There was a campaign during World War II with the theme “Loose lips sink ships.” The point was that unguarded comments might give away intelligence to the enemy enabling U-Boats to target trans-Atlantic crossings. It became a bit of an Anglo-American proverb, a reminder that careless talk is costly. It’s a proverb that Joe Biden… Continue reading Loose lips … careless talk is costly
Tag: NATO
Putin’s terror tactics
There’s been much talk, these past few weeks about Vladimir Putin being ready to escalate the war in Ukraine by use of chemical or even nuclear weapons. It is important to remember a couple of things here when discussing potential nuclear assault. In terms of response, I believe that NATO powers will prefer preventive to… Continue reading Putin’s terror tactics
Has Putin just threatened to nuke us?
The short answer is “no.” In today’s speech, according to reports Vladimir Putin did two things. The first is that he extended the mobilisation and conscription of people into the Russian armed forces. Secondly, he is reported to have said: “Those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the prevailing winds… Continue reading Has Putin just threatened to nuke us?
“Talk softly and carry a big stick” – latest thoughts on the Russian- Ukrainian War
Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine I argued that such a move did not fit with Vladimir Putin’s known and declared ambitions. It was not that I believed such an invasion could never happen, certainly not that I claimed the ability to predict the future. It’s just that Putin’s ambitions were understood to be the… Continue reading “Talk softly and carry a big stick” – latest thoughts on the Russian- Ukrainian War
Why we don’t want a nuclear conflict
I’m rather concerned at the number of people who seem rather gung-ho at the prospect of military intervention by NATO countries into Ukraine. As I’ve mentioned before, it seems that those who are pushing the prospect seem either to assume that the gamble is worth it because either it would not lead to the use… Continue reading Why we don’t want a nuclear conflict
What about pacifism?
The situation in Ukraine is really stretching our hearts and our thinking. On this week’s podcast, I talked with Ryan Burton King, a pastor in London who has family and church connections to the country. As well as talking about prayer points, we also discussed whether or not pastors could and should take sides in… Continue reading What about pacifism?
Nuclear War and unaskable questions
One of the big questions concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been whether or not NATO/Western allies should respond by committing to help defend Ukraine beyond supplying weapons and imposing sanctions. Some have suggested that at a minimum, NATO could commit to enforcing a no-fly zone against Russia. Now, one of the primary reasons… Continue reading Nuclear War and unaskable questions
Signs of the Times (Mark 13) – Preaching in a crisis
Over the past couple of weeks as we’ve seen Russian tanks and troops role into Ukraine and the awful spectre of nuclear conflict has been threatened against the West, I’ve written a bit about how we handled apocalyptic literature and questions about the end times. I thought it might be helpful to share an example… Continue reading Signs of the Times (Mark 13) – Preaching in a crisis
The risk of not thinking through a confrontation
I’ve seen some interesting suggestions for how the West should respond to Putin’s aggression into Ukraine and threats against NATO allies and unaligned countries such as Sweden and Finland. The primary response so far has been through Economic sanctions against Putin’s regime and his oligarch financiers Providing arms to the Ukrainians continuing to defend their… Continue reading The risk of not thinking through a confrontation
Russia and Ukraine -what next?
Today there is war in Europe. We cannot underestimate the size of this conflict. Ukraine has a population of around 41.46 million, a little smaller than the United Kingdom, Russia is a permanent member of the UN security council with a population of 146 million and one of the largest nuclear powers. The conflict is… Continue reading Russia and Ukraine -what next?