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Can't help but wonder if I'm the only one who has speculated that the massive social and political turmoil in the western world right now is also what has heavily influenced Putin's decision for a war with Ukraine in the east. Something he'd have never have dared doing 10 years ago.
This seems a lot more like the fairly common trajectory of a person having consolidated a large amount of power within the state for a long time where the way for others to do well in the government ladder is to cater more and more to any inclination the person has which ends up gradually disassociating them from reality. There has been a *lot* of examples of this even through the 20th century and early 21st century. Putin first welded substantial power as acting President in 1999. That's a quarter century of consolidation. Even when he wasn't president for a brief period of time, he was still the dominant government authority though there was some hope at the time that he was finding a way to step down and prepare the next generation, but that did not happen.
This seems a lot more like the fairly common trajectory of a person having consolidated a large amount of power within the state for a long time where the way for others to do well in the government ladder is to cater more and more to any inclination the person has which ends up gradually disassociating them from reality. There has been a *lot* of examples of this even through the 20th century and early 21st century. Putin first welded substantial power as acting President in 1999. That's a quarter century of consolidation. Even when he wasn't president for a brief period of time, he was still the dominant government authority though there was some hope at the time that he was finding a way to step down and prepare the next generation, but that did not happen.
In case anyone's interested in the dirty nitty-gritty of how P came to power and grew within public office, I strongly recommend the book "Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia And Took On The West", by Catherine Belton.
There's so much dirty dealing behind the scenes in this book, that I can't stomach it. It makes you wonder how the author could have possibly amassed all this inside info, but clearly she's been watching and studying the man in question (along with his cronies and ex-cronies) for most of her career. Published in 2022 in paperback.
US is guilty of 100% of this... I can say A word in public and be a homeless person within a matter of months or even go to prison; in any 48 states you care to mention...
This isn't new, but apparently getting worse. Even in casual conversations.
How Russia Silences Dissent
Anyone questioning the war or revealing sympathy with Ukraine — even in a private conversation — is now liable to prosecution in Russia.
No gesture, apparently, is too small. Judges have ruled that simply wearing blue and yellow clothing — the colors of the Ukrainian flag — or painting one’s fingernails blue and yellow can be punished. And there are few safe havens as people increasingly inform on their fellow citizens. In dozens of cases, people were prosecuted after someone reported them for comments they made on the train, in a cafe or in a liquor store. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...ensorship.html
I think that is hardly only Russia silencing dissent. While it should be remembered that country does not have a history of 'free speech' , it as most anywhere would be further curtailed during times of war. If not openly, then subversively.
Saying that China is going to make a play to take back outer Manchuria is like saying the US is going to make a play to take back British Columbia (the US used to claim all of Oregon country). Sure both China and US could probably pull it off, but at what cost and for what purpose? It’s much more beneficial for China to keep Russia as an ally since they have veto power in the UN Security Council and despite their pitfalls in Ukraine is still more powerful than China’s other allies, Iran and North Korea. Even as being a mere neutral buffer state Russia still would be of value. It would be a nightmare for China if Russia felt threatened enough to fall into the arms of US/NATO.
If Russia is to loose control of any of their territories it would be Chechnya/Dagestan, and even then they would be held on a short leash like the post Soviet central Asian countries.
They have a lot stronger claim to Manchuria, and they are a lot more resource constrained per capita than the US.
I don't claim to know exactly how the world will pan out in 2030, but Putin is gonna bite the dust sooner or later and a country ruled by clamping down is more likely to have a shell out explosion, like the USSR did in 1989 than one like Canada where there's freedom to dispel any built up tension.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny - a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin - has died, according to the country's prison service.
The prison authorities said Mr Navalny felt unwell following a walk on Friday and lost consciousness at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) northeast of Moscow, and within the Arctic Circle.
Efforts by medical staff to revive him failed, according to the service.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny - a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin - has died, according to the country's prison service.
The prison authorities said Mr Navalny felt unwell following a walk on Friday and lost consciousness at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) northeast of Moscow, and within the Arctic Circle.
Efforts by medical staff to revive him failed, according to the service.
Yes, first poisoned by Putin, then survives but imprisoned under false charges by Putin, and now he dies under mysterious circumstances in prison.
It is impossible to explain the support of Vladimir Putin by many members of America's Republican party. Putin is a murderous autocrat leading a corrupt regime with an iron fist, and he is very clearly an adversary of the United States as well. And yet Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson and their cronies will tell you all day long that Putin is actually a great guy who's just misunderstood.
Last edited by OutdoorLover; 02-16-2024 at 11:42 AM..
There's not much dissent in Russia to begin with. The reality is Russia operates with impunity because Russians simply don't give a ****. It's never just about Putin. It's never just about one person. The problem is always the people.
There's not much dissent in Russia to begin with. The reality is Russia operates with impunity because Russians simply don't give a ****. It's never just about Putin. It's never just about one person. The problem is always the people.
And this is by no means, the full extent of the murders that Putin has ordered...
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