Should the US commit forces to directly combat Russia in Ukraine?

[uclaLabrat]

I dont know that direct conflict with Russian troops in Ukraine would escalate into nuclear exchange; there's been multiple precedents of us forces exchanging fire with Russian or Chinese (former generally in the air where pilot nationalities were plausibly deniable) and the latter in Korea (where the Chinese hadn't reached nuclear capabilities yet).

That said it's a huge gamble even with a rational actor in power in Russia and I dont dare to presume putin is a rational actor. Ideally I would support throwing our forces into the balance to stop this needless slaughter of an imperialist despot, yet we have failed to act in so many other instances of the same. I think setting the precedent that if you have nukes and are crazy enough you can successfully hold the world hostage and force inaction is inherently more dangerous. That's a recipe for cultivating imperial ambitions across the globe that will only lead to our worst fears analogous to appeasement in the 30s. I think if that scenario is indeed inevitable, the total cost will be lower now than later.

 

[skyking]

The combined forces of the world have severely damaged Russia's economy in retaliation to this war.
The effects are going to be felt for decades, to say we have been "held hostage" is a stretch.
Imperial ambitions do not include getting smashed on the world trade front. if anything, the allied forces have demonstrated the real power they wield.

 

[ivwshane]

The combined forces of the world have severely damaged Russia's economy in retaliation to this war.
The effects are going to be felt for decades, to say we have been "held hostage" is a stretch.
Imperial ambitions do not include getting smashed on the world trade front. if anything, the allied forces have demonstrated the real power they wield.

Interviews I’m seeing of Russians seem to be not really affected.

 

[pmv]

Interviews I’m seeing of Russians seem to be not really affected.

I have heard that the middle-class (in the UK not US sense of that term), and certainly the elites outside Putin's inner-circle, are being affected. And it will get worse with time. But it will take very a long time to really bite - years if not decades. And the track record of sanctions intended to cause regime-change is not very impressive. Has it ever worked anywhere? South Africa seems like the only case, and in that case there was an armed struggle going on as well.

Russians have lived through economic collapse, currency-crises, and severe shortages before. I get the impression they don't see it as anything unusual. if it goes on for decades they might start to react.

 

[zinfamous]

As I am becoming less and less worried about the reality of Putin actually launching any kind of nuke, anywhere (though I think the ~non-zero chance of it happening, which we have, is still too much of a chance), I remain hesitant because as the media and citizens and elites are abandoning Russia en masse right now, a direct allied response would probably give Putin enough of the propaganda he needs to reverse this self-destructing trend and solidify Russian sentiment to his brazen lies, and re-motivate the military.

Still, I think it's completely rational to fight with Ukraine, in Ukraine, against an illegal invading Russian force and maintain the "we didn't attack you, bitch" stance, but Putin isn't a rational person.