[Changleen]

Thought we should have a thread to discuss other stuff that happens in the world. I read this the other day and thought it was quite interesting. A good background to what’s happening on the Russian borders.

Chartbook #68 Putin's Challenge to Western hegemony - the 2022 edition.

As NATO meets to discuss the tension on the Russian border to Ukraine, and the papers fill with denunciations of Putin’s aggression, I still find it useful to return to the framework I developed in Crashed for analyzing the intersection of geopolitics and economics and the rise of Russia as a...

adamtooze.substack.com

 

[Changleen]

It’s great to read stuff like the above, that looks at the history and geopolitics in a bit more depth as context when you read stuff like this NYT article that basically tells the story that Russia is behaving unreasonably if you read it cold. Only a bit more background makes it understandable why Russia is actually doing what is is doing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/world/europe/russia-ukraine-talks.html

 

[Changleen]

Somewhat surprisingly, deep below the fold we find some acknowledgement of the deeper truths.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/opinion/us-russia-putin-ukraine.html

 

[Changleen]

Reuters give a slightly more balanced viewpoint:

Moscow says it is threatened by NATO's expansion towards its borders by taking in 14 new members from former communist eastern Europe since the Cold War ended. [C —Just as the US would be ‘troubled’ if Russian missiles showed up on the Mexico border] It wants to draw "red lines" to stop the alliance from admitting Ukraine as a member or basing missiles there.

Washington has rejected those demands [C — and this seems pretty unreasonable actually given the background] but said it is willing to talk about arms control, missile deployments and confidence-building measures to move on from one of the most fraught moments in East-West relations since the Cold War.

 

[kidwoo]

 

[mykel]

Should it not be up to the individual country to decide with whom, if any they wish to align?

If for instance Mali gets no input into the geo-political stance of Iceland, then why should the US or Russia or Anybody get a say in who anybody else cozies up to?

In this instance, if Russia had treated its border counties a little better in the past - even since the collapse of the SU they may not be so willing to run west. The US is just a guilty of shit stirring, if not moreso, but luckily has been mostly insulated from this crap cause geography.

And lets not get started on how crappy the US treated Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Capitalism at it best sure sowed some seeds that grew some unwanted fruit.

 

[kidwoo]

And lets not get started on how crappy the US treated Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Capitalism at it best sure sowed some seeds that grew some unwanted fruit.

capitalism just did in russia what it always does


How it started

How it's going

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_oligarch

 

[boostindoubles]

The GULag is still alive

Russia’s penal system has not been reformed since the late-Stalinist period and is essentially managed by the FSB. Alexei Navalny will be sent to one of the many correction colonies that serve as prisons. Conditions in these deeply backward institutions are atrocious, says Olga Romanova, founder...

www.eurozine.com

 

[Changleen]

China more ‘brazen and damaging’ than ever, says FBI director

Bureau opening cases on Chinese intelligence operations every 12 hours, says Christopher Wray, as George Soros calls Xi Jinping the ‘greatest threat’ to open society

www.theguardian.com

I can't even with this one. It's getting laughable.

 

[Changleen]

Some easier to digest Ukraine background:

Russia’s belief in Nato ‘betrayal’ – and why it matters today | Russia | The Guardian

The idea that the Soviet Union was tricked in 1989-90 is at the heart of Russia’s confrontation with the west

amp.theguardian.com

 

[JohnE]

We should not be involved in any way, shape or form with other countries border disputes/issues. Perhaps this is an oversimplification, but I dont remember Vlad saying anything about our alleged issues with our southern border, or our northern border for that matter. Nor is Ukraine calling for help.

But yeah, I blame Hunter Biden for this mess anyway.

 

[Changleen]

OPINION: More people in Aotearoa New Zealand are embracing and progressing the use of te reo and tikanga Māori in their everyday lives.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300511276/we-are-maturing-as-a-nation-by-embracing-and-progressing-our-use-of-te-reo-and-tikanga-mori

It’s true. I love it.

 

[rideit]

And lets not get started on how crappy the US treated Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Capitalism at it best sure sowed some seeds that grew some unwanted fruit.

this is kind of hilarious, in a sad way. The carving up and selling off of any and all assets to corrupt oligarchs and mafia types left little room for any type of egalitarian capitalism, of any kind. It was fucking chaos. The US was not welcome to assist, IMO.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

this is kind of hilarious, in a sad way. The carving up and selling off of any and all assets to corrupt oligarchs and mafia types left little room for any type of egalitarian capitalism, of any kind. It was fucking chaos. The US was not welcome to assist, IMO.

"Egalitarian capitalism"?

 

[kidwoo]

egalitarian capitalism

Ive got some terribly distressing news for you....


edit: Shit, sniped

 

[kidwoo]

We should not be involved in any way, shape or form with other countries border disputes/issues.

Im still not clear why we are so terribly obsessed with ours either

 

[rideit]

That wasn’t actually the word I meant, my mistake. I guess I was implying ANY effort at a ‘fair’ public voting system, one man/woman, one vote.

 

[kidwoo]

thats like, the opposite of the inevitable, entirely predictable always happens evolution of capitalism