Yep, McCain can go out with a bang.
Posted on 03/31/2018 1:16:22 PM PDT by GoldenState_Rose
Vladimir Putin is listening both to “a peace party” within his administration and “a war party,” responding positively first to the appeals of the first that Russia cannot afford an arms race and saying there won’t be one and then positively to the arguments of the second that Russia must be ready to defend itself."
The peace party, which includes Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina, Presidential assistant Andrey Belousov, and former Finance Minister Aleksey Kudrin, argues that Russia must cut military spending to meet social needs and thus must reduce tensions with the West.
Without such steps, they say, “the economy simply won’t grow.” On occasion, Putin has appeared to agree with them, saying in response to the new tough line from Washington that Russia “will not be dragged into an arms race because we are smarter than that."
The war party in contrast is extremely powerful and has won many battles for the Russian president’s soul. It argues that Russia must re-arm because it is “surrounded by enemies” who may attack at any moment” because “the threat of such action is growing. There is no other way to block the aggression of America except with murderous new kinds of arms.”
They also dismiss arguments that defense spending killed the USSR and could kill Russia. That is possible but it won’t happen tomorrow or indeed anytime soon as long as Russia has oil, gas, metals and so on to sell. These things “will always have value;” and consequently, the economy may not be growing but under conditions of stagnation, “it is possible to live.”
Some military projects may have to be delayed or even cancelled because there isn’t enough money.
(Excerpt) Read more at windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com ...
Sounds like the problem we’re having here in the USA. The answer is to arm up enough to defend yourself but not enough to impoverish yourself, then focus on building up the economy to make yourself wealthy.
Let’s bomb Moscow - NOW! Putin’s a bad guy. All Ruskies are bad!
What do you think, Rosie? Shall we do the deed on Easter Sunday?
Yep, McCain can go out with a bang.
Russia's economy is not comparable to ours. Even when we're at our worst.
All Russkies are bad!
MichaelCorleone: Um. No. I don't think there will be any hot war with Russia anytime soon nor should there be...but there is a clearly war of information and narratives. Too many Westerners have placed their bets on Russia as some saving grace, the same way Leftists did during Soviet times...When in reality, we should have more faith in the West, in saving it from within, and supporting leaders like Trump.
Also: if there's anybody that has much to lose under Putin's antics. It's average Russians themselves. Even though many are brainwashed to believe otherwise.
I think it's rather selfish when Americans defend Putin without having to actually live under his policies.
It’s not that we would want to live under Putin’s policies, it’s just an acknowledgement that the Russians are wired differently than we are, and what works for us, won’t necessarily work for them and vice-versa.
Well said.
Putin would not be well suited to being leader of the Republic, but he is a Christian and a believer in the nation state. He is far preferable to the alternative rulers of Russia.
Putin and Trump can be the united force to once and for all crush Global Marxism
THat’s fine to think...but then if they behave like NeoCons and hypocritically intrude and stir chaos beyond their borders — be it the Holy Land by way of Syria with their ally Iran, or by maintaining permanent war in Ukraine — then expect pushback. Not *military* pushback...but pushback.
You're no different from the "Marxists" who clung to faith in Red Russia during the first Cold War.
Like the crazy general “Jack Ripper” said in “Dr. Strangelove”.....”You ever see a commie (Russian) drink water......they drink vodka”.
Putin’s putting ‘nerve agents’ in our water, yeah that’s what’s he’s doing.
They are destroying our “precious bodily fluids”, our “purity of essence”........sarc
“I think it’s rather selfish when Americans defend Putin without having to actually live under his policies.”
Well then, all the more reason to get ‘er done. We’ll show not only the Ruskies a thing or two, we’ll put those selfish Americans in their place as well!
True enough, the majority of us have never lived under a Vladimir Putin. And even though lots of legitimate questions have been raised concerning the alleged poisoning, those questions still go unanswered.
Ah, but so what - let’s turn all those vermin into ashes anyway.
This is just typical Russian paranoia.
I think a rational, non-participant just can't see it.
You could make a case for anything, but how is an imminent attack really probable?
Who would attack Russia?
--Finland? The Baltic states. LOL!
--Belarus? Ha!
--Poland. Just no.
--Slovakia? Hungary? Romania? Moldova? No, no, no.
--Turkey? Very remote possibility, but they do not have the power. Yet...
--NATO overall? I don't see it. NATO is a DEFENSIVE Pact, and the Europeans are too timid.
--The Ukraine? This one is possible but only because Russia has had forces in it killing Ukrainians and making a mess of their country the past several years. The Ukrainians started messing up their country years ago, and didn't need the Russians help, and the Russians are making things far worse. So you could say this is a very low-level fight Russia is already in but they can chose to end it immediately. So, still no.
Who's left?
--The Caucasus Republics? Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan? Come on, the Russians already taught the Georgians what war with them looks like!
--Iran? No, they're buddies, for now.
--The old Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kirgizstan, etc.? They are all Muslim, after all. But still no. They aren't flaming fundamentalists and still respect and fear Russia.
--China? Some day, China will need the vast resources of Siberia but as Aragon said in Return of the King, today is NOT that day.
--North Korea. Yeah, right!
--Japan? Japan's aging population means she'll never be the aggressor again, unless we're talking sex robots with guns. But still, see Aragon's quote above.
That leaves the USA. WE. DON'T WANT WAR. Not with a big power. Things may someday spiral out of control, especially with new-found democrat Russia-hated, but once again, as Aragon said.
You need to Stop watching Red Dawn.
The 80s are over and Russia has no desire for anything other than friendship with the Republic.
In Putin, we have the first Christian to lead the Russians since the Tsars. He has spoken many times with deep respect and admiration for the achievements of President Trump.
As someone noted elsewhere, Russia make some marvelous hardware, but the problems arise when they try to make more than one ...
I read your post..and now I realize, it’s not fear or paranoia of attack that makes Russian think of their neighbors as “enemies...”
The problem is they’re not satisfied with “nice neighborly relations” they want to be in control. They want subservients. Big difference.
Imperialist mentality stronger than ever.
Seems to me your fervor is more like that shown by paid trolls than by people who give a damn about the subject they blather about.
Have a wonderful day.
PS - And since you know who is and isn't a Christian, I take your judgment of such things as solid proof that you are not a Christian or even a decent cheap imitation of one.
Is it not a symptom of Paranoia to fear and suspect neighbors and close ones to the point you have to completely control and dominate them, though?
Maybe it’s the history of evolving as a people in the middle of the flat steppes unprotected by rivers, mountains and a coast that makes them fearful. That and it seems like every barbarian horde, from the Scythians to the Mongols have actually done so!
I didn’t say it was right, but it certainly explains a certain aspect of the Russian psyche.
Putin is a murdering scumbag...
MichaelCorleone:
Bush Jr, Obama, and Hillary (tons of money was poured in Russia under her watch alone) — were all about “resets” and “friendly relations” with Russia. Obama even told off Mittens Romney in a debate “The 1980s called, and they want their foreign policy back.” - After Romney called Putin a threat.
It’s the RUSSIANS who have rejected the open arms of the West because it does NOT want like the way the post-Cold War reality shaped up. They want another go at avenging the fall of the Soviet Empire. It’s simple fact. I am not referring to politicians and oligarchs at this point, but average Russian citizens.
Alas Babylon:
With regard to the country’s psyche, we “right wing” Americans fail to grasp the spiritual hold the ideal of Soviet communism held on people’s *souls.* And that people who were born and raised in that system, or raised by parents from that system are the ones living and running Russia today.
Just because some of the externals of the system have disappeared, doesn’t mean the inner, spiritual workings of the system did. And quite frankly: the externals are as visible as ever. Lenin’s body still remains in open display in Red Square. Unburied. Stalin busts abound, even steps away from the very churches he once ordered destroyed.
The Soviet experience went a lot deeper than socialist economics...And in the meantime, with all this resurgence of nostalgia: there’s been very little in the way of repentance and examination over the bloodshed, the GULAG, etc...Very few people have made sense of all of it. No Nuremberg kinda thing list postwar Germany went through...
And yes a bit of that serf mentality from centuries of tsarism still remains as well.
Well if CNN have told you that it must be true.
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