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looks like its ten seconds to midnight. Very sad moment indeed. Putin seems to be completely mad...

• oliwarner 5y ago
  I think he thinks the liberal western world has shown it will do everything to avoid midnight, including letting Russia do whatever the hell it damned well likes. They have UNSC allies. Cryptocurrency makes it near impossible to sanction them, or stop them funding whatever they like. Short of the war we're too afraid to wage, there's little we can do. Seize assets? Great. That might make it uncomfortable for Putin's allies but it's soft power when you consider that Putin can reimburse any losses. Don't get me wrong, I'm not cheerleading for a world war, but at this point, it's hard to see the advantage of avoiding it. Sacrificing Ukraine only shows the world how powerless we are if you're holding nukes, which is obviously a dangerous statement given the long-running conflicts around the world.
  • MichaelMoser123 5y ago
    i think that real sanctions can do quite a lot - it would make a real difference, if state run enterprises like Gazprom and the big banks would no longer be able to mobilize any money on the markets. I actually do wonder, why measures such as a shutdown of swift have not been announced yet.
    • oliwarner 5y ago
      It's still winter. Much of Europe relies on Gazprom directly for natural gas and perhaps more pervasively, for a lot of low cost natural gas to maintain market stability. Indeed, Gazprom's recent inaction to stabilise supply has seen wholesale prices rocket. I can't imagine the chaos if Gazprom were ordered to cut the supply off. By which I mean to say, Russia has bargaining power here too. It's not just pointy sticks.