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One thing that worries me is what if Putin gets a terminal illness? What incentive would he not have to go out by pushing the button?

rightbyte 2y ago
His daugther?
- potato3732842 2y ago
  And his country and his legacy. World leaders don't do bad things "because YOLO". They do bad things as a means to some other end.
XorNot 2y ago
Because if he was, why not do it now? If your plan is to burn your country and the world to the ground, then there's not much reason to delay. Putin is saving his own life first and foremost with his actions, so he's not suicidal. But then secondly if you listen to the man it's apparent he believes he's rebuilding the Soviet Union as he imagined it when he was stationed in Berlin as a young KGB officer, and that belief is powered by a very specific lens he casts over Russian history. Which is to say: he doesn't want to destroy the empire he see's as his legacy (which is notably different to whether he actually cares at all about the Russian people in it - the Russian government historically does not overly concern itself with dead Russians unless politically convenient to). EDIT: The third element of course is that there's not literally "a button". No leader has unilateral release control of strategic nuclear weapons, so the reality is one "mad man" can't fire them - orders have to be issued, codes input etc. If Russia was going to launch it's ICBMs, then you can't do it by waking up in a bad mood one day unless at least a few of your top generals agree with you.
- gosub100 2y ago
  > If your plan is to burn your country and the world to the ground, then there's not much reason to delay. I didn't say that's his plan now. But if he got cancer or something I could see him doing it as a defiant act. > he believes he's rebuilding the Soviet Union as he imagined it I agree with that. But people who are corned can act out.
- sedan_baklazhan 2y ago
  >it's apparent he believes he's rebuilding the Soviet Union Russia has nothing in common (as a state) with the Soviet Union.
sedan_baklazhan 2y ago
I've first read about Putin having a terminal stage of cancer in 2004 (that's not a joke). Since then I clearly recall him getting sick with some other kinds of cancer at least 3 other times. Aren't you (yet) tired of dreaming about this?
- samatman 2y ago
  That was a hypothetical, not a claim. Unless you want to argue that Putin is immortal, he'll die of something. Unless that something is very sudden (possible) it will be fairly described as a terminal illness.
  - sedan_baklazhan 2y ago
    >That was a hypothetical, not a claim. Those were all factual claims. Everybody will die, of course. But this belief "Putin is dying" seems to be a kind of spirituous ritual.
    - samatman 2y ago
      > what if Putin gets a terminal illness No, this is a hypothetical.

rightbyte 2y ago

His daugther?

potato3732842 2y ago
And his country and his legacy. World leaders don't do bad things "because YOLO". They do bad things as a means to some other end.

XorNot 2y ago

Because if he was, why not do it now? If your plan is to burn your country and the world to the ground, then there's not much reason to delay. Putin is saving his own life first and foremost with his actions, so he's not suicidal. But then secondly if you listen to the man it's apparent he believes he's rebuilding the Soviet Union as he imagined it when he was stationed in Berlin as a young KGB officer, and that belief is powered by a very specific lens he casts over Russian history. Which is to say: he doesn't want to destroy the empire he see's as his legacy (which is notably different to whether he actually cares at all about the Russian people in it - the Russian government historically does not overly concern itself with dead Russians unless politically convenient to). EDIT: The third element of course is that there's not literally "a button". No leader has unilateral release control of strategic nuclear weapons, so the reality is one "mad man" can't fire them - orders have to be issued, codes input etc. If Russia was going to launch it's ICBMs, then you can't do it by waking up in a bad mood one day unless at least a few of your top generals agree with you.

gosub100 2y ago
> If your plan is to burn your country and the world to the ground, then there's not much reason to delay. I didn't say that's his plan now. But if he got cancer or something I could see him doing it as a defiant act. > he believes he's rebuilding the Soviet Union as he imagined it I agree with that. But people who are corned can act out.
sedan_baklazhan 2y ago
>it's apparent he believes he's rebuilding the Soviet Union Russia has nothing in common (as a state) with the Soviet Union.

sedan_baklazhan 2y ago

I've first read about Putin having a terminal stage of cancer in 2004 (that's not a joke). Since then I clearly recall him getting sick with some other kinds of cancer at least 3 other times. Aren't you (yet) tired of dreaming about this?

samatman 2y ago
That was a hypothetical, not a claim. Unless you want to argue that Putin is immortal, he'll die of something. Unless that something is very sudden (possible) it will be fairly described as a terminal illness.
- sedan_baklazhan 2y ago
  >That was a hypothetical, not a claim. Those were all factual claims. Everybody will die, of course. But this belief "Putin is dying" seems to be a kind of spirituous ritual.
  - samatman 2y ago
    > what if Putin gets a terminal illness No, this is a hypothetical.