Thrag
5726
Daily Mail is a right leaning tabloid. There’s a common joke about reading something in the Daily Mail and due to it’s reputation doubting the thing even exists. Daily Mail reports on something in Finland, now I doubt the existence of Finland.
Since everyone can surely use a bit of levity, let me summarize with a song:
The point was pushing back at Russia because it is undoing a strategic balance in Eastern Europe is a symmetrical argument to Russia arguing the risk of Ukraine as a NATO member, armed by the US.
I prefer the idea that countries should be able to determine what memberships they join. But it’s a very naive worldview. Realist international relations makes a lot more sense in deciphering what’s going on.
I think both papers do real journalism. The Daily Mail is far more tabloidy. But as long as the story isn’t about immigrants, cancer or the EU, it’s probably reasonable to treat a Mail story as you would any other written by a professional journalist.
vyshka
5729
Jake coming with the heater:
North Korea is very different in my opinion. They have not enjoyed decades of western markets, technologies and cultural outputs like Russia has. There also wasn’t a ‘pulling the plug’ moment akin to what is happening now for those things; though I’ll confess I’m no expert on how much existed prior to the Korean war. Putin wants his populace to believe that the conflict in Ukraine is of limited scope, a bit difficult to buy that when a vast number of luxuries from other countries disappear overnight.
ShivaX
5731
You underestimate how much VPNs have done a media blitz across all platforms.
My mother asked me about VPNs several months ago. She understands nothing about computers for the most part, but a bunch of Youtube channels she watches had VPN sponsorships. I think everyone on Twitch and Youtube is sponsored by a VPN at this point.
I suspect a lot of Russians are familiar with them because they use them at work.
/rimshot
Thrag
5732
Putin’s image has been based a lot on bringing and maintaining peace and prosperity after the initial post-soviet clusterfuck. Bringing Russia back to the worst of Soviet times is indeed something the people are not likely prepared for after some decades of a relatively high life. At least for the middle class in the major cities.
Which sucks because anyone taking that role would have had the same results. Him getting credit for it was a crime.
I think the message is that West puts lots of stock on symbolic gestures and Russian and China don’t
A Russian invasion during the Olympics would have tanked the TV ratings, and created more pressure to do something, like the ban on Russian athlete. Abstaining makes China look better to the west, while they can continue to profitability trade with Russia. In truth, I sure China is fairly happy with it, when was the last time anyone mentioned Uyghurs on TV or QT3?
Then name a comparable nation where these types of sanctions have actually led to the kind of revolution people here are calling for? Do we think the Russian people, absent their Twitter and Candy Crush Saga, are going to storm the Kremlin and carry out the head of Vladimir Putin and bring an end to the war?
Again, I’m all for sanctions, but isolating and punishing the Russian population could take what goodwill we have and erase it completely, when I think the wiser choice might be fostering and expanding that goodwill. The endgame here should be a Russia which we can get along with; not a 6 million square mile North Korea with 6000 nuclear warheads at their disposal.
Many many content companies like Pixar and Warner Brothers as well as lots of video game developers are stopping sales of their products in Russia. Most of this is symbolic, I assume, with the exception of companies like Apple and Google etc, to whatever extent they shut things down.
On a different topic (and sorry if this was discussed above and I missed it): I’m curious about all the applications by Ukraine and other eastern European countries to enter the EU. Has there been any response/reaction from the EU? From some light Googling, I see that EU countries do have a mutual defense agreement, so is this effectively joining NATO Lite? And if so, are the applications considered about as risky as letting these countries into NATO at this point–i.e., there’s no way they’ll actually be entertained? I thought at one point
“Strategist” linked a few days ago suggested they would ramp up warfare in some cities, while being softer on others. Look what could happen to you, surrender fast.
spiffy
5738
So when do Russian submarines start cutting our underwater internet cables tho
It’s not joining NATO, the defense part is not huh, fully developed. That might change in the next few years, what with the neighborhood turning bad all of a sudden.
And it’s not like the applications mean you get into the EU, just that you might after going through the process. The process is the hard part.
Putin has demonstrated such a thing cannot exist under his leadership. Ukraine today. Moldova tomorrow. And all the war crimes it takes to achieve it.
For your other point, I feel you’re arguing against yourself. Is Candy Crush and Twitter important or not? If not, why would they become ‘another North Korea’ absent those things?
Cheer up, the second term of President Trump will have much worse consequences for the world than a couple of nukes in central Asia. :/
I heard something similar on NPR this morning, a filmmaker was calling fora boycott of Russian films and cutting off Western films to Russia. 70% of movie box office revenue is from American filsm (US cultural imperialism is impressive.) I think it is likely the Netflix will eventually stop doing business in Russia, since they refused to run Russian TV stations.
I understand the collective desire to do something, but a reality check is in order. First, Russia has been making films since the beginning of the industry, many of their films are very good. Russia has also been making video games, like Tetris for a long time, again some are pretty good.
More, importantly a country that has survived Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Khrushchev, and now Putin for 100 year, is going to survive just fine. without the latest Batman, or Call of Duty.
It is also worth noting,that Russians are pretty much at the top of the game when it comes to pirating software and other IP.
NI1
5743
While he’s no longer in office, this struck me as a “cats and dogs living together” moment which made me do a double-take
You should dig out the the sketch where the prime minister is being told about when he might press the nuclear button…
