NATO Declares Russia an Enemy - Your take.

[utswimmer37]

And it probably is not as good as you think it is, you only had a small window into their relationship and apparently an inaccurate one.

fair nuff

 

[Flash]

I was talking more in general about his presidency rather than this specific instance. If you look at the ways that he consolidated his power in Russia and essentially made Europe dependent on Russian cheap gas exports it's pretty smart.

Long run yes he may be outmaneuvered, but it's going to take some serious capital on the US' and Europe's part because at this point Europe can't do much but slap some weak sanctions on because they are hamstrung by the fact that they rely on Russia for natural gas.

I recently had a class where we got a lecture from an energy expert and she said that Russia is unique for being the only country that went from being an industrial power to an oil/gas power. I think half their economy and 80% of their exports now are oil and gas, that is a huge strategic vunerability and could cost them dearly in the long term. Couple that with large-scale emigration, a rapidly declining birthrate along with pervasive corruption at every level of society and Putin's Russia is an absolute mess that will just get worse in the long term without us having to lift a finger.

 

[squeeze]

Long run yes he may be outmaneuvered, but it's going to take some serious capital on the US' and Europe's part because at this point Europe can't do much but slap some weak sanctions on because they are hamstrung by the fact that they rely on Russia for natural gas.

Russia has a terrible economy. If they cut off the gas, it will hurt them far more than it will hurt the EU. It wasn't Putin who made them reliant on Gazprom, it was the EU when they decided to shutdown a bunch of their nuclear reactors post Chernobyl and Fukushima. Sanctions can and will crush Russia economically, and as soon as Putin's billionaire oligarch buddies start seeing their bottom line eaten away, he's going to lose support rapidly.

 

[Hopeful Hoya]

I'm not arguing that cutting off the gas wouldn't hurt - it definitely would, but it seems like there's little appetite for that in Europe right now, and I think that it would take a significantly more brash move by Putin to change that.

 

[Surf]

Russia has a terrible economy. If they cut off the gas, it will hurt them far more than it will hurt the EU. It wasn't Putin who made them reliant on Gazprom, it was the EU when they decided to shutdown a bunch of their nuclear reactors post Chernobyl and Fukushima. Sanctions can and will crush Russia economically, and as soon as Putin's billionaire oligarch buddies start seeing their bottom line eaten away, he's going to lose support rapidly.

Which begs the question; if pushed into a corner by both the West and the Oligarchs, will the Kremlin fold or go "all in". I have a sneaking suspicion V. Putin is not willing to see his Russia concede again.

 

[Fallonflyr]

The cold war was so much more fun than this whack a mole terrorist shit.

 

[Brett327]

Hey, now we can do both at the same time.

 

[nittany03]

Hey, now we can do both at the same time.

That's what she said.

 

[xltn]

Sanction or not, some old salt veterans and politicians are criticizing NATO and the US, "Stop bluffing" on C-Span Radio. I laughed and nodded.

 

[xltn]

Enough politic for me. Can't believe I will finish school in 2 weeks, confirm my OR I pass every class, and really graduate. Hopefully, I don't have to wait long for OCS.

 

[jmcquate]

So NATO unfriended Russia. The Taliban outlasted NATO, I don't think the Sovi........err Russia is too worried.

 

[jmcquate]

Now that I think about it, they outlasted the Soviets too..........so what the hell do I know.

 

[Hopeful Hoya]

Now that I think about it, they outlasted the Soviets too..........so what the hell do I know.

There's a reason they call Afghanistan the "graveyard of empires". Although we and the Russians had it better than the British - in 1842 they sent 16,500 men into Afghanistan from Pakistan - only one returned alive.

 

[xj220]

The Highlander...

 

[Hair Warrior]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/russian-troop-movements-near-ukraine-border-prompt-concern-in-us-europe/2021/10/30/c122e57c-3983-11ec-9662-399cfa75efee_story.html

Russia playing games along Ukraine’s border. Keep an eye on the freshwater supply in Crimea.

I recently had a class where we got a lecture from an energy expert and she said that Russia is unique for being the only country that went from being an industrial power to an oil/gas power. I think half their economy and 80% of their exports now are oil and gas, that is a huge strategic vunerability and could cost them dearly in the long term. Couple that with large-scale emigration, a rapidly declining birthrate along with pervasive corruption at every level of society and Putin's Russia is an absolute mess that will just get worse in the long term without us having to lift a finger.

Russia close to using natural gas as weapon in Europe's gas crunch - Biden energy adviser

U.S. President Joe Biden's global energy security adviser said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is getting close to using natural gas as a political tool if Russia is holding back fuel exports to Europe as it suffers an energy crunch.

www.reuters.com

Putin is a judo black belt. In judo, one uses his or her opponent’s strengths against them and turns it into a weakness. Russia appears to be doing precisely that, w/r/t Europe’s oil and gas supply.