Does nato say anything about democratic principles? I think it is mutual defense and stability. If Hungary stays stable and doesn't violate neighbors' sovereignty then they are not breaking any nato rules that I know of.
Russia Warns Sweden, Finland Against Joining NATO Well, I guess they gave Russia their answer, "Russia, Go [uck fay] Yourself!"
Edit: reply to IP post above. To be accepted one of the requirements is you have to be a "democracy". https://natoassociates.wordpress.com/2018/10/13/references/ That being said, I don't know that there are specific rules/process for expelling a member.
Yes, the language is minimal, but it is there: https://1997-2001.state.gov/regions...hecklist for,progress toward a market economy.
Well, Hungary is notably creating ties/sympathies with Russia. However, yes, I think it is in our interest to not create a protective umbrella for authoritarian rulers. Doing so was one of the great disasters of our Cold War policies and instigated significant upheaval throughout the world, particularly the poorer regions of Asia, Africa, and South America.
I think what we’re seeing here is a glimpse into a future where the US is no longer the leader of the world… we still have time to get it together but that time is quickly ticking by.
I don’t really think we can change this or ever could. GDP per capita is converging. Poorer countries are catching up due to the expansion of capitalism and absorption of technology. New tech progress is slower than 50 years ago. Countries that don’t share western values are growing economically faster than we are. Since we are (rightly) committed to no empire, we cannot expect to stay dominant. The struggle in Iraq likely sped this up. China has taken what they like from us (economic freedom) and disregarded the rest (civil liberties). I think more investment in SDI is in order because there is at least a double digit percentage likelihood of nuclear war in the next century according to futurologists.
It is being reported that the Russian warship Moskva (Moscow), told to [uck fay] itself, has been hit and possibly sunk by Ukraine.
The whole unipolar thing was always going to be temporary. That’s why acknowledging the reality of globalization and building alliances (with the right allies) is so important.
It is the Flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Guided missile cruiser with a range of about 400 miles. Admiral who runs navel operations in the Black Sea and over 500 souls would have been on board.
True, but no group of nations are going to be equally yoked. There is going to be at least one alpha dog in the pack. Traditionally, that has been the US but that role appears to be fading.
The US will be fine not running everything, but there's going to be a lot smaller countries that will suffer due to our role in ensuring shipping lanes on energy and food.
Can you elaborate? I’m not sure what you mean. If you’re implying the invasion of Ukraine is a result of the US growing weaker, I don’t agree at all.
I think that’s a component of it. Putin has done pretty much whatever he has wanted to do for years now. We’ve talked about “red lines” and whatnot the whole time also and when those lines have been immediately crossed by Russia, we’ve done exactly nothing about it. Every time Putin hollers “muh nukes!!!” we’ve backed off. Sanctions? Great, but go all the way. Tell the rest of the world “you can do business with Russia or the US, but not both”. Stop playing keep away with the heavy equipment Ukraine needs to defend themselves. Ukraine has shown that it is very capable of defending itself, given the materials it needs to do so. When we refuse to do that out of fear of what Putin “might” do… we’re showing weakness. We’ve already seen what dealing with Russia weakly will accomplish. Time to try a different tack.
By chance, did you consider us "weak" or "weakening" during the Cold War, when we let this exact thing happen for exactly the same reason?
