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It might be worth considering that until very recently, Russia's military was definitely supremely capable and on-par with NATO. Russia lies. About everything.

by XorNot 2y ago

It might be worth considering that until very recently, Russia's military was definitely supremely capable and on-par with NATO. Russia lies. About everything. And culturally Russians have been immersed in a narrative that they're the absolute best in the world at everything, that all good ideas were originally Russian ideas (see how the narrative of LK-99 started getting modified before anything was verified). So do they have processes or techniques not used in the West? Sure it's possible: but it's also far more likely that the reason we don't use them is that the actual investigation of their effectiveness can't reproduce the results. Because no one looks up the clinical studies: they just repeat the fun narrative about big mysterious super-technology from behind the Iron Curtain. Which itself was essentially an invention of interest groups looking for funding in the West (i.e. there's was never a "missile gap" the US was going to lose). Like as noted here: you remember the story, but not any actual specific drugs or processes? Why?

Beijinger 2y ago
EDIT: Someone found the link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/08/16/an-iron-curtain-has-descended-upon-psychopharmacology/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/08/16/an-iron-curtain-has-de... I did not find the blog post anymore. But the blog linked to a pharmacy website that had tons of stuff available. A few links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenazepam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenazepam https://nah.sen.es/vmfiles/vol9/NAHV9N2202155_68EN.pdf https://nah.sen.es/vmfiles/vol9/NAHV9N2202155_68EN.pdf https://cosmicnootropic.com/blog/popular-nootropics/ https://cosmicnootropic.com/blog/popular-nootropics/ https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/psychiatry/news/archive/202010/phenibut-russian-cosmonaut-drug-you-can-buy-online-reduce-anxiety https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/psychiatry/news/archive/2020...
Beijinger 2y ago
"It might be worth considering that until very recently, Russia's military was definitely supremely capable and on-par with NATO." I think Russia was not on-par with NATO after it collapse, at least not in conventional warfare. They missed the electronic revolution in warfare (See US-IRAQ Gulf War I). But they are now back on par, possibly better. Their jamming, air defense and rockets are top-notch, possible better than NATOs. They can disrupt our GPS System, we can't disrupt theirs since it is much younger, speak better. As a comparison: Germany had 3000 tanks during the cold war. Now they have 300, 200 operational. Russia looses so many tanks every month, and actually builds 100-200 new ones every month. Germany had ammunition for two days of warfare. After they gave some to Ukraine, they have ammunition for one day left. Russia has been underestimated. They are back and their future looks pretty good, even with a dubious leader. They won their war: Defeat of the West? Emmanuel Todd and the Russo-Ukrainian War https://www.thearticle.com/defeat-of-the-west-emmanuel-todd-and-the-russo-ukrainian-war https://www.thearticle.com/defeat-of-the-west-emmanuel-todd-... They have energy, they are not overpopulated, they have fewer problems with immigration. In fact, they're even looking for immigrants: https://movingtorussia.ru/ru https://movingtorussia.ru/ru In the US I can smell the recession and banks will go belly up very soon: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/which-big-u-s-banks-have-the-most-commercial-real-estate-exposure/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/which-big-u-s-banks-have-th... In Germany too. Without Russian Energy their manufacturing heavy country will deindustrialize. At the same time, Russia is actively trying to replace the US Dollar as the world reserve currency, together with BRICS+. If successful, this will have a tremendous impact on the US. I am not a Putin troll, and I hope that I am wrong. But the future has the nasty habit of taking unexpected turns.
- aguaviva 2y ago
  They have not "won the war". Not by any stretch. That's just a pundit's plainly ideology-driven projection. The fact that this author chose to call their book The Defeat of the West, and that its main thesis is that this defeat is due to the “vaporisation of Protestantism" should give one serious pause. Perhaps not the best source to turn to for a serious, impartial military analysis.
  - Beijinger 2y ago
    "Perhaps not the best source to turn to for a serious, impartial military analysis." Fair point. But it is from Emmanuel Todd. Who the f. is Emmanuel Todd? "Todd attracted attention in 1976 when, at age 25, he predicted the fall of the Soviet Union, based on indicators such as increasing infant mortality rates: La chute finale: Essais sur la décomposition de la sphère Soviétique (The Final Fall: An Essay on the Decomposition of the Soviet Sphere)."
    - aguaviva 2y ago
      It doesn't matter who he is, or what he said when he was 25. His perspective this time around is plainly warped, and his analysis is just as plainly flawed, given the current reality of what's happening on the ground in Ukraine. You can tell that all by yourself, without having to take some supposed visionary's word for it. That's what happens when people get lucky early in their careers. Sadly, it tends to go to their head. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_authority https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_authority
      - User23 2y ago
        What’s currently going on in Ukraine is they are slowly losing a war of attrition that eventually their allies will lose interest in funding. We don’t have to like that outcome to see that it’s inevitable and has been from the very start. One entirely possible outcome I haven’t seen discussed much is Poland turning on the Ukrainian rump state once Russia finishes annexing the ethnic Russian east.
smsm42 2y ago
> but it's also far more likely that the reason we don't use them is that the actual investigation of their effectiveness can't reproduce the results. Or, passing a novel approach through FDA, who are previously not familiar with it, is so prohibitively expensive that nobody wants to invest in it. And since it already has prior art, it's probably also not patentable so you can't even get back the money after you get the approval. Unless such drug can make billions as generic - which is quite rare - there's no point in investing in it, even if it works.

by XorNot 2y ago

Beijinger 2y ago

EDIT: Someone found the link: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/08/16/an-iron-curtain-has-descended-upon-psychopharmacology/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/08/16/an-iron-curtain-has-de... I did not find the blog post anymore. But the blog linked to a pharmacy website that had tons of stuff available. A few links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenazepam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenazepam https://nah.sen.es/vmfiles/vol9/NAHV9N2202155_68EN.pdf https://nah.sen.es/vmfiles/vol9/NAHV9N2202155_68EN.pdf https://cosmicnootropic.com/blog/popular-nootropics/ https://cosmicnootropic.com/blog/popular-nootropics/ https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/psychiatry/news/archive/202010/phenibut-russian-cosmonaut-drug-you-can-buy-online-reduce-anxiety https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/psychiatry/news/archive/2020...

Beijinger 2y ago

"It might be worth considering that until very recently, Russia's military was definitely supremely capable and on-par with NATO." I think Russia was not on-par with NATO after it collapse, at least not in conventional warfare. They missed the electronic revolution in warfare (See US-IRAQ Gulf War I). But they are now back on par, possibly better. Their jamming, air defense and rockets are top-notch, possible better than NATOs. They can disrupt our GPS System, we can't disrupt theirs since it is much younger, speak better. As a comparison: Germany had 3000 tanks during the cold war. Now they have 300, 200 operational. Russia looses so many tanks every month, and actually builds 100-200 new ones every month. Germany had ammunition for two days of warfare. After they gave some to Ukraine, they have ammunition for one day left. Russia has been underestimated. They are back and their future looks pretty good, even with a dubious leader. They won their war: Defeat of the West? Emmanuel Todd and the Russo-Ukrainian War https://www.thearticle.com/defeat-of-the-west-emmanuel-todd-and-the-russo-ukrainian-war https://www.thearticle.com/defeat-of-the-west-emmanuel-todd-... They have energy, they are not overpopulated, they have fewer problems with immigration. In fact, they're even looking for immigrants: https://movingtorussia.ru/ru https://movingtorussia.ru/ru In the US I can smell the recession and banks will go belly up very soon: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/which-big-u-s-banks-have-the-most-commercial-real-estate-exposure/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/which-big-u-s-banks-have-th... In Germany too. Without Russian Energy their manufacturing heavy country will deindustrialize. At the same time, Russia is actively trying to replace the US Dollar as the world reserve currency, together with BRICS+. If successful, this will have a tremendous impact on the US. I am not a Putin troll, and I hope that I am wrong. But the future has the nasty habit of taking unexpected turns.

aguaviva 2y ago
They have not "won the war". Not by any stretch. That's just a pundit's plainly ideology-driven projection. The fact that this author chose to call their book The Defeat of the West, and that its main thesis is that this defeat is due to the “vaporisation of Protestantism" should give one serious pause. Perhaps not the best source to turn to for a serious, impartial military analysis.
- Beijinger 2y ago
  "Perhaps not the best source to turn to for a serious, impartial military analysis." Fair point. But it is from Emmanuel Todd. Who the f. is Emmanuel Todd? "Todd attracted attention in 1976 when, at age 25, he predicted the fall of the Soviet Union, based on indicators such as increasing infant mortality rates: La chute finale: Essais sur la décomposition de la sphère Soviétique (The Final Fall: An Essay on the Decomposition of the Soviet Sphere)."
  - aguaviva 2y ago
    It doesn't matter who he is, or what he said when he was 25. His perspective this time around is plainly warped, and his analysis is just as plainly flawed, given the current reality of what's happening on the ground in Ukraine. You can tell that all by yourself, without having to take some supposed visionary's word for it. That's what happens when people get lucky early in their careers. Sadly, it tends to go to their head. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_authority https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_authority
    - User23 2y ago
      What’s currently going on in Ukraine is they are slowly losing a war of attrition that eventually their allies will lose interest in funding. We don’t have to like that outcome to see that it’s inevitable and has been from the very start. One entirely possible outcome I haven’t seen discussed much is Poland turning on the Ukrainian rump state once Russia finishes annexing the ethnic Russian east.

smsm42 2y ago

> but it's also far more likely that the reason we don't use them is that the actual investigation of their effectiveness can't reproduce the results. Or, passing a novel approach through FDA, who are previously not familiar with it, is so prohibitively expensive that nobody wants to invest in it. And since it already has prior art, it's probably also not patentable so you can't even get back the money after you get the approval. Unless such drug can make billions as generic - which is quite rare - there's no point in investing in it, even if it works.