Comments by "Tim Trewyn" (@timtrewyn453) on "CGTN"
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Russia cannot ignore the rise of China. It will become increasingly sensible for China to manage more Russian resources. Russia may have felt it needed to acquire Ukrainian resources and population to help it slow down Chinese progress in developing eastern Russian resources. China is trying to show Russia that it has friendly intentions, but eventually things come down to who does the job better. Russia used to think it could do what only China can now do, that is, organize and optimize the Asian continent. Russia must see that China will attain this status through financial means and the energy of its population. Rather than flee China by violently invading Europe, Russia should work with China to bring about this natural political evolution peacefully. Russia should start openly discussing this future with China, rather than avoid it. China, as a rising power, I think, is only beginning to understand its future potential. Mearsheimer is right and wrong. It is convenient for Russia to focus its population on NATO, but NATO is not going to be assimilating Russia through invasion. China will peacefully take over eastern Russian resources, with NATO sanctions on Russia in essence pushing Russia into more and more business relationships with China. It is notable that while the weakening of Russia may be in China's interest, China is not pressing Russia as it could.
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@cornflower1783 Some of the metrics Russia uses to support its belief that it can assimilate Ukraine, e.g., population, are the same metrics that China can apply to Russia. Economic realism, e.g. the size of the Chinese economy vs. the Russian economy, also makes it fairly easy to see that China will have increasing leverage over Russian interests. Only Russia's nuclear arsenal gives it a form of parity with China. An application of the "correlation of forces" concept leans in China's favor in eastern Russia.
I think India has its own ideals and values, and that it makes a positive contribution toward the world being multi-polar. There are extensive ties between the West and India through immigration, Indian attendance at western universities, and the English language, but India holds its own culture and autonomy with self-respect, and I say good for them. They will deal with everyone according to their own interests as far as I can tell. Mr. Putin could have used Russian financial power to strengthen all these ties he is now trying to build. He has squandered much of that power by pitting members of the Russian Orthodox church against members of the Ukrainian orthodox church. I am not sure he gave any thought as to how that might look to Islam and Hinduism and the Chinese. A greater measure of Christian brotherhood with Ukraine would have been such a more positive way to maintain a healthy Slavic culture, and the competition between two nations would have sharpened both, "iron sharpens iron". Obviously other values are at work here.
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Having members of the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches killing each other is a serious affront to Christendom, and a very poor example to those outside of Christendom. The war is exposing Christianity, once again, as an imperial, manipulative tool rather than a heartfelt, personal faith. The Russian regime, in its behavior, seems quite indifferent to this imagery. A Christian has faith in their continued existence. Russian leadership clearly acts as if its days on earth are all it has, ergo "existential" rationales for its behavior. Soviet atheism never really went away, it just saw it was better off letting its subjects be Christians if they want to, but well regulated, of course.
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