Putin puts troops in western Russia on alert in drill

[Deleted]

For example the egg and dairy production regulations of the EU forced a lot of small farms to close down. The price of Methane will increase by almost double due to EU regulations. The Common Agricultural Policy is unfair to new member states since it pays them less for the same amount of production and farm land. The Green energy subsidies are driving the price of electricity up for regular households. There is brain drain from the periphery to the core member states.

I could go on for hours.

As you know already, this is where we split cybran. I think these latest events have shown how important it is to be part of a bigger economic and political group.
The world is unfortunately (or forunately?) moving away from individual countries. I'm extremely critical of European politicians, but Europe as a concept to me at least is the way forward. Together and strong we're able to make sure what happened in Ukraine, BOTH coups, kyev and Crimea, doesn't happen in here.

[Shalcker]

Not very likely. The countries in NATO that used to be under Russian control do not seem very interested in getting back into bed with them anytime soon. And being aligned with Russia has not been good for the rest of Europe generally the past 100 years....

Who said anything about "soon"?

Obviously they are "not very interested" as long as NATO keeps to be dominant power; but we might slowly get better, NATO might slowly get worse (for various reasons), and in 10-20 years it will be real choice.

That part in comedy show i linked before, btw, has longest applause on part where they say "hey, Germany, all those years you got to spread your legs for US and then say 'thank you'"... applause so long that it even breaks general flow of the joke... i would say it's quite telling.

[Skroe]

In today's theater of the absurd, Russia parked itself off of Cape Cavanveral to watch the privately developed rocket that threatens to destroy their space flight industry, take off.

http://theaviationist.com/2014/04/17...an-tug-off-us/

The Russian tug “Nikolay Chiker” is an ocean tag that has often deployed alongside Russian Navy’s high value assets. According to Information Dissemination, the ship accompanied Russia’s spy ship Viktor Leonov to Cuba last month, before moving off Florida, where it was parked on Mar. 15, ahead of the launch of Dragon spacecraft (Space Shuttle Orbiter replacement) on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket scheduled of Mar. 16 from the SLC-40 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

However, the SpaceX launch was delayed and, since then, the ship has moved back and forth along U.S. East coast: it headed southbound, has made a port visit to Curacao, then it has operated in the Caribbean Sea and eventually returned more or less where it was on Mar. 15 and it is right now: off Cape Canaveral.

The fact that the tug moved off Cape Kennedy in the days of the scheduled launch of SpaceX and returned there in anticipation of the new launch window suggests that the “Nilolay Chiker” is somehow interested in observing the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft on the company’s third commercial resupply mission and fourth visit to the space station.

Oh, in unrelated but still pretty awesome news (from the same site)... turns out the US has designed, built and is secretly flying a new next generation Stealth Bomber.
http://theaviationist.com/2014/04/17...gular-mystery/

[Haven]

Not that I agree with you, but why did you pull out the USA card again.

WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT USA, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT RUSSIA.

"But USA...." is not an excuse, answer or reason for anything.

It's about having the same standarts. It doesn't feel right when you're being judged by a court that consists of criminals.

[Kellhound]

Who said anything about "soon"?

Obviously they are "not very interested" as long as NATO keeps to be dominant power; but we might slowly get better, NATO might slowly get worse (for various reasons), and in 10-20 years it will be real choice.

That part in comedy show i linked before, btw, has longest applause on part where they say "hey, Germany, all those years you got to spread your legs for US and then say 'thank you'"... applause so long that it even breaks general flow of the joke... i would say it's quite telling.

I think it is safe to say it will be a cold day in hell before Poland and the Baltics look favorably upon Russia again (ever?). Very bad blood there.

[Bakis]

Obviously they are "not very interested" as long as NATO keeps to be dominant power; but we might slowly get better, NATO might slowly get worse (for various reasons), and in 10-20 years it will be real choice.

I feel pretty confident when saying that military bullying is the last area that will bring the baltics and Poland into a more favorable stance towards Russia.
Then again it is the only area which Russia been remotely successful at and that is not saying much since it crumbled as everything else.

[Shalcker]

I feel pretty confident when saying that military bullying is the last area that will bring the baltics and Poland into a more favorable stance towards Russia.
Then again it is the only area which Russia been remotely successful at and that is not saying much since it crumbled as everything else.

Military bullying is clearly NATO area of expertise.

[Cyberowl]

Who said anything about "soon"?

Obviously they are "not very interested" as long as NATO keeps to be dominant power; but we might slowly get better, NATO might slowly get worse (for various reasons), and in 10-20 years it will be real choice.

That part in comedy show i linked before, btw, has longest applause on part where they say "hey, Germany, all those years you got to spread your legs for US and then say 'thank you'"... applause so long that it even breaks general flow of the joke... i would say it's quite telling.

I would say it's quite telling that we'd rather be the bitch of the US than a partner of Russia. But I liked your satire, it was quite funny

[Bakis]

Military bullying is clearly NATO area of expertise.

Dont see NATO land grabbing much.

[Skroe]

Military bullying is clearly NATO area of expertise.

How much territory has a NATO country annexed... I don't know... since the unification of Germany?

Wait... let's not give Vlad the Invader another idea...

Seriously, shit like this makes me wonder how your brains work. NATO has only been entirely preoccupied with Afghanistan, almost to a fault, since 2002... and yet we've found time to bully you.

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I think it is safe to say it will be a cold day in hell before Poland and the Baltics look favorably upon Russia again (ever?). Very bad blood there.

I think you're being optimistic.

The only place where Poland and the Baltics will ever look favorably at Russia again is the Mirror Universe, where alcohol prohibition champion and Soviet Premier Boris Yeltsin (and his goatee) and the rest of Warsaw Pact, victors in the Cold War, have placed sanctions on the last democracy in Europe and world's oldest constitutional republic, the Commonwealth of Britain lead by Lord Protector Tony Blair.

[Wilian]

Dont see NATO land grabbing much.

Nope, NATO mostly deposes unfavourable leaders with more favourable ones though. A bit like vassalization

[Cybran]

Nope, NATO mostly deposes unfavourable leaders with more favourable ones though. A bit like vassalization

They also help carve out land from countries and create puppet states to house their bases and torture houses, like Kosovo. So they still land grab.

[Hooked]

I think because Russia so easily has gotten everything they want so far, china will be the next country act up and take over Taiwan. I hope we can weather the next 2 years because I am terrified of the handling on foreign policy so far.

[Kellhound]

I think because Russia so easily has gotten everything they want so far, china will be the next country act up and take over Taiwan. I hope we can weather the next 2 years because I am terrified of the handling on foreign policy so far.

Taiwan is a bit of a tougher nut to crack than Crimea.

[Hooked]

Taiwan is a bit of a tougher nut to crack than Crimea.

China wants Taiwan bad, they have tested every administration so far over it. I don't think we have the political will to stop any major country from doing anything anymore.

[Kellhound]

China wants Taiwan bad, they have tested every administration so far over it. I don't think we have the political will to stop any major country from doing anything anymore.

When I say it is a tougher nut, I mean they are capable of making an invasion very costly. And you are correct, the current President is unlikely to lift a finger to help any country from any aggressor. I'm not even sure he would really defend the US from direct invasion.

[Wilian]

I'm not even sure he would really defend the US from direct invasion.

Lolwut. Because he's the first president in couple decades that finally exercised common sense and didn't go in guns blazing at the first hint of possibility in some backwater nations?

[Kellhound]

Lolwut. Because he's the first president in couple decades that finally exercised common sense and didn't go in guns blazing at the first hint of possibility in some backwater nations?

No, because he has utterly failed to use either US soft power or hard power in anything that resembles competency. "Gun blazing" is not the only means to win on the international stage, the US just hasn't won anything lately in any manner.

[Wilian]

The resolution in regards of Syrian chemical weapons looks like win to me instead of costly disaster which intervention would've been.

[Hooked]

The Syrian thing cost us dearly. That was the most strange decision the president has made, it made us look foolish on the world stage. Plus the lack of information made the American public squeamish. I was like wtf, Syria?, for the rebels?, wtf why?.