Man, Russia is pulling out all the stops. They are moving Soyuz survival training to Crimea. The US and other countries will have to send their astronauts to Crimea, tacitly supporting the Russian annexation, or they won't be accredited and won't get their ride to the ISS.
...hopefully kicking off Space Race Part Deux. I mean, if we're maxxing out the federal credit cards anyway, maybe we can finally get something useful out of it?
Wow. That is a serious f*cking asshat move.
If there was any questioning if this was about the US that should put it to rest. Few nations will be impacted by this outside of the US. Everything Russia does should now be viewed as an attempt to antagonize the West, mainly the US.
If there was any questioning if this was about the US that should put it to rest. Few nations will be impacted by this outside of the US. Everything Russia does should now be viewed as an attempt to antagonize the West, mainly the US.
Just because a couple of Russia's gambits are US-centric doesn't necessarily mean that the entire thing is all about US.
Also, Russia and the US are not the only countries interested in the ISS, in fact even the next flight has (was going to have?) a German, Alexander Gerst. I think that Russia underscoring that they are in some ways the sole gatekeepers to all of space is a pretty effective PR move for non-US countries as well. I'm sure it will resonate especially strongly with Russians, which I'm guessing is more the point.
Filthy skimmer here, but this thread is huge. Anyone link in the past to Dan Carlin's Common Sense podcasts on this subject? Been listening to those lately and feel like they're pretty much right on the money.
Not sure if they've been called out in this thread, but GWJ is how I found my way to Common Sense in the first place. I think he has quite a following in our community, as well he should.
It's dangerous to assume that Putin is merely "antagonizing" the US, the same as if someone said our economic sanctions were designed to "antagonize" Putin. There are a number of propaganda uses to which the training center move can be put, useful no matter what the US does, and the moves that Putin has been making have been exceedingly functional, both internally and externally. He's not yanking chains here, he's capturing territory.
This is not a Cold War standoff with jeering and shoe-pounding at the UN. This is highly scripted strategic and tactical maneuvering, and it's unlikely to stop with Ukraine unless Putin falls. If he succeeds with Ukraine, he's got to continue boosting his prestige, and he won't do that by sitting on his hands.
This is not a Cold War standoff with jeering and shoe-pounding at the UN. This is highly scripted strategic and tactical maneuvering, and it's unlikely to stop with Ukraine unless Putin falls. If he succeeds with Ukraine, he's got to continue boosting his prestige, and he won't do that by sitting on his hands.
This is the correct interpretation of events. It's important to remember that Putin is the man who openly laments the fall of the Soviet Union. And he has made the reconstitution of the Soviet Union, under the name of the Russian Federation, one of his main goals. That is why he does what he does, in both the territorial sense and in the 'antagonization of the West" sense.
In addition to his personal character, which is of a typical Russian macho thug.
If he succeeds with Ukraine, he's got to continue boosting his prestige, and he won't do that by sitting on his hands.
I don't think he will venture into other campaigns, unless he feels provoked by U.S. bankrolling another "revolution", or planning to establish new military bases close to Russia's borders... Which probably WILL happen, so it's fair to assume that he will want to respond.
I think there is an excellent chance we're heading for WW3.
If he succeeds with Ukraine, he's got to continue boosting his prestige, and he won't do that by sitting on his hands.I don't think he will venture into other campaigns, unless he feels provoked by U.S. bankrolling another "revolution", or planning to establish new military bases close to Russia's borders... Which probably WILL happen, so it's fair to assume that he will want to respond.
I thought he'd stop at Crimea, then I thought maybe he was going for all of Ukraine. Then he kidnapped that Estonian guy. Who knows what his plan is.
It's dangerous to assume that Putin is merely "antagonizing" the US, the same as if someone said our economic sanctions were designed to "antagonize" Putin. There are a number of propaganda uses to which the training center move can be put, useful no matter what the US does, and the moves that Putin has been making have been exceedingly functional, both internally and externally. He's not yanking chains here, he's capturing territory.
This is not a Cold War standoff with jeering and shoe-pounding at the UN. This is highly scripted strategic and tactical maneuvering, and it's unlikely to stop with Ukraine unless Putin falls. If he succeeds with Ukraine, he's got to continue boosting his prestige, and he won't do that by sitting on his hands.
I phrased that poorly. I agree with the above. What I was trying to say is this. The Crimea training thing is so specific in who it affects that it sure looks like Putin is actively trying to remind the West, and specifically the US, that they have to live with what he's doing right now. Obviously his goals are hard to know. His stated desire is to bring Russia back to prominence and to project "greater Russia". There is a dash of nationalism mixed in with trying to increase his stature / power in Russia. I just meant that it's aimed at the US in so far as the US is the only country aside from Ukraine to actively push back. And even then we're just talking about words and sanctions.
Definitely agree, DS. I just see a lot of my friends mired in the old thinking about this. Didn't mean to jump on you.
Ah yes, I also agree that the Soyuz training camp is a move aimed much more at Russia than any other external country, although I bet it's effective and aimed internally as well.
Maybe some of our resident Russians can help decode this one. Apparently ex-rebel leader Strelkov was giving a press conference in Moscow about how he intended to help protect Putin from enemies and traitors.
At the same time, a report was released that he had committed suicide, leading to some pretty dark humor.
Maybe some of our resident Russians can help decode this one. Apparently ex-rebel leader Strelkov was giving a press conference in Moscow about how he intended to help protect Putin from enemies and traitors.
At the same time, a report was released that he had committed suicide, leading to some pretty dark humor.
The Russian article just says his body was found and they presume suicide until further investigation proves otherwise. I didn't even see a cause of death. Says more information on the 12th, i. e. today.
OMG is that a Mauser he's carrying, Soviet Commissar style?
The guy was fan of historic reenactments. Seems appropriate he was keeping in role.
I'm not seeing the suicide news in Western media...
Unfortunate consequences....
That's an awfully nice national sovereignty you have there. Sure would be a [em]shame[/em] if something happened to it.
That's an awfully nice national sovereignty you have there. Sure would be a [em]shame[/em] if something happened to it.
I think that's the direction that a lot of Putin's stances have taken. Pledging to take a leading role in fixing the fighting in Ukraine sounds a lot like a mobster offering "protection."
It's much more complicated than just propaganda. There were a lot of people who saw through the propaganda. It was a combination of propaganda (even just for show), authoritarian power, a population-wide feeling of hopelessness, and the struggle to survive every day and eek out a life.
A lot of the clear thinkers are either dead or left, so what's left are the people who still believe and want to believe.
Or as Slavoj Zizek remembers from the communist days (he's from Ljubljana), it's like parents who will tell you they don't really believe in Santa Claus, but they keep acting like they do for the kids, while kids say they know better but keep up the pretense to avoid breaking their parents' hearts.
Hypatian wrote:That's an awfully nice national sovereignty you have there. Sure would be a [em]shame[/em] if something happened to it.
I think that's the direction that a lot of Putin's stances have taken. Pledging to take a leading role in fixing the fighting in Ukraine sounds a lot like a mobster offering "protection."
maverickz wrote:It's much more complicated than just propaganda. There were a lot of people who saw through the propaganda. It was a combination of propaganda (even just for show), authoritarian power, a population-wide feeling of hopelessness, and the struggle to survive every day and eek out a life.
A lot of the clear thinkers are either dead or left, so what's left are the people who still believe and want to believe.
Or as Slavoj Zizek remembers from the communist days (he's from Ljubljana), it's like parents who will tell you they don't really believe in Santa Claus, but they keep acting like they do for the kids, while kids say they know better but keep up the pretense to avoid breaking their parents' hearts.
Especially when the people who deny Santa's existence are kidnapped and re-educated or terminated by teams of thugs in reindeer regalia.
wordsmythe wrote:Hypatian wrote:That's an awfully nice national sovereignty you have there. Sure would be a [em]shame[/em] if something happened to it.
I think that's the direction that a lot of Putin's stances have taken. Pledging to take a leading role in fixing the fighting in Ukraine sounds a lot like a mobster offering "protection."
maverickz wrote:It's much more complicated than just propaganda. There were a lot of people who saw through the propaganda. It was a combination of propaganda (even just for show), authoritarian power, a population-wide feeling of hopelessness, and the struggle to survive every day and eek out a life.
A lot of the clear thinkers are either dead or left, so what's left are the people who still believe and want to believe.
Or as Slavoj Zizek remembers from the communist days (he's from Ljubljana), it's like parents who will tell you they don't really believe in Santa Claus, but they keep acting like they do for the kids, while kids say they know better but keep up the pretense to avoid breaking their parents' hearts.
Especially when the people who deny Santa's existence are kidnapped and re-educated or terminated by teams of thugs in reindeer regalia.
It's complicated. As he puts it, "It's prohibited to make fun of Stalin, but it's more prohibited to say that it's prohibited."
I wish Bush were here to save Ukraine from Russia.
You know, like how he rode in to rescue Georgia from "that nice man with the puppy dog eyes and warm soul".
yeah I saw that this morning. Perhaps it's just coincidence, but I found the timing odd that it occurred right after mid-term elections.
The source of the guns in Ukraine. [PDF Warning]
103 pages... geez
Recognising these limitations, the key findings of the report are:The most significant sources of arms, munitions, and armoured vehicles for pro-Russian
separatists in eastern Ukraine remain those which are domestically available;It is very likely that pro-Russian separatist groups have received some level of support
(including small arms, light weapons, guided light weapons, heavier weapons systems, and
armoured vehicles) from one or more external parties;Landmines, cluster munitions, and incendiary munitions have all seen regular use in the course
of the conflict;The identified materiel was manufactured primarily in the USSR or Russian Federation.
This is unsurprising given the intertwined military and political history of Ukraine and Russia;
Further research focusing on the arms and munitions of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is
necessary. This type of analysis can provide insights into aspects of the combatants’ training,
logistics (including foreign support), disposition, and doctrine.
I noticed over the weekend that the Ukrainians said they would recapture the airport at Donetsk. Reports are now coming in of heavy fighting there and in nearby neighborhoods, and the Ukrainians are claiming that Russian military units have crossed the border.
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