Summary

NATO’s Military Committee head, Admiral Rob Bauer, stated that NATO troops would likely be in Ukraine countering Russian forces if Russia lacked nuclear weapons.

Speaking at the IISS Prague Defence Summit, Bauer emphasized that Russia’s nuclear arsenal deters direct NATO involvement, contrasting Ukraine’s situation with past NATO interventions in non-nuclear states like Afghanistan.

Although NATO nations provide military aid to Ukraine, direct troop deployment has been avoided, with leaders like U.S. President Biden ruling it out due to nuclear escalation risks highlighted by Russian threats and rhetoric.

  • @PugJesus
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    10712 days ago

    Fuck it. If nukes are an excuse to prevent all conventional intervention, then nukes are a free pass to commit any crimes one wishes against non-nuclear powers. Put boots on the ground, or accept nuclear proliferation as a fact of life once countries realize that Ukraine proves that giving up nukes does not result in international support for sovereignty against revanchist states.

    • @[email protected]
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      3712 days ago

      If nukes are an excuse to prevent all conventional intervention, then nukes are a free pass to commit any crimes one wishes against non-nuclear powers.

      Well… yeah.

      • @PugJesus
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        1212 days ago

        The easy solution is to show that nukes are not protection against all conventional intervention. We should have given Zelenskyy a no-fly zone back when he asked for one.

          • @PugJesus
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            612 days ago

            Easy as in simple, not easy as in likely or without cost.

          • @[email protected]
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            012 days ago

            Step 1: Put boots on Russian territory

            Step 2: (nuclear) Winter is coming

            Step 3: 💥 profit 💥

            • @[email protected]
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              9 days ago

              Nobody’s saying NATO should invade Russia.

              We’re saying NATO could EASILY establish IADS over the vast majority of Ukraine to defend their civilian population and infrastructure.

            • Justin
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              012 days ago

              Put up proof that you know this would happen, or stop fear-mongering.

        • azuth
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          -112 days ago

          But they are. Its been settled decades ago.

    • @[email protected]
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      2212 days ago

      The only thing that surprises me in geopolitics right now is that Iran is not mass producing nukes yet.

      • @PugJesus
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        912 days ago

        It’s a delicate process, not easy to simply produce a bunch of nuclear weapons. Iran is at the point where they could have a few inside of a year anytime they actually want to trigger that particular international crisis.

      • RubberDuck
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        312 days ago

        The moment they would try to make the last dash to nukes, is the moment the US would be bombing the everlasting shit out of Iran to prevent it.

          • RubberDuck
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            812 days ago

            North Korea was under Chinese protection. This is what Iran likely is trying to do with Russia.

      • NoneOfUrBusiness
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        112 days ago

        They’ve been clear that they don’t do it because they don’t think they’d make Iran more secure.

    • @[email protected]
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      12 days ago

      If nukes are an excuse to prevent all conventional intervention, then nukes are a free pass to commit any crimes one wishes against non-nuclear powers

      That is the assumption Russia is operating under.

    • @scarabic
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      612 days ago

      Yeah this is such a losing strategy. All it does is authorize crimes in the short term and drive up nuclear proliferation in the long term.

      Of course, the alternative is a game of chicken with nuclear powers to test the doctrine of mutually assured destruction.

      Still, better to do that now than years from now with the smaller, more radical parties who will by then control nukes, thanks to the nuclear proliferation the current strategy drives.