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Comment by terminalshort | Hacker News Reader

But if we could actually ally with Russia against China that would be a massive strategic win. Russia is:

1. A massive nuclear power

2. On the border of China

3. Willing to take risks for geopolitical gain that the Europeans would never dream of

4. A natural enemy of China since China claims (unofficially) large areas of Siberia including Vladivostok (their only major port on the Pacific).

If Russia were an ally, that would put our alliance to the north, east, and south of China. More importantly it would put the threat of a land based attack on the table which is currently not the case.

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Russia is also a failing state with a crumbling economy and a demographic disaster unfolding, that is having issues pushing further than 50kms from its borders in a land war with the poorest European nation. They would only be a liability in a conflict against China.

Opening another front is never a liability, even if your ally is losing on that front it consumes resources of your enemy.

There won't be any other front. Just stop fantasizing. Russia has the same regime as China. China is sponsoring Russia's war with Ukraine by buying Russian oil, supplying dual-use products, and providing diplomatic assistance to Russia. Why would Russia confront with China?

What is this, a game of risk? Ignoring the multitude of issues with a Russia+US alliance (I don't think current leadership would ever trust each other), China would absolutely not be okay with the US on its doorstep.

Russia and China aren't exactly good friends, but this is a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" situation. The US is not popular with either of them.

You don't have to have trust to be in an alliance. Only an idiot trusts their allies (kind of like in Risk). Do you think FDR trusted Stalin?

> China would absolutely not be okay with the US on its doorstep

Yes, that's precisely the point. You think we should only do things that China approves of?

Russia will never fight against China. Moreover, Russia can already be considered a Chinese province.

It would be amusing if US seriously contemplated allying with Japan against Germany during the WWII.

If you want to ally with Russia, you must destroy the Russian Imperialist regime first, represented by Putin and FSB. Ukraine is helping with that. Then free and democratic Russia will become your ally. But if you don't crush the Russian imperialists, they will crush you.

What has that got to do with anything? Japan is on the other side of the world from Germany. Not a particularly useful ally. And whether or not a country is an ally is entirely dependent on alignment of interests. Democracy doesn't have the slightest thing to do with it.

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