4 ms·

I don't like the guy, and I absolutely don't agree with most of what him and his administration did. But the one thing that they got right(which every person ou

I don't like the guy, and I absolutely don't agree with most of what him and his administration did. But the one thing that they got right(which every person outside of the collective west seems to understand) is that only a complete madman would throw the biggest nuclear power, the biggest natural resource country and the biggest missile manufacturer in the world right into the arms of the biggest manufacturing power in the world. They did what they did, so the decisions that are being done now need to be done with the current state of reality in mind.

KptMarchewa 4y ago
>throw Russia is responsible for it's own action. It's not a weird state machine reacting to "western" actions and applying appropriate response. Russia was given everything they possibly could be given to become part of "the west" - growing, democratic nation, like many of the nation they formerly occupied. Instead they choose kleptocracy, mafia state ruled by the guy who bombed apartment buildings in his own country to become president - and it only went downhill from there.
The_Colonel 4y ago
Do you believe that if we've let Russia to take Ukraine, Putin would become the West's best friend? Or maybe that's not enough and return to 1997 NATO borders would be necessary? Or perhaps that would not be enough and return to the 1988 geopolitical situation would be necessary to make Putin a friend of the West? What if even that wouldn't make Putin a western ally? Wouldn't we be just be letting our geopolitical enemy get stronger?
ptero 4y ago
"Into the arms" is a pretty big overstatement. China is not a friend of Russia. It has its own goals and challenges. And many challenges they do have: China made a huge progress on industrialization, put some checks on corruption and conquered widespread hunger, but it is still a mostly poor, agrarian country with a rapidly aging population. They, absolutely rationally, jump at the option of cheaper energy import, but I would not read that as a long-term support of the Russian view of the world (which, I heard from several folks, they often despise). They pursue their own agenda. My 2c.
trasz 4y ago
One logical solution is to make sure Russia is no longer an useful asset, by splitting off its colonies.

KptMarchewa 4y ago

>throw Russia is responsible for it's own action. It's not a weird state machine reacting to "western" actions and applying appropriate response. Russia was given everything they possibly could be given to become part of "the west" - growing, democratic nation, like many of the nation they formerly occupied. Instead they choose kleptocracy, mafia state ruled by the guy who bombed apartment buildings in his own country to become president - and it only went downhill from there.

The_Colonel 4y ago

Do you believe that if we've let Russia to take Ukraine, Putin would become the West's best friend? Or maybe that's not enough and return to 1997 NATO borders would be necessary? Or perhaps that would not be enough and return to the 1988 geopolitical situation would be necessary to make Putin a friend of the West? What if even that wouldn't make Putin a western ally? Wouldn't we be just be letting our geopolitical enemy get stronger?

ptero 4y ago

"Into the arms" is a pretty big overstatement. China is not a friend of Russia. It has its own goals and challenges. And many challenges they do have: China made a huge progress on industrialization, put some checks on corruption and conquered widespread hunger, but it is still a mostly poor, agrarian country with a rapidly aging population. They, absolutely rationally, jump at the option of cheaper energy import, but I would not read that as a long-term support of the Russian view of the world (which, I heard from several folks, they often despise). They pursue their own agenda. My 2c.

trasz 4y ago

One logical solution is to make sure Russia is no longer an useful asset, by splitting off its colonies.