Yes yes, like Hillary said that Trump's supporters are a basket of deplorables.... see what happened to her because of such cock-sureness and disrespect for her opponent?Putin is nothing more than a petty dictator with an overblown ego and any ambitions — wuliheron
Why would the US throw all its money and resources towards opposing his efforts? The fucking US barely managed to handle Iraq. Give me a break. Look at your debt after going in Iraq. It's disgusting. You think the US will take the chance with Russia? The debt will go to 500 trillion then >:O Don't be silly. And if Putin takes over a few Baltic States what does the US stand to lose? Almost nothing. So let's see - nothing vs 500 trillion? Which one will you choose?He knows the minute he attempts to do so the US will throw all the money and resources it has towards opposing his efforts and the satellite states will fight him to the bitter end. — wuliheron
Ehm not really - they didn't lose anything. They have actually gained by breaking up at that moment in time and opening to the outside world.That's why the Soviet Union fell apart in the first place, is they could no longer control the territory they had conquered which is the history of Russia going back thousands of years. — wuliheron
Ehm not really - they didn't lose anything. They have actually gained by breaking up at that moment in time and opening to the outside world. — Agustino
Not want to look like I'm obsessed with Putin here, but I'll answer:If you were Putin in this scenario, what would you ask for, and what would you want to do - and why? — Agustino
Now is the opportune time as you have an American administration which is willing to collaborate with you (read - compromise) in order fulfil American interests. The stronghold you hold over Syria - as that is where ISIS is located - is of geo-strategic interest to the Americans in their war against terrorism - that's your leverage. In exchange for helping the US eliminate ISIS and terrorism, what will you ask for back? Is it Ukraine? Is it Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Hungary? Is it the dissolution of NATO? — Agustino
If you study military and political strategy, a lot of the efforts between the US and Russia in the area make perfect sense. Why Russia wanted to "liberate" Crimea and supports Assad, while the US help "rebels" seeking to overthrow Assad. The whole area has been a "proxy war". Remember the "red line" that, if crossed, would mean direct US intervention, (which was almost unanimously rejected by Americans)? It is currently in a very precarious position. The dissolution of NATO would be a disaster for the US side and many of the allies it has built up in the region. — swstephe
The US has no interest in allowing Russia anything. If Assad wins the war with Russian help it is much more advantageous for the US to finally invade on humanitarian grounds and control the port themselves. Germany needed a port during WWII and preventing its acquisition would have prevented all hell from breaking out. Russia is the Bear waiting to escape its cage with the real question being what will the US be willing to trade with them instead. Putin's provocative international politics give him something he can leverage at the bargaining table with the remaining question being how much is it worth, but the idea the US or even China will allow a dictator in charge of that kind of industrial power and resources to run wild is laughable. — wuliheron
NATO is a US organization just like the UN. We pay half the bills and provide all the real resources and if nobody else likes it they can go to hell. We are the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room that already brought that bear to its knees and nobody trusts that bear as far as they can throw it, while the US has been called an enemy you can trust, if for no other reason, because all we care about is the money and weapons which we already control. — wuliheron
If I were in Putin's place, I don't think I would see the US as being able to offer anything except to get out of the way. The US has already destroyed itself socially and economically and burned most of its bridges with its allies. China would a great ally as it would pragmatically shift toward a similar political and economic structure. If the US burns its bridges with NATO and China, Russia would be looking forward to a new golden age.
I remember the stories my father told, serving under NATO exchange projects. The US has fiercely guarded relationships with member countries. I remember stories about how many things had to be done to maintain those relationships that was rarely shared with the general public. It seems to me that we aren't so much in control as we are a guest who has long overstayed our welcome. Even the suggestion of trying to change the current arrangement is enough to create an economic and political crisis. — swstephe
No. There is a genuine support for Putin. It's the people like those who in America vote for Trump, vote Putin in Russia. The majortity of the so-called Intelligentsia likely is against Putin.In Russia many people hate Putin. His real rating in Russia 5-10%. He wins votes through falsifications — Kurihara
No this is wrong. Most of the intelligentsia in Russia supports Putin. You're making a terrible mistake in thinking that Leftist ideals happen to be the ideals of other peoples. Putin has tremendous popularity amongst Russians. You presuppose, without explanation, that people would prefer democracy, and would aspire for diversity, globalization and so forth. But this is not true. Many - in fact MOST people would not support such ideals. If you look in history you will see that great nations were always built by great men (or women) - but it was the individual that made things possible. What is seen as acceptable and worthy in Western society in modern times is absolutely rotten if we are to look at it historically. Take Obama - the guy just goofs around - he is a clown compared to someone like Putin. And yet people think Obama is a great leader.... That guy who goes around joking and laughing about this and that, that guy is a great leader. The guy who Trump and folks like him can MOCK and HUMILIATE on TV, that guy apparently is a great leader according to many in the West today. The fact is that a great leader is judged by one criteria only: does he get the job done, and is he respected by people under him (meaning do they LISTEN and ACT when he tells them something)? And by that criteria, Obama is nothing.No. There is a genuine support for Putin. It's the people like those who in America vote for Trump, vote Putin in Russia. The majortity of the so-called Intelligentsia likely is against Putin.
Putin stopped the economic collapse that happened during the Yeltsin years. Now Russia has regained that dramatic fall. And he has annexed parts of Georgia and Ukraine and stopped the NATO enlargement. Many genuinely support that in Russia. Now the economic difficulties Putin can blame on the West. (While likely the reason is the fall in oil prices) — ssu
Perhaps not the majority of intelligentsia, but some of them don't support. Just remember there were demonstrations against him running again after Medvedev. Russian are, well, just as suspect of their government as some Americans are.No this is wrong. Most of the intelligentsia in Russia supports Putin. — Agustino
And should I make the point that likely Putin is the most wealthiest person in the World? Or at least controlling it, because money is power, also (or especially) in Russia.Putin is not a great leader, but he's much better than Obama or pretty much any other modern Western leader. The West has lost its path, especially Europe. Europe used to be the greatest continent on Earth - the greatest geniuses, the greatest conquerors, the greatest heroes - they used to be from here. We used to be great - today we're running just on the inertia of our past greatness. Europe has a golden present, and a pitch black future at the moment - because we have handed ourselves over the the slave morality of the Left. We've made a God of money and sex. We're so big about sexual rights and making sure the transexuals have their own bathrooms, and so forth. We're educating our men to be slaves to pussy - to do anything for sex - to have no shame and no honor. Such lack of virtue will never breed greatness. One cannot serve both God and Mammon. Money and sex together have a life of their own it seems. — Agustino
Is Pussy Riot the minority of the intelligentsia that is against Putin? >:OPerhaps not the majority of intelligentsia, but some of them don't support. Just remember there were demonstrations against him running again after Medvedev. Russian are, well, just as suspect of their government as some Americans are. — ssu
>:OAnd should I make the point that likely Putin is the most wealthiest person in the World? Or at least controlling it, because money is power, also (or especially) in Russia. — ssu
As I said, Europe has a golden present, and a pitch black future. And the East European countries never CHOSE the decaying West. The decaying West chose them for geopolitical and strategic reasons.And then let's not forget that the East European Countries that did choose the "decaying" West have performed far better than Russia. For example Poland (this graph shows just why Crimeans and East Ukrainians looked to Russia): — ssu
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