Greatly appreciate your insights. As to your last point? Back in the day, Mike Wallace of 60 minutes would have done a nice "tear me a new one" on this... but corporate media means ad revenue... means tread carefully.
Solid work. My one point of contention is a lack of analysis and investigation of what role our Soggy Bottom and the alphabets played in getting us to this point: Orange, Maidan, Minsk, NATO expansion, red lines, etc. Russia revanchism isn't happening in a vacuum. It's how we got here and how poorly our policy is being managed right now in line with a fantastical belief that Ukraine can win this, or we can cripple Russia by bleeding it via a prolonged proxy war that won't have unintended or surprising consequences and outcomes. Our nat sec geniuses should be pursuing de-escalation and containment. Right now, we are wading in that river in Egypt.
Oh, and the grifting. You have to address the spectacular channels of money laundering, bribes, corruption and malfeasance. Some on our side are sucking so hard the tit will fall off.
Did well. My first time reading what you had said. 1st para on GE is blistering, as appropriate. What I am ingnorant of is how corrupt has Ukraine leadership been? Is it garden variety? Is it Clinton or Biden variety? Or is it much worse? I read what some conservatives say and have had a hard time thinking it is that bad. Press not covering it?
On your last point, it's not just money and resource exports that buy support for Russia. There are a lot of people around the world who really dislike the hypocrisy of American foreign policy and a "rules based order" that is perceived as only applying to some people. We may not like this, but it's true. And that's a serious problem going forward. Indeed, it may be too late already no matter what happens in Ukraine or to Russia. Multipolarity is probably here to stay.
Greatly appreciate your insights. As to your last point? Back in the day, Mike Wallace of 60 minutes would have done a nice "tear me a new one" on this... but corporate media means ad revenue... means tread carefully.
Solid work. My one point of contention is a lack of analysis and investigation of what role our Soggy Bottom and the alphabets played in getting us to this point: Orange, Maidan, Minsk, NATO expansion, red lines, etc. Russia revanchism isn't happening in a vacuum. It's how we got here and how poorly our policy is being managed right now in line with a fantastical belief that Ukraine can win this, or we can cripple Russia by bleeding it via a prolonged proxy war that won't have unintended or surprising consequences and outcomes. Our nat sec geniuses should be pursuing de-escalation and containment. Right now, we are wading in that river in Egypt.
Oh, and the grifting. You have to address the spectacular channels of money laundering, bribes, corruption and malfeasance. Some on our side are sucking so hard the tit will fall off.
Did well. My first time reading what you had said. 1st para on GE is blistering, as appropriate. What I am ingnorant of is how corrupt has Ukraine leadership been? Is it garden variety? Is it Clinton or Biden variety? Or is it much worse? I read what some conservatives say and have had a hard time thinking it is that bad. Press not covering it?
The enduring lesson (to quote Sal, of course) is: "the good parts of her nation could not get ready fast enough". That's us folks.
On your last point, it's not just money and resource exports that buy support for Russia. There are a lot of people around the world who really dislike the hypocrisy of American foreign policy and a "rules based order" that is perceived as only applying to some people. We may not like this, but it's true. And that's a serious problem going forward. Indeed, it may be too late already no matter what happens in Ukraine or to Russia. Multipolarity is probably here to stay.
Very insightful and prescient. thank you... It's fine to take a victory lap on your predictions.
"Is everyone clear what Russia is now?"
Reading Vasily Grossman's "Life and Fate".
It's not just what Russia is now; it's what Russia and Russians have always been.
WTFU.