to get them. @Lapochka

@AthrillatheHunt Generally when people are beaten down by facts, they stoop to attack your personality. Like you just did.

@AthrillatheHunt oof I think she’s got you there.

You ever met a 20 something spouting cold war era propaganda?@blokeinpub

@AthrillatheHunt Its on the news. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Your country had been threatening or drone striking someone daily for over a decade. Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya. It’s not my fault my news channel is full of US bombs.

@Lapochka I think the US and the USSR did a fair job of keeping each other in check for many years... But then one of us collapsed under pressure from its failed economic systems, no?

For real, if I didn’t see your avatar I would swear you were my buddy Eli’s bubby from gravesend Brooklyn. You totally sound alike.@Lapochka

@sarabee1995 Sure the transition was tough but we are going from strength to strength. Are close trading partners to the largest economy, China and domestic natural resource discoveries are still going strong. The future is bright.

@AthrillatheHunt lol he must be an amazing guy. If he’s ever in Arzamas I’ll buy him a drink.

Your future is indeed bright. Manage your resources well. @Lapochka

@Lapochka Yes, your country, like mine, is blessed with natural resources and amble trade markets. So the future is bright for us both, right? What are your thoughts on the individual liberties afforded to your people compared to central and western Europe or North America? Do you see a need for change? Do you think that change will happen under Putin?

And, please feel free to ask me questions about the west. I judge no one and am willing to discuss anything you want.

@Lapochka That's not what Vladimir is doing. He is trying to restore the Russian empire.

@quitwhendone Yes, he most certainly is ... and it is concerning to watch.

@sarabee1995 Yes, it is very concerning. But the U.S. and the Western European powers have built empires by stealing land as well. So it's not like we can really claim some moral superiority.

@quitwhendone Yes, but the behavior of nations in the 17th, 18th, 19th centuries can not be compared to the behavior of nations in the 21st. There is a new international order and a new expectations for the resolution of disputes. The Russian Federation stands in stark contrast to all of that.

@sarabee1995 You left out the 20th century, which is important because the actions I am speaking of carried all the way through the 20th century.

There was an international order that existed in the later half of the 20th century through the UN. Yet US presidents ignored the UN whenever they felt like it. Our current president has ripped up an intermational treaty because he felt like it.

The US picks and chooses which international laws and treaties it wants to adhere to at any given time. And we still engage in regime change. The CIA has overthrown governments and assassinated world leaders. We've paid for and armed guerrillas to overthrow legally elected, democratic governments. All of this has happened in my lifetime. You are too young to have experienced most of it but I remember well.

The invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the killing of the Lybian leader are two prime examples of the US either invading a nation or exerting its military force to control the government of a nation. It's not empire building but it's it's first cousin. It's still military intervention to control other lands and peoples.

@quitwhendone Well that was quite the mouthful. Do you feel better?

I left out the 20th century intentionally because it was a transformative century during which the expectations put upon nations regarding their behavior changed dramatically. The UN was formed to mediate disputes and to sanction actions.

I won't dispute every action taken by our country with you, but I will state that I believe firmly that, on the whole, we have been a force for good in the world. Have we made mistakes? Yes, of course.

@sarabee1995 No, I don't feel better. SW exists, in part, to exchange ideas. I shared my thinking with you. Sorry if I was too verbose for you.

I realize that as a US Naval officer it is important to you to believe you are part of an organization that does noble work. Sometimes it has. And I have no doubt it will, at times, in the future. The US Navy is a great organization. I have worked for the Navy as a contractor and have been quite impressed with the organization as a whole. I am impressed with you for joining the Navy to help execute its mission. I will be even more impressed and most grateful if you (and the Navy) have a chance to actually defend American lives or American soil during your service.

The Navy, like all of our services, is merely an instrument. It's like a gun in the hands of the president. How that gun is used depends on the man holding it. The Navy is a great organization. It's our civilian leaders and their causes that leave me less than enthused at times.

Be safe and thank you for your service.

@quitwhendone No, you were not too verbose at all! I am not one that shies from well argued positions no matter their length or depth. I just felt the emotion in your comment and sought to diffuse it a bit. I did not mean any insult.
[quote][i][b]The Navy, like all of our services, is merely an instrument.[/b][/i][/quote] On this, we agree completely.

And for the record, all the uniformed services of the United States stand ready to (and do) defend her, her citizens, and her soil every single day.