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What you're describing is the North Korean playbook: completely cut yourself off from the rest of the world and let your people starve in order to hang on to po

What you're describing is the North Korean playbook: completely cut yourself off from the rest of the world and let your people starve in order to hang on to power. North Korea shows that it is possible--in North Korea. But is it possible in a country over a hundred times the land area, between five and six times as large in population, with many different ethnic groups, run by an oligarchy of businessmen who depend on, well, business, that now will have to deal with a never-ending Ukrainian insurgency without any exit plan to speak of, and, most importantly, without China willing to spend the vast resources necessary to prop them up? I'm extremely doubtful, as is the West, and that's why the sanctions are being imposed.

josephcsible 5y ago
> without China willing to spend the vast resources necessary to prop them up Why wouldn't China be willing to do this? They already said they're going to increase their wheat purchases to make up for what the West isn't buying anymore.
- pcwalton 5y ago
  What's in it for China? Unlike North Korea, Russia isn't a buffer state between US military installations and the Chinese border. And it would cost far more to prop up Russia than it does to prop up North Korea.
  - josephcsible 5y ago
    When has "because it would be bad for the West" not been enough of a reason for China to do something?
FpUser 5y ago
>"completely cut yourself off from the rest of the world and let your people starve in order to hang on to power. North Korea shows that it is possible" Russia is leading wheat producer so the people might not actually go hungry but the rest will suck big time. Their tech / industry infra will be ruined.
neilwilson 5y ago
How are the people going to starve in Russia? They supply the world with wheat. They have an excess of food, energy, manpower and natural resources. The businessmen don't need to sell to you. They can engage their people producing armaments and output for the Russian war machine instead. The person who loses out then is you. Nobody else. You haven't got your Russian gas, which means you don't have fertiliser or warmth and you either starve or go cold. The more land area you have, the more likely you are to be able to be self sufficient.

josephcsible 5y ago

> without China willing to spend the vast resources necessary to prop them up Why wouldn't China be willing to do this? They already said they're going to increase their wheat purchases to make up for what the West isn't buying anymore.

pcwalton 5y ago
What's in it for China? Unlike North Korea, Russia isn't a buffer state between US military installations and the Chinese border. And it would cost far more to prop up Russia than it does to prop up North Korea.
- josephcsible 5y ago
  When has "because it would be bad for the West" not been enough of a reason for China to do something?

FpUser 5y ago

>"completely cut yourself off from the rest of the world and let your people starve in order to hang on to power. North Korea shows that it is possible" Russia is leading wheat producer so the people might not actually go hungry but the rest will suck big time. Their tech / industry infra will be ruined.

neilwilson 5y ago

How are the people going to starve in Russia? They supply the world with wheat. They have an excess of food, energy, manpower and natural resources. The businessmen don't need to sell to you. They can engage their people producing armaments and output for the Russian war machine instead. The person who loses out then is you. Nobody else. You haven't got your Russian gas, which means you don't have fertiliser or warmth and you either starve or go cold. The more land area you have, the more likely you are to be able to be self sufficient.