https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/03/putin-hitler-munich-parallel/681973
itler regretted the deal he made with Neville Chamberlain at Munich in 1938. What he actually wanted was war—his goal was to conquer all of Czechoslovakia by force as a first step toward the conquest of all of Europe.
He didn’t imagine that the British and French governments would be so craven as to give him everything he publicly asked for, including the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia and the occupation of the Sudetenland by the German army. When they did, Hitler found himself trapped into accepting, but he was unhappy. Within five months he ordered the military occupation of all Czechoslovakia, in violation of the Munich Agreement, and six months after that, he invaded Poland.
From my learning of history, Hitler didn't want war if he didn't have to. He was fine with getting Sudenten and he knew he could then invade the rest of Czechoslovakia and the Allies would stand down. He also gambled that the Allies would let him split up Poland with the USSR. His dreams of war were mainly revenge on France for WW1 and Russia because he hated Russia. Had the Allies said "Oh well, Poland's gone so no point in declaring war" he'd have simply worked on another excuse to attack France later.
ReplyDeleteAs for Ukraine, here's the problem. Russia will never willingly give up the eastern quarter it occupies. NATO would have to assist to remove them, sparking WW3. And unlike 1939, this time the bad guys have nukes so it's not simply a matter of starting a large conventional war.
And nuclear WWIII is bad -- why? Because billions die? Because those who survive end up leading lives of savagery? Maybe the West should have thought it through a little more before building up Ukraine's military and then continuing to supply it with intelligence, weapons, planes, drones and drone parts etc etc etc. after the glorious Russia Armed Forces started their a little thing called a Special Military Action.
DeleteThe Russians have ZERO compunction of buying the first round of drinks, so to speak, in the Apocalypse Pub.
And so enters someone into the saloon. A sheriff who only uses the law -- at best -- as a suggestion when he's on the job and even more often considers it a nuisance to be discarded with.
Sheriff Trump is focused on keeping order in the world. And so capitulating to President Putin is a really, really smart move at this point.
Besides rockets and drones and nuclear missiles, Russia's military is running on fumes. There is ZERO danger of Russia doing much of anything other than lick its wounds if Sheriff Trump just gives Cowboy Putin what he wants and tells him to get out of town by sundown.
MAGA fantasy. Trump can't control himself and yet you view him as the just rational ruler of the world!
DeleteDonald Trump won not one but two (some say three) Presidential elections. He gathered people around him who gave large sums of money to his campaigns and actively supported him. He seems rational and in-control.
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