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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Putin pacification policy failing in Caucasus
2014-12-13
Posted by:ryuge

#15  I see new Mexicans in my country every day. They don't need tanks. They just walk right in and make themselves at home.

It's sitzkrieg! Redblooded God-fearin'
Americans ohne papieren,
Toadstools at first light
Popping up overnight,
But who ever sees them appearing?
Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220   2014-12-13 23:52  

#14  The Russians have the right to invade their neighbors and partition them in order to provide a decent defense against what happened the last time they started a World War by invading and partitioning their neighbors.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2014-12-13 23:42  

#13  which is why Crimea, Ukraine, subs in Baltic waters, Bombers on US runs. Riiiigghht

I hate to sound like a commie apologist because I think it's great we won the Cold War. Communism sucks big time for a whole lot of reasons. Although, I do think the Russians played the game better than we did - hence the lingering leftist influences in academia and Hollywood. McCarthy was right, in spite of being a dick.

Crimea was predictable, IMHO. Historically a part of the Rodina, a major naval base, access to the Med.

The Ukraine is that bit about hostiles on the border. Notice there has not been a full-scale invasion. They're chess players. Threat and maneuver.

Subs in the Baltic has been going on forever. I remember reading about cat & mouse games as a kid. The diff is now the Swedes lack assets to prosecute contacts. So do the Brits now they have killed off the Nimrods.

Long range bomber runs mean the Russians can once again afford the gas. And maintenance. Falling oil prices may put the bite on showing the flag. Frack on, baby!
Posted by: SteveS   2014-12-13 23:05  

#12  If your country had been invaded by Western Europeans as many times as his has you might want a buffer zone too.

None of them succeeded. However, the invasion from the East did and the Rus would live under the Mongol yoke for generations. Nice underpopulated resource rich region you have there in Siberia Vlad.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2014-12-13 21:21  

#11  Russia has some legitimate national security interests. Having hostiles directly on their border makes them twitchy. There are historical reasons for this.

which is why Crimea, Ukraine, subs in Baltic waters, Bombers on US runs. Riiiigghht
Posted by: Frank G   2014-12-13 21:10  

#10  They have been fighting the muslim slavers the second the Mongols waned (Battle of Kulikovo, 1380).
Posted by: swksvolFF   2014-12-13 19:57  

#9  #4 Sympathy for common sense and practicality.

I kinda sorta hate to say this, having grown up thru the Cold War, what with expecting the Cuban Missile Crisis to turn into an "On The Beach" scenario, but...

Russia has some legitimate national security interests. Having hostiles directly on their border makes them twitchy. There are historical reasons for this.

Russia has a problem with Muslim terrorists. Beslan. Nord Ost. Chechnya.

We share some common global security concerns with the Russians. It seems foolish not to recognize this.
Posted by: SteveS   2014-12-13 19:36  

#8  Enjoy your little dictator Grom. He keeps this up, Russia will collapse under his stupidity and economic policies. Want proof? Just look what a similar narcissistic economic imbecile has done to the US - and Obama is incompetent.
Posted by: OldSpook   2014-12-13 16:15  

#7  What constantly amazes me is how Western leaders demonize Putin while giving the Chicoms a pass.

Putin doesn't have the cash (or in the US' case - hold the mortgage)
Posted by: Pappy   2014-12-13 16:14  

#6  Vlad is not the only idiot who doesn't realize that Muslims are our common enemy. Western leaders are every bit as guilty of that if not more so.

I have no illusions about the guy. He obviously has the instincts of a dictator. He reminds me of the juvenile delinquent who whips out a switchblade thinking it will impress the other school boys. But they're not impressed. They think he's an idiot. That's because he is an idiot. But I'm not all that impressed with Hollande, Merkel, Cameron and Obama either.

He's a little more aggressive in places like the Ukraine than we'd like. He probably sees the antics of Kerry and McCain and thinks we're too aggressive. He doesn't want NATO in Ukraine and I can't say as I blame him for that. If your country had been invaded by Western Europeans as many times as his has you might want a buffer zone too.

I have to wonder if the Russians are capable of doing any better. I also have to wonder if he is really any worse than some of the EU types who want to impose their socialist group think on Europe no matter what the Europeans think. And, as I said the other day, Obama is a lot closer and a lot more threatening to me than Putin will ever be. I honestly don't believe that Russian tanks will be rolling through Poland any time soon but I see new Mexicans in my country every day. They don't need tanks. They just walk right in and make themselves at home.

What constantly amazes me is how Western leaders demonize Putin while giving the Chicoms a pass.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2014-12-13 14:39  

#5  The reality is that the Muslims are our common enemy. Vlad is an idiot not to realize that. But I repeat myself.
Posted by: Remoteman   2014-12-13 12:20  

#4  Sympathy for common sense and practicality.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2014-12-13 09:57  

#3  Sympathy for Putin, really? Where have I seen this before, hmm...

Posted by: OldSpook   2014-12-13 08:57  

#2  if he wasn't an aggressive punk trying to kickstart Soviet Union V2.0, we wouldn't enjoy it, chauvinist
Posted by: Frank G   2014-12-13 08:34  

#1  Lets not think about ME & Afghanistan. Or youths rioting and raping trough European cities. Lets rejoice instead in Putin's failure to civilize "his" Muslims.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2014-12-13 04:26  

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