Russia

[hlniv]

Just saw that Vice HBO thing. Shit is alarming.

[Biff Pocoroba]

Yeah, that was a great report. If you weren't more concerned with the Baltics and especially Ukraine afterwards you weren't paying attention.

[Rangi Guy]

What's this all about?

[hlniv]

Putin and general Russian anti-US sentiment is a threat to world peace that is much more entrenched and developed than I thought. Or conversely, US international policies have given rise to a dangerous, but not well-understood by Americans, belief by many Russians that the US is purposefully undermining Russian sovereign rights through the build up of NATO military forces.

In simple terms, both sides seem to be preparing for an all out war. And it's not just "Ukraine Rebels", Ukraine, and Russia. It is happening in all of the bordering NATO countries and in many other former soviet territories.

[Green Habit]

If you want a written version of what hlniv is talking about, here you go:

http://www.vox.com/2015/6/29/8845913/russia-war

[darth_vedder]

^Whoa, thanks for posting. Didn't read the whole thing yet, but got through those first 3 points. Yikes. I was blissfully unaware.

[LoathedVermin72]

Well fuck.

[E.H. Ruddock]

I need to make sure my stock of potassium iodine pills are not out of date.

[LoathedVermin72]

From that article:

That problem is this: Putin's Russia is weak. It can no longer stand toe to toe with the US. It no longer has Europe divided in a stalemate; rather, it sees the continent as dominated by an ever-encroaching anti-Russian alliance. In the Russian view, the country's weakness leaves it at imminent risk, vulnerable to a hostile West bent on subjugating or outright destroying Russia as it did to Iraq and Libya.

This is made more urgent for Putin by his political problems at home. In 2012, during his reelection, popular protests and accusations of fraud weakened his sense of political legitimacy. The problem worsened with Russia's 2014 economic collapse; Putin's implicit bargain with the Russian people had been that he would deliver economic growth and they would let him erode basic rights. Without the economy, what did he have to offer them?

Putin's answer has been to assert Russian power beyond its actual strength — and, in the process, to recast himself as a national hero guarding against foreign enemies. Without a world-power-class military or economy at his disposal, he is instead wielding confusion and uncertainty — which Soviet leaders rightly avoided as existential dangers — as weapons against the West.

Unable to overtly control Eastern Europe, he has fomented risks and crises in there, sponsoring separatists in Ukraine and conducting dangerous military activity along NATO airspace and coastal borders, giving Russia more leverage there. Reasserting a Russian sphere of influence over Eastern Europe, he apparently believes, will finally give Russia security from the hostile West — and make Russia a great power once more.

That...doesn't sound good.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Just went ahead and ordered this:

[EJ]

Great article, thanks. Count me as one of the blissfully unaware of the legitimate threat. Will watch that HBO doc too.

[Rangi Guy]

I watched a small clip on YouTube which kinda breezed over these points very briefly. I doubt Russia would actually try anything. If they do however - I hope they wait a while as I'd really like to visit Russia

[Redemption]

I love those crazy russian fuckers man. Slippery cossack sluts.



Russians=

[hlniv]

It's only going to get worse, folks...

Syria crisis: Nato concerned by Russia 'military build-up'
9 September 2015
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34205003

The US and Nato have expressed concern over reports that Russia is increasing its military presence in Syria.

Unnamed US officials quoted by Reuters say Moscow has sent additional aircraft and two tank landing ships to Russia's naval base in the Syrian coastal city of Tartus, within the past day or so. They also say a small number of naval infantry forces have been deployed.
But a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman insisted on Wednesday that this was nothing new, arguing that Moscow had been openly supplying weapons and sending military specialists to Syria for a long time.
"Russia has never made a secret of its military-technical cooperation with Syria,'' Maria Zakharova said. Syria, for its part, has denied any military build up by Russian troops on its soil.

John Kerry warned Mr Lavrov on Wednesday that if the reports were found to be true, "it could lead to greater violence". The German and French foreign ministers have also warned against a further military escalation.

[Tranny Cheeks]

Oh my goodness, make love not war

[track11]

It's only going to get worse, folks...

Syria crisis: Nato concerned by Russia 'military build-up'
9 September 2015
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34205003

The US and Nato have expressed concern over reports that Russia is increasing its military presence in Syria.

Unnamed US officials quoted by Reuters say Moscow has sent additional aircraft and two tank landing ships to Russia's naval base in the Syrian coastal city of Tartus, within the past day or so. They also say a small number of naval infantry forces have been deployed.
But a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman insisted on Wednesday that this was nothing new, arguing that Moscow had been openly supplying weapons and sending military specialists to Syria for a long time.
"Russia has never made a secret of its military-technical cooperation with Syria,'' Maria Zakharova said. Syria, for its part, has denied any military build up by Russian troops on its soil.

John Kerry warned Mr Lavrov on Wednesday that if the reports were found to be true, "it could lead to greater violence". The German and French foreign ministers have also warned against a further military escalation.

Isn't this good news? At the current time, the best result of this mess is Syria returning to prior form, and yeah, that means with Assad at the head. The alternatives are:
A. Iraq/Libya/etc (i.e., we depose an authoritarian government and leave never-ending catastrophe in its wake)
B. ISIS, Al Qaeda, etc take complete control of Syria

I'll take Assad, thank you very much. The Russians are doing what we should do, but don't have the political balls to do it. Instead we are basically doing something (very costly) on paper with no actual substance. Of course, our feeble attempts may also be because we/Israel don't mind Syria being a war zone with its accompanying benefits (weak Syria, pre-occupied Hezbollah, etc).

Lebanon needed Syria to step in and end its horrid civil/proxy war, and Syria also desperately needs someone (who they can trust) to step in and end this madness. Who else can they trust?

[hlniv]

Who else can they trust?

[Kaius]

I love Vlad.

[Redemption]

Vlad is the shit.



I'd say I wish he was our president, he could crack down on corporate welfare maybe, but the whole -tyranny/totalitarianism just wouldn't be worth it.


He's ex KGB, guy has dirt on every potential rival in Russia. Prolly be president for years to come.

[dimejinky99]

Russian jets have done a good few FU flights almost in British airspace the last couple of years.
sabre rattling perhaps but he's all the more dangerous cos he knows it's empty posturing. Now he's saying he's goin after IS cos the US won't.
This is gonna get ugly.