Ukraine's European Revolution?

[crazy canuck]

On that topic:

Reuters:

The Strategic Rocket Forces launched an RS-12M Topol missile from the southerly Astrakhan region near the Caspian Sea and the dummy warhead hit its target at a proving ground in Kazakhstan, the state-run news agency RIA cited Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Yegorov as saying.

Russian report: http://ria.ru/defense_safety/20140304/998158431.html

I wonder if the defence spokesmen is related to the guy who said Russia would ruin the US economy?

[Zanza]

I actually seriously doubt that.

My suspicion is that their nuclear arsenal in reality works about as well as most of their high tech military equipment - barely, if at all.

Of course, that suspicion is not really enough to make policy on...

Their commercial and scientific rockets are very reliable and they have detonated close to 1,000 nuclear devices until 1990. What makes you think that their nuclear arsenal of all things doesn't work? It may not be as precise as Western missiles, but does that really matter when you talk about 1,000s of nuclear warheads?

[Barrister]

According to the article and some other sources the guy that said this is just a bag of wind they routinely put out to look tough, but has no actual say in policy. But it is still funny. Apparently he's claimed Russia can tank the US economy too.

Russia can turn us into a nuclear wasteland, so they probably have some ability there.

I actually seriously doubt that.

My suspicion is that their nuclear arsenal in reality works about as well as most of their high tech military equipment - barely, if at all.

Of course, that suspicion is not really enough to make policy on...

I dunno Berkut.  The Russians have only a handful of viable high tech sectors that are world leaders.  They're not bad computer game makers.  And they make some pretty decent rockets.  Remember NASA has to ride Soyuz rockets up to the ISS.

[Syt]

Tweet from Sen. Lindsey Graham:

It started with Benghazi. When you kill Americans and nobody pays a price, you invite this type of aggression.

Putin basically came to the conclusion after Benghazi, Syria, Egypt - everything Obama has been engaged in - he's a weak indecisive leader.

[DGuller]

For once, these Republicans just may be the idiots of the useful variety.  They may be creating an impression that Obama has little political room to wuss out, and is in fact under pressure to be more forceful.

[Malthus]

For once, these Republicans just may be the idiots of the useful variety.  They may be creating an impression that Obama has little political room to wuss out, and is in fact under pressure to be more forceful.

'See here, Mr. Putin, you can't intimidate us with the crazy: we have Republicans and we are not afraid to use them!'

[Warspite]

For once, these Republicans just may be the idiots of the useful variety.  They may be creating an impression that Obama has little political room to wuss out, and is in fact under pressure to be more forceful.

'See here, Mr. Putin, you can't intimidate us with the crazy: we have Republicans and we are not afraid to use them!'

You mean, deploy weapons of mass delusion? 

[Malthus]

For once, these Republicans just may be the idiots of the useful variety.  They may be creating an impression that Obama has little political room to wuss out, and is in fact under pressure to be more forceful.

'See here, Mr. Putin, you can't intimidate us with the crazy: we have Republicans and we are not afraid to use them!'

You mean, deploy weapons of mass delusion? 

I wish I'd thought of that one ...

[alfred russel]

You mean, deploy weapons of mass delusion? 

We have those weapons in abundance; but unfortunately we are outclassed by the Russians. 

[sbr]

For once, these Republicans just may be the idiots of the useful variety.  They may be creating an impression that Obama has little political room to wuss out, and is in fact under pressure to be more forceful.

'See here, Mr. Putin, you can't intimidate us with the crazy: we have Republicans and we are not afraid to use them!'

You mean, deploy weapons of mass delusion? 

[Barrister]

You mean, deploy weapons of mass delusion? 

We have those weapons in abundance; but unfortunately we are outclassed by the Russians. 

We must close the delusion gap with the Russians!

[garbon]

For once, these Republicans just may be the idiots of the useful variety.  They may be creating an impression that Obama has little political room to wuss out, and is in fact under pressure to be more forceful.

'See here, Mr. Putin, you can't intimidate us with the crazy: we have Republicans and we are not afraid to use them!'

You mean, deploy weapons of mass delusion? 

[Sheilbh]

I know that you have only recently departed from a land most politicians probably are in the pockets of someone but in most Western Democracies most politicians also have an eye out for the ramificantions on their actions on the economy and therefore the well being of the citizenry at large.  The British were against financial sanctions because a significant part of the British economy is based on London being a major financial centre and financial sanctions would hurt Britain as well as Russia.  The Germans were against energy sanctions because they get a significant amount of energy commodities from Russia.

I agree with Tamas actually. I think one of the side effects of globalisation has been a liberalisation of ethics.

Yeah the City's got to be a major financial centre, but if our economy really needs us slushing round dirty money then we're already in trouble. The Russian Central Bank estimates that two-thirds of the cash leaving Russia every year is traceable to illegal activities. Europe would rather earn money shuttling that off-shore than trying to help Ukraine, or for that matter to protest human rights abuses in Russia - like Magnitsky.

After that you have the last generation of Western leaders neck deep in dodgy cash. Clinton and Blair have both helped the Nazarbayev family in Kazakhstan either as consultancy or for donations (kick-backs) to their various foundations. Schroeder's still the Chairman of Nord Stream. Sarkozy's thinking of setting up a hedge fund with money from Qatar. That doesn't go into the numerous retired ministers, MPs, Senators and the rest available to lobby Western governments on behalf of foreign potentates. And then we turn to Berlusconi.

I think that article I linked to earlier is right. Putin sees the West as like Brezhnev era apparatchiks. They talked about the Marxist revolution without ever really believing it. Western leaders talk about human rights. But they never dare to do anything to stop the stream of cash, princelings and contracts from Russia, or China, or the Gulf.

And who can blame them. Hollande and Cameron will both be young-ish men when they end up on the dole in the next few years, it'd be madness to piss off potential future employers.

[crazy canuck]

For once, these Republicans just may be the idiots of the useful variety.  They may be creating an impression that Obama has little political room to wuss out, and is in fact under pressure to be more forceful.

'See here, Mr. Putin, you can't intimidate us with the crazy: we have Republicans and we are not afraid to use them!'

You mean, deploy weapons of mass delusion? 

You good sir win the thread

[Admiral Yi]

Shelf: you can't be suggesting that the *only* reason European governments are resisting economic sanctions "with teeth" is venal self-interest.  Germany in particular: if they shut off the pipeline how do you expect them to keep their power plants running?

It was, however, very nicely written.