Quote:
|
Originally Posted by RainMaker
NATO countries have been very clear on what would happen if a member was attacked. It's the red line.
That's what terrifies Putin. It's why he wants a buffer between Russia and NATO countries. It's why the NATO talk is so contentious.
|
I think this part is very worth discussing. I question whether this is what would actually happen. I don't think anyone knows because it hasn't been tested in recent decades, but I don't buy that if there was an attack on, say, Bulgaria, that NATO just jumps in with both feet, boots on the ground, etc. I think the response to not just Ukraine but other conflicts in recent decades indicates an actual bent much closer to pacifism. People and nations
say all kinds of things, but I don't think Europe actually goes all-in for such a scenario just like I don't think the US actually would do so in the case of China using their military to annex Taiwan. I think in both cases there's a lot of bluster and sanctions and ultimately everyone takes the action they think is most likely to benefit their economic prosperity, mostly in the short term. I expect that, at some point, another major conflict that's at least a lot closer to a world war than anything we've seen in the lifetime of most people currently alive will happen at some point because a bully is going to figure this out and be willing to test it.