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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Why the West is Losing |
| 2015-02-20 |
| "A big part of why the West cannot seem to grapple meaningfully with the Russian threat, despite the fact that in any strategic sense NATO is holding most of the cards in this high-stakes game, is because he challenges not just what we have, but who we are. Putin and Putinism represent a direct challenge to the post-modern way of life that has become normative, especially among educated Westerners since the 1960's. A worldview that prefers soft, feminine values to tougher masculine ones, that finds patriotism risible, that believes there is nothing worth dying for, has little to say when the monsters we firmly believed were safely behind the fortress walls, lurking hungrily, turn out to be on our doorstep, and the front door is unlocked." |
| Posted by:Hupineger Glomomp15048 |
| #6 Intersting, one of the strategies to tame Germany after WW2 was a big economic hug to get them so entwined with France and Benilux that it would be economic suicide to go to war. Sounds like a similar strategy was tried with Russia only Russia doesn't sell the same kind of goods and can easily find other markets so the Euros walked out on their own plank on that one. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2015-02-20 14:36 |
| #5 Just as social welfare programs undermined the inner cities by displacing thousands of years of the family with government as mom and dad, Europe is now reaping the consequences of decades of military welfare paid for by the American taxpayer. They lack the means at the time the Americans no longer have the will. So long and thanks for all the fish. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2015-02-20 08:33 |
| #4 But we did not 'lose' a war with China over the transfer of our industry and manufacturing capability, we prevented one. Ask anyone at my Foundation. It was a strategic business decision. If you need help with your foreign investments and IMF loans, please stay on the line. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2015-02-20 07:44 |
| #3 For the same reason "the West" is loosing to Islam. And, most importantly, already lost industry war to China. Because the west has been taken over by ideology of feel good willful ignorance & stupidity. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2015-02-20 07:28 |
| #2 Europe can't grapple meaningfully with the Russian threat is because they decided a long time ago to buy a very large proportion of their gas and oil from Russia. Going to war with Russia, or even just seriously pissing Putin off, results in a functional shutdown of much of their economy, with people sitting in the dark, with no heat, no electricity. Europe made its decision about Putin a long time ago, he's just collecting on the results of their naivete. This is just chickens coming home to roost time. |
| Posted by: DLR 2015-02-20 03:59 |
| #1 A point Fred made a few months ago explains a lot of this (paraphrased, please correct it) - 'The Soviets spent a great deal of time and money undermining the West. They lost the cold war, but they're winning this one.' |
| Posted by: Raj 2015-02-20 00:49 |