Posted on 07/21/2014 7:58:16 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
I think you are
Yeah, he’s the alpha male murderer who poisons enemies with polonium, a source of alpha radiation undetectable by Geiger counter. I say he does this with impunity because he couldn’t care less about public opinion and I get labeled as an admirer.
I guess English isn’t your first language; I was condemning both of them, not excusing Putin. Both use their power unlawfully to intimidate their opponents. And I mentioned George Washington as a leader who did not hold on to power for all it was worth. I believe that the fact that so many American presidents for 150 years before there was term limitation adhered to his example of two terms shows that lesser men were influenced by his forbearance. I do believe that, like the “transformational “ FDR, Obama would kick that example of Washington aside in a heartbeat.
There’s so many pro-Putin trolls around here that one can be accidentally included into that group I guess...
I agree in general, and you may be right specifically regarding Ukraine. But Putin has managed to do something rather unprecedented: Thoroughly P.O. a majority of the Ukrainian population, pretty much disrupting the long link / history of Russian / Ukrainian closeness. If Ukraine can gain back and hold most or all their territory in Eastern Ukraine, that will likely:
1) Give the present gov’t a popularity boost for some time, making attempts at subversion by Russia much more difficult.
2) Give most Ukrainians in general confidence about their own independence.
Now, I have been wondering if Ukraine will succeed in closing the remaining 20 miles or so of border with Russia (and at most two significant roads across the border.) There seems to be little progress on this front, although I’ll grant that accurate & unbiased news about that aspect of the fight is hard to come by. Perhaps it is a sign of Ukrainian weakness, or the strength of the effort by Russia to support the separatists, or both, that there seems to be a stalemate.
But — and I know I’m going pretty far out on a limb here — what if there is more to it?
What if the Western “powers” are privately content with stalemate for now, choosing to only keep Ukraine afloat economically, while bleeding Russia: A sort of war of attrition for a while? Obviously this gets dicey as winter draws nearer.
Or, consider: The Ukrainians in the past have suffered losses and terrors most of us can’t imagine. Even what England went through in WW2 does not compare to the horrors the Ukraine went through. Although I reject the label of “Nazis” that Moscow slaps on Kiev, what if the leadership in Kiev are or are becoming hard-nosed to the tune of finding current casualties acceptable in the context of a longer term plan? I can think of multiple possibilities: One would be the bleeding described above, to erode Putin’s position in Russia, Afghanistan style, while consolidating their own political power in Ukraine. Another might be a sort of limited ethnic cleansing, in which large numbers of the separatists are pushed (or flee) across the border to Russia, altering the political dynamic in Ukraine by a small amount — but enough to (again) keep the current power structure in the clear majority for some time. Or perhaps Kiev feels their kill ratio is high enough that they are content with killing Russians and pro-Russians for a while (vengeance), just so long as Europe keeps them afloat economically (and therefor politically.) Any of these strategies are risky, but would they be more risky than typical Ukrainian politics?
Moving back “in” on that branch :-) , I mostly agree with your assessment of U.S. ability to project power, tho’ I think it’s presently more a question of will than ability. In any event, US weakness is beyond risky: At least some medium powers will arm in response (some are already moving that way); some will likely go nuclear (approx. 25-30 countries are considered capable of joining the nuclear “club”, some more quickly than others of course.) Barring the major change in US policy that you (and I) hope for (in 2017), we will have created the road to disaster, and it may not be possible to get off.
Why do we buy our politician's lies?
well said.... and very true
I do not need a comparison of Putin to anyone.... particularly a president (or any other elected official) of the US. It is a non-sequitor to even bring it up. Talk about Putin and his policies don’t give me blather that includes How much you like George Washington (who at the time was refer to as the other king George by those who didn’t like him).
This article was specifically about Putin and his aggression and how much the Soviet (formerly known as Russia) people like him. Your comments indicate a lack of ability to stay focussed and on topic.
Thank you for that morsel of kindness, I’ve been so kicked around. Bless you.
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