candide

Exactly. Finland and Sweden had no reason to invade Russia! Oh wait! 😞

Sure. No threat whatsoever! 😀

Again no NATO nuclear weapons have been deployed closer to the Russian border and no such intent has ever been showed. Before Russia started to make nuclear threats recently. The idea that NATO was a threat to Russia, as its European members were reducing their military potential (budget), as well as the U.S. was reducing its military presence in Europe, is a myth.

It's not certain and it's post invasion. It's not an argument to justify the invasion. The same chronological causal problem again. You are justifying an event with arguments dealing with what may happen after the event. It's a fallacious argumentation.

The only NATO missiles deployed nearer to the Russian border, in Poland and Romania, were anti-missiles system (AEGIS). There has never been any plan to deploy offensive missiles never to the Russian border. Another fake argument. P.S. Additionally, Ukraine is not such a strategic location. Check on a map which NATO countries are close to Saint Petetsburg and Moscow, and compare the distance with the distance from Ukraine.

Fact is that no nuclear weapon has been moved nearer to the Russian border, and no such intent has ever shown, before Russia started to make nuclear threats.

You are confusing "view" and strategic analysis. It is obvious now that Germany and other European countries must not be dependent on Russia. It's also not a concern with only Russia, as the current debate about strategic sovereignty in the EU is highlighting.

It seems you have some problems with chronology. They negotiate now, because of the invasion of Ukraine and the repeated threats by Russia to use nuclear weapons. It cannot be the cause of the Russian war. There was absolutely no talk in NATO to put nuclear weapons nearer to the Russian border. They did not do it and did not intend to do it, before Russia started to openly and officially make nuclear threats. It's a fake argument to justify the Russian invasion.

Germans are not stupid and able to learn from their mistakes. They have learned they cannot depend on Russia. It's a strategic issue. About the motives of the Ukrainians who bombed the pipeline, If I remember well, at the time of the bombing, the decision to stop all Russian gas imports had not been made. Yes, the investigation is going on, as it's a law-based country, and the German government is likely not happy about it, on principle. However, I doubt that they care that much, and also that they intend to use a large amount of Russian gas again in a next future.

The same B.S. again. There is no policy to put nuclear weapons in every NATwo country. Nuclear weapons have not been moved closer to Russia since the end of the Cold War. They remained where they were initially located. In particular, no nuclear weapon has ever been moved to new NATO members. This is a fake argument.

I am not claiming Russia is worthless. It has interesting art and cultural assets, as you mentioned, and also a good education system and competent human resources (at least in S&T). Taking also in account its natural resources, Russia should be like California. It's great potential has been spoilt by incompetent leaders like Putin. It has no soft power in the sense that no one wants to adopt, or be dependent from its failing model. Russia is a failed economy. Its GDP is around the size of Italy's GDP, and it is mainly relying on revenues from natural resources. More like a developing country. Its GDP has stagnated between 2012 and 2022. 10 years without any growth! As you know, the current GDP growth is artificial, fueled by military expenses, while the "civil"economy is collapsing. Not to mention the strong population decrease, even before the invasion of Ukraine. Russia could have become a great country, if it had not be governed by corrupt and incompetent people, starting with Putin.

The U.S. likely has a dominant role in NATO, but thete are seldom disagreements with other members, I.e. in the case of Sweden, only Turkey disagreed with it, and it was only to get some benefits from it. As to the German example, the answer is quite simple: they don't care any more about it as they have decided not to be reliant on Russian gas (another great achievement by Putin). The pipelines would have roasted in the sea without being used, anyway.

The real problem of Russia is its own failure (thanks to Putin's incompetence, to a large extent). No country is attracted by Russia, because it is a failed model, like the Soviet Union was (on top of having a long record of being an imperialist country/people). Putin has failed to develop his country and the well-being of its citizen. No people, unless forced by an autocrat, wants to be allied with dominated by Russia. It has no soft power.

Lol! The pipelines are in Ukraine. It could have cut supplies off before, if it wanted. Not really in Ukraine's interest as they get paid by Gazprom.

It's just a flu! 😃

Using your way of comparing. Did I write that the U.S. was doing "so much better"?

Trolling again. No one claimed the U.S. is doing so much better than others in regard to inflation. The point has always been that other countries have experienced similar levels of inflation, but that the U.S. has enjoyed much more growth.

The point is that it's you, not me, who started to compare yearly inflation rates, a way which TedG is considering as an indicator of ignorance.

You compared the inflation rate in the year 2020 to the inflation rate in the year 2024, in order to claim that inflation increased in the U.S. by more than 100%.

Ok, I'm not denying it. How does it compare with global inflation?

Tell that to Yellowtail, who was the first to use this comparison. I just replied to him. You are absolutely right.

The whole country benefits from GDP growth. That's why all governments try to increase it. People suffer from inflation everywhere in the world, ex in the graph you posted, the EU only had a few % less inflation

Tell us

1. Why choose 1 January 2019? Biden was not President in 2019. You must choose December 2019 2. How does this increase compare with world inflation increase? ( that was my point)

Jobs?