Good. Move onto Zimbabwe, Iran, Ukraine, Turkey, and all the other dumb fucking sanctions we've been trying to falsely impose on other shit poor countries. At some point, the US has got to give up on being the world police.

I wish we'd stop being the world's police and start giving a shit about its own population.

A nation as big as the US has to play global politics and has to enforce some control. Russian expansionism is not good for the world, and there are only so many countries powerful enough to stop it.

How far do we let Russia expand? Ukraine? The Baltics? Europe? Canada? Where do we draw the line if not right at the beginning?

Let's stop hating Russia.

I don't hate Russia. I just want them to stop trying to expand their influence.

It's all a cycle. They want to expand their influence because you want to expand your influence. It's so fucking stupid and you don't even see it.

They want to expand their influence because you want to expand your influence.

That's kind of the point. Influence is control and everyone wants it, it's advantageous by definition. That also means you don't want others to have it if you can help it.

The importance of control should be super obvious in a /r/conspiracy post, whether that means conspiring with others of influence, pushing a narrative or propaganda, or securing your position as a geopolitical and economic force. It's all about control. Ideally, you have it, and no one else does.

You are acting like Russia is still the Soviet Union.

Not at all. I'm talking about modern Russia and its current expansionist attempts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_military_intervention_in_Ukraine_(2014–present)

Ok... lets not forget the NATO Bucharest meeting in 2008:

NATO welcomes Ukraine’s and Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO. Both nations have made valuable contributions to Alliance operations. We welcome the democratic reforms in Ukraine and Georgia and look forward to free and fair parliamentary elections in Georgia in May. MAP is the next step for Ukraine and Georgia on their direct way to membership. Today we make clear that we support these countries’ applications for MAP. Therefore we will now begin a period of intensive engagement with both at a high political level to address the questions still outstanding pertaining to their MAP applications. We have asked Foreign Ministers to make a first assessment of progress at their December 2008 meeting. Foreign Ministers have the authority to decide on the MAP applications of Ukraine and Georgia.

http://archive.is/rx13D#selection-1115.0-1115.896

And lets not forget what Putin said immediately afterwards:

We view the appearance of a powerful military bloc on our borders, a bloc whose members are subject in part to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, as a direct threat to the security of our country. The claim that this process is not directed against Russia will not suffice. National security is not based on promises. And the statements made prior to the bloc's previous waves of expansion simply confirm this.

http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/24903

That is not even getting into the complexities of the American involvement in the Ukrainian Coup.

Good lecture by Professor Mearsheimer of the Israel Lobby fame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZrNhmdHzY4

We absolutely do not need to play global politics. Let's fucking move beyond politics. We can shape our own reality free of false idols. Keep asking bigger questions brother

And what happens if Russia keeps expanding like I suggested? Just ignore the issue and focus on America first?

Name me a soul like you and I that wants conflict. You know we have free will. It's our choice to listen to these false idols

Jesus, why are people on this website so pathologically avoidant of answering simple questions? Alright whatever. Don't answer my question. Good talking with you.

If you're stuck on politics you're not asking enough questions. Enjoy your journey brother and I will see you soon. Expect more and question everything

I question a lot of things. I appreciate when people answer. I am also not afraid of answering questions, even when I don't like the answers. I would encourage you to do the same.

My answer is why would my fellow man focus on politics

Because we're in a thread that deals with a political topic and that's where my curiosity wandered.

Okay, now that I've answered your question, will you answer mine?

(Of course you won't, but I'm sure you'll ask more meta-questions about this conversation to evade it.)

If your question is politically you're in the wrong sub

I think you'll find there is often quite a bit of overlap between conspiracies and politics.

Remember Watergate? Now, I might be crazy here, but I'm pretty sure that was a political scandal involving a conspiracy.

So, wanna take a crack at the question now? No? Still afraid of it? Got it.

Watergate was.to get ris of JFK docs. Again alluding to a picture bigger than politics. Either way the change is coming and we are all going to past politics together

Not wasting any more time on you. Just wanted to put your cowardice on display.

Welcome to the sub brother

We absolutely do not need to play global politics.

We tried that once. We got the bombing of Pearl Harbor for our troubles.

We didn't do anything. You and I did not do thing. Your neighbor, your aunt, uncle, people across the country, north, south, you name it. We didn't do a thing, and we never would. Tptb did it because we agree to live in their prison. Remember on r/conspiracy we reject our government, war, and anyone that tells us that we need them. Much greater things lie ahead once we move past this government of hierarchy. There is no boggeyman.

I don't think you can speak for everyone when you say "we stand for x, y, z"

A functioning government is a necessity to maintain order in society.

Our current government is corrupt to the core and doesn't have the interest in the people as their number one priority.

Lol we let Pearl Harbor get bombed because Americans did not want to go to war just like we don't now. They always come up with a way to convince us it is the right thing to do.

0/10 try a little harder there m8.

And waging war on many middle eastern countries is good? Or invading Vietnam? Or Cuba?

I wish we'd stop being the world's police and start giving a shit about its own population.

Well, he's a Russian agent, so of course he is. That $11 billion they gave him bought a lot.

I'd really like to see his tax returns. We don't know who he does business with, we don't know who he owes money to. That's why people release their tax returns when running for office.

I believe he don't publish them because he uses legal ways to bypass taxes. All big companies does this. But if he would publish them media would attack him...

Maybe. He's already admitted to that. What difference would it make at this point? Point is, there's reason to be suspicious. Who does he owe money to? We don't know. Who does he do business with? We don't know. If he announces a new policy-easing sanctions for example-can we know for sure why he's doing it? No, we can't.

Everyone already knows that though. And like you said, it's a totally normal thing for rich people to do.

Quid pro quo for this?

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-25/head-investigation-unit-russias-kaspersky-lab-arrested-treason

Hard to see that as a quid pro quo. Wasn't he supposedly providing the US with intelligence? It seems Russia benefitted from that one too.

No. Trump hasn't. This is standard operating procedure to help address commerce concerns when a sanction is implemented.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/02/us-treasury-eases-some-sanctions-against-russian-intelligence-service.html

Good.

Good, Obama's actions from tantrum should be reversed. Fuck that globalist shill.

I see r/politics spammers are pushing today's latest Red Scare 2.0 propaganda. Good job /s

Well, at least you didn't call me a CTR shill. Points for maturity.

Haha yep, nothing to see here move along folks.

I'm as anti Trump as it gets but....so?

Why do we need sanctions on Russia?

Fake news

I don't hate Russia. I just want them to stop trying to expand their influence.