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2008-08-28 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

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Posted by ryuge 2008-08-28 05:20|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 Good idea. Too bad nobody will ever actually do it. Nobody ever goes to jail for financial crimes, no matter how big.

Posted by gromky 2008-08-28 06:08|| 2008-08-28 06:08|| Front Page Top

#2 Right, but they will throw some dumbass in prison for 5 years for letting people download tracks from Chinese Democracy. It doesn't make much sense, does it? My personal advice is that if you are going to break the law, do it big and get off Scott Free.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2008-08-28 08:29|| 2008-08-28 08:29|| Front Page Top

#3 Clearly, something far more dangerous than mere authoritarianism has arisen in Putin's Russia. A peculiar blend of political autocracy and corruption, seamlessly fusing political, economic and military power, threatens world peace.

Adolf Hitler and Joe Stalin would be quite envious.

Posted by Besoeker 2008-08-28 08:33|| 2008-08-28 08:33|| Front Page Top

#4 Looks like we are about to see a shakedown cruise of western soft power. If that doesn't work, guns and bombs can always solve it the old fashioned way. Demographically, Russia is dying. The outcome is not in doubt, only the pace.

Posted by Richard of Oregon 2008-08-28 10:11|| 2008-08-28 10:11|| Front Page Top

#5 Someone has to start pushing buttons. I'd suggest the biggest and hottest button to push would be to eject Russia from the International Olympic Committee and refuse to allow Russia to participate in any future Winter or Summer Olympics. That's a major political showcase for the Russians, and would hurt them badly. Secondly, I'd halt all licencing of all patents to Russian companies, and halt all joint cooperative agreements. That, too, would be a damaging blow. Finally, I'd eject all Russian students from schools anywhere else other than Russia. I would also halt all "exchange" programs, regardless of what they are (cultural, economic, student, military, political, etc.). If the whole world did that, and treated Russia as a pariah nation, they'd soon change their behavior. The ONLY way you're going to change Russia's behavior is to HURT them badly enough they WANT to change. The three things I've mentioned above would go a long way toward inflicting that pain.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2008-08-28 14:53|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2008-08-28 14:53|| Front Page Top

#6 The biggest button to push would be a variable tariff on imported oil maintaining a floor price of $100 a barrel to increase with inflation. That would significantly spur investment in domestic energy sources.The second would be to open up all offshore areas to domestic drilling and to cut off all highway funds for those states that do not allow drilling.

The final would be to strengthen the dollar.

The sum result would be to crash the price of oil, perhaps at the cost of a deeper recession. Nonetheless, it would be a cheaper way out than gearing up for conflict.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-08-28 15:01|| 2008-08-28 15:01|| Front Page Top

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