Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

newyorker.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 193 posts

Re: The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

#121

Post by fartcannon »

gullywhumper wrote: post #112
fartcannon wrote: post #19

Is there a book written by a soldier that explains why people defend/enforce the power of evil people? Putin himself is not poisoning these people, someone is doing it for him. Why? Doesn't have to be from Russia. Any soldier defending any evil person - why?

Christopher Browning's Ordinary Men is about a specific unit of German special police used to round up and massacre Jews. It's been 15+ years since I read it, but I think the conclusion was these otherwise ordinary men (not ardent Nazis) followed orders because of a mix of peer-pressure and obedience to authority.

It's probably as simple as that.

I'll read that, thank you.

Re: The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

#122

Post by frank2 »

ibobev wrote: post #55
boo_boo wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Woah... it's almost as if Russia has been the target of western propaganda ever since the establishment of the Soviet Union. What's up with that?

You are wrong. The Russia has been a target of the western propaganda ever since the Great Schism[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East%E2%80%93West_Schism

I was skeptical that Russia was even influenced much by the Eastern Orthodox Church before the Great Schism, but I looked it up and found that it was: before the Great Schism, the Rus tried to invade Byzantium, which increased trade and cultural exchanges, and an important Rus ruler, Vladimir, converted to Orthodox Christianity.

Re: The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

#123

Post by throwaway0a5e »

supernova87a wrote: post #10

I remember an essay a few years ago (it was the Ukrainian poisoning?) where the author essentially said that Russia's brand has basically been spoiled for outsiders. (political brand certainly, but maybe overall as a country). As in, Russia is no longer a trustworthy seeming, interesting, attractive place to want to go visit or collaborate with or be associated with. I mean, of course it depends on the level of detai…

I'm not sure how true this is. Rural Americans young enough to not remember the cold war are pretty well aware that they (arguably) have more in common with the Russian people than they do with any western European people even if the geopolitical goals of Russia are in conflict of those of the US.

Re: The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

#124

Post by Phillips126 »

I don't have a lot of knowledge in history or politics of foreign countries, so perhaps someone here could answer this question:

In the end, time kills us all. Putin is currently 67 years old, I assume he will likely rule for another decade plus before time comes for him. Any hypothesis as to what may happen after Putin? Is it likely he'll "name" a successor who shares his authoritarian views and the cycle continues?

Re: The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

#125

Post by sam_lowry_ »

strictnein wrote: post #104
vogre wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just remember what happened when Cuba followed some domestic policies US didn't like in 1962.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a domestic policy?

Technically, yes. A sovereign country can invite another sovereign country to host their missiles, especially if they have a powerful enemy nearby, ready to launch theirs.

Re: The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

#126

Post by venatiodecorus »

supernova87a wrote: post #10

I remember an essay a few years ago (it was the Ukrainian poisoning?) where the author essentially said that Russia's brand has basically been spoiled for outsiders. (political brand certainly, but maybe overall as a country). As in, Russia is no longer a trustworthy seeming, interesting, attractive place to want to go visit or collaborate with or be associated with. I mean, of course it depends on the level of detai…

this is the top comment? you people can't even hold your own standards

Re: The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

#127

Post by nate_meurer »

vogre wrote: post #72
nate_meurer wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of the current sanctions against Russia were a direct response to Russia's paramilitary invasion of a peaceful neighbor and theft of a large portion of their country. If Saudi Arabia were to commit a comparable offense, I assure you they'd face a comparable response, or worse (remember what happened to Saddam Hussein).

Saudis chopped WSJ journalist Hashoggi into parts! literally! Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State-sponsored_terrorism#Saud...

Yes, and I believe sanctions would be an appropriate response for that atrocity, as they should be for any state-sponsored murders of journalists or opposition politicians.

Re: The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

#128

Post by [deleted] »

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #123
supernova87a wrote: post #10

I remember an essay a few years ago (it was the Ukrainian poisoning?) where the author essentially said that Russia's brand has basically been spoiled for outsiders. (political brand certainly, but maybe overall as a country). As in, Russia is no longer a trustworthy seeming, interesting, attractive place to want to go visit or collaborate with or be associated with. I mean, of course it depends on the level of detai…

I'm not sure how true this is. Rural Americans young enough to not remember the cold war are pretty well aware that they (arguably) have more in common with the Russian people than they do with any western European people even if the geopolitical goals of Russia are in conflict of those of the US.

[deleted]

Re: The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

#129

Post by nate_meurer »

raverbashing wrote: post #100
nate_meurer wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of the current sanctions against Russia were a direct response to Russia's paramilitary invasion of a peaceful neighbor and theft of a large portion of their country. If Saudi Arabia were to commit a comparable offense, I assure you they'd face a comparable response, or worse (remember what happened to Saddam Hussein).

Good thing SA did not invade Yemen, had nothing to do with Khashoggi "suffering a paper cut" and absolutely nothing to do with 9/11 neither

Yes, thanks, we know. The Saudi Arabian regime is shamelessly and violently fascist, and corrupt at every level. What the fuck does that have to do with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and theft of the Crimean peninsula, and the commensurate response by the international community?

Re: The Suspected Poisoning of Alexey Navalny, Putin’s Most Prominent Adversary

#130

Post by craftinator »

strictnein wrote: post #96
freetanga wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. I strongly recommend a book called “Nothing is true and everything is possible”. It describes how State media operates in Russia (and you could make a point many other countries have learned a thing or two from the book). Basically there needs to be an opposition, in order to be a triumphant democracy. But you need to keep it weak and under control. Seeing an opposition gives hope to people. Then they loose ele…

I've read that book, and it's very entertaining. But the actions described in that book include setting up political parties to co-opt various movements do not describe what Alexey Navalny was doing. Navalny is the exception to what was the norm in Russia: an actual opposition, albeit a very weak one.

Which begs the question, why is he still alive and un-jailed?
Post reply on HN