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DasBubba
Good Times Bad Times
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Comments by "DasBubba" (@dasbubba841) on "Good Times Bad Times" channel.

Most of it was self-inflicted, beyond the population increase. Egypt's agricultural infrastructure is decrepit and very inefficient (irrigation systems are old and leaky). It is also geared towards cash crop production, like cotton and sugar. Both are very water intensive. Wheat production has made a comeback recently (wonder why) but is still held back by poor infrastructure.
161
The US has serious problems, but compared to the other major powers its issues are relatively tame and fixable.
54
@blackcatdungeonmastersfami5311 Actually, Russia has a terrible homeless problem, and many homeless die because of the brutal climate and general age of them (with many being elderly).
48
@TheOffkilter Wealth is also spread out more evenly in the US, with states like South Dakota and Kansas having a high GDP-per captia due to oil and large farms. Wealth in Russia meanwhile flows into Moscow and St. Petersburg, leaving the rest of Russia very poor.
42
Never mind the logistical nightmare of taking care of millions of men. Russia can barely handle the troops they have on the field, how could they handle hundreds of thousands more?
35
Because Serbia claims ALL of Kosovo as its territory and has refused to budge from that position.
32
Russia can't really use their full strength. Apparently, their supply status is pretty horrible: Units running out of fuel and ammunition. Increasing their troop numbers would exacerbate this, compounding the fact that their advancing into hostile territory. Also, the bill for all of that would be crippling. They could pump 200,000 troops in Ukraine, but it would ruin the already weak Russian economy. Time is actually on Ukraine's side I think. They're being funded and resupplied by NATO, while being able to get more of their populace and army mobilized. Russia meanwhile is on a clock of their budget and people's will (and the will of the oligarchs). The longer the war, the worse the economy gets (as Russia will effectively be under North Korea-esqe sanctions).
30
@SoloRenegade The easy occupation of Crimea made the Russians overconfident. They expected the Ukrainians to easily fold.
27
@blackcatdungeonmastersfami5311 And yet Russia is basically stalled out. What is the Kremlin hoping for? That the West will tell Ukraine to give it up? Or does Moscow believe they can conquer all of Ukraine?
27
@FRIPPE_THE_GREAT Russia makes it very easy to dislike them.
25
@blackcatdungeonmastersfami5311 1) Casualties are hard to discern, because both sides are tight lipped about figures. Civilian casualties are probably equal to or more than military casualties for Ukraine, though. The Russians themselves have suffered heavily, based on visual equipment losses (the VDV especially). Though, a lot of those were front loaded at the start of the war, and due to heavy entrenchment of both sides, I'd say casualty figures aren't that high (for both sides) as of late. Also to note is that Ukrainian morale hasn't suffered due to casualties. 2) Inflation is rather uncomfortable in the West, though that has flattened out recently. It also hasn't led to any decrease in support from Ukraine's largest backers, namely the US, UK, and Poland where public support for Ukraine has consistently remained high. 3) The EU has made serious efforts to soften the blow the onset of winter will have. This has included stockpiling energy, diversifying suppliers, and reducing consumption. Also, said blow won't be felt equally in the EU. Ukraine's most consistent and impactful backers, notable Poland, are not dependent on Russia. The US, the largest backer (and supplier of the very effective HIMARS) is not dependent on Russia at all, and any crisis the EU may face will not impact them at all.
24
@schuschnix5261 Sanctions do work. They don't destroy a country, but they make it far more difficult to carry out objectives. North Korean and Iran have militaries that are basically stuck a Cold-War technology level. Cuba's economy is tiny, and dependent on tourism (and cheap oil from Venezuela). Sanctions make it harder for Russia to assemble sophisticated weaponry. Yes, they can smuggle chips in from third-party sources, but that is expensive and slow. Europe is hurting, but it's temporary. Oil and natural gas aren't sourced from only Russia. Energy sources are being sourced from other suppliers like Qatar, the US, and Saudi Arabia. The longer the war goes on, the weaker the dependence becomes, especially as LNG infrastructure is constructed. What happens when Russian suppliers are replaced? The EU was Russia's largest market BY FAR. And if Russia hasn't mobilized by now, they never will because the political cost of doing so outweighs the costs of potentially losing the war.
19
@damnbrosky It is a mentality that dates back to the Mongol invasions almost 800 years ago. Security and power at any cost. The brutal German invasion of 1941 reinforced this mindset.
18
@profile1172 One, the Russians didn't curb stomp the Chechens. They lost the first war against them, in '94. The second war was long and drawn out, even with the Chechens divided by infighting and having no support internationally. Ukraine is a nation state that is far bigger than Chechnya and far more organized, with a national army and defense industry. It has popular support, and has vast international backing. The Russians are universally seen as invaders, even among the Russophone community (the area taking the brunt of the invasion) and no one has risen in support of the Russians, in contrast to the Chechen war.
15
Putin is a risk taker, but he is not stupid. The fact that he has maintained power for longer than I've been alive (I'm in college) illustrates this. He made a very poor gamble, but to give up and thrown in the towel in unthinkable. This is because I'd say it is not Putin that has the fragile ego, but the entire Russian citizenry that does. Russia is an immensely proud nation that has suffered immensely. The economic situation is terrible (even before sanctions), having probably one of the greatest wealth gaps in the world, suffocating corruption, an ageing population, terrible living standards for the average Russian, and HIV epidemic caused by a dysfunctional healthcare network, crumbling Soviet-legacy infrastructure, and the list goes on and on. Pride is all Russians have left. Unlike the Germans, whose defeat in WWII forced them to come to terms with authoritarianism, and who had an economic miracle to promote optimism for the future, Russians never had that. Only stagnation and endless recollection of the "glory days".
15
The myth of Russian superiority is a hard myth to dispel.
13
Usually not, but the burden of keeping up the economy will fall on an increasingly shrinking class of youth.
13
@davrosdarlek7058 I haven't heard of any problems of desertion of Ukrainian troops. It makes sense since the war is happening in many cases literally at their doorstep. Both armies suffer from logistics issues, with Ukraine's mainly coming from a lack of ammo (and dealing with many different systems) and Russia from a general lack of resources (due to sheer distance, artillery strikes, and corruption), most keenly trained manpower (something also shared by Ukraine). Your inflation claims are wrong. Forbes put it at 9.3%, and some models even lower. Even so, it has had little impact on Poland's support for Ukraine. Regardless, the US provides the bulk of support. Your final statement proves your true colors though. Every nation has the right to defend itself from an aggressor. Russia brought death upon its troops and Ukrainians through their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and weapons will continue to be supplied until Russia is humbled and retreats. There won't be any end to support to Ukraine. There won't be an end to the fighting until Russia either torches the entire country and enforces it's will through violence and force of arms, or until Russia is driven back across the '91 borders.
12
@Byyaroff North Korea is a small, very homogenous country that has kept itself extremely isolated. Yet, it only really survives because China keeps it on life support. Russia is vast and diverse, and information still pours in from every possible angle. There are many ethnic minorities that are loyal only because the Kremlin basically bribes them. Chechnya is only loyal because Kadyrov receives massive subsidies and is granted wide autonomy. The second Moscow is broke and weak, he will likely rebel. And if he doesn't, someone else most certainly will.
12
China is not innovating more than the US. Maybe the country is experiencing great progress in areas that the party extensively supports, but elsewhere is neglected. The USSR suffered the same issue. It was able to keep parity with the US in areas like military technology and rocketry, but was behind in areas neglected like computers and consumer products. That's just what happens when the economy is controlled by the state. China's property sector collapsed. Youth unemployment is around 40%. Birthrate is continuing to fall. The US is seeing a dramatic increase in Chinese immigrants, legal and illegal. Local governments are extremely deep in debt. China has some serious issues, and denying them now, when even the party is admitting there's a serious problem, is delusional.
11
Don't watch then.
11
@ashiinsane90 So that is why Egypt racks up a massive foreign debt to import wheat that it subsidizes to its populace?
10
People leave Canada for the US, not the other way around.
10
@TapOnX The EU may long be a stable and relatively wealthy place in the world, but it increasingly won't be dictating the direction of the world, only following it. In essence, it'll do well in its niche, but it won't be able to expand outside of it. Most innovation and progress will belong to the US and the PRC.
9
Yeah, because America is the land of opportunity.
9
Plenty of people want to come to the US, because many see its advantages as outweighing its disadvantages, mainly its unrivaled economic and social mobility, relative economic stability, strong property rights, etc. Yeah, it sucks being poor in the US, but if you're NOT poor, you enjoy a standard of living unparalleled elsewhere.
9
Regardless, it is a great humiliation for the Russians. Either it was sunk by a nation that supposedly had its navy and heavy weaponry "liquidated", or sunk by incompetence and poor damage control measures. Being the flag ship of the Black Sea Fleet and named after the capital compounds that humiliation. And while the Americans have had some slip ups (most notably the fire on the Bonhomme Richard), they haven't actually have had one of their ships sink.
8
@ashiinsane90 That too. I had forgotten that Egypt has been doing some pretty extensive military shopping lately. Not to mention that the Egyptian Army has a massive hand in the economy.
8
By contrast, the dollar is likely to be strengthened by this crisis.
8
@taxesdeathandtrouble.1886 Clearly not.
8
@sinoroman The republics are largely powerless, except for Chechnya (which is basically a direct vassal of Putin). Over the past decade, their powers have been gradually stripped, all the way down to the title of the head of state (Only Tartarstan has stubbornly kept it's head as a "President")
7
@Ophaganestopolis Artillery shells are very easy to produce in bulk, compared to something like a tank or cruise missile. Transportation and secure storage are the bottleneck.
7
@sinoroman And the alterative is to... parrot the RT line?
7
@95601 No, it really doesn't. If anything, the Belt-n'-Road Initiative has been a big money sink for the Chinese. None of China's big overseas infrastructure projects have translated into increased energy security, as the vast majority of China's energy imports come through the Straight of Malacca (out of range of Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles and land-based aircraft, I might add). The BRI was more of a diplomatic move to build ties and to continue fueling the Chinese economy with construction demand (which is drying up in China proper).
7
@AnatolyPotapov Again dependent on Ukrainian and NATO acceptance of a defeat. Also Poland, Hungary and Romania taking Ukrainian land seems very implausible.
7
Serbia is Albanian.
7
Any credibility Russia has on the international stage would be gone. It would also encourage acceptance of US nukes in Eastern Europe or Korea.
7
@tulippasta Even in Georgia, they lost three Su-25s and a Tu-22M bomber.
6
tariffs =/= more expensive.
6
It appears things are getting increasingly desperate for Putin. Russia has been humiliated on the battlefield, and any hopes for a quick, painless victory are gone. Russia has totally lost the narrative war, with much of the developed world throwing diplomatic support behind Ukraine. They can still win, as they have military superiority, but the price of victory is spiraling ever higher. Peace talks are actually a sign of weakness for Russia, as they're trying to "cash out" and gain some concessions. Otherwise, they'd had to continue the war to the brutal end, and thus risk rupturing at the seams.
6
@Styxswimmer East Germany was also one of the best off nations in the Eastern Bloc, while North Korea is easily one of the poorest nations in the world.
6
Armenia also occupies Azeri exclaves. The two occupied old Soviet exclaves that were deep in each other's territory. Given that they were rather remote and small, no one really cared about them.
6
Liberation requires surrender. Pfft. It is the sovereign right and duty of every nation to resist invasion and conquest from foreigners.
5
Both profited heavily from the previous status quo pre-invasion. France for geopolitical reasons, and Germany for economic reasons. The war illustrated how wrong their policies towards Russia were, and thus have left them weak. The pride of their governments makes them reluctant to admit that Russia wasn't logical, that America is needed, and both have less clout than they thought.
5
@Megalomaniakaal Also, plenty of the Midwest's agriculture goes to industrial use. Here in Missouri, basically all the soybeans and corn grown here isn't fit for human consumption, rather for livestock feed.
5
@DBZHGWgamer I wasn't using proud in the positive sense. Russia has more in common with the long-gone Mongol Empire (an empire of conquest, pillage, and brutality) than a modern nation-state we'd recognize. Pride is a crutch for Russians. They measure the strength of a nation not by its living standards, stability of government, or functioning economy, but by its military strength. Why else does Russia have so many military parades? Thus, the average Russian cannot accept that Russia is flailing around in Ukraine (to a bunch of "hohols"), as it means Russia is weak. That is simply not acceptable because military strength is all Russia had. Take away that "2nd strongest military in the world" and you have a country that is little more than giant Detroit. No one drank the "Russia Stronk" Kool-Aid more than Russia itself.
5
The Black Sea is a very confined body of water. The Pacific, meanwhile, is vast and open. Most drones used by Ukraine lack the range for any meaningful use in the Pacific.
4
It's only better for as long as a stagnant EU can afford to maintain its social security net, which with its ageing population is far from guaranteed. Or assuming that America doesn't get its act together.
4
Doesn't really matter. Ukraine got a huge propaganda victory from it.
4
The Yugoslav Wars weren't actually that intense militarily. During the Croat War for Independence, over 4 years, only about 15,000 Croat soldiers died. Russia lost that amount in about a month.
4
@the11382 But there is also London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Tokyo.
4
@djkuhl Or other preferential treatment from the Chinese government, which will absolutely bend its rules for something it views as necessary.
4
Could probably add in the 7,000 as well. While most may just be captured (and theoretically recoverable via POW swaps), I'd reckon that at least a quarter to a third are dead. Regardless, 13+ thousand dead is the equivalent to an entire division being destroyed.
4
It's terribly ironic, it has to have been planned as a joke. Though knowing Russia, perhaps it wasn't.
4
Assuming it was even written somewhere.
4
@Trubripes A frozen conflict would suit no one. For Russia, a lack of a treaty would mean that sanctions would continue to degrade their economy. They NEED to bring Ukraine to the negotiating table. While Ukraine is complaining about munition shortages, the the fact is that they can replace their equipment with stuff from the West. Russia, on the meanwhile, cannot replace their equipment. Time works against them, and freezing the conflict would mean Ukraine would have time to recover and rearm. Ukraine would only benefit from a short term freeze (maybe a few weeks, to a couple of months), to keep Western interest high. Also, to keep the Russians on their toes, and to prevent them from digging in. The conflict won't freeze. It will go on until someone breaks.
3
@Rocketsong And drones are also easier to run. If you shoot down a MiG, you lose not only the plane, but usually the pilot as well (even if he doesn't die, he might have bailed out over Russian controlled territory, or is injured at the very least). If a drone is shot down, you just lose the drone. The "pilot" is still safe in base.
3
@stafida8624 Of course. In the event of a Russian invasion of the Baltics, even if they could seize the Baltics, they would be thrown out pretty quickly. The invasion of Ukraine revealed to the world that the Russian military is seriously not up to scratch.
3
Somaliland has been de-facto independent since 1990, and gained it's independence completely on it's own. The DPR/LPR are basically client states, and are completely dependent on aid, both militarily and economic, from Moscow.
3
Lack of accountability, strong regional viceroys, nukes, and an immense stockpile of Soviet weaponry is a terrible combination.
2
@DerLamer How come Germany's defense ministers have never had ANY sort of military service as of late? For the past two decades, only like two people have had any sort of military service, and that was only the basic mandatory service.
2
I doubt it will. Russia needs to get something from this war, and the Ukrainian populace demands that no territory be ceded. If the war freezes, it won't be for long.
2
@Trubripes In that war, most of the fighting was done, at the end, by the US and China. South Korean and North Korea had, by then, largely lost their armies (North Korea's army had been destroyed in 1950). In this war, it is only Ukraine and Russia doing actual fighting. NATO is not expending lives, just weapons. The US has no incentive to have Ukraine lose, Ukraine, for obvious reasons, wants to fight until victory.
2
@robvannNS Why then is China building them then? Why is South Korea in the design phase for their own? Why does Russia bother to keep it's one carrier active then?
2
@madensmith7014 Not necessarily. For one, due in part by "Wolf Warrior" diplomacy, China's trade power hasn't translated into diplomatic influence. And two, China's manufacturing and trade power is worthless without a potent navy. Sea transportation is very important for bulk commodities. China has also been moving to restrain it's market sector. The bureaucrat (Communist Party) fears business tycoons displacing their power. It also comes at a time where China's economy is cooling down (due to a multitude of factors).
2
@aldindurakovic8828 When in doubt, blame the West (Crusaders, Zionists, etc.) instead of your own corrupt leadership that squanders your potential. Of course, Islamism is the solution to everything. What worked for Muhammad and Saladin will work today. The Quaran demands that you stay as a backwards tribe (it doesn't).
2
A pleasant break for Russia on the information sphere. Just goes to show how much Russia can benefit from a mistake made by its foes, even though its battlefield conditions haven't changed.
2
@bonsirt7335 No clue what you're talking about, it's 3.55 here. Also, high gas prices had basically no impact on people's support for Ukraine.
2
They're defending their nation. Every man has the obligation and right to defend his nation and home from foreign invaders. Will crime become worse because of the distribution of weapons? Yes. However, that comes second to when invaders are driving down your street. Russia attacked Ukraine, not the other way around.
2
@TuscanBrick Russia can produce some seriously advanced weaponry. The problem is that they lack the resources (ahem, cash) to produce significant numbers of that. T-14 Armata? 20-ish built. Su-57? 14 I think. The T-90? 300 roughly.
2
Ask Mubarak how that went for him. Also, it would basically collapse Egypt. Millions would starve, and many more would migrate en masse.
2
@dudemantype I'm sure his oligarch allies are furious. Russia is cut off from the Western financial system, so probably a lot of their money is frozen. War, simply put, is bad for business.
2
At the national level sweaty, pay attention.
2
@Maria_Erias China is most assuredly rubbing their hands together with glee. Whereas before the Kremlin could boast of its military strength (in contrast to Russia's weak economic strength) in contrast the China, the debacle in Ukraine makes them look like buffoons. Russia now has less leverage against China, especially with sanctions biting. They are less of a partner to China and more of a sidekick. Thus, they can leverage more political and economic control over Russia, especially they oil and gas China covets. And Russia has no choice, because they've pissed off NATO, so they can't balance China out.
2
@TheSwedishHistorian I don't think I will.
2
So anything that doesn't parrot the RT line is propaganda? Russia isn't a superpower, and their war isn't just.
1
@DerLamer I see. The German military is pathetic for a country of an economy of that size. Perhaps the invasion of Ukraine will finally wake them up from having their heads buried in the sand.
1
@StuffandThings_ Not trying to handwave away overpopulation. Egypt probably could actually decently feed its current population, and then some, with the right management and technology (desalination, proper infrastructure, using more efficient crops, etc.) but its corrupt and decadent elite actively kneecaps the country.
1
@fromthefire4176 One of the main reasons why the military is strictly under the control of elected civilian leadership in most stable countries. Also why the military is usually kept outside the economy. In Egypt, however, the military is given massive control over large sections of the economy (including ownership of massive state enterprises, is guaranteed to win bids, etc.) mostly to keep the generals loyal (and too busy enriching themselves to challenge Sisi or his predecessor Mubarak).
1
@lefroste6370 you are completely clueless
1
@INSANESUICIDE No, Ukraine gave up its nukes because it was broke. By 1996, its oligarchs had plundered the country, and were absolutely happy to hand over its nukes for basically nothing.
1
@Trubripes If the Russian leadership was smart, they'd trade their gains and the separatists for recognition of Crimea. Their separatist client states are basically on the verge of economic collapse, and have served as little more than cannon fodder in this war.
1
@themule6032 Hungarians are suspicious of Russia, for obvious reasons (1956 Hungarian Revolution, for example). Orban is a sort of populist conservative, similar to the Polish government, but for some reason is friendly to Russia, instead of being expectedly hostile to it.
1
@sinoroman People say that, and have been saying that for over two months, but nothing has materialized. If Russia was actually going to win, they'd have won already. Every day that passes, every day that Russia can't get Ukraine to the negotiating table and get a peace treaty, is a day where Ukraine gets stronger and Russia gets weaker. People have this mythical view of Russia, that it is a great military power, a superpower who defeated the Nazis. Truth is, Russia is a decrepit, rotten, rusting remnant of a superstate that fell apart 30 years ago. Industries are plundered for their wealth by oligarchs, who then stash their money in Swiss banks. There is an epidemic of HIV/AIDS, infrastructure is crumbling, people are leaving for the West... Russia will lose, and Russia may not survive it. Perhaps that's a good thing, and maybe its people will take a hard look about the state of affairs that they put themselves in.
1
@navajoguy8102 Who cares? Is Saddam still in power? Does the Ba'ath regime still control Iraq? In a few weeks, Iraq was dismantled by a country on the other side of the globe. Russia hasn't even beaten it's neighbor after six months.
1
@samuelskinner7704 RT is the mouthpiece of the Russian government. How is it any different than the MSM in the US?
1
@samuelskinner7704 RT blatantly lies all the time. It's not a reliable source.
1
It's war. People die in war.
1
I disagree on his perception of it, but he was ultimately ahead of his time.
1
The Iranians are a useful tool to keep the Israelis and Saudis in line, and prevent them from killing each other. Iran is a far more useful as a boogeyman to the Gulf states than what it might be without sanctions.
1
And extremely corrupt.
1
I'm not sure Lukashenko wanted this. I'm sure he was content to just sit this one out, but with Russian troops in his country, he has little choice. If Russia seriously loses the war, to the point where Russia as a viable entity is in doubt, Lukashenko would likely not survive. I'm sure Belarussian troops would perform even worse than Russian troops, given their worse equipment and likely even worse morale. Belarus doesn't have all that oil to bankroll a super modern army, and unlike Ukraine, largely lacks a domestic arms industry.
1
@tylerw6438 Autocrats are willing to risk anything and everything to stay in power (usually, staying in power means staying alive).
1
It will also set off a nuclear arms race. Not only authoritarian countries like Iran or North Korea, but also any country that has its very existence threatened, like Taiwan. If Taiwan thought that the US would "puss out" over a Chinese invasion, because China has nukes, then the only logical solution to ensure Taiwan's survival becomes producing nuclear weapons. Which very well might spook China into war, and if they are too slow, a war against a nuclear-armed Taiwan.
1
The same reason that the Kremlin refuses to implement a general mobilization. No one cares if some impoverished Dagestani or Buryat from the edges of the Federation dies.
1
Probably not the really serious crimes. If you're an ex-soldier and you're only in for a year for theft, you're getting shipped to Kharkiv, whereas if you've committed double homicide, you're probably staying in there.
1
@wunwong9251 Cool and all, but how does that help the average Chinese citizen, who is much poorer than their US counterparts? The USSR was more advanced than the US in some fields, but was still a far poorer country.
1
@wunwong9251 I guess that's why consumer spending is so trash in China. FYI, housing prices in the big Chinese cities were going for NYC-tier rates, while the average resident was making sub-Mississippi wages. But, you know, birth rates are falling just because. Also massive youth unemployment, which you seem to ignore (just like the CCP). The US has been seeing dramatically increased Chinese immigration, especially since 2021. I wonder why... Also, China's GDP is obviously inflated. Even Hu Jintao admitted as much. That's what you get for building an economy on a property bubble. Say, I hope you didn't invest in real estate...
1
@wunwong9251 lol wumao. Property prices are dropping even lower.
1
Russia's elite, and the rest of the population in general, have a sort of "bunker mentality" combined with the idea that their hardships have made them tougher and stronger. Combined with their disregard for life (which everyone else knows too) gives them the assumption that they can bluff their way out of problems. They do this under the assumption that the West, who value peace and the lives and wellbeing of their citizens, would rather just let Russia have what it wants instead of risking a war.
1
Doubtful. It is in the interest of the US for Ukraine to be powerful. It would counterbalance Russia, and France/Germany. A victorious Ukraine would be grateful to the US, and suspicious to Western Europe.
1
@schuschnix5261 Whether Putin steps down or not is irrelevant as long as sanctions hobble Russia's ability to perform on the battlefield. No one cares about regime change, because authoritarian regimes are rather tenacious in the face of sanctions. Also, no one is going to buy repackaged Russian oil from India because it's inconvenient and more expensive than buying it from Saudi Arabia or Nigeria. As for refining, that can be bought already refined from the US (which has immense refining capacity), and natural gas doesn't need to be refined. Also, to answer the rest of your rather schizophrenic rant, no one will sanction the US because the US can actually do diplomacy and is far more powerful and globally relevant than Russia.
1
@ruggeddiscipline6026 Uh, yeah. The US Navy patrols the world's oceans. Why else does the US have 10 aircraft carriers, and about 70 destroyers? Not because the US is afraid of the rusty Russian navy, that's for sure. Who buys stuff in rubles? I'm not taking about Russian oil, but Russian vodka. Russian timber, nickel, and coal. It's done in dollars. No one buys anything in RMB (I doubt you even know what it is). International transactions are done in mostly dollars, and occasionally euros, all facilitated by the US keeping the oceans safe and free.
1
A weak, defanged Russia is far more preferable. A free-for-all civil war would be catastrophic, not only for the nukes but the massive amounts of weapons up for grabs.
1
No concessions. The Minsk Agreements are dead. Russia won't be allowed to slink away and lick its wounds. It has been humiliated in Ukraine, had thousands die for "de-nazification".
1
@ArchivatorRUS Uh, yeah. What makes you think that Ukraine should consider the interests of an invader, especially one as incompetent and sloppy as Russia? Russia isn't a great power, just a corrupt gas station with a bunch of nukes. Ukraine wants nothing to do with Russia, who offers only misery. Russia started this war; they fired the first shots. If they can't get what they want militarily, then they will get nothing, because they deserve nothing. Simple as.
1
It was a giant ponzi scheme created by Egypt's corrupt elite that used the entire country as collateral to fund their decadence.
1
No, it's not. Russia seriously underestimated the will of Ukraine. They did not prepare for a serious fight. They expected a war like in Crimea of '14. Quick, painless, with hardly a shot being fired.
1
@allo5170 Natural resources that encourage wasteful planning and corruption. All that oil money goes straight into the pockets of the corrupt government. Look a Singapore, a country that has NO natural resources, and yet is one of the most well developed and richest countries out there.
1
The Biden administration is incredibly risk adverse, as they are more concerned with surviving November elections rather than having to deal with a collapsing Russia. The admin simply doesn't have the stomach for the conflict, and so are willing to buy into Russia's "red lines".
1
Trump is just a symptom of the end of the previous global order, one that your beloved Obama failed to maintain and guard. The EU was arrogant and naive, and assumed that the "end of history" would last forever. So you better believe this is happening. It's change, mate.
1
@Unwise- In many dictatorships, to lose power is to lose your life. In your rise to power, and in your efforts to maintain power, you make some serious enemies. If you were to, say, retire, you'd be giving up that power which makes you safe. Then, someone else may take that power and see you as a liability. For personal reasons, or in case you might decide retirement sucks and you want your power back. Wars for dictatorships are a gamble. They can either unite the country and boost your legitimacy (if you win), or you look incompetent and lose any legitimacy you have. Mao used the Chinese Civil War and the stalemated Korean War to gain immense legitimacy and prestige. Said Barre of Somalia, in contrast, after losing the war with Ethiopia lost any scrap of legitimacy he had left and basically lost control over his country.
1
I'd rather Russia be under a weak and isolated Putin (militarily defanged of course), than fall under Navalny or someone similar, who has no control over most of the country. Or worse, that Russia descends into a civil war with their entire nuclear arsenal up for grabs.
1
Perhaps, but I would disagree. Afghanistan is a thorn bush of trouble. View it less of a nation than more of a mosh pit of competing tribal, ethnic, and religious interests. Not even religion unites them, as there are a sizeable Shia population in a Sunni majority. I would argue that it has now returned to it's natural state: A conservative confederation of tribal and religious interests loosely controlling the country.
1
Ukraine possessed a strong and well organized military with heavy equipment such as tanks, IFVs, and heavy artillery. The Baltics lack this.
1
@morewi Of course not. As the Russian economy smolders in the dumpster, they have less money for the "Russia Stronk!" bots. So, they started recruiting prisoners.
1
Russian arrogance towards Ukraine will likely prove their undoing. Russia saw Ukrainians as backwards "hohols", who folded without a shot during the occupation of Crimea, and who were pushed back at Delbaltseve. What they forgot is that Ukraine was then divided by revolution, and still using the old Soviet model for their military. Ukraine rebuilt itself, retrained itself, and reunified itself.
1
Brandon Palmer Doubtful. That radiation would be dumped on his ally Belarus.
1
@ Canada has lower wages and more expensive housing. The US is growing faster. Also, Canada's healthcare isn't even that good compared to having decent insurance in the US, with Canada having much longer wait times presently due to having an overstretched system. Thus, more Canadians are attracted to the US.
1