Originally Posted by
rh200
That isn't even on the table, Putins actions so far have been very careful. But why not go to the edge, we spent how many years standing up to the Soviets.
Bad example.
During cold war everyone was in fact very cautious not to do anything really de-stabilizing and to not get into direct conflict with the other side. Both sides only did it via proxies.
A direct military confrontation (which you seem to suggest in this instance) by one side would have definitely eliminated the Blue Planet once and for all. And therefore was a complete No- Go for both sides. Every measure to poke the other sides was indeed always well balanced and restrained. (Leaving aside some Cowboys in the SAC back in the late fifties/early sixties - they didnīt seem to care too much about our nice Blue Island in the big Nothingness).
All this appeasement stuff was said before WW2, nip it in the bud whilst its still small scale.
You seriously think WW2 could have been prevented by raising the war a year earlier?
Could have ended badly if RAF had lost its aircraft over foreign territory when fighting against Luftwaffe over their homeland?
This theory that earlier confrontation would have stopped Hitler still looks stupid to me. But it sounds nice. So simple.