Friday, April 8, 2022

Ukraine: A conversation with Scott Ritter — Hosted by Margaret Flowers and Joe Lombardo (video, no transcript 110 min)

 




UNAC
Ukraine: A conversation with Scott Ritter
Hosted by Margaret Flowers and Joe Lombardo
https://youtu.be/OdM5Pkyl0_8


18 comments:

Peter Pan said...

Very little talk of peace here.

Tom Hickey said...

I finished watching the whole thing in segments. It is long but worthwhile if you are into details, both historical and military. He pulls no punches and spells it out.

Ritter lays it all out from the beginning historically right down to the present and what to expect in the endgame. Almost two hours but well worth the time, even though some it is repetitive if you have been watching his other stuff. But there is also stuff I have not heard him say before. He has thought this through based on the unclassified information which is available publicly, interpreted in terms of his knowledge and experience.

Matt Franko said...

iirc he has Art Degree in Russian History from Franklin & Marshall….

Tom Hickey said...

iirc he has Art Degree in Russian History

Plus a lot of military experience, including combat and interaction with Russian officers from his arms control experience. He also studied military science on his own. According to Andrei Martyanov, the military science degree in Russia and US differ. The Russian degree is a dual degree in military science and engineering (math and physics). The US degree in military science doesn't include engineering.

lastgreek said...

Art degree or not, only a question of time before his urges overwhelm again and he starts hunting again online in chatrooms after teenage girls. Cops posing as teenagers will be waiting for the scum.

Yeah, i have some crazy urges, too, you know, but not criminal. Like this morning I had the crazy urge for dried figs dipped in peanut butter and sprinkled with lots of milled flaxseeds, and, of course, with freshly brewed coffee. Now that's awesome!

Peter Pan said...

He enjoys talking shop vis a vis military matters.

He believes Europe will come to its senses and vote for a security agreement that respects Russian concerns. I'll believe it when I see it.

Tom Hickey said...

As with everything, one must ask what the assumptions are. Europe coming to its sense assumes rationality and national interest will prevail. That is a huge assumption.

if irrationality is assumed then, then the outcomes are radically uncertain.

The other alternative is some combination of the two, but there is an infinite range of proportion between the two. In addition, there are many players to take into account and changing conditions as well.

That extrapolates to a vast range of possible outcomes.

How could anyone put numbers on it?

Tom Hickey said...

BTW, most of what is put out in the Western media is based on the assumption that Putin/Russia are acting irrationally.

Irrationality is never a safe assumption, since there are so many other possibilities from perfectly rational to perfectly irrational. It is lazy and unprofessional, especially since there are other accounts based on appeal to facts and logic in alternative media. Irrationality also allows for explaining all outcomes on the basis of any motivation that seems convenient, regardless of whether it is logical. It also absolves the one doing the explaining to look at the evidence.

Such narratives are built on sand.

Matt Franko said...

All Degrees awarded at USMA West Point are Science Degrees… doesn’t matter what Discipline you major in it will be a Science Degree…

In fact the first Science Degree awarded in Western Hemisphere was at West Point…

Ritter was perhaps ROTC at F&M…

Matt Franko said...

Milley has Art Degree from Princeton….

Milley not West Point.,,

Tom Hickey said...

Calling something a science degree doesn’t make it science.

A good example is "computer science" and "software engineers."

Tom Hickey said...

Oh, and there is also "accounting science" and "accounting engineers."

Peter Pan said...

@Tom

Scott Ritter did put a number on it - ten years if I recall correctly.

Peter Pan said...

Computing architecture.

Peter Pan said...

Steve Jobs was an architect, figuratively speaking.

Peter Pan said...

Art vs science vs trade vs profession

Tom Hickey said...

Art vs science vs trade vs profession

Right.

The US military officer corp is a profession.

Peter Pan said...

An old joke: accounting is a profession, embezzlement is an art.