Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have held the exact same question. I don't say this lightly. His decision was stupid. He would've been much more effective as a critic with a Twitter account. You can't criticize the government when you're not free to do so.
Have you heard the metaphor of the chicken and the pig at breakfast time? I could probably stand in the Krasnaya Ploshchad and yell "Vladimir Zelenskiy Sucks!" without repercussion, but that wouldn't make it effective criticism.
Alexei Navalny has died
751–760 of 1001 posts
Re: Alexei Navalny has died
#752Earlier quoted context omitted.
How do you propose the west avoids conflict with Russia and China? Is there any examples in history of appeasement leading to less bloodshed?
I'm not sure we can avoid conflict now, I think we're past the point where that was possible (last 10-15 years were critical). I think both Russia and China understand that, and are planning accordingly. I'm proposing we wake up and start doing the same, planning and drawing "do not cross" lines in the sand to hopefully limit the total/final scope of the conflict. Yes this will force an earlier confrontation -- but W…
Europe still prides itself for having female ministers of defense in every major country (who remembers them? We give the job to women when we just need to maintain things; Men traditionally seize the head-of-war position by force when someone wants to get things done, the position of Minister of Defense is figurative and should not exist) and feminist warfare (=give priority to women in war). Europe also prides itself for its glorious occupation by … ahem… by the thing I’m not allowed to talk about because we’re under occupation. Our kids get smashed at school, that’s for sure, under the eye if teachers who forbid them from responding with force.
If I were Russia, I’d pay all the leaflets and papers on which the “Vivrensemble with enemey people” posters are printed. We’re vegans, we’re trans, we’re using non-violent communication, we’re in discord on our soil, we destroy every trait of masculinity during education: We’re incapable of war, and we’re incapable of being a threat to Russia.
For as long as I’ve been hearing Macron’s minister say we’re “doing a total economic war” with Russia (literal words), for as long as I hear the West is winning and Russia is on its knees, I see that every battle is one step closer inside Europe.
We’re losing.
Re: Alexei Navalny has died
#753Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm fairly certain he knew this, but did it anyways. If anything, it'll make him a martyr who died in their home country, still fighting, rather than someone who is trying to run away and fueling the opponent's arguments. Still sucks it had to come to this. But I agree, this wasn't the unexpected outcome.
Unfortunately, a martyr in Western countries only. I doubt his death will be discussed in Russian's media.
Re: Alexei Navalny has died
#754Earlier quoted context omitted.
“Invading a well-armed Europe is almost impossible.” Funny, the world had the same thought in 1936.
War is fundamentally different now than it was at the beginning of WW2. A nuclear superpower cannot be invaded. You can poke the bear A LOT, but basically everyone recognizes that a ground invasion is crossing a red line. That's the purpose of NATO. In exchange for giving up some autonomy to the US (letting the USA build military bases in your territory, not acting overtly against our interests), and paying us for ou…
Re: Alexei Navalny has died
#755I love how naive and gullible most people can be... Just google past the first result and you'll see that he is a carbon copy of putin - they are literally the two sides of the same coin. His personal views were perfectly in line with the russian leadership for the past 300 years: believed in imperialism and ethnic superiority. He played opposition for one reason and one reason alone: personal gains. He softened down…
Navalny being a Russian chauvinist should be utterly unsurprising: it would be significantly stranger for Russian opposition to be a stereotypical '60s hippie as opposed to, you know, Russian.
Re: Alexei Navalny has died
#756Earlier quoted context omitted.
Russia really is not to be feared. The Ukraine war is a tragedy and I hope it ends soon. But they have no economical & military power to really do any harm the Europe & the US. Putin makes a lot of noise but really can't even win a few km's in Ukraine. But the real threat is further east. China is slowly building it's empire, and it's a scary one. Taking over parts of Africa. Migrating it's people. Integrating it's t…
As soon as the Ukraine war comes to a standstill, Russia will start riots in the Baltics to create a land connection to Kaliningrad.
Realistically there's no (strategic) benefit to even defending Kaliningrad in case of a war (and the thing is surrounded by NATO so it would be taken immediately if not heavily defended), so stationing lots of troops there is just a pointless drain on resources. If the Kaliningrad secession movement picks up steam, then they might just let them leave.
Re: Alexei Navalny has died
#757[flagged]
Re: Alexei Navalny has died
#758Earlier quoted context omitted.
Russia really is not to be feared. The Ukraine war is a tragedy and I hope it ends soon. But they have no economical & military power to really do any harm the Europe & the US. Putin makes a lot of noise but really can't even win a few km's in Ukraine. But the real threat is further east. China is slowly building it's empire, and it's a scary one. Taking over parts of Africa. Migrating it's people. Integrating it's t…
You underestimate how Russia is playing the long game while everyone else thinks in election cycles.
Re: Alexei Navalny has died
#759Earlier quoted context omitted.
What future? Between the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s and the collapse of the USSR, Russia has only a few generations left before experiencing demographic collapse. There simply aren't enough young men there to keep the Russian population growing and the population there doesn't value diversity enough to consider producing more Russian children with immigrants. This is what many believe (e.g., Peter Zeihan) to be…
Odd plan. The invasion is at, what, ~500k casualties? This also assumes massive assimilation.
Re: Alexei Navalny has died
#760Earlier quoted context omitted.
As soon as the Ukraine war comes to a standstill, Russia will start riots in the Baltics to create a land connection to Kaliningrad.
How exactly will Russia start "riots" in NATO countries?