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Is that the narrative being spread in Russia?
Don't know. I live in Germany.
Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status
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Re: Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status
#12Belarus is part of an official Union State with Russia, which is a framework designed to expand to eventually include other nations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_State
Didn't know that! I'm learning a lot anout politics the region lately.
Re: Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status
#13It seems that the only option left for Putin is the "nuclear" one (no pun intended) now that the whole world is seeing that the Russian army lost its morale, and its teeth. Old equipment, young soldiers that are harder to brainwash than in the old days. It is fascinating to see for the first time in the modern age what effect modern media consumption and the internet has on a local war.
While it is undeniably true that open communication and the internet has corrupted the value of information, it seems that for the first time in 20 years we're witnessing the flip side of this coin as well. It's harder to mobilise people behind a corrupt cause once blood starts flowing. Curious to see how this plays out!
And yes - there have been wars for the last 20 years, I know. But if we're honest, from a purely geographical perspective, this is the first war on the European continent in the 2000's.
Re: Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status
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Wasn't there a post HN some time ago about how Netflix is helping to create a new, European TV culture by making shows from, e.g. Finland or Spain available in local language versions to everyone?
Also I'm pretty sure European states do actually have their own militaries. Sure, they have US hardware. But then the US is using European hardware as well. So ehats yoyr point?
Re: Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status
#15Belarus is de-facto a part of Russia now. I don't think that Alexander Lukashenko can make any independent decision anymore, except maybe the color of his underpants. He needs Putin for his survival. And he sacrificed his country's independence for it.
I like "Vlad the Underpants Poisoner" title given Putin by Navalny after he confirmed[1] responsibility for novichok nerve agent in his underpants. Lukashenko's underpants may interest Putin.
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/21/europe/russia-navalny-poisoni...
Re: Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status
#16It seems that the only option left for Putin is the "nuclear" one (no pun intended) now that the whole world is seeing that the Russian army lost its morale, and its teeth. Old equipment, young soldiers that are harder to brainwash than in the old days. It is fascinating to see for the first time in the modern age what effect modern media consumption and the internet has on a local war. While it is undeniably true th…
Other options for Russia are always negotiation and withdrawal. It's not like there would be an counter-attack.
Re: Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status
#17Re: Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status
#18It seems that the only option left for Putin is the "nuclear" one (no pun intended) now that the whole world is seeing that the Russian army lost its morale, and its teeth. Old equipment, young soldiers that are harder to brainwash than in the old days. It is fascinating to see for the first time in the modern age what effect modern media consumption and the internet has on a local war. While it is undeniably true th…
Other options for Russia are always negotiation and withdrawal. It's not like there would be an counter-attack.
For Russia? Yes. For Putin? No.
Re: Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status
#19Belarus regime being what it is, I'd not think that the referendum actually reflects people's opinion, and the result was not predetermined.
OTOH I suspect that after the events of 2014 and 2022, Ukraine will remain the last country in history to willingly give up nuclear weapons. Many more countries will think about developing an deploying their own nukes, or at least staying one step away from actually producing them.
Re: Belarus referendum approves proposal to renounce non-nuclear status
#20It seems that the only option left for Putin is the "nuclear" one (no pun intended) now that the whole world is seeing that the Russian army lost its morale, and its teeth. Old equipment, young soldiers that are harder to brainwash than in the old days. It is fascinating to see for the first time in the modern age what effect modern media consumption and the internet has on a local war. While it is undeniably true th…
Pollonium and thermobaric bombs easily come to my mind. Funding terrorism on steroid making Iranian look like absolute kindergartener are something I immediately think of after the previous 2 options. I can probably write a master thesis in an afternoon for possible options Putin can take. Imagine people doing this kind of think tank on daily basis for Putin. Remember when Soviet were dirt poor then they can match USA militarily, Russia now is sig ificantly richer with more sophisticated weapons. Look up who ferry American to space for the past 2 decades. Hint...not Elon.