How dare this former Australian diplomat write so flatteringly about Russia? Doesn’t he understand how hoodwinked and traitorous he is? I invite the usual suspects here to ridicule him by issuing mouth raspberries. It is certain that most of these members of this forum know more about the real Russia than this daft Oz fool ever can… even if he was Third and later Second Secretary as Oz’s Moscow Embassy. Undoubtedly a posting mistake by cork-wearing fly repulsing bush hats in Canberra. That Russia is, as Kevin writes in the below article, increasingly turning away from Europe and the West and growing ever closer to China, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, India and other nations of the future — and not those of the past — just goes to show how the clever President Trump, and before him, the really ever so clever President Obama and their collective array of sanctions and naked hostility really are having an effect. Just not the desired one. https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/02...5k4VVULjT9qIpndmcXk1uhOxB_IMsUvpeIpvGoW9SDjHI
What is demented is sitting in the peanut gallery and doing nothing but name calling. What is also demented is expecting to be taken seriously - in a debate forum - when you do not back up your claims. Better to be silent and thought of as a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
All those countries russia supposedly turning" too could care less about it ....other than some resources. Russia has no allies.....never did...doesn't care too. These are alliances of convenience. Russia never could/can fit into, acculturate with the West.....itsitnot capable of doing so, and will never understand , fully, the western mindset!) Sanctions are "dangerous".....whats russki going to do? Fire missiles at us!) Stripey?? ....psychoanalyzing again?? Mr. Sigmund Fraud?
American sanctions are fracturing our world, they use it with impunity to destroy and isolate any country who dare to disagree or oppose them. The outcome will be a flood of economic refugees with no wall strong enough to keep them out. Sanctions are making our world more fragile and much more dangerous. It needs to stop.
Trump has been taking the sanctions a bit far lately. But the Russians do deserve it. From their militaristic invasion and annexation of Ukrainian territory, in part under the guise of a fake civil war that they themselves want to foment, to military-grade interference in our politics, their military support for murderous dictators and, oh yeah, attempted assassinations abroad, the Russians targeted by sanctions richly deserve those sanctions and so much more besides. The KGB man and his regime have done a great job of all of the above, though, there is no doubt. They're highly competent thugs and outlaws, and have been doing a great job obscuring their misdeeds and offering counter-narratives, although I would expect nothing less from a KGB man.
D you are posting as if the US are angelic... the US government support murderous dictators when it suits them, they interfere more than any other government in the politics of other countries... they do all of what you mention and more. But Russia deserves sanctions....NO they don't. Sanctions are about control... controlling the world. You do what the US tells you to do or they sanction you... there is nothing in the aim/reasons for sanctions that are good... it's simply about control and power. And this DEMAND for control and power is hurting everyone, not just the countries being sanctioned... because we will all have to deal with the fallout of those countries that collapse in the end. This alliance SH is talking about is absolutely vital in keeping our world intact.
Whatever our faults, historical or present, that doesn't mean we cannot and should not stand up against Russia's wrongdoing, nor does it somehow justify their wrongs. You post as if Russia is angelic, as do a few others here, because you can accuse the US of a thing or two. Yes, Russia deserves sanctions for the reasons I've given. No, it is not about "controlling the world," because power and control can be exercised in far more effective ways than that. Russia is not problematic to US control in a way that would make sanctions sensible or necessary to implement as a response. Russia became newly adversarial to the US and to NATO when Putin took power, never to let it go even to the present day. Old habits die hard, of course, and Russians of his generation were Cold Warriors, so it is not surprising. It is mighty sad, but sadly not surprising that he would use us as a foil to secure his own position within Russia's politics. You'll notice that despite all of the noise he and his supporters make about us, they don't actually do much beyond just make noise. That is because the noise is intended to influence public opinion more than anything else. Putin likes having NATO to push against, clearly. I think he is really enjoying his little chess match against us and NATO.
Our leaders thought they could use the oligarchs to get rid of Putin and put in someone that would be more favorable to Washington than to Russia. What they didn't realize is that Vladimir Putin's support didn't come from the oligarchs. It came from the Russian people and the Intelligence agencies that he was once a part of. He doesn't fear the oligarchs, they fear him. He could nationalize everything with a snap of his finger. When Merkel went along with the sanctions, she thought that Western Europe with its so called 'superior' liberal culture was something the Russians and Vladimir Putin aspired to. This arrogance was the EU's downfall and the beginning of the end of Merkel. Vladimir Putin said he would never retaliate in a way that would hurt Russia, so he used the opportunity of the sanctions to stop imports of all EU goods. By doing this, he eliminated the EU competition without breaking any trade rules, and so Russia was able to develop its own industries and is now self sufficient in just about everything. I read that today there is more construction going on in Russia, than in any Western country. They do have far to go though, because there is a lot of undeveloped rural areas. Anyway I'm very proud of them. I wish I could say the same for us.
)....yes the chinos, Iraqis, iraniansIcare deeply about the world being intact .....these are the most impudent thieves you talk about.).
Oh boy... The US, which has invaded and destroyed several countries in the past two decades, is lecturing Russia about the bloodless and democratically sanctioned annexation of Crimea. Do you have any idea how utterly ridiculous such lectures sound coming from a government that invaded and destroyed both Iraq and Libya, and which waged a destabilizing proxy war against Syria? How absolutely naive and insouciant does one have to be at this point in order to believe that anything the US does is motivated by moral concerns?
That is a false dichotomy, of course. There is no reason whatsoever to assume that what is beneficial to Russia is detrimental to us, or vice versa. Russia would probably be much better off economically today had they not been taken over by Putin and his goons, although they did have the real problem of the deep-rooted corruption (there was and remains too little separation between government and organized crime in Russia) and no national experience with democratic government. The repressiveness of the Soviet regime no doubt gave rise to much of Russia's mafia culture, since it had outlawed and repressed so many basic freedoms and consumer items. I'm confident that Russia will eventually get beyond these difficulties, but only after Putin's time. I just hope they won't have to fight some kind of civil war or suffer another catastrophic regime collapse for it to happen. No one deserves that kind of mess.
Why so many lies and propaganda? Is it Vladimir Putin that you hate, or the Russian people who starved under Washington's man Yeltsin while their wealth was shipped off shore? Why would you want them to go through that again? They can't touch us now! Good!
What lies and propaganda? Oh, right. You live in an alternate reality created by Russian lies and propaganda, so you view reality as lies and propaganda.
There appears to be some confusion among Leftists. Is Donald Trump treating Russia badly or is he Vlad Putin's boy toy/
Here endeth the lesson by Reverend Zoom Copter. Next week Rev. Zoom will preach on how the soulless Russians became lost in the Wilderness thus causing God's to visit upon them his wrath followed by hail, fire, brimstone and a plague of locusts. Enjoy your day, Rev Zoom...
Thats plenty reason to attack the oligarchs with sanctions on their foreign assets, but how does ruining the economy for their working class fit into the promotion of peace? Economic war against civilians is how you make enemies, not friends.
Probably best to look in the mirror before finger pointing at others. There remains too little separation between government and organised crime in the USA. Ronald Reagan ---- mob connections HERE Richard Nixon --- mob connections HERE Donald Trump --- mob connections HERE John F Kennedy's --- mob connections HERE The US plan circa 1990/1991 with their beard, Yeltsin, was to plunder Russia using Russian oligarchs as front men and also to turn it back into an Agrarian third world nation so that it could never become a world power again. See HERE & HERE
This is a BS argument. The poster was not claiming Russia was angelic and nor do others (sans one or two but there is a wingnut or two in every crowd) That has nothing to do with the point that was being made and you are being disingenuous to suggest otherwise. The US has done everything and more -with respect to deserving sanctions - that Russia has done. It is this hypocrisy that is the problem. 100% it is about controlling the world (maintaining economic hegemony) and this is not some big secret. This is so historically deceptive it is is not even funny. Perhaps Putin does like having NATO to push against but US/NATO has given him a whole lot of ammunition on that front. It is US/NATO that have been the aggressors for the most part - that is a simple historical fact - poking the bear at every turn. Now NATO is crying because NATO went to far and the Bear actually fought back.
When I first went to Russia, I didn't know what to expect. I've been brainwashed for years through our MSM that Russia was still a bunch of commies who didn't understand capitalism and life consisted of drinking vodka and eating potatoes all day. When I first traveled around Western Europe, I thought I knew what to expect. I've been told by our MSM that Western Europe is a role model for the World....the best cultures ever. When I actually set foot in Moscow, I was surprised by all the American influence. McDonald's, Burger King, Krispy Kreme, Baskin Robbins, Papa John's, KFC and others. I was thinking...what's the deal with all these fast food places. Then I went into some shopping malls and it was the same...branded retailers largely seen here. In fact, at the Galeria in St. Petersburg, I only found one storefront that wasn't spelled in English. Central Moscow was clean. City workers picked up cigarette butts on the sidewalks. The subway systems were immaculate....even ornate. No trash, not even laying between the tracks. It really contrasted to a dirty POS like New York's. Lot of construction going on in Moscow. I was thinking I could make a ton of money there.....still could. It was booming in my opinion. Lot of tourism too. Mainly Asian from what I could tell. Some were surely Western Europeans but you can't tell the difference between Russians sometimes. Outside of town in the smaller villages, it was like night and day. Lot of poverty. Still a long ways to go. But considering Russia was a failed state in 1991, what is has happened since (without any help) is nothing short of a miracle. And Putin was the guy that ushered in capitalism. And the people like it. Putin also brought back religion and religious holidays. Once again, the people like it. Putin may be wearing thin now with the Russian people but every time the West imposes sanctions, the Russian people start liking Putin again. They are reminded who brought them back in spite of the West. When I traveled to France and Germany, I couldn't figure out why all the hype. Paris is a rat-infested shithole. The people are rude as hell. The Rivera sadly disappointed. Of particular note, most menus are in French, English and Russian. So what I now know first hand is that Russian people are more like Americans than a lot of Americans (referring to liberal left). Russia hasn't been totally overcome with feminism and the PC nuts. It reminded me of the U.S. in the '70s culture wise, which other than rampant smoking, I much prefer over this millennial LGBT candy-ass, beta culture. Russians are more like us than Western Europe.....and I'm including Londoners. Does London aspire to be 100% muslim? Hell, they seem to be at least 1/3 now. Brexit can't come soon enough.
