Americans Don't Like Putin, But They Respect Him

[bigtoughralf]

I'm a person from the old Soviet bloc. I was raised to believe that the only good Russian is a dead Russian, etc., etc. 50 years ago I would have agreed with your statement. Maybe even 30 years ago.

I was not raised to say anything like that, and I don't say anything like that. My friends from Georgia and Romania might say that, idk. They would not agree with what you wrote but I am British, and I meant what I said to the ram, in response to what he said. Anyone who seditiously invites foreign militaries here, should be clear about the British response. I have nothing against Russians, that is Putin's fiction. The trouble with Putin is that any parallel system one might dream up is his to destroy. I am not suggesting there are no other issues, but appeasers have hamstrung every western operation so far this century. It has long been a mistake to appease Putin.

"Appease Putin."

That's like people who continue to buy-in to the idea that North Korea is a threat to anyone.

North Korea has 50% the population and 10% the economic resources of South Korea but - thanks to Anglo-American propaganda - everyone truly believes they're on the verge of conquering Seoul if not constantly bulwarked by the USA. In reality, it's a smokescreen the USA has conjured to prevent reunification of the peninsula which would not be in the interest of the Anglo-American warmongers.

Russia has 40% of the population of the Britain-less EU and a fraction the financial capacity. And it has to use those finite resources to defend a vast swath of territory surrounded by enemies and crumbling states on all sides. The notion that Russia is a threat to anyone is a fantasy concocted by the CIA and MI5 to (in part) justify keeping military forces within striking distance of Berlin and (in other part) because they are guided by Makinder's debunked Heartland theory of world power which supposes that Russia has the keys to the universe.

Yeah but it's not propaganda when Western governments and media do it. They have all repeatedly proven themselves to be fair and trustworthy sources without agenda. If Biden says that Iran is preparing an amphibious assault on New York, I believe him without question.

[bigtoughralf]

Anyone who seditiously invites foreign militaries here, should be clear about the British response.

An immediate phone call to the White House begging for help?

[saxitoxin]

Biden is trying desperately to get his war so he can prop up his collapsing approval ratings, but it seems his friends in Europe aren't interested in playing. Looks like this will just be another classic Biden failure.

Despite the diplomatic outreach, it’s not certain that even America’s NATO and European allies are truly unified against Putin.

Different leaders have been saying different things, with some pushing forth their own views on how to engage Russia — France’s Emmanuel Macron has said the European Union should start its own dialogue with the Kremlin. Some of the hesitation involves the fact that many of the European countries have greater energy and other trade links with Russia than the United States. Germany, which has long pushed for the Nord Stream 2 project, appears squeamish at times about coming down too hard on the Kremlin. Earlier talk of cutting Russia off from the SWIFT financial network, for instance, appears to have faded amid reported concerns from some European countries. And, as in the case of Croatia, some European countries’ internal politics can lead to mixed messaging about their commitment.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/2 ... n-00002641

[bigtoughralf]

Biden is trying desperately to get his war so he can prop up his collapsing approval ratings, but it seems his friends in Europe aren't interested in playing. Looks like this will just be another classic Biden failure.

Despite the diplomatic outreach, it’s not certain that even America’s NATO and European allies are truly unified against Putin.

Different leaders have been saying different things, with some pushing forth their own views on how to engage Russia — France’s Emmanuel Macron has said the European Union should start its own dialogue with the Kremlin. Some of the hesitation involves the fact that many of the European countries have greater energy and other trade links with Russia than the United States. Germany, which has long pushed for the Nord Stream 2 project, appears squeamish at times about coming down too hard on the Kremlin. Earlier talk of cutting Russia off from the SWIFT financial network, for instance, appears to have faded amid reported concerns from some European countries. And, as in the case of Croatia, some European countries’ internal politics can lead to mixed messaging about their commitment.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/2 ... n-00002641

Reminds me of Obama trying to pressure European countries, Australia etc. into shunning China and them all responding by immediately joining China's AIIB. And just like his old pal, Biden also doesn't seem to understand that if you act like a controlling bitch then your husband will definitely cheat on you.

[saxitoxin]

https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/o2uq4b0h68/econToplines.pdf

[jusplay4fun]

Putin or Putang? Re: Americans Don't Like Putin, But They Respect Him (Title at the moment...)

[saxitoxin]

Putin or Putang? Re: Americans Don't Like Putin, But They Respect Him (Title at the moment...)

Americans Don't Respect Putang, But They Like It

[HitRed]

Russia’s largest exports.

Mineral fuels including oil: US$141.3 billion (42.1% of total exports)
Gems, precious metals: $30.4 billion (9%)
Iron, steel: $16 billion (4.8%)
Cereals: $9.5 billion (2.8%)
Machinery including computers: $8.3 billion (2.5%)
Wood: $8.2 billion (2.5%)
Fertilizers: $7 billion (2.1%)
Copper: $5.6 billion (1.7%)
Aluminum: $5.5 billion (1.6%)
Fish: $4.6 billion (1.4%)


Largest oil exporters

Saudi Arabia: US$113.7 billion (17.2% of exported crude oil)
Russia: $72.6 billion (11%)
Iraq: $50.8 billion (7.7%)
United States: $50.3 billion (7.6%)
United Arab Emirates: $47.9 billion (7.2%)
Canada: $47.6 billion (7.2%)
Kuwait: $28.3 billion (4.3%)
Nigeria: $25.2 billion (3.8%)
Kazakhstan: $23.7 billion (3.6%)
Norway: $22.7 billion (3.4%)


Largest Gold Producers

China 370 mt
Australia 330 mt
Russia 300 mt
USA 180 mt
Canada 170 mt

[2dimes]

https://www.modernghana.com/news/113730 ... putin.html

[jusplay4fun]

I would not characterize the opinion of most Americans of Putin as "respect." I think most consider Putin a ruthless dictator who wants to re-establish much of the glory of the former Russian Empire and USSR. He is also grabbing lots of money, not unusual for a man who is a dictator, by election or by his royal kingship.

This is despite whatever former President Trump says about Putin and how "brilliant" he is.

Trump Insists Vladimir Putin Is 'Genius' After President Biden Says Russia Began Ukraine Invasion

"As a matter of policy, we try not to take advice from anyone who praises President Putin and his military strategy," the White House said in response

By Aaron Parsley
February 23, 2022 03:26 PM

https://people.com/politics/donald-trump-praises-vladimir-putin-genius-amid-ukraine-crisis/

[jusplay4fun]

Nothing disingenuous about a thread that is quoting Muslim politicians' personal accounts of Islamophobia they have faced at work. How dare you compare me to a deviant like CC poster saxitoxin.

You are both trolls. saxi is much better at trolling and eliciting comments. You, ralf, are too narrow and myopic; your prejudices are blatantly apparent to those who bother given a modicum of thought to what you post. When called for what you are, you JUMP and lash out against those who call you out on and point out your biased views. The fact that most of your posts do not elicit any response shows that most who post in this Forum have figured out your myopic view of the world. We simply and rightfully ignore you, most of the time.

And like your "hero" saxi, you feel obligated to declare your pronouns in your signature. I guess there must be some doubts.....?

Free Palestine

My pronouns are he/him

[saxitoxin]

saxi is much better at trolling

OH YEAH

SUCK IT RALF

[bigtoughralf]

Nothing disingenuous about a thread that is quoting Muslim politicians' personal accounts of Islamophobia they have faced at work. How dare you compare me to a deviant like CC poster saxitoxin.

rambling ad hominem that doesn't address the topic of discussion in any way

Peak jp4.

[bigtoughralf]

saxi is much better at trolling

OH YEAH

SUCK IT RALF

In your dreams.

[jusplay4fun]

Nothing disingenuous about a thread that is quoting Muslim politicians' personal accounts of Islamophobia they have faced at work. How dare you compare me to a deviant like CC poster saxitoxin.

rambling ad hominem that doesn't address the topic of discussion in any way

Peak jp4.

I said THAT...??..!! I should COPYRIGHT THAT; it sounds GOOD.

[jusplay4fun]

Earlier talk of cutting Russia off from the SWIFT financial network, for instance, appears to have faded

I think the imposition of the Cut off from SWIFT happened earlier today.

EU: SWIFT financial system to cut off access to some Russian banks
Ukraine begged the U.S. and Europe to disconnect Russia from the global financial system known as SWIFT for months as tensions in the region increased, but it took an invasion to finally spur action.

During a press conference Saturday evening, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the EU will “commit to ensuring that a certain number of Russian banks are removed from SWIFT.”

Several other countries, including the U.S., Great Britain, Italy, Germany and France, have also supported the decision, despite initial hesitancy tied to the domestic and global ramifications of the change.

“We are engaging with European authorities to understand the details of the entities that will be subject to the new measures and we are preparing to comply upon legal instruction,” SWIFT said in a statement to The Record.

Why does Russia need this payment system?

SWIFT, which stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, processes transactions between 11,000 financial institutions across the world, according to its website. With SWIFT, online banking users can send money overseas quickly, accurately, and securely. SWIFT payments typically take 24-48 hours to complete.

In traditional banking, there is hardly any alternative to SWIFT, but many turn to cryptocurrency for international payments—it is faster and cheaper, but also energy-intensive.

https://therecord.media/ukraine-swift-russia-banks/

From what I read, this is one of the STRONGEST sanctions that can be used. Of course, if the USA stops BUYING Russian Oil, that too is a major economic impact Action.

[saxitoxin]

Earlier talk of cutting Russia off from the SWIFT financial network, for instance, appears to have faded

I think the imposition of the Cut off from SWIFT happened earlier today.

EU: SWIFT financial system to cut off access to some Russian banks
Ukraine begged the U.S. and Europe to disconnect Russia from the global financial system known as SWIFT for months as tensions in the region increased, but it took an invasion to finally spur action.

During a press conference Saturday evening, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the EU will “commit to ensuring that a certain number of Russian banks are removed from SWIFT.”

Several other countries, including the U.S., Great Britain, Italy, Germany and France, have also supported the decision, despite initial hesitancy tied to the domestic and global ramifications of the change.

“We are engaging with European authorities to understand the details of the entities that will be subject to the new measures and we are preparing to comply upon legal instruction,” SWIFT said in a statement to The Record.

Why does Russia need this payment system?

SWIFT, which stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, processes transactions between 11,000 financial institutions across the world, according to its website. With SWIFT, online banking users can send money overseas quickly, accurately, and securely. SWIFT payments typically take 24-48 hours to complete.

In traditional banking, there is hardly any alternative to SWIFT, but many turn to cryptocurrency for international payments—it is faster and cheaper, but also energy-intensive.

https://therecord.media/ukraine-swift-russia-banks/

From what I read, this is one of the STRONGEST sanctions that can be used. Of course, if the USA stops BUYING Russian Oil, that too is a major economic impact Action.

If anyone stops buying Russian oil, Russia will just sell to China and China will stop buying from the Arabs and LNG from Australia and Malaysia. The Power of Siberia pipeline will be done in a couple years anyway so this will happen eventuality.

The reason they're only going to cut a few community banks off is because if they start weaponizing SWIFT there will be a large scale defection of countries to CIPS. That'll be the beginning of the end for the American dollar. Any meaningful cutoff of Russia from SWIFT will permanently Deep Six the US economy. Not just the economy but the entire economic system.

[jusplay4fun]

Putin does not deserve respect; he is a KILLER and is EVIL

RIGHT, Russian Economy is SO LARGE to cause damage to the USA:

1. United States
2020 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $20.89 trillion
2020 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $20.89 trillion
2020 GDP Growth: -3.6%
2020 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $63,413.510

11. Russia
2020 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $1.48 trillion
2020 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $4.13 trillion
2020 GDP Growth: -3%

Russia is the world’s 11th largest economy, with a GDP of $1.48 trillion as of 2020, 3% lower than in 2019.1

Russia has moved toward a more market-based economy over the 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, but government ownership of and intervention in business is still common. As a leading exporter of oil and gas, as well as other minerals and metals, Russia’s economy is highly sensitive to swings in world commodity prices.

That must be why they send their Hackers to work. Good one, Putin.

https://www.investopedia.com/insights/worlds-top-economies/