The Morning Rant: Minimalist Edition

The West has backed itself into a corner. Russia is grinding down eastern Ukraine and making it clear that they are in it for the long haul. It has been an expensive and painful slog for Putin, and has exposed the weakness of the Russian armed forces in delightful ways. But that doesn't mean he can't consolidate and declare victory of a sort. The question is whether the West will double down and inject massive quantities of war materiel into a conflict that is at best a stalemate, with modest gains and losses at huge expense.

NATO Chief Admits Ukraine May Have to 'Compromise' with Russia.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has conceded the possibility that Ukraine may need to compromise with Russia in order to end the war between the two nations.

In an interview with the BBC, Stoltenberg appeared to acknowledge that without a proposed five-year, 100 billion euro fund for Ukraine, the Eastern European nation could find itself facing unconditional surrender to Russia without any bargaining power.

Acknowledging reality...what a concept! Absent Western armies joining the conflict, is it really in the realm of possibilities that Ukraine will prevail, and push Russia out of its claimed territories?

There are no positive outcomes in this border dispute. All that one can hope for is cessation of hostilities and a cold peace. Ukraine must admit that the odds are not in its favor, in spite of the oceans of money and arms flowing into it from a West that is using it as a proxy in its mostly imaginary conflict with the Russian bear. And of course the massive grift that is Ukraine will continue, regardless of the outcome of this war. If Ukraine wins, then the West will funnel cash into it for rebuilding, and that is ripe for theft. And if it loses, the West will funnel cash into it for rebuilding! It's a Win-Win for the kleptocrats in Washington and the capitals of Europe!

Sadly, American stockpiles of many vital weapons have been depleted, and our military-industrial base is incapable of replenishing those stocks in a manner that a sane country would demand. We are years away from fully stocked arsenals, and our real enemy knows that very, very well.

Taiwan, Korea, Iran...just three flashpoints that could require a major military effort that would dwarf Ukraine. And we don't have the materiel to fight those battles!

[Crossposted at CutJibNewsletter]

posted by CBD at 11:00 AM

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