Comments by "LRRPFco52" (@LRRPFco52) on "Russia and the Changing Nature of the Spy Game || Peter Zeihan" video.

USD is much more than a petro-dollar. It's also the global: Agro-dollar Weapons dollar Shipping dollar Techno-dollar Finance-dollar Language dollar Air traffic dollar Medical dollar Entertainment dollar Tiny-minded people looking for a simple understanding to complex systems coined the petro-dollar moniker, but it ignores all of the above.
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The Soviets had moles in Germany since the 1930s, just as the Tsars had plenty of moles in Germany dating back to the 1800s. When the West German BND was formed, it was headed by one of the highest-ranking double agents in history, General Reinhardt Gehlen. The Russians also seeded the OSS with tons of doubles, who filled the ranks of the CIA as well.
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USSR collapsed, while the US and NATO did not. Russia went through a tumultuous transition of power if you recall, with the KGB taking over industry and becoming the oligarchs. They planted 3 Deputy PMs in Yeltsin's cabinet, then 1 of them was annointed to take over in Dec 1999, assuming office Jan 1, 2000. He then purged all the oligarchs that handed him power, and replaced them with loyalists who became billionaires overnight. His name is Vladimir Putin.
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@jimluebke3869 As to the Rostovs in War and Peace, there's a fundamental disconnect between that type of nobility family and mid-late Soviet families, as well as post-Soviet families due to urbanization. Russian agricultural and nobility families used to have a lot of kids. Since Khrushchev, they have gone down to 1 child per family since apartments are so small and income is extremely low. You wouldn't be able to find a Rostov family in Russia today.
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NKVD and Soviet intelligence apparatus had 200 double agents in the OSS and CIA before the ink was even dry in 1947. One of them was named George de Mohrenschildt. Most came in under cover as Belorussians and Nazis.
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Putin had a summer retreat there. I've been to Åland many times. Beautiful place.
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@jimluebke3869 The oligarchs recognized that without a strong man, Russia would continue to free-fall, so one had to be installed. They were fools if they didn't consider what a true Tsar-like figure would do.
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@jimluebke3869 The young Russians I knew in Russia were very apolitical, as are most of the population. Kids just wanting to hang out with friends, sneaking into apartment stairwells to smoke, drink and listen to music. Young adults were just looking for work or staying on their sports teams. I met one businessman who barely broached the subject of politics, complaining that it was a rigged system with no room for dissenting voices, because they would be arrested. Russians instinctively know they have to back their strong man, because everyone is out to get them. They truly believe that greedy capitalists want to come steal their resources, as they have been told that Russia is the best, biggest country in the world with the most resources. Never mind that they aren't a value-added economy and live in the sub-arctic with no real access to the seas or major trade routes. It's a very poor, frozen, isolated, depressed society where people don't smile. Smiling means you're basically a village idiot half-wit. "Why Sergei is smiling? Is he thick in his skull?"
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@jimluebke3869 For the Rostov son in the Tsarist military, sure for some of the repressed sociopaths who seek power. For most soldiers, ceremonies are a dreaded task to be endured. There are lots of practices in bad weather, lots of standing around waiting, frustration with cohorts who screw up the rehearsal, causing seemingly-endless iterations until the commanders are satisfied. There is constant fear that you will screw up and it will stick out from the synchronization, so it's a very stressful series of events you can't wait to be over. Russia has had a hard time populating the May Day parade since the SMO kicked off 845 days ago. The Generals assured Putin Kiev would be his within 72hrs. Putin has replaced multiple Deputy Defense Ministers and Shoigu with an accountant now, family members in key positions due to paranoia about loyalty. So I see some parallels with Nikolai II, but there aren't any rising revolutionaries against the Tsar. A military defeat would be devastating for Putin though.
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