[Borrible]

As a German I do understand cheap excuses for enslaving and killing innocent people quite good. Especially Russians.

There is good reason for Lord Ismay's saying about NATO: 'Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down'

Actually I'm glad about that Americans thing, because of that Germans thing. Not because of that Russians thing.

But as I said, I'm a geostrategic determinist.

You just can't be sure, your life and hopes die from one day to the other. Just ask the Ukrainians, the Afghans or half of the middle east from 2003 onwards.

Oh, just in case you are US-American. Congratulation, everything you need and could wish for you have on your continent, including nukes and cheap labour from the south. You don't need anybody else, they need you at most. And there weren't many Invasions on the US, were there? Of course they're maniacally obsessed with their paltry Civil War. Ridiculous. Must be something they really fear.There you have your kitchen sink psychology.

Which brings me back to the mess with Russia. This is their last attempt for a long, long time. Their demographics works against them.Their population is shrinking and ageing. So is the German one. But the Germans were pampered by the US after WWII because of the Soviet Union. Supervised and pampererd. The Russians were just left aside as losers and geostrategical bystanders after Soviet collapse. Now it's their endgame.

[didymospl]

And I, as a Polish person, should be especially aware of the importance of geopolitics. Personally, I've been lucky enough to live in a fully sovereign Poland for my whole life but that is something that was a pipe dream for all my ancestors for the last 200 years mostly due to our geographic position between major European powers - so well, geopolitics.

The thing is, I thought these dark times when people are sent to kill each other to redraw some arbitrary lines on the map are long gone, together with its apologists.

[Borrible]

Sorry to say that, but welcome back to Hotel California. Ah, and I'm just a messenger, and would prefer not to be shot. I don't defend anything, I'm looking for an exit.

"Last thing I remember, I was

Running for the door

I had to find the passage back

To the place I was before

'Relax, ' said the night man,

'We are programmed to receive.

You can check-out any time you like,

But you can never leave!'"

[cuteboy19]

I have also been reading about the American civil war. Even I initially thought it was a small war that barely killed anyone. But losing 2% of your population seems significant, especially given that it was a local affair.

[cobbzilla]

The American Civil War was in some ways the prelude to WWI in terms of introducing the kind of mass-slaughter battles enabled by increasingly industrialized firepower. There were some very brutal engagements, Gettysburg being the most famous.

[Borrible]

This.

Imagine if Gatling had invented his multi-barreled, rotary rifle a few years earlier. Too bad his sales reps couldn't demonstrate its usefullness and superiority sooner. Say, used by the National Guard against striking miners in Pittsburgh or something. Enough of them in Unionist hands and Ghettysburg would have been over in a few hours instead of three days. And so would the ACW.

Dixie's young and upright wheat mowed down in hours.

A grand metapher for the Union victory. And industrialism, of course.

[Borrible]

Now perhaps you understand why the Russians are a little bit obsessed about their losses at our last tour to Moscow. I already said, their history breeds and select paranoia.

So to say, they lived Grove's Motto long ago, only the paranoid survive.