For the not terminally nat-sec brained, this is basically saying the US needs tactical nuclear weapons, fancier missiles, and an even more aggressive nuclear posture becuase they think Russia will "Escalate to Descalate". Which is an insane theory that predicts for example: if the US can get its shit together and funds enough Neo-Nazis to take back Donbass and the Crimea, Russia will end up nuking some village in Ukraine as a warning and force the West to totally surrender becuase the West is too weak to risk a total nuclear war. The solution to this isn't diplomatic or just not expanding NATO every corner of the world, it's to build very small nukes so the US can nuke a Russian village right back thereby maintaining the balance of power. And no, this will totally not result in an escalating nuclear exchange that ends life on the planet.
It's all just projection, because the only fucking country on Earth who would actually "Escalate to Descalate" is the United States, the only major nuclear power that still maintains in its doctrine that a nuclear war is something that can be fought and won. The people pushing this either want the US to buy expensive but completely worthless ABM systems or to start building new nuclear systems that will start another arms race. Or the true psychos who want to bring back tactical nukes, becuase they just really, really want to nuke some people.
What combination of words can I search to find information on the US funding fascist separatists in Crimea? I mean, it sounds exactly like something the US would do, I just don't want to sound crazy when i talk about it.
I don't think there are any real (pro-Ukraine) separatist groups in Crimea itself, Russia controls the borders and if you believe polling people in Crimea overwhelming supported joining Russia.
But the US has been supporting Ukraine and its militias in Donbass including neo-Nazis like Azov Battalion which almost certainly got direct US support and even more radical groups like Right Sector that gets support from the Ukranian government that the US funds. And there are a bunch of other extreme right wing groups, many of which like Azov or Right Sector have been fucking around since the 2014 overthrow, many of which have now been folded into the actual Ukranian military.
nuclear use as their least bad option
the fuck? what is the most bad option then?
In other words, we plan on backing Russia into a corner where they'll have to use their nukes or cease to exist as a nation.
"Gee, I wish Biden didn't mean it when he said, 'nothing will fundamentally change.'"
Monkey's paw curls a finger.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it but this is laying the groundwork for a pre-emptive nuclear strike right?
I think it's supposed to be a threat display, but yes. This is an escalation from the previous US doctrine not to first strike other nuclear powers.
Note that even the previous doctrine implicitly but clearly stated that the US reserved the right to do a nuclear first strike on nations that do not have nuclear weapons themselves (something which the US has done before and has considered doing again at least twice, in Korea and Vietnam). The only nuclear powers who have officially declared not to nuke first under any circumstances are India and the PRC.
Feel exponentially more confident having Biden/Harris and Sec of Defense Lloyd Austin in charge of this than Trump/Pence and Esper (Acting).
These fucking democrats
The american empire would rather destroy the world than to lose its iron grip on it
If you determine that your enemy will escalate to de-escalate by using nukes as the least-bad-option then you will logically determine that doing so first is also the least-bad-option.
The logical outcome of this way of thinking is that you should nuke first.
That's the SAC fist from the Cold War. A fist, a very strong symbol. A mailed fist, an extremely strong symbol. A mailed fist clutching lightning bolts? I don't think heraldry gets any stronger than that. And yet, the fist clutches the olive garland of peace.
It was the symbol for America's nuclear forces, I guess they still keep it around despite being a 30 year old anachronism.
"SWIM is planning on using nukes when their empire falls apart sufficiently..."
Lots of better options, but the US is limited to seeing things from a US gaze. If everyone were smart they'd go with cyber so we'd not read such terrible tweets.
