Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnyB
The outcome is not up to Biden alone, but the choice for the US to attempt de-escalation is up to Biden. Biden is just the one who made that statement. Every leader on every side who believes that there is a real risk of nuclear war should be dedicated to ensuring that's not how this ends.
What is the worst case scenario via de-escalation? Imagine that, then take Biden at his word and compare the worst case scenario of de-escalation to actual nuclear Armageddon as Biden suggests is on the table. There is no way that the worst case scenario from attempting de-escalation is worse than the consequences of actual nuclear war.
I don't know if Biden is being truthful or not in his statements, but if he is then what's on the table is billions of people dying. Just a conventional war in Ukraine has already led to mass hunger and starvation in other parts of the world. If the world is actually facing a rapid slippery slope of escalation into nuclear war, then the entire world is facing the possibility of hunger and starvation, at least those who survive will be. Pretty much anything is better than that.
The world would be a better place if nukes had never been invented, but they do exist and ignoring the potential consequences of their use on a matter of principle about appeasement is madness. False dichotomies of 'either you give Putin nothing or North Korea will take over South Korea' are just fantasies that should be completely ignored if the real situation on the table is de-escalation with Russia now vs. nuclear Armageddon now.
It's entirely possible that Biden is exaggerating the risk for the sake of persuading donors at a fund raiser or to drum up support for some other action he wants to take and we are not actually at the brink of nuclear Armageddon. I am hoping and kind of assuming that is probably the case. I find it hard to imagine anyone, even Putin, actually choosing this future and enough people in the chain of command going along with it to make it happen. That said, if Biden's not exaggerating and can be taken for his word on this, then take some time this weekend to appreciate how this Thanksgiving could be the last you have with friends/family.
De-escalation does not imply waving the white flag. It can just mean stepping back from the precipice to work on alternatives that save more lives and make a better future.
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Then show me a plan. De-escalation means compromise. There's no ability to compromise here because the nuclear threat will always loom and Russia will continue to take the Sabre. Can someone show me a plan? I just keep hearing that de-escalation doesn't mean capitulation, but I've seen zero plans offered