The State of Affairs in Russia

[mongers]

Will this be Putin's Russia's 'Iraq 2003' moment?

[Razgovory]

What? I don't think it's spite or smugness

It's aspiration and a little bit of grandeur.

Who should we believe about what you think? You or Berkut?

Calling Zoupa's butthurt nationalism grandeur is pushing it a bit though. :p

Not as much as Trianon pushed back Hungary's borders though. 

Seriously, what is wrong with you?

[Jacob]

Seriously, what is wrong with you?

Tamas threw a playful jab at Zoupa. Zoupa responded in kind. Or is there something about referring to political events 100 years ago that's somehow egregious?

[viper37]

Whether smugness or grandeur, it's a bit odd. Disunity in the face of aggression is bad news, not something to be happy about, I would have thought?

Bad news, yes.  Odd, not really.  Despite being Canadian, Zoupa still has a little bit of French in him.  You can get the French out of France, but not France out the French
His position is typical of the French left of the early 2000s, so not very odd to me.  I'm still disapointed by this kind of attitude, from anyone, but I am not very surprised.
It is true the US does not pay much mind to its allies in time of peace, lately, multiplying the acts of economic agression.
I don't think letting Putin have another go at Ukraine is the way to solve such disputes though.  When he feels he's ready to push further, he'll launch a full scale assault against another member, NATO or not.  Quite possibly when he'll be certain the alliance will simply not act to defend its member, the way Trump proposed.

And when he does that, he'll be in a position to inflict much more harm.  Kinda like Germany in 1936.  France and the UK could have stopped Germany right there, but they didn't. By 1939, it took all of the might British Empire/Commonwealth and many other countries just to prevent the defeat/surrender of Great Britain, and we needed the US and USSR for the final push, once Germany had overextended itself.
I don't think Russia will be nice enough to declare war on China at the same time as its tanks are rolling down Warsaw and Vilnius once more.

[Razgovory]

Seriously, what is wrong with you?

Tamas threw a playful jab at Zoupa. Zoupa responded in kind. Or is there something about referring to political events 100 years ago that's somehow egregious?

Perhaps cheering Europeans disunity during a crisis seems pretty cool to you.  I dunno.

[Zoupa]

I'm not sure what you're talking about Raz. Macron literally wants the opposite, EU defense and foreign policy.

these next few weeks should lead us to bring about a European proposal building a new order of security and stability. We must build it between Europeans

https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-wants-new-euro-russian-security-negotiation/

[viper37]

I'm not sure what you're talking about Raz. Macron literally wants the opposite, EU defense and foreign policy.

these next few weeks should lead us to bring about a European proposal building a new order of security and stability. We must build it between Europeans

https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-wants-new-euro-russian-security-negotiation/

if it happens, it'll be a very good thing.  But I doubt it will.

[Valmy]

I'm not sure what you're talking about Raz. Macron literally wants the opposite, EU defense and foreign policy.

Yeah I think what the French claim to want to do would be great and actually in our interests.

Berkut strongly disagrees though

[garbon]

I'm not sure what you're talking about Raz. Macron literally wants the opposite, EU defense and foreign policy.

Yeah I think what the French claim to want to do would be great and actually in our interests.

Berkut strongly disagrees though

Feels like empty rhetoric though.

[Valmy]

I'm not sure what you're talking about Raz. Macron literally wants the opposite, EU defense and foreign policy.

Yeah I think what the French claim to want to do would be great and actually in our interests.

Berkut strongly disagrees though

Feels like empty rhetoric though.

Probably. I mean nobody else really seems onboard so...

[Solmyr]

However, I have trouble buying that Putin actually and sincerely believes the nonsense he spews. He's supposed to be a chess master of manipulation, not a lucky rube like Trump.

I'm baffled where people got this idea. Putin is absolutely a lucky rube, he was a two-bit gang member from the slums who became a KGB pawn and then moved into organized crime, which propelled him to the top in the 90s.

[Tamas]

However, I have trouble buying that Putin actually and sincerely believes the nonsense he spews. He's supposed to be a chess master of manipulation, not a lucky rube like Trump.

I'm baffled where people got this idea. Putin is absolutely a lucky rube, he was a two-bit gang member from the slums who became a KGB pawn and then moved into organized crime, which propelled him to the top in the 90s.

While I'd agree his genius shouldn't be (over)stated as that just buys into his propaganda, dismissing him as some kind of Trumpian rich dumb papa's boy would also be a mistake. I imagine you had to be pretty cruel and cunning to survive your way to the top in Russia. Maybe it was a less dangerous road than in previous centuries but there had to be some pretty savage and cunning individuals gunning for the same job.

[The Brain]

However, I have trouble buying that Putin actually and sincerely believes the nonsense he spews. He's supposed to be a chess master of manipulation, not a lucky rube like Trump.

I'm baffled where people got this idea. Putin is absolutely a lucky rube, he was a two-bit gang member from the slums who became a KGB pawn and then moved into organized crime, which propelled him to the top in the 90s.

Your description doesn't sound Trumpian at all.

[Solmyr]

I didn't say he was like Trump, but he definitely isn't some "chess master of manipulation". What are people basing this on?

[The Brain]

I didn't say he was like Trump, but he definitely isn't some "chess master of manipulation". What are people basing this on?

You said he is "absolutely a lucky rube". Your description doesn't sound like a lucky rube at all.