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It’s Time to Beat Putin at Poker and Call His Bluff
Foreign policy ^ | 9th April 2022 | Jason pack

Posted on 04/30/2022 5:17:58 AM PDT by Cronos

Putin’s machismo leads him to underestimate his adversaries and show off for domestic and international consumption. Unsurprisingly, his favorite tactic is unprovoked aggression—in other words, the bluff. He got away with it in Georgia in 2008, Syria from 2012 onward, in annexing Crimea in 2014

...Yet last month, he was caught completely off guard when the West finally called his biggest raise ever. As boxer Mike Tyson said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

The West’s reactive jab of sanctions and aggressive arming of the Ukrainians appear to have completely stalled—and now reversed—Russia’s advance on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Bruised and bloodied, his forces in retreat, Putin is cobbling together an ad hoc response. By publicly claiming to refocus his campaign on the Donbass, and implicitly the land corridor connecting it to Crimea and Moldova, he may be further bluffing when it comes to his real objectives and future tactics.

The weaker his underlying hand, the more that Putin must continue to rely on bluffs and misdirection. Hence, even though Russia is losing, it is unlikely that Putin will ever voluntarily de-escalate.

...Russian National Guard members are refusing to fight in Ukraine. Every day, new evidence appears of Russian soldiers sabotaging their own vehicles. A miscalculation or sign of weakness from Putin could engender a palace coup or mass desertion among the armed forces

During the height of the pandemic, Putin had people wear hazmat suits in order to meet him. Nowadays, he sits 20 feet away at meetings even with his own inner circle. He wants to live. He is only playing the role of being macho. He respects force and aggression

(Excerpt) Read more at foreignpolicy.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: 1everyonehasaplan; 2tilltheygetasked; 3topayinrubles; agitprop; armageddon; bigrubleinlittleruss; clownworld; fabulism; feverdreams; fullretard; growup; jasonpack; neocon; nevergofullretard; payupsuckers; pipedreams; roubles; rubleisat72; rubles; stupidshouldhurt; threads4dummies; ukrainicorns; warmonger; warporn; youcantfixstupid; youwentfullretard
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To: blackberry1
"Reports on the ground in Eastern Ukraine show Uks giving up by hundreds....daily."

Really? I read a LOT of sources and, so far, not seeing any proof. Post your link(s)...

There is much more validation of Russians DYING, daily.

41 posted on 04/30/2022 6:59:03 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog (Not Responding to Seagull Snark)
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To: anton

Sorry...not seeing the proofs of that meme. Post’em....


42 posted on 04/30/2022 7:00:29 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog (Not Responding to Seagull Snark)
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To: Cronos

At the end of WWII, George Patton had the right idea.


43 posted on 04/30/2022 7:06:11 AM PDT by Pirate Ragnar (Hope coming from Florida)
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To: Regulator

All true.


44 posted on 04/30/2022 7:13:50 AM PDT by libh8er
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To: Wonder Warthog

4 million refugees:

https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine

US alone

https://www.csis.org/analysis/us-military-aid-ukraine-accelerates

$32,000,000,000 requested.

EU $1,000,000,000 and climbing.


45 posted on 04/30/2022 7:21:12 AM PDT by anton
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To: Wonder Warthog

They have taken “assymetric warfare” to new heights, with a bunch of innovative tactics that the Russians have not been able to adapt to.
…….
Very admirable, however they are suffering huge losses, land, cities, men, equipment, staggering. Thankfully, civilian casualties are , very very low.
Vlad will bury his dead, move on,Zelensky will to , but have to take decades in rebuilding…10 percent to Joe…
All for a country that has no significant value to us….Think Iraq, Afghanistan , Yugoslavia, Syria….


46 posted on 04/30/2022 7:22:59 AM PDT by delta7
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To: anton

Neither of those links addresses your supposed point....try again...


47 posted on 04/30/2022 7:28:04 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog (Not Responding to Seagull Snark)
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To: delta7
"Very admirable, however they are suffering huge losses, land, cities, men, equipment, staggering."

True...and yet they are still fighting. "They" (i.e. Ukrainians) think it is worth doing in spite of the damage.

The Afghans chased the Russians out...the Ukes are apparently at least as stubborn as the Afghans. Apparently they really, really, really don't want to be part of "New Russia".

48 posted on 04/30/2022 7:31:56 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog (Not Responding to Seagull Snark)
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To: Wonder Warthog

You have nothing but George Soros mouth. you’re done.


49 posted on 04/30/2022 7:43:40 AM PDT by anton
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To: Responsibility2nd

“Do we really wanna play this game with a mad man? Why? Just to protect Biden’s criminal friends in Ukraine?”

The Biden connections to Ukraine made it REALLY EASY to figure out what side not to take.


50 posted on 04/30/2022 7:53:35 AM PDT by BobL (Putin isn't sending gays into our schools to groom my children, but anti-Putin people are)
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To: anton
"You have nothing but George Soros mouth. you’re done."

You made the claims...prove them. If anyone is "done"..it is YOU!

51 posted on 04/30/2022 7:54:34 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog (Not Responding to Seagull Snark)
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To: Cronos

That would be fine if Putin were bluffing.
He is not.


52 posted on 04/30/2022 8:09:38 AM PDT by Louis Foxwell (Contempt is the essential tool of the tyrant.)
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To: Cronos

All those who want war want porn.


53 posted on 04/30/2022 8:13:51 AM PDT by Nextrush (FREEDOM IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS REMEMBER PASTOR NIEMOLLER)
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To: Cronos

Another “Putin is Evil” article.

Some people are not smart enough to realize Putin is just representing the will of the state of Russia.

But like ALL LEFTISTS, the fight must be personalized. And must be defined as Good vs Evil.

Pure commie approach.


54 posted on 04/30/2022 8:24:47 AM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Dr. Franklin
The United Kingdom, the United States and France all promised to give Ukraine support in case of aggression when Ukraine abandoned its nukes in 1994. Russia agreed to that too. It's too late to change that now.

Just note that support was not provided via a treaty, and which was ratified by the Senate. At the time, support for Senate ratification was not assured.

55 posted on 04/30/2022 8:30:41 AM PDT by Fury
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To: Mariner
Some people are not smart enough to realize Putin is just representing the will of the state of Russia.

Lol, I'm sure whatever Putin wants also happens to be the "will of the state of Russia".

56 posted on 04/30/2022 8:40:40 AM PDT by tlozo (Trump-the Russian invasion of Ukraine is " truly a crime against humanity")
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To: tlozo

Putin’s hold on the state is not strong enough to piss a bunch of people off.

I believe he is effecting their collective will.


57 posted on 04/30/2022 9:17:47 AM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Does so

So you underestimate the USA so much that you think the USA will run?


58 posted on 04/30/2022 9:18:44 AM PDT by Cronos
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To: Erik Latranyi

So you prefer the Nazi Putin?


59 posted on 04/30/2022 9:19:34 AM PDT by Cronos
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To: Cronos

Where is there an alpha male leading a “western” nation? There aren’t any. There are nothing but feminized sissies that are more interested in cuckholding to muslims as they rape their women and worrying about offended trannies.


60 posted on 04/30/2022 9:36:28 AM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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