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Inside Putin's Circle

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Re: Inside Putin's Circle

#181

Post by istjohn »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #128

The bit about welcoming the patriotism of war reminded me of the 'conspiracy theory' that Putin blew up some of his own people in order to consolidate his power. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_apartment_bombings Now, some people believe that, some people don't, but since just before he invaded Ukraine he announced that they were one people, he's literally done the same thing again, blowing up "his own people",…

There really is no question that Putin was behind the bombings. This American Life had a recent episode about them. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/763/transcript

Re: Inside Putin's Circle

#182

Post by polishdude20 »

Kinrany wrote: post #152
istjohn wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He has a number of good threads.

He mixes evidence with unsupported opinions and just-so stories though.

Yeah I noticed that too. Glosses over things and doesn't explain them. Leaves you asking for sources and more proof.

Re: Inside Putin's Circle

#183

Post by Animats »

jacquesm wrote: post #163
worik wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Historically, this sort of thing ends only when the leader is killed. Or Russia wins

I'm sure that if they are the last man standing and all of Ukraine is turned into rubble soaked through with blood that they'll declare victory. But it won't amount to much. Real people with power build they don't destroy. The likes of Putin only know how to kill and how to destroy.

I'm sure that if they are the last man standing and all of Ukraine is turned into rubble soaked through with blood that they'll declare victory.

For Russia, that may be an acceptable outcome. The last century and a half of Russian history has a large number of mass death events.

Re: Inside Putin's Circle

#184

Post by khazhoux »

stjohnswarts wrote: post #84
mekkkkkk wrote: post #28

I read an incredibly thorough book about Putin a year or so ago, and what stuck with me is how political his career in the KGB was. In those final years of the USSR, everything was in shambles, and any position of power became so through-and-through political. That makes his rise so interesting and frightening. He has been forged in a dark web of covert slush funds, power projection and kompramat. He was obviously ve…

Seems to me like he has lost that and becoming just an angry old man playing with people's lives because he can.

Or, he amassed all the power, and is now wielding it :-\

Re: Inside Putin's Circle

#185

Post by khazhoux »

jacquesm wrote: post #163
worik wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Historically, this sort of thing ends only when the leader is killed. Or Russia wins

I'm sure that if they are the last man standing and all of Ukraine is turned into rubble soaked through with blood that they'll declare victory. But it won't amount to much. Real people with power build they don't destroy. The likes of Putin only know how to kill and how to destroy.

> Real people with power build they don't destroy.

Citation needed.

This sounds nice but it's just a value statement.

Re: Inside Putin's Circle

#186

Post by pstuart »

just-ok wrote: post #164
pstuart wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Other than fossil fuels and vodka, what does Russia have to offer the world?

Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat and second-largest exporter of weapons. Ignorant comments like these do nothing to reduce tensions between Russians and the West.

Oops, forgot about wheat -- that's a real concern. I was going to add weapons to my list but it was more along the lines of "consumer oriented" goods.

On the other hand, my comment does diddly squat to our relations. Please go on and explain how I'm contributing to international tensions with my not-fully-informed question.

Re: Inside Putin's Circle

#188

Post by stickfigure »

netsharc wrote: post #132
stjohnswarts wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that's not going to happen. When they try to take a NATO country it's over for them. Possibly over for all of us.

It seems like Putin will only surrender after he's expended everything he's got, and among "everything he's got" includes several thousand nuclear missiles...

There are probably many people between Putin and the actual ignitors on ICBM rocket engines. This safety mechanism worked at least once.

Re: Inside Putin's Circle

#189

Post by stickfigure »

Animats wrote: post #183
jacquesm wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure that if they are the last man standing and all of Ukraine is turned into rubble soaked through with blood that they'll declare victory. But it won't amount to much. Real people with power build they don't destroy. The likes of Putin only know how to kill and how to destroy.

I'm sure that if they are the last man standing and all of Ukraine is turned into rubble soaked through with blood that they'll declare victory. For Russia, that may be an acceptable outcome. The last century and a half of Russian history has a large number of mass death events.

The phrase "for Russia" seems inappropriate. You mean for Putin. And... maybe? I'm not convinced. Even Stalin had to regularly kill off the people around him to maintain power.

Re: Inside Putin's Circle

#190

Post by khuey »

pstuart wrote: post #186
just-ok wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat and second-largest exporter of weapons. Ignorant comments like these do nothing to reduce tensions between Russians and the West.

Oops, forgot about wheat -- that's a real concern. I was going to add weapons to my list but it was more along the lines of "consumer oriented" goods. On the other hand, my comment does diddly squat to our relations. Please go on and explain how I'm contributing to international tensions with my not-fully-informed question.

Can't imagine this war is doing any favors to the Russian arms exporters.
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