Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Belize]

Russia is not capable of shit.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that point. Popular support for the current regime is slipping increasingly fast, and I see no reason why they couldn't do what Ukraine did, clean up the filth and move to a stable democracy.

[Daymanmb]

Russia is not capable of shit.

What needs to happen is... heck same shit that happened to Japan - it being occupied for a while and rebuilt from ground up.

It's just a tad unrealistic too.

We all know Russia wont change because:

Frankly seeing people like you, I have little faith Russia will ever do anything different.

[Endus]

Nah, not really. I just understand that the administrative difficulties of managing a large polity pre-1900 aren't really a thing in a largely digitized age and recognize that there has been a persistently enforced ethnic hierarchy within the polities we've called "Russia".

Which is ironic because you keep pointing at Pete Zeihan like the dude hasn't been consistently ignoring cultural and technological factors when it comes to geopolitics because they don't tend to fit in constructions of history as a game of Risk.

It's baffling to see people argue that geography can make democracy impossible, when I'm part of a long-term (like 8+ years now) Dungeons & Dragons group who live in three completely different countries with an ocean separating some of us (Canada, the US, and the UK, and the Americans aren't all that close to each other either).

If we can figure that shit out enough on our own to play D&D nearly every weekend for years, I'm pretty damned sure a country can figure out how to make elections work across lesser divides.

[Daymanmb]

I see no reason why they couldn't do what Ukraine did, clean up the filth and move to a stable democracy.

Like almost every democratic state currently in existence today. I guess we just dont understand the geography of Russia, or spent enough time living among them

[Makabreska]

If we can figure that shit out enough on our own to play D&D nearly every weekend for years, I'm pretty damned sure a country can figure out how to make elections work across lesser divides.

Ummm, D&D sessions for a few people are kinda incomparable to the scale and gravity of what is discussed.

[Easo]

Russia is not capable of shit.

What needs to happen is... heck same shit that happened to Japan - it being occupied for a while and rebuilt from ground up.

It's just a tad unrealistic too.

Never underestimate the power of mob, ahemm, sorry, large masses of people and the leader/elite fucking up the wrong way. I am not saying it is likely - I am saying it is not impossible (unlikely, though).

Plus - the new selfie generation really, really could not care less about empire building, there are more fun things to do/have and there will be more of them.

[Belize]

Like almost every democratic state currently in existence today. I guess we just dont understand the geography of Russia, or spent enough time living among them

I guess Russia is just too oval to be a democracy. Everyone knows only squares and rectangles can be.

[Daymanmb]

I guess Russia is just too oval to be a democracy. Everyone knows only squares and rectangles can be.

Its literally impossible for France to have a revolution. If you understood the system or geography better, youd understand that...

[Poopymonster]

After the last few days, I hope everyone realizes how costly that will be to Russia. It's abundantly clear Ukraine doesn't want them there. Putin can't possibly want to hemorrhage troops and money indefinitely.

Sadly, Putin views soldiers like Doritos in the 1989 commercial.

[Makabreska]

I guess Russia is just too oval to be a democracy. Everyone knows only squares and rectangles can be.

Ooof, Africa looks at you weirdly right now!

[Belize]

Ooof, Africa looks at you weirdly right now!

Ah yes, the country of... *checks notes*... Africa.

[Gaidax]

Sadly, Putin views soldiers like Doritos in the 1989 commercial.

Actually there are limits for sure, he just did not get to that point yet.

It is true that he can soak quite a bit, but if it starts getting into 5 digits (legitimate though, not just some twitters) - he will be in big trouble.

Afghanistan was a big reason why USSR imploded and USSR had much more balls than Russia has.

[enigma77]

https://thestreetjournal.org/over-15...on-of-ukraine/

[Crispin]

Apparently reliving their 90’s, was something Putin thought would be a great idea.

[Poopymonster]

I don't understand this, why would these conscripts be sent to battle?

What's the point of sending someone to fight who doesn't know he will fight in the first place?

Are these people's tasks so easy that they are not required to know what will happen? Also, are there not rumors mouth to mouth about what is about to happen?

Drown em in bodies. If you send enough people, against almost any army, you will run them out of ammunition. How long it takes depends on the enemy's stockpiles and how many ̶A̶s̶t̶r̶a̶ ̶M̶i̶l̶i̶t̶a̶r̶u̶m̶ conscripts you are willing to lose.

[Gaidax]

https://thestreetjournal.org/over-15...on-of-ukraine/

Ex-Officials, you mean?

That's not it - big names are needed for it to be anything, not some small fry he will ask to be dealt with.

[Edge-]

https://www.rollingstone.com/politic...y-aid-1314512/

Oh look, Republicans that were totally OK with Trump withholding foreign aide to Ukraine are RIGHTEOUSLY OUTRAGED that Biden isn't doing enough now.

Fuck these performative asshat clowns.

“The challenge that we have is, it’s the actions that we could have done before from this administration to make sure today wasn’t happening,” McCarthy said Tuesday on Fox & Friends. “We could have supplied the weapons to Ukraine. They’re not asking for American troops, they’re just asking for the ability to fight.”

In which McCarthy ignores everything the Biden administration did in terms of building a western coalition to sanction Russia swiftly if they did attack, attempting to head off the invasion by talking about it openly and sharing their intelligence with China, knowing full well it would be shared with Russia so that Russia knew how much we know etc.

[Endus]

Ummm, D&D sessions for a few people are kinda incomparable to the scale and gravity of what is discussed.

In that we need to manage it on an ongoing weekly basis by ourselves as a hobby, whereas a government would have thousands if not tens of thousands of bureaucrats and admin staff working professionally to pull off an election once every few years.

You're right, it is kind of incomparable. It should be easier for a nation to figure out how to digitally manage elections.

[Daymanmb]

https://www.rollingstone.com/politic...y-aid-1314512/

Oh look, Republicans that were totally OK with Trump withholding foreign aide to Ukraine are RIGHTEOUSLY OUTRAGED that Biden isn't doing enough now.

Fuck these performative asshat clowns.



In which McCarthy ignores everything the Biden administration did in terms of building a western coalition to sanction Russia swiftly if they did attack, attempting to head off the invasion by talking about it openly and sharing their intelligence with China, knowing full well it would be shared with Russia so that Russia knew how much we know etc.

Dystopian future is now. Its wild...

[Flarelaine]

building a western coalition to sanction Russia swiftly

SWIFTly, eh?