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I guess these numbers we see in the west are a matter of perspective eh [1]? Other estimates say it's a calculated low cost ($500M) war. Has the world gone ins
by rjzzleep 5y ago
I guess these numbers we see in the west are a matter of perspective eh [1]? Other estimates say it's a calculated low cost ($500M) war.
Has the world gone insane? People in the west are cheering on war escalations as if it's some fun weekend recreational activity. People on HN are posting suggestions to join the ukrainian forces, because I guess all those weapons they bought at walmart need to be put to use somehow.
The West thinks that China isn't on Russias side because they didn't Veto the UN resolution as well, but they're just smart enough to take note of everything that is happening to make sure that they have contingencies of everything that is happening. You'll probably see them further removing reserves from foreign countries, further pushing CIPS across the global south, etc.
Japan has joined the west in sanctioning Belarus. The EU has passed a resolution to ban Russian media outlets(and encryption, not in the same go). Apple Wallet kicked out russian banks, UK is freezing Russian assets, rating agencies have downgraded russia to junk status, all without UN mandate. All the semblance of international law has been thrown out the window. I can't help but ask, if this is what the West is willing to do for Ukraine without joining the EU or NATO what would have happened if it had joined either?
Best case, everyone in the global south will pull out of the wests financial systems over the next couple of the decades further embolstering China and we'll see more non google/apple choice in the smartphone/tech market and governments outside of the west returning to a more cash based society and this will blow over with some collateral damage. Worst case this doesn't just blow over and Russia is backed in such a corner that is in fact no option but full scale war with the west.
I think you guys(especially the europeans) ought to ask your grandparents(if they're still alive) how fun the last world war was, since asking Lybians is out of the question(they're stuck on boats). Iraq which was basically a massacre and destruction of Iraq left thousands in the west traumatized and millions decimated over there. And that's a country that has nowhere near the support nor the military capability russia had.
[1] https://asiatimes.com/2022/03/russias-low-cost-war-can-endure-western-sanctions/ https://asiatimes.com/2022/03/russias-low-cost-war-can-endur...
- another_story 5y agoWhat part of international law says that a country can't be sanctioned for waging war or that a company can't choose where they want to do business?
- rjzzleep 5y agoArticle 41 https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text https://aclj.org/united-nations/procedures-to-impose-sanctions-under-the-u-n-charter https://aclj.org/united-nations/procedures-to-impose-sanctio...
- docdeek 5y agoArticle 41 explains how the UN Security Council can impose sanctions and encourage other UN Member States to follow suit. There is no obligation for states to sanction another state via the UNSC - sanctions can be imposed by a state without passing through the UNSC.
- another_story 5y agoThat doesn't say anything about a country not being able to sanction a country on it's own, and nothing about companies withholding services.
- Mashimo 5y agoWhat should Europe have done differently in your eyes?
- Nemrod67 5y agoyup, seems the dominant voice on this on HN thinks the West has a moral advantage (it doesn't, Yemen Libya Guatemala, etc). Most people don't seem to know the difference between what we are seeing in Ukraine and a real Total War (mass bombardments on cities, every night). We bombed Serbia back to the stone age (infrastructures and civilians alike), so it must be hard to reconcile that with the current "limited" onslaught in Ukraine.
- erosenbe0 5y agoThe US bombed Laos 1/2 million times. Yes, 1/2 million missions for at least 1000lbs of bombs per person. This information was hidden from the public at the time.
- rjzzleep 5y agoNATO(but mostly france, UK and the US) bombed Libya so many times that NATO ran out and Germany had to restock them[1]. Germany is always "kind of" neutral. The US dropped 27k missiles on 7 countries in 2016 alone.[2] But that isn't really the point of my post. While Russia did in fact declare war on Ukraine and for whatever reasons or whatever your opinion on that is, the West has effectively declared global war on Russia and it will take a lot of restraint from Russia not respond in kind. And since they can't respond in the same way economically the only option would be actual real war. This is what happens when you leave diplomacy to a bunch of lawyer bros from Oxford and Harvard who have never had to deal with someone saying no to them. [1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-libya-idUSTRE75Q5N320110627 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-libya-idUSTRE75Q5... [2] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-bombed-iraq-syria-pakistan-afghanistan-libya-yemen-somalia-n704636 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-bombed-iraq-syria-pak...
- baq 5y agoor you could say that they've collected intelligence on Putin and his inner circle and decided that they can turn it around on him. which seems to be sort of working, but at great cost. we'll see in a couple of weeks when russia starts running out of basic stuff like toilet paper. either way Putin doesn't seem to be treated as a rational actor anymore. he might still think straight, but he seems to believe in his own propaganda.