Where do you draw the line in the sand and say enough is enough?
I understand the comments about leaving areas of instability and not tying yourself to geography (especially when you aren't born & have family in an area) but eventually where do you go to? It is a calculation every person has to make for themselves after weighing up their own individual circumstances.
"If good men do not enact violence on our behalf then evil shall triumph"
We have police officers in our countries who put themselves in harms way everyday to defend our freedoms and ensure others don't impose their will upon us.
The Ukrainian government is far from perfect and corruption is rampant but I would rather live under them than Putin as they afford more freedoms to their citizens. I will always side with the person or entity that offers more freedom (even if that freedom is flawed or could be improved. Which it needs to be)
Ireland where I am from is a country that was historically occupied and abused by a colonial power (the UK). Eventually we gained our freedom (in the south of Ireland) after years of guerrilla warfare versus a bigger military power. So forgive some of us Irish commentators if you believe we are wrong for supporting Ukraine but we view the situation from our personal experiences and history on our island. We see similarities in the situation unfolding in Ukraine. The north of Ireland remains in the United Kingdom due to a significant portion of its citizens wanting to remain with the UK while another significant part wants to be apart of the Republic of Ireland. The bloody war over this territory only officially ended in 1998. We have excellent relations for the most part with the United Kingdom today (most of us only speak English and no longer Gaeilge Irish due to the length of this occupation). We have shared family ties to the UK and pursue a peaceful and fruitful coexistence which I am delighted with. That is not to say that someday in the future the dispute could restart and Brexit has already begun to test some of the cracks that exist in the north still but I am almost certain there will never be war again over this.
Ireland is a neutral country and NOT a member of NATO so if we were attacked there is no obligation for any other country to defend us. As was highlighted clearly to everyone in Ireland over the last few months when Russia announced they would conduct military drills off our coast (which were eventually moved outside our zone) and when Russian hackers crippled our national healthcare system for 2 months last year. The Russian ambassador to Ireland also went on national television here and assured us only a week ago that there would be no invasion and that we were idiots for even suggesting so.
That is why today I joined the protest outside their embassy pressuring our government to expel their diplomats.
The Irish Government announced on Day 1 of this conflict that we would accept all Ukrainian refugees and we suspended visa conditions for travel. This has resulted in many families living here being allowed to fly relatives into the country and spare them from this ongoing onslaught.
I have both Ukrainian and Russian friends due to the multicultural make up of Ireland and all of the travel that I do. The majority are horrified by this war.
As for the bigger picture, and this is completely my own opinion and feel free to disagree with it but I feel geopolitically this war is beneficial from a US strategic standpoint. They get to drag a rival into a conflict, support the armed opposition and completely hobble their geopolitical opponents military without firing a shot of their own. Tragically, thousands of innocent lives will be lost during all of this.
The US was already angry with European nations for not paying enough to sustain their own militaries (Ireland spends 1billion per year (0.2% of GDP on military). That will all change now. Also, European nations including Ireland and Germany have been playing both sides of the field on geopolitical issues with Russia and CHINA. That will also change now.
- Ireland entices US, European and Chinese companies to set up here and effectively pay no tax. We are the global headquarters for every major tech company in existence on this planet. This is effectively a drain on the national tax treasuries of countries like America and contributes to your massive debt.
- Germany continues buying Russian fuel making themselves almost completely reliant on it while getting the US to protect them. They also continue selling cars to China and buying solar panels etc..
Edit: I also wanted to add that Ireland, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain etc are all awash in Russian oligarch money and influence. All it takes is one walk down the promenade of Marbella, the streets of London or the yacht bays in Monaco/Ibiza to witness the dictatorship money of this world on display. Hopefully, this event will be a trigger for a lot of that that blood money, gained by the exploitation of their nations and it's people to be seized.
I understand the comments about leaving areas of instability and not tying yourself to geography (especially when you aren't born & have family in an area) but eventually where do you go to? It is a calculation every person has to make for themselves after weighing up their own individual circumstances.
"If good men do not enact violence on our behalf then evil shall triumph"
We have police officers in our countries who put themselves in harms way everyday to defend our freedoms and ensure others don't impose their will upon us.
The Ukrainian government is far from perfect and corruption is rampant but I would rather live under them than Putin as they afford more freedoms to their citizens. I will always side with the person or entity that offers more freedom (even if that freedom is flawed or could be improved. Which it needs to be)
Ireland where I am from is a country that was historically occupied and abused by a colonial power (the UK). Eventually we gained our freedom (in the south of Ireland) after years of guerrilla warfare versus a bigger military power. So forgive some of us Irish commentators if you believe we are wrong for supporting Ukraine but we view the situation from our personal experiences and history on our island. We see similarities in the situation unfolding in Ukraine. The north of Ireland remains in the United Kingdom due to a significant portion of its citizens wanting to remain with the UK while another significant part wants to be apart of the Republic of Ireland. The bloody war over this territory only officially ended in 1998. We have excellent relations for the most part with the United Kingdom today (most of us only speak English and no longer Gaeilge Irish due to the length of this occupation). We have shared family ties to the UK and pursue a peaceful and fruitful coexistence which I am delighted with. That is not to say that someday in the future the dispute could restart and Brexit has already begun to test some of the cracks that exist in the north still but I am almost certain there will never be war again over this.
Ireland is a neutral country and NOT a member of NATO so if we were attacked there is no obligation for any other country to defend us. As was highlighted clearly to everyone in Ireland over the last few months when Russia announced they would conduct military drills off our coast (which were eventually moved outside our zone) and when Russian hackers crippled our national healthcare system for 2 months last year. The Russian ambassador to Ireland also went on national television here and assured us only a week ago that there would be no invasion and that we were idiots for even suggesting so.
That is why today I joined the protest outside their embassy pressuring our government to expel their diplomats.
The Irish Government announced on Day 1 of this conflict that we would accept all Ukrainian refugees and we suspended visa conditions for travel. This has resulted in many families living here being allowed to fly relatives into the country and spare them from this ongoing onslaught.
I have both Ukrainian and Russian friends due to the multicultural make up of Ireland and all of the travel that I do. The majority are horrified by this war.
As for the bigger picture, and this is completely my own opinion and feel free to disagree with it but I feel geopolitically this war is beneficial from a US strategic standpoint. They get to drag a rival into a conflict, support the armed opposition and completely hobble their geopolitical opponents military without firing a shot of their own. Tragically, thousands of innocent lives will be lost during all of this.
The US was already angry with European nations for not paying enough to sustain their own militaries (Ireland spends 1billion per year (0.2% of GDP on military). That will all change now. Also, European nations including Ireland and Germany have been playing both sides of the field on geopolitical issues with Russia and CHINA. That will also change now.
- Ireland entices US, European and Chinese companies to set up here and effectively pay no tax. We are the global headquarters for every major tech company in existence on this planet. This is effectively a drain on the national tax treasuries of countries like America and contributes to your massive debt.
- Germany continues buying Russian fuel making themselves almost completely reliant on it while getting the US to protect them. They also continue selling cars to China and buying solar panels etc..
Edit: I also wanted to add that Ireland, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain etc are all awash in Russian oligarch money and influence. All it takes is one walk down the promenade of Marbella, the streets of London or the yacht bays in Monaco/Ibiza to witness the dictatorship money of this world on display. Hopefully, this event will be a trigger for a lot of that that blood money, gained by the exploitation of their nations and it's people to be seized.
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum:
Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
Last edited: