Russia's Downgrade Paints A Horrific Picture Of Economic Collapse

The Telegraph (UK) - BI ^ | 1-9-2015 | The Telegraph (UK)

[ansel12]

So Putin is insane?

War would merely quickly destroy the remaining Russian military and leave them unable to defend themselves against the East and internal secession.

You think that is the what they will do if we don’t end sanctions?

[MV=PY]

Gosh! I have no idea what they will do!

Have a great evening!

[Thunder90]

Our best move would be to get the Saudis to invade Iraq and Syria. Let them deal with ISIS and the Shias.

[Thunder90]

The main reason for lower oil prices is the weakening Chinese economy.

That’s why other raw materials prices are at record low prices and factory orders are down.

[Tau Food]

I’ve said for a month now that Russia will not put up with the Saudis oil play for very long. I’m surprised that they haven’t acted out yet.

Any day now, Putin is going to take off his shirt again. And, once again, the closet middle-aged queers will swoon.

And, the USA (that's us) is going to continue to kick Putin's butt.

And, then what? What will Putin do then? He'll take off his shirt again!

Eventually, he'll become submissive or he'll be gone.

[Clemenza]

A key part of Putin’s support are the National Bolsheviks (look them up) and Putin himself has defended the legacy of the Soviet Union. a pox on Putin and all who support him.

[GeronL]

bump

[sauron]

I agree. Wish I had more time to champion your side, as there are many pro-Russian sympathizers seemingly coming out of the woodwork here on FR. It's staggering.

Nobody blames the Russians. Oh, it's the "banksters" or some such.

Doesn't anyone remember that Ukrainian politician who got his face ripped up by (what? Polonium?) radioactive-laced drink in an English tavern (do I remember this aright?) and nearly DIED to a Russian spy who was trying to throw the Ukrainian election toward Russia?

No, the problem isn't the West. It isn't the Banks. It isn't even Ukraine looking westward.

The problem is Russia. Russia. Russia thinking it can dictate an eastward-looking policy for Ukraine. Russia, fundamentally, respects no other nation than China.

Russians are chickensh1ts, quite frankly, quick to make a "deal" with those they fear, and toss their weight around against those they feel they are able to bully.

Example: They don't throw any bombers or naval ships against China in a provocative manner. None. But they have aggressed England, Scotland, Canada, USA, Sweden, Netherlands, Japan, Norway...all in the last 60 days. (Anyone else following this news?)

Russia is a bully nation. It's trying to stay relevant. It has no tech, no industry to trade. It has only oil and weapons to export. Russia is a troublemaker nation that has never grown up.

As for all this pro-Russian commentary: I'm watching. I know who you guys are. Keep coming out of the woodwork. Keep burning your identities. Keep posting your specious arguments, your pro-Russian/anti-American rants. You'll only shoot yourselves in the foot, and we at FR have very, VERY LONG MEMORIES.

Sauron (When listening to another argument, always consider the source)

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

Doesn't anyone remember that Ukrainian politician who got his face ripped up by (what? Polonium?) radioactive-laced drink in an English tavern (do I remember this aright?) and nearly DIED to a Russian spy who was trying to throw the Ukrainian election toward Russia?

Thanks for your post! You have two different events combined here, actually. Alexander Litvinenko was the poor guy who was poisoned with Polonium 210 at an English tavern. He was a defector who was exposing a lot of Putin's secrets, including claims that Al-Qaeda's number two, Zawahiri, was trained at an FSB training camp in Russia before joining Al-Qaeda. He died horribly and the assassin escaped to Russia. The Kremlin refuses to extradite him to the UK. I think that the fellow in question was recently elected to the Russian parliament, but I could be wrong. The President in Ukraine was Yuschensko who was poisoned (but I don't remember by what), which had the effect on his face that you mention.

[SargeK]

All I am saying is that, given the current regime running THIS country, and the unorganized grab-asstic pieces of amphibious crap that are the Europeans, I don’t think we have much of a plan. In the absence of which things could go badly wrong. This is a regime with more nuclear warheads than we have.

I believe in a vigorous deterrent and I think that Mr. Putin needs to have some limits set for him. However that is incompatible with Mr. Obama’s headlong drive toward unilateral disarmament and general military withdrawal. IOW we aren’t walking the walk, at least as far as it is visible to the bad guys.

[ansel12]

We have enough nuclear weapons to wipe him off the earth, and better dispersal of them (NATO subs), and we have two other NATO nuclear allies, I don’t see Putin saying surrender and end bugging me with sanctions for my invasions, or we all go up in nuclear flames.

So far Obama has allowed the natural NATO momentum to carry on as though he wasn’t president, for instance creating our reaction force and moving troops and tanks forward and continuing exercises in Ukraine and Poland, etc. There is no reason to think that he change that in his last 24 months.

I wonder if the institution of NATO and American forces and alliances in Europe, has a weight of it’s own, that Obama has decided is just best not messed with much.