Putin...

comment by Keep It Greasy - Music is the BEST (U1396)
posted 2 hours, 3 minutes ago
comment by Aggers Right Elbow (U3402)
posted 3 minutes ago
It’s astonishing to think anyone could be under the impression Japan were on the verge of surrender in WW2 before Hiroshima.

The word surrender doesn’t figure for Japan during that period and if you even scratch the surface of any major battle in the Pacific from Guadalcanal to Okinawa then you will come away with their intention to defend their country to the last soul.

The only reason surrender came was when the realisation hit the emperor that they wouldn’t be able to turn Japan into a blood bath for American soldiers like they had throughout the Pacific.

Ironically in all the world chaos now, Japan seems to be one of the most rounded and rational nations in existence.

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100% Agger
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This. My understanding is that the Americans also knew that a land invasion of Japan would take too long and cause massive casualties on both sides, and that a siege would mean immense suffering for POWs, as well as taking too long. They didn’t just drop the bombs ‘because they could’. It was the quickest route to Japanese surrender and maybe not even the most awful.

comment by peks - 1974 (U6618)
posted 3 hours, 57 minutes ago
comment by spyro-12 (U21947)
posted 7 hours, 4 minutes ago
ukraine just bombed civilians heading to russian controlled zaporizhzhia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCijBcFdO5M
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yes Ukraine isn't quite the angelic state they're being made out to be in the West
who would have thought it
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Who makes out they are an angelic state? No newspaper I read. They do make them out to be the victims of an attack by Russia, which indeed they are.

comment by Clockwork Red: Jadon and the Argonauts (U4892)
posted 34 minutes ago
comment by Keep It Greasy - Music is the BEST (U1396)
posted 2 hours, 3 minutes ago
comment by Aggers Right Elbow (U3402)
posted 3 minutes ago
It’s astonishing to think anyone could be under the impression Japan were on the verge of surrender in WW2 before Hiroshima.

The word surrender doesn’t figure for Japan during that period and if you even scratch the surface of any major battle in the Pacific from Guadalcanal to Okinawa then you will come away with their intention to defend their country to the last soul.

The only reason surrender came was when the realisation hit the emperor that they wouldn’t be able to turn Japan into a blood bath for American soldiers like they had throughout the Pacific.

Ironically in all the world chaos now, Japan seems to be one of the most rounded and rational nations in existence.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
100% Agger
----------------------------------------------------------------------

This. My understanding is that the Americans also knew that a land invasion of Japan would take too long and cause massive casualties on both sides, and that a siege would mean immense suffering for POWs, as well as taking too long. They didn’t just drop the bombs ‘because they could’. It was the quickest route to Japanese surrender and maybe not even the most awful.

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Absolutely. City after city had been fire bombed, made no difference, they weren’t giving in. A land invasion would have taken years and the Japanese government were given repeated warnings over what was coming - still wouldn’t surrender. Even after Hiroshima and the obvious devastation - still wouldn’t surrender.

Let’s also not forget that the effects of radiation on civilians before Hiroshima were not fully understood. Teams of US scientists were allowed into Hiroshima in the days after the attack to investigate what was happening to the survivors which we now know was in many cases fatal radiation sickness

comment by Admin1 (U1)
posted 1 hour, 56 minutes ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_web_brigades
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Everyone using social media and/or internet forums should read that page.

‘Russia expert Peter Pomerantsev believes Russia's efforts are aimed at confusing the audience, rather than convincing it. He states that they cannot censor information but can "trash it with conspiracy theories and rumours".

To avert suspicions, the users sandwich political remarks between neutral articles on travelling, cooking and pets.’

comment by Aggers Right Elbow (U3402)
posted 3 hours, 15 minutes ago
It’s astonishing to think anyone could be under the impression Japan were on the verge of surrender in WW2 before Hiroshima.

The word surrender doesn’t figure for Japan during that period and if you even scratch the surface of any major battle in the Pacific from Guadalcanal to Okinawa then you will come away with their intention to defend their country to the last soul.

The only reason surrender came was when the realisation hit the emperor that they wouldn’t be able to turn Japan into a blood bath for American soldiers like they had throughout the Pacific.

Ironically in all the world chaos now, Japan seems to be one of the most rounded and rational nations in existence.

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This is naive tbh.

Japan's aim was to avoid an unconditional surrender and instead achieve an negotiated peace. An uncoditional surrender would be an existential threat to their imperial instutions and emporor.

Also, Japan's will to keep fighting was a strategy to wear down the allies, and secure themselves a negotiated peace agreement.

They were also using diplomacy by lobbying the soviet union to broker peace with the allies. Russia were not interested really in this agreement, and were more interested in securing more terrotieries from Japan.

The US were also aware of these diplomatic efforts made by Japan, to use the soviet union to broker a peace agreement.

TLDR; the US's use of the atomic war was not so much about 'ending the war', but securing an conditional surrender from Japan rather than a negotiated peace.

Whatever the truth is about the justification for the atomic bombs (my own belief is that it was a combination of ending a war that could cost both sides up to a million lives as well as the US making a statement to the world and showing off their new deathbringer) - Japan benefited from the American influence post-war and became one of the biggest modern economies of the second half of that century.

comment by Rosso out here drippin’ in finesse (U17054)
posted 20 minutes ago
comment by Admin1 (U1)
posted 1 hour, 56 minutes ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_web_brigades
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Everyone using social media and/or internet forums should read that page.

‘Russia expert Peter Pomerantsev believes Russia's efforts are aimed at confusing the audience, rather than convincing it. He states that they cannot censor information but can "trash it with conspiracy theories and rumours".

To avert suspicions, the users sandwich political remarks between neutral articles on travelling, cooking and pets.’
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Very much the Russell Brand playbook. ‘Hey, I’m just asking questions! I don’t take sides but my questions will strangely always be about one side of the debate!’

comment by Robb Eriksen (U22716)
posted 9 minutes ago
Whatever the truth is about the justification for the atomic bombs (my own belief is that it was a combination of ending a war that could cost both sides up to a million lives as well as the US making a statement to the world and showing off their new deathbringer) - Japan benefited from the American influence post-war and became one of the biggest modern economies of the second half of that century.
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In due respect I think 'saving more' lives is a myth.

Japan's aim was negotiated peace which would secure its imperial instutions and empror. They were not in denial that they had a chance of winning the war.

I also worry that such justifications could be used in the future, when using terrible and deadly weapons.

The second point I do agree with though.

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Comment Deleted by Site Moderator