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Author's background is right below the article: Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok - military observer, retired colonel. Graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineer

Author's background is right below the article: Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok - military observer, retired colonel. Graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), Military Command Academy of Air Defense (1986). Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile battalion (1980–1983). Deputy commander of an anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986–1988). Senior officer of the Main Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988–1992). Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff (1992–2000). Graduate of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998). Columnist for the Independent (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier (2010-2015).

DangerousPie 5y ago
Right. I was hoping for something a bit more independent. From all I can tell this is just the opinion of a Russian ex military officer posted on a random blog. Not a particularly great source for independent geopolitical analysis.
- alisonkisk 5y ago
- danielrhodes 5y ago
  Assuming no bias, the author is going to be far more informed than your average news media analyst. The author’s point is more or less that the west does not understand what they are looking at. But if you look at the past few debacles in failed US military interventions, they are all caused by being misinformed. During the Vietnam war, the US was so ill informed on history they thought the Vietnamese would join forces with China. However, Vietnam and China have had a very tumultuous past and this was never on the table - far from it. A quick reading of history would dispel those fears. Amazingly, McNamara only learned of this decades later. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the US made similar errors. They thought installing a democracy would simply replace the tribal power structures Saddam had kept in check for decades. But obviously with him gone, rivalries came right back. 20 years later… Now that’s not to say Russia is not playing the usual smoke and mirrors games to extract concessions from NATO and West. But it’s good to have this perspective before anybody gets too trigger happy.

DangerousPie 5y ago

Right. I was hoping for something a bit more independent. From all I can tell this is just the opinion of a Russian ex military officer posted on a random blog. Not a particularly great source for independent geopolitical analysis.

alisonkisk 5y ago
danielrhodes 5y ago
Assuming no bias, the author is going to be far more informed than your average news media analyst. The author’s point is more or less that the west does not understand what they are looking at. But if you look at the past few debacles in failed US military interventions, they are all caused by being misinformed. During the Vietnam war, the US was so ill informed on history they thought the Vietnamese would join forces with China. However, Vietnam and China have had a very tumultuous past and this was never on the table - far from it. A quick reading of history would dispel those fears. Amazingly, McNamara only learned of this decades later. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the US made similar errors. They thought installing a democracy would simply replace the tribal power structures Saddam had kept in check for decades. But obviously with him gone, rivalries came right back. 20 years later… Now that’s not to say Russia is not playing the usual smoke and mirrors games to extract concessions from NATO and West. But it’s good to have this perspective before anybody gets too trigger happy.