tactile
Senior Member
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 483
|
Post by tactile on Feb 28, 2022 15:53:07 GMT 10
"Of course Putin is no Hitler; that unspeakable evil will never be matched - although those who lived through the horrors of Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot may disagree. It is important, though, to remember that in 1936 - and even in 1937 and 1938 - Hitler was no Hitler either! The adulation of the foreign athletes and dignitaries at the Berlin Olympic Games, the unopposed ease of the Nazi army's first steps over the post-WW1 German borders, the eager capitulation of Chamberlain: these are the things that allowed Hitler to become the monster."
This is the paragraph of Kasparov's book that always stood out for me...
|
|
bug
Senior Member
Posts: 2,316
Likes: 1,934
|
Post by bug on Feb 28, 2022 16:53:54 GMT 10
"Of course Putin is no Hitler; that unspeakable evil will never be matched - although those who lived through the horrors of Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot may disagree. It is important, though, to remember that in 1936 - and even in 1937 and 1938 - Hitler was no Hitler either! The adulation of the foreign athletes and dignitaries at the Berlin Olympic Games, the unopposed ease of the Nazi army's first steps over the post-WW1 German borders, the eager capitulation of Chamberlain: these are the things that allowed Hitler to become the monster." This is the paragraph of Kasparov's book that always stood out for me... Agree completely. If we had dealt with Germany when they invaded Czecheslovakia, it would have been over pretty quickly. Germany's army was still small and poorly equiped. But no, we waited until it was too late. |
|
tactile
Senior Member
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 483
|
Post by tactile on Feb 28, 2022 17:04:39 GMT 10
"Of course Putin is no Hitler; that unspeakable evil will never be matched - although those who lived through the horrors of Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot may disagree. It is important, though, to remember that in 1936 - and even in 1937 and 1938 - Hitler was no Hitler either! The adulation of the foreign athletes and dignitaries at the Berlin Olympic Games, the unopposed ease of the Nazi army's first steps over the post-WW1 German borders, the eager capitulation of Chamberlain: these are the things that allowed Hitler to become the monster." This is the paragraph of Kasparov's book that always stood out for me... Agree completely. If we had dealt with Germany when they invaded Czecheslovakia, it would have been over pretty quickly. Germany's army was still small and poorly equiped. But no, we waited until it was too late. So have we done the same with Putin? Is it too late? |
|
bug
Senior Member
Posts: 2,316
Likes: 1,934
|
Post by bug on Feb 28, 2022 19:16:06 GMT 10
I'd say it's too late. It might mean economic devastation for Russia, and huge losses for their army, but Russia will take Ukraine. Then what? Fight a guerrilla war for a long time? Unlikely.
NATO steps in? Unlikely.
The most likely outcome is a 'negotiated' ceasefire which sees Russian troops remain in Ukraine.
|
|
bushdoc2
Senior Member
Posts: 381
Likes: 469
|
Post by bushdoc2 on Feb 28, 2022 19:42:28 GMT 10
Word from within Russia is many Russians distrust Putin, but accept he is fighting to defend Russia (as long as their own sons are not sent to the front).
|
|
spatial
Senior Member
Posts: 2,396 
Likes: 1,560
|
Post by spatial on Feb 28, 2022 19:51:17 GMT 10
The Russian ruble was trading above 100 per US dollar on Monday, having fallen as much as 40% to a fresh record low of $118.6 earlier in the session, after the central bank raised its key interest rate to 20% from 9.5% and ban foreigners from selling securities locally to support the currency. During the weekend, the US, EU and their allies agreed to remove key Russian banks from the SWIFT interbank messaging system and freeze the assets of Russia’s central bank, limiting the country’s ability to access its overseas reserves.
Rusing interest rates double overnight this is going to be immediately felt by the Russian population.
|
|
spatial
Senior Member
Posts: 2,396
Likes: 1,560
|
Post by spatial on Feb 28, 2022 19:58:48 GMT 10
Russians have been repelled in some cities, drone strikes taking effect on Russian convoys. Who is behind the drones,,
|
|
Beno
Senior Member
Posts: 1,310
Likes: 1,433
Location: Northern Rivers
|
Post by Beno on Feb 28, 2022 20:19:57 GMT 10
Turkey has threatened to close the waterway through Istanbul as well as Dardanelles invoking some treaty from 1934. What a strategic point for NATO to potentially exploit to escalate their part in all this. they will find a loophole like this to justify sending advisors to help train the locals on how to use their box of goodies.
|
|
bug
Senior Member
Posts: 2,316
Likes: 1,934
|
Post by bug on Mar 1, 2022 7:53:53 GMT 10
Putin is starting to sound a lot like Kim Jong Un.
|
|
bug
Senior Member
Posts: 2,316
Likes: 1,934
|
Post by bug on Mar 1, 2022 7:59:00 GMT 10
Well, the run on banks in Russia is certainly going full steam ahead. US dollars are the favourite withdrawl, where still available.
Interestingly, consumer good sales are well up, with people spending their roubles whilst they still can get some value with them.
|
|
Beno
Senior Member
Posts: 1,310
Likes: 1,433
Location: Northern Rivers
|
Post by Beno on Mar 1, 2022 9:16:01 GMT 10
Putin is starting to sound a lot like Kim Jong Un. So they say. I don’t think poo-tin is crazy he is taking an opportunity to push back while the west is weak. He is Chinas sounding board. |
|
bug
Senior Member
Posts: 2,316
Likes: 1,934
|
Post by bug on Mar 1, 2022 9:49:14 GMT 10
I mean the 'oppose us and we will nuke everybody' statements Poutine has made. It's straight out of the north korea playbook.
|
|
Beno
Senior Member
Posts: 1,310
Likes: 1,433
Location: Northern Rivers
|
Post by Beno on Mar 1, 2022 11:05:40 GMT 10
I mean the 'oppose us and we will nuke everybody' statements Poutine has made. It's straight out of the north korea playbook. Sorry but i’m so cynical atm that i don’t believe anything. i don’t speak russian so can’t verify what he said. But yeah the classic nuke deterrent. That’s what they have em for. |
|
grumble
Senior Member
Posts: 457
Likes: 778
|
Post by grumble on Mar 1, 2022 14:47:08 GMT 10
I mean the 'oppose us and we will nuke everybody' statements Poutine has made. It's straight out of the north korea playbook. That threat has held things together for quite some time and he isn't the 1st to use that threat nor is NK During The blockade of Berlin the US started flying the B29 superfortresses around Europe that had been modified to be nuclear capable as a passive aggressive implied nuclear threat to the soviets in fact they based 3 squadrons of them in England just to demonstrate their commitment so tossing nukes on the table isn't a new thing nor is exclusively the vocabulary of the "bad"guys |
|
|
|
Post by Stealth on Mar 1, 2022 16:16:25 GMT 10
You make a point grumble. My counterpoint to that is that NK is tempered somewhat by several things. Their country is poor as heck. Their tinpot dictator is comfortable and knows that if he starts a war he won't be comfortable anymore. I don't actually think for all the rhetoric, that KJU would actually start a nuclear war. There's no real benefit to him and the reality is that there's nothing about him that screams 'mental health issues'.
Putin basically screams psychopath, and doesn't have the mitigation of having most of everything that he really wants out of life. He's comfortable. Putin I don't think will ever BE comfortable. Threat of nuclear war from most is purely that. A threat. But Putin takes it from a threat to a credible threat. That's the difference.
|
|
frostbite
VIP Member
Posts: 5,719
Likes: 7,119
|
Post by frostbite on Mar 1, 2022 16:34:49 GMT 10
I wonder what the US would do if Canada signed a mutual defence agreement with Russia, and Russia put a base in Canada.
|
|
bug
Senior Member
Posts: 2,316
Likes: 1,934
|
Post by bug on Mar 1, 2022 16:49:07 GMT 10
Some good thoughts there Stealth. Putin also seems to think that Russia is still a military superpower. It just isn't. Russia is a poor country and this is reflected in their military spending.
The phrase "Upper Volta with rockets" has been used. Russia isn't the USSR. It is far weaker than it was 40 years ago.
Russia isn't a peer of NATO. It isn't even close, and has to rely on grandad's nukes to seem tough in the playground.
It's arguable that a country like India is more than a match for it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Joey on Mar 1, 2022 17:22:20 GMT 10
Turkey has threatened to close the waterway through Istanbul as well as Dardanelles invoking some treaty from 1934. What a strategic point for NATO to potentially exploit to escalate their part in all this. they will find a loophole like this to justify sending advisors to help train the locals on how to use their box of goodies. Hungart has sided with Putin and will stop any shipments of weapon deliveries to Ukraine through Denmark. Well, the run on banks in Russia is certainly going full steam ahead. US dollars are the favourite withdrawl, where still available. Interestingly, consumer good sales are well up, with people spending their roubles whilst they still can get some value with them. They better hurry, Anonymous posted a video yesterday stating that they will start the largest hacking spree in history attacking all Russian banks withdrawing all money and transferring it to the accounts of Ukrainian soldiers and gave the people a few days notice to withdraw their savings. |
|
iceage
Senior Member
Posts: 165
Likes: 127
|
Post by iceage on Mar 1, 2022 17:44:44 GMT 10
Good saying i found today. "The first casualty of war is truth".
|
|
|
|
Post by Stealth on Mar 1, 2022 17:55:18 GMT 10
Denmark has sided with Putin and will stop any shipments of weapon deliveries to Ukraine through Denmark. ---- They better hurry, Anonymous posted a video yesterday stating that they will start the largest hacking spree in history attacking all Russian banks withdrawing all money and transferring it to the accounts of Ukrainian soldiers and gave the people a few days notice to withdraw their savings. What's the source for that Denmark comment? It seems very odds with other reporting, and I couldn't find anything that indicated that Denmark are planning to either halt their own deliveries or those of other countries. Denmark is sending 2,700 Norwegian anti-tank missiles to Ukraine
Denmark to send weapons, allow nationals to fight in Ukraine
|
|
