[choko]

Serious question: Do you really think that Russia poses that kind of threat? We've seen how woefully their military has performed. There is no chance that Russia would be able to start rolling through Europe the same way Germany did. Especially now that they are so depleted that they are conscripting. I'm not saying appeasement is the way, but comparing this situation to Germany in the 30s is a bit off the mark.

[namdnay]

> We've seen how woefully their military has performed

I guess the question is, would that military have performed as woefully if we had "avoided any escalatory steps regarding the ongoing conflict in the Eastern Europe"? Would Ukraine have been able to resist as well if we had ignored their cries for help?

[taylodl]

No. I don't believe Russia is a credible nuclear threat. Nuclear warheads aren't "set it and forget it" devices, they require continual maintenance, maintenance Russia has demonstrated they're not doing with any of the rest of their materiel due to corruption so why should be believe they're doing so for their nuclear stockpile? I honestly believe the reason Putin and the Kremlin are saber rattling about nuclear war is they're hoping to threaten us with our memory of their previous nuclear might. That might is gone. Putin is the emperor with no clothes. If he weren't so vile I'd feel sorry for him for being so pathetic.