So what happens if Putin decides he wants Latvia?

[Mechanicalsalvation]

So, I guess the "hard to conquer" part is a reason why we don't have a proper democracy yet

Exactly, but once you do you can export it just like oil and fight for peace:

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I think I'm not considered as a European in Tim's argument (getting Europeans in a plot to subjugate everyone else), neither in yours (Europeans ability to compromise with each other).
Despite being whitey and also living in a second largest European city

Sure you are. When the rest of the Europeans took to their boats and inflicted colonialism on everyone else, the Russians turned east and inflicted it on most of Asia. Just because you guys managed to keep your empire doesn't mean you weren't part of the plot just like the rest. The only problem with the plan was that the planet is finite and once the Europeans got it all subjugated they went right back to fighting among themselves.

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

Sure you are. When the rest of the Europeans took to their boats and inflicted colonialism on everyone else, the Russians turned east and inflicted it on most of Asia. Just because you guys managed to keep your empire doesn't mean you weren't part of the plot just like the rest. The only problem with the plan was that the planet is finite and once the Europeans got it all subjugated they went right back to fighting among themselves.

Well at least there is this trick that once you find a common enemy you can stop fighting among yourself. Lets see who is on the top of the list: USSR, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Russia,...

 

[KevinLancaster]

Well at least there is this trick that once you find a common enemy you can stop fighting among yourself. Lets see who is on the top of the list: USSR, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Russia,...

When will they organize a second Concert of Europe and get on with space colonialism?

 

[James Stuart]

When will they organize a second Concert of Europe and get on with space colonialism?

When we find some natives in space weak enough to subjugate.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

When we find some natives in space weak enough to subjugate.

 

[gay_Aleks]

It's far more likely we'd be the "natives weak enough to subjugate" rather than us doing the subjugating.

 

[luiz]

It's far more likely we'd be the "natives weak enough to subjugate" rather than us doing the subjugating.

That's the standard sci-fi scenario, but I always imagined we are more likely than not to be the ones doing the subjugating and genociding, given our proven ability to do so to ourselves.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I predict we will find some rudimentary bacteria somewhere in the solar system and subjugate them.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Yes, but that bacteria will turn out to be extra-good at rusting space ships and exploding our Future LightSpeed Fuel TM, ala War of the Worlds scenario.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Yes, but that bacteria will turn out to be extra-good at rusting space ships and exploding our Future LightSpeed Fuel TM, ala War of the Worlds scenario.

Hmmmm. Given that we haven't been really successful at subjugating the terrestrial bacteria you have a good point.

 

[Akka]

Really, the best way to fight Russian aggression at this stage is not by buying small flags of your country, but helping reduce the global demand for oil and helping drop the price.

TBH, this is the best course of action not because of fighting Russian agression, but more to help trying to limit the wreck to our own lives that is looming ahead if we continue to depend on such kind of polluting and limited ressources.
Fighting back Putin is just a bonus.

 

[James Stuart]

It's far more likely we'd be the "natives weak enough to subjugate" rather than us doing the subjugating.

Any species intelligent enough to develop interstellar travel wouldn't waste its time on something as petty as conquest and enslavement. Except us. We're that petty.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Any species intelligent enough to develop interstellar travel wouldn't waste its time on something as petty as conquest and enslavement. Except us. We're that petty.

Any civilization intelligent enough to develop trans-oceanic travel wouldn't waste time on something as petty as conquest and enslavement.

Oh. Wait.

 

[James Stuart]

Any civilization intelligent enough to develop trans-oceanic travel wouldn't waste time on something as petty as conquest and enslavement.

Oh. Wait.

Since Zheng He's mighty treasure fleets never colonised the world despite clearly discovering all of it, chalk this up to European greatness again.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Since Zheng He's mighty treasure fleets never colonised the world despite clearly discovering all of it, chalk this up to European greatness again.

I already had.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Zheng He never went to America.

 

[luiz]

Zheng He never went to America.

Gavin Menzies disagrees!

And everybody knows China discovered discoveries hundreds of years before the Europeans.

 

[James Stuart]

Zheng He never went to America.

Of course he did. On his way to the moon.

 

[James Stuart]

Gavin Menzies disagrees!

And everybody knows China discovered discoveries hundreds of years before the Europeans.

Yet failed to subjugate these things. Chalk up yet another one to Europeans.