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Worth pointing out that articles like this were the goal of the sabotage. It makes Russia's[1] influence look outsized and threatening and is designed to incre

by ajross 2y ago

Worth pointing out that articles like this were the goal of the sabotage. It makes Russia's[1] influence look outsized and threatening and is designed to increase the perceived costs of a strained relationship with Putin. But... it's shortsighted and wrong. Cables are cheap, as infrastructure goes, and the global internet is extremely robust. Yeah yeah, they cut two cables. How many Finns or Estonians had to go without their Netflix? None, because the network just[2] routed around the damage. [1] Yes yes, we don't know for sure it was Putin and probably never will. But it's everyone's prior at this point and it will remain so, which is really my point. [2] Literally! The phrase is a cliche for a reason. It works.

gradientsrneat 2y ago
The article says it was likely a Chinese vessel, and a previous series of cable cuts affecting European internet was attributed to a Muslim terrorist organization. It's not just one country cutting cables, and there are multiple motivations geopolitically.
- ajross 2y ago
  It was a "chinese" vessel in the sense of registration. It wasn't operating at the behest of the PRC government. Nor, obviously, would one expect literal espionage to be carried out only by identifiable government vessels of the nation doing the operation. The really-quite-soundly-grounded consensus is that Russian spies rented this boat. But yes, that's not proven.
keybored 2y ago
Russia is both a puny country with a GDP the size of Italy and a country that could invade all its neighboring countries if given the tiniest chance.[1] Both of these things are said here in the West. [1] Of course GDP in terms of international purchasing power isn’t the be-all-end-all for supplying your own military domestically. But people say the part about GDP as if Russia is nothing.
- aguaviva 2y ago
  Both of these things are said here in the West. Except they're not. No one says Russia is a "puny country", or that it could "invade all its neighboring countries" (which would have to include, for example, China). You're definitely making some weird exaggerations here.
  - kortilla 2y ago
    Economically Russia is irrelevant (a.k.a puny). The only damage to the global economy from the war and sanctions was energy pricing pain in Europe. If the same thing happens with China it’s going to be significant economic pain for the entire world for years due to its prominence as a manufacturing and electronics hub.
    - aguaviva 2y ago
      Economically Russia is irrelevant (a.k.a puny). So any country at or below Russia's GDP ranking (11th worldwide) is "irrelevant" and "puny". Is that what you're saying?

by ajross 2y ago

gradientsrneat 2y ago

The article says it was likely a Chinese vessel, and a previous series of cable cuts affecting European internet was attributed to a Muslim terrorist organization. It's not just one country cutting cables, and there are multiple motivations geopolitically.

ajross 2y ago
It was a "chinese" vessel in the sense of registration. It wasn't operating at the behest of the PRC government. Nor, obviously, would one expect literal espionage to be carried out only by identifiable government vessels of the nation doing the operation. The really-quite-soundly-grounded consensus is that Russian spies rented this boat. But yes, that's not proven.

keybored 2y ago

Russia is both a puny country with a GDP the size of Italy and a country that could invade all its neighboring countries if given the tiniest chance.[1] Both of these things are said here in the West. [1] Of course GDP in terms of international purchasing power isn’t the be-all-end-all for supplying your own military domestically. But people say the part about GDP as if Russia is nothing.

aguaviva 2y ago
Both of these things are said here in the West. Except they're not. No one says Russia is a "puny country", or that it could "invade all its neighboring countries" (which would have to include, for example, China). You're definitely making some weird exaggerations here.
- kortilla 2y ago
  Economically Russia is irrelevant (a.k.a puny). The only damage to the global economy from the war and sanctions was energy pricing pain in Europe. If the same thing happens with China it’s going to be significant economic pain for the entire world for years due to its prominence as a manufacturing and electronics hub.
  - aguaviva 2y ago
    Economically Russia is irrelevant (a.k.a puny). So any country at or below Russia's GDP ranking (11th worldwide) is "irrelevant" and "puny". Is that what you're saying?