Ukraine (Mod Note & Threadbanned Users in OP)

That is an accurate analogy - the claims we have just listened to are similarly nonsensical - Its always a very odd experience speaking to someone who has a totally different version of reality -

UN VOTE looks to have been taken but sky jumped away from it - briefly went to loud clapping and some numbers did pop up - i didnt catch them

Would anyone care to speculate on Abstentions and Votes Against?

North Korea - NAY - already made some soundings on the topic

Serbia - Nay or Abstention - il go with Nay - some diplomatic soundings and neutral language (regret conflict in the region etc)

China Abstention i would say

I am very curious to see where this ends up

Shame on the International Paralympic Committee

Shame on then and the IOC for allowing Russians and Belarus to take part

Drugs state sponsorship, sure you can still take part, invading a country, go ahead and take part

fucking disgusting

141 in favour

5 against

35 abstentions

China abstained while Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Russia and Syria voted against

Only surprise there is Eritrea voting against it. I guess I'm off down the wiki rabbit hole to find out what that's about.

For all the good it'll do, at least it tells Russia unambiguously that they have practically no support on this one.

Cuba abstained too - and Serbia voted FOR -

Their main import is wheat, and it's mostly all from Russia.

Russia feeds a large part of Africa and Asia, along with Ukraine so it's as Stalin would put it the currency of currencies'

Yes, some people here may not realise that is quite a significant vote. They are extremely dependent on Russian gas for their energy and they get it well below market rates. They've got elections coming up soon and their population would be considerably more sympathetic to Russia in general than all other European countries bar Belarus, (which no longer meets the criteria to be a country). So Vucic is taking a bit of a domestic risk here by not abstaining. Most Serbian people that I've spoken to last week however, were very supportive of Ukraine and critical of Russia.

If we take the abstentions on a case by case basis -

China's, and Cuba's abstentions are a tacit criticism of this War - Politically Russia is more isolated now than it was during the height of the cold war - and remember they had a lot of Satellite states to back them during that time -

there are disappointments in the vote - South Africa most of all - and India - but over all this is an excellent vote

This is a fantastic show of solidarity with Kiev -

Its the spiritual birthplace of the Non=Aligned Movement - its been years since my International Organizations Lectures but it was Nehru who was a founder

Tend to abstain from a great number of votes in fairness

Gladly - we will ignore the obvious questions - why has Russia done this - is there a reason - response of the United States - Northern Ireland -Shared History, good Friday agreement - Irish Americans - The UK - we will keep it simple - Russia is invading Ireland

The Reason France could not specifically intervene would be that it would Involve a NATO country (France - nuclear armed) entering war with Russia (nuclear armed) -

-France engages Russia

-Russia Retaliates on France

-France has been attacked - triggers article 5 NATO Treaty

-UK US GERMANY FRANCE et al - at war with Russia

-Nuclear exchange - possible civilization ending scenario

The fact is your example is probably impossible to contemplate or fully understand? There would likely be more willingness to trigger Article 5 IN ANY CASE - Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis stated

" It shall be the policy of this Nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union."

Arguably, Ireland is in said hemisphere - so its possible invading Ireland would result in nuclear war defacto - Finland or moldova would provide better examples of Non NATO countries - Moldova especially given the Transnistrian Issue and lack of NATO/EU membership

It kind of is? If they were retaliated against for involving them in a conflict, by a state actor (Russia in this case) - They would trigger Article 5 - Are you saying you suspect they would not trigger it? I mean they would have a choice - yes - But is it a choice? If Paris were being bombed, would they resist triggering it? TBH we could debate the triggering of Article 5 and whether its Automatic, Implied, or a 'Button' - My understanding is that its the latter but

Using ireland is silly which is why i recommended using Finland or Moldova as examples - but i suspect France would NOT get involved in either case - interested to see what you think