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McConnell on Ukraine proxy war: "We haven’t lost a single American in this war. Most of the money that we spend, is spent on replenishing weapons, so it’s actually employing people here."[paraphrased] (edition.cnn.com)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml
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Mitch McConell says the quiet part out loud.

Exact full quote from CNN:

“People think, increasingly it appears, that we shouldn’t be doing this. Well, let me start by saying we haven’t lost a single American in this war,” McConnell said. “Most of the money that we spend related to Ukraine is actually spent in the US, replenishing weapons, more modern weapons. So it’s actually employing people here and improving our own military for what may lie ahead.”

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/4085063

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[–] 35 points 2 years ago (9 children)

To all the people not wanting to extend the proxy war against the war crime committing Russians: what do you expect will happen if you stop funding Ukraine defense against war crimes? You think Russians just go home? You think China and North Korea don't look around at adjacent territories licking their lips? Do you understand what deterrence means?

Before you respond like a tankie that America is an imperialist shithole, America is not the one (this time) committing war crimes, RUSSIA is.

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  • [–] 29 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    You think China and North Korea don't look around at adjacent territories licking their lips

    North Korea only borders SK and China. It has never invaded another country. China hasn't invaded another country since 1979 and since then Vietnam and China have peacefully resolved their land border dispute.

    Before you respond like a tankie that America is an imperialist shithole, America is not the one (this time) committing war crimes, RUSSIA is.

    America is committing war crimes right now. The imposition of collective punishment is a war crime. America's comprehensive sanctions which it has applied to several countries constitute collective punishment and are hence a war crime.

    Condemning the Russian invasion shouldn't mean white washing the world's largest perpetrator of state terrorism.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Sanctions are not collective punishment, and war crimes only exist in the context of war.

    Also, the DPRK did invade the RoK, that's what started the Korean War.

    Also also, China has reserved a spot on its equivalent of the National Mall for when it takes Taiwan back.

    China definitely cares about how well Russia's invasion of Ukraine goes, because of the many geopolitical parallels it would have with it invading Taiwan.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    Sanctions are not collective punishment

    Not according to the state department. They themselves say the reason they use sanctions is to cause as much pain to the people as possible so they're more likely to overthrow the gov't, or failing that, be softer targets for military intervention.

    DPRK did invade the RoK

    The RoK was doing genocide and had been recognized as the gov't of all of Korea in the UN due to the US's machinations, a gov't whose election was rigged in the south, and absent in the north. The elections the north arranged were of course, ignored.

    The DPRK saw that their position was unsustainable and struck while they still stood a chance. The war started when the people of the DPRK were faced with an existential threat.

    Which is kind of similar to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but nobody here is gonna pretend Russia are the good guys, just that they're fighting a greater evil.

    Also also, China has reserved a spot on its equivalent of the National Mall for when it takes Taiwan back.

    Do you think the RoC can feasibly remain independent forever?

    Eventually either PRC is gonna be able to make them a better deal than what the failing American empire can, or they'll make long-term peaceful integration infeasible, necessitating short-term, violent integration.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    What are sanctions if not collective punishment? The entire point of sanctions is to make the average person's life worse, with the idea that this will somehow cause them to rise up and overthrow their government. That's the very definition of collective punishment.

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    what do you expect will happen if you stop funding Ukraine defense against war crimes? You think Russians just go home?

    The Russian Ukrainians will be able to stay in their homes without fear of genocide by the NATO backed government.

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    I wouldn't even mind extending the war so much if there was any attempt to have some good faith peace negotiations to at least entertain a chance at peace??? Russia has always been up for peace talks, Ukraine/the West has not. In fact I am still often shouted down if I so much as say that all sides should be discussing the possibility of peace.

    I agree Russia bad and should not be doing an awful invasion, but there is also a much wider context to their invasion that involves Ukraine refusing to give its eastern regions a vote on their own future and bombing civilians for 8 years. This war was very far from inevitable, even without giving Russia any major concessions.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Russia can unilaterally end the war by leaving Ukrainian territory. They choose to extend the war because they want land and resources.

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  • [–] 0 points 2 years ago

    Are you saying that Russia should leave the Donbas region and leave those people to be subjugated by the undemocratic Ukrainian gov that's been indiscriminately murdering them for 8 years???

    Hate Russia if you want but why do you hate the people of Donbas?

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  • [–] 12 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    your analysis is completly of as it starts from a Propaganda Tainted cartoonishly Ill Informed Postion..

    Russia Reacted , Its the Ukrainian Warcrimes thats the Issue here ! How can you Start this story from 2022 .. its a crime against rational thinking , Chronology , Human Civilisation ... Unserious Analyss based on the uncritical repetion of irrational claimes by the World greates Liars ....

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  • [+] 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 13 points 2 years ago (2 children)
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  • [+] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    i'm aware of the counter points

    Russia is not governed by amateurs that are easily baited into invading a country

    this was a bit surprising to read because if i spend 10 minutes in reddit i'll leave thinking russians are governed by absolutely inept people who can't do anything right and always fall for the silliest of cebolinha do pix zelensky's schemes

    and it wasn't a "bait", that's a silly way of looking at it; in the neo-realist view it makes perfect sense that russia would see ukraine as an existential threat after the nato mistake was made, and that war would become inevitable if things escalated - as mearsheimer predicted more than a decade ago in other discussions

    ukraine, in practical terms, has been disputed territory in terms of political influence since the fall of the ussr. but before the threat of nato, and the repeated breaking of the non-expansion promise, there was no sign that an invasion like this would ever happen

    It's a bit like blaming the Soviet Union or China for the Vietnam war because they were "expanding" communism or something like that. It makes no sense.

    now you're being disingenuous, vietnam doesn't share a literal border with america. we should be able to blame the soviets for a mexican war if they attempted to bring mexico into a military alliance in the 80s or something, and the US would be absolutely right to see said alliance as an existential threat because it would be

    it's ok to think that russia deserves an existential threat for whatever reason, such as, i don't know, "putin bad" (though of course i wouldn't say he's as bad as any american president, at least he has never been such for my country). but denying that russia's change into a bellicose attitude was predictable and avoidable by sane geopolitics is just denying reality at this point

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Well at least not in Ukraine. I'm sure we are committing some war crimes quietly somewhere else. Seems like we can't stop doing that.

    I agree with your comment by the way, I'm just further shitting down that argument as well.

    We know our government sucks. We're working on making it work the way it was supposed to. Section 1983 has to be rectified.

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