Posted on 05/08/2014 4:25:47 AM PDT by Kaslin
Vladimir Putin's Russia is a disaster of a declining population, corruption, authoritarianism, a warped economy and a high rate of alcoholism.
Why, then, would Putin want to ruin additional territory in Crimea and Ukraine the way that he has wrecked most of Russia?
Doesn't Russia have enough land for its diminishing population? Are there not enough minerals, timber, gas and oil for Putin's kleptocrats?
In the modern age, especially since Karl Marx, we rationalize the causes of wars as understandable fights over real things, like access to ports, oil fields, good farmland and the like. Yet in the last 2,500 years of Western history, nations have just as often invaded and attacked each other for intangibles. The historian Thucydides wrote that the classical Athenians had won and kept their empire mostly out of "fear, honor and self-interest."
Maybe that was why most battles in ancient Greece broke out over rocky and mountainous borderlands. Possession of these largely worthless corridors did not add to the material riches of the Spartans, Thebans or Athenians. But dying for such victories did wonders for their national pride and collective sense of self.
Why did the Argentine dictatorship invade the British Falkland Islands in 1982? The great Argentine novelist Jorge Luis Borges dismissed the entire Argentine-British dispute over the isolated, windswept rocks as a pathetic fight between "two bald men over a comb."
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
~Vladimir Putin’s Russia is a disaster of a declining population, corruption, authoritarianism, a warped economy and a high rate of alcoholism.
Why, then, would Putin want to ruin additional territory in Crimea and Ukraine the way that he has wrecked most of Russia?~
Has author ever check how things are going in Ukraine before writing it?
an opponent who can play chess. <p? Kerry and Obama are not worthy players.
0bama's america is a disaster of corruption, authoritarianism, a warped economy and a high rate of losers who get welfare instead of working.
Since you live in Russia, I suppose you must know what you are talking about
What a stupid question. Even I know why Putin wants Crimea and some of the other low hanging fruit.
A little off topic but what is going on is a pertinent question (and similar to your topic) ... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3152234/posts?page=57 ... please note this information is four days + old. My apology if is felt this information is out of place.
VDH is excellent and spot on, once again, in his observation.
Okey Dokey nOOb.
Your lack of an alternative theory demonstrates the depth of your intellect and most pot holes have greater depth.
He’s a robber, plain and simple, more, more
Naive people, like our current joke of a president, like to pretend that we live in a different world from the one that used to exist. In this new world, things like geopolitics and war don’t play any role. However, that is totally incorrect and naive.
Putin is trying to regain control over territories lost during the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late ‘80s/ early ‘90s for the same reason that Russia has always tried to maintain control of these territories; geopolitical security. Russian history shows that invasion from European powers is the greatest geopolitical threat to Russia. Maintaining control of Eastern Europe as a buffer area is Russia’s best defense against such invasions. That is likely Putin’s main motivation, as it has been for Russian leaders throughout that country’s history.
“Like Hitler, Putin does not know exactly which future aggressive act will prompt an American and European reaction.”
I just don’t see this Hitler-like expansion taking place. Maybe Putin is playing it smarter, but I think something else is happening that’s less ambitious. If Russia invades Ukraine (notwithstanding Crimea) then VDH will be proven right, and I’ll be wrong.
People want wealth and power. If you have wealth, you can buy power. If you have power, you can take wealth. Putin’s strength is that he knows the Democrats want wealth and power, and he sees through their BS. The Democrats absolutely hate anyone who sees through their BS.
“But dying for such victories did wonders for their national pride and collective sense of self.”
I do believe you hit the nail on the head.
WARS start inside the warped mind. We have many leaders who cannot fathom the judgement of our Creator.
~Okey Dokey nOOb.
Your lack of an alternative theory demonstrates the depth of your intellect and most pot holes have greater depth.~
Do you really think Ukraine is ahead of Russia in terms of economy, population growth or it doesn’t have corruption and alcoholism?
I’ve been to Ukraine too. My uncle’s wife and her family are from Odessa.
Do you really think changing the subject is something I’m going to agree to?
Or do you not understand engrish?
VDH didn’t say that was the motivation behind Putin and Reds avarice.
Go back, read the article and get back to me.
Hint:
It’s about what motivates bullies and thugocracies and what boundaries they will cross, why they do it and just how far they will go until someone or group of someones makes clear they have gone to far: “Stop! Go no further!”
Or in the case of Sadaam: “Hey, We are your patron and the sole super power, trying to keep peace and order in the world. GTFO on your own volition or we are going to be all over you, like white on rice”.
You don’t need to explain me what this article was about because I’ve got an idea. If you are to get back to my post you’ll see that I’m disputing one exact statement.
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