Blimey
10mo ago
Yep. Solipsism. "Do I even know whether anything aside from me exist? Planets? Viruses? Tiananmen Square protests? The Great Firewall of China? Forcible sterilizations under One Child Policy? Probably all lies of MSM, we will never know"
Blimey
10mo ago
Is it based on any academically accepted definition? Because then French Revolution isn't a revolution either.
Blimey
10mo ago
From what I recall, what’s most important is your profile’s headline and job titles, in particular the most recent one.
I wonder what to do if I want to switch my role. E.g. if I am currently a dba, or a sysadmin, recruiters most likely will offer only jobs of the same kind. Or whether I should be looking for job postings myself, and only use a LinkedIn account as some sort of a business card / CV.
Blimey
10mo ago
And American assistance was not meager if you look at it in all years from 2014.
Just find an article from Khodaryonok saying back before the invasion that it was absolutely meager. A large-scale war isn't fought with a hundred Javelins or Stingers. Operation Unifier or several hundreds of millions dollars sent to Ukraine over the years weren't the decisive factor either.
And without western assistance they would be successful as they were 9 years ago.
They weren't that successful 9 years ago either — not taking Mariupol in 2015 even after Russian MOD sending their units into Ukraine.
I didn't say Putin is a nationalist, I said he was ideologically driven. Thinking that he is a new Ekaterina the Great. Ekaterina wasn't a nationalist, she accepted Muslims and European colonists in her realm. Patrushev, Kiriyenko — those are ideologues too. The rest are lèche-culs. But Göring too was more interested in his personal enrichment and aggrandizement. In regimes like that not everyone is Hitler or Himmler.
There is wide gulf between full war-time economy proposed by Strelkov and current Vietnam level spending.
Just find articles on Meduza, Verstka or Mediazona on how military factories work right now — in 3 shifts, without possibility of taking vacations. How expenses, especially the closed part of the budget grew. If you don't see something, or if you still can enjoy your morning latte somewhere in café in Moscow — doesn't mean the system doesn't make efforts. People dance in night clubs in Kyiv too, you know.
Blimey
10mo ago
We now have a very authoritative voice from Moscow confirming this understanding. Russia behind the Headlines has published an interview with Gorbachev, who was Soviet president during the discussions and treaty negotiations concerning German reunification. The interviewer asked why Gorbachev did not “insist that the promises made to you [Gorbachev]—particularly U.S. Secretary of State James Baker’s promise that NATO would not expand into the East—be legally encoded?” Gorbachev replied: “The topic of ‘NATO expansion’ was not discussed at all, and it wasn’t brought up in those years. … Another issue we brought up was discussed: making sure that NATO’s military structures would not advance and that additional armed forces would not be deployed on the territory of the then-GDR after German reunification. Baker’s statement was made in that context… Everything that could have been and needed to be done to solidify that political obligation was done. And fulfilled.”
Gorbachev continued that “The agreement on a final settlement with Germany said that no new military structures would be created in the eastern part of the country; no additional troops would be deployed; no weapons of mass destruction would be placed there. It has been obeyed all these years.” To be sure, the former Soviet president criticized NATO enlargement and called it a violation of the spirit of the assurances given Moscow in 1990, but he made clear there was no promise regarding broader enlargement.
Also
https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-expansion-russia-mislead/31263602.html
But that sums it up:
"That is because it fits so well with the picture that the Russian leader seeks to paint of an aggrieved Russia, taken advantage of by others and increasingly isolated -- not due to its own actions, but because of the machinations of a deceitful West," Pifer said.
Blimey
10mo ago
I have no desire of typing 5000 words, if everything can be found in the linked videos, or on Wikipedia, or wherever. Just put in on 2x. Arguments you present are not new, and the refutations of them are ubiquitous.
Blimey
10mo ago
it can't fight alone
They can — just instead of sparsely populated Azov steppe battles will happen in Poltava (pop. 280k), or Zaporizhzhia proper (pop. around 700k). They repelled Russians from Kyiv back when American assistance was meager.
Putin isn't an imperialist, he isn't based right winger or actually communist shill, he is cleptocrat who wants to stay in power, that's all.
He is a kleptocrat, alright, but calling him non-ideological is just demonstrably false at this point. You could have had doubts back in 2012, not now. Karlin is just as delusional as ever, just instead of "Kiev will fall in 2 days" he swung in the opposite direction.
In Russia Russian nationalists that support the regime are generally laughed at for all the aforementioned reasons.
I lived in Russia for quite some time, I know Russian, so I think I have some understanding of what Russian nationalists really think. Are you Russian?
non-committal atlitude to the supposed fight against evil nazi Ukraine and Satanist NATO
And Nazi Germany didn't go full war time economy until 1942.
People can be ideologically-driven psychopaths, and ineffective at the same time. And I assure you — if Strelkov came to power, economic efficiency would just drop. Because he would fire Nabiulina, actually competent banker, and would put someone like Glazyev in her stead, who is even less competent than Erdogan when it comes to monetary policy. But hey, at least he hates hohols.
pathetic copium
I don't understand this attitude of many pro-Ru people. Here is my 2-minute paint meme to illustrate my attitude toward this (add it to the list of "lousy memes"):
/images/16877176476755807.webp
But I can understand "pro-nato" people, in their naïveté they thought it might bring the end to this senseless war a bit closer.
Blimey
10mo ago
Coup d'etat
The sudden overthrow of a government, differing from a revolution by being carried out by a small group of people who replace only the leading figures.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FijiV_ISw2A
If you consider up to a million people in Kyiv alone a "small group", then it's a coup, sure.
I think the difference is important. Pro-Ru like to point that it was "undemocratic", and that it was instigated by CIA. While the first claim can still be supported (Janukovich wasn't deposed in an election), it is weakened by the demonstration of popular support of ousting of Janukovich. Even in Donetsk:
Blimey
10mo ago
The general points are the same: ignoring agency of independent minor power (Poland, Ukraine, Baltic States etc.); hypoagency of Russia and hyperagency of the US; ignoring ideologies, political developments and personal attitudes of politicians and populations.
And it is easy demonstrable — Mearsheimer made laughable claims about Putin not being imperialist and not being driven by ideology (despite the latter comparing himself to Peter the Great, claiming that Ukraine is historically Russian, citing Ilyin — a Russian fascist philosopher, writing articles about Ukraine historically being part of Russia). But people still cite him, even after this year and a half. It's baffling.
Blimey
10mo ago
Again the bunch of tired claims about NATO threat refuted so many times
Blimey
10mo ago
The legitimately elected leader of the country was chased away by men with guns. How is it not a coup?
Do you have a video of him being chased away by men with guns? He was voted out by Rada.
"Coup" is a charged word, and is used to paint the protest, and post-Maidan government by extension, as illegitimate. So why not "Revolution"? Because it is reserved for events like American revolution, and pro-Ru Americans, despite them siding with Russians and Chinese, still venerate the Founding Myth?
Blimey
10mo ago
Wikipedia is far from a trusted source especially on politically relevant topics.
That's a nice way to deflect. The cases when Russians bombed Russian population in Ukraine controlled cities and locations are well documented. Those two are the best documented though. I also recommend to read materials from the International Court (Russia has its representatives there defending themselves, so it's not in abscence)
https://www.icj-cij.org/case/166/oral-proceedings
If you read quality source, you'd understand there is nothing deeply complex about it.
As for the 2014 coup, I think most people are aware.
"Everyone understand" is a fallacy (building consensus), and it's a bad way to introduce garbage arguments about CIA and "globalhomo". Please build a good argument for why it was a coup, but taking into account events like disappearance of Janukovich, Supreme Council of Ukraine (Rada) vote for removing him, shooting at the protestors, introduction of anti-Constitutional laws on the 16th of Jan and so on?
Blimey
10mo ago
I already quoted in the thread George Soros, one the vilest Jews in the consciousness of American right:
An open society is always in danger. It must constantly reaffirm its principles in order to survive. We are being sorely tested, first by 9/11 and then by President Bush's response. To pass the test we must face reality instead of finding solace in false certainties... Our future as an open society depends on resisting the Siren's song.
or
We face a vicious circle of escalating violence. President Bush ran on the platform of a "humble" foreign policy in 2000. If we re-elect him now, we endorse the Bush doctrine of preemptive action and the invasion of Iraq, and we will have to live with the consequences.
While Zionists are predominately Jewish, blaming Jews for Iraq is like blaming Italians for Mafia, because Five Families are predominately Italian (and then there are plenty of non-corrupt people of Italian descent serving in police force).
Blimey
10mo ago
Can anyone advice on what I should post on LinkedIn (and whether I should at all)? I plan to switch jobs in 6-12 months, and to open the profile to recruiters. Right now I only updated it with a few Azure certificates I got over the last couple years.
I have a few things in mind of what I can post there — like a pyGame project I recently finished, or me tinkering with with a locally-deployed LLM, or how I prepared for the Azure Admin exam. But really, I feel more comfortable discussing stuff like that in an anonymous fashion somewhere on reddit, rather than "humblebrag" on LinkedIn — as the signaling intention is pretty clear when you post there.
Blimey
10mo ago
Yup, Russian nationalists love to refer to Ukraine as the "country 404", the failed state that doesn't exist.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/страна_404
or "a temporary geographical misunderstanding".
they've been extremely statist and punitive
Any proof? I consider that an exaggeration on par with the rightist claim that the US is super oppressive because they imprisoned several participants of Jan 6. Just like the right claims that Ukraine is THE most (literally, the most, or one of the most) corrupt counties in the world. I mean, they are on the level of Peru or Indonesia. Rightist also don't talk a lot about descent of Hungary into corruption, which is curious (just 9 points above Ukraine in Corruption Perception Index).
Blimey
10mo ago
I was paraphrasing a poster from several weeks back, when they defended British pilots defecting to Chinese. They essentially said that they would rather defect to China than be a subject of trans-friendly anti-white policies of the West. Though they dismissed human rights violations by Chinese as propaganda, and also claimed that the situation with human rights is better in China than in UK. Another example of solipsism.
Blimey
10mo ago
There was on-going anti Russian people attacks in the Donbas. If there were a community of Americans living in Mexico that came under attack I imagine Uncle Sam might have something to say.
There were indeed, e.g.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2015_Mariupol_rocket_attack
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volnovakha_bus_attack
(please read the articles)
The 2014 coup
It wasn't a coup. If you make an inflammatory statement — provide the evidence.
Blimey
10mo ago
As George Soros said back in 2004:
If we re-elect Bush, we are endorsing the Bush doctrine. And then we are off to a vicious circle of escalating violence in the world. And I think, you know, terrorism, counter-terrorism, it's a very scary spectacle to me. If we reject him, then we are effectively rejecting the Bush doctrine. Because he was elected on a platform of a more humble foreign policy. Then we can go back to a more humble foreign policy. And treat this episode as an aberration. We have to pay a heavy price. You know, 100 billion dollars a year in Iraq. We can't get out of that. We mustn't get out of it. But still, we can then regain the confidence of the world, and our rightful place as leaders of the world, working to make the world a better place.
I think it deserves a top-level post in itself: one of the reasons American right started to hate Soros was that he opposed interventionist policies of Bush. Now Tucker and co, who supported invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, declare people like him to be warmongers.
Blimey
10mo ago
China is planning to build their base on Cuba, and Russia increasing their presence there. I guess, a special military operation Bay of Pigs style is totally justified, as it is posited by the so called "realists". And you will support it, right? Ukraine is in the sphere of Russia, Cuba is in the sphere of the US?
https://www.reuters.com/world/china-post-spy-facility-cuba-off-southeastern-us-wsj-2023-06-08/
Blimey
10mo ago
They've been totally vindicated. Russia is wrecking Ukraine, missile by missile and refugee by refugee.
No, it hasn't been. A lot of people demolished arguments of Mearsheimer. An example of critique:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=XXmwyyKcBLk
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wjU-ve4Pn4k
I won't be repeating them, as it's just exhausting.
So Maidan wasn't a coup either. An agreement has been reached, for an interim government to be formed, where Janukovich is still the president, and opposition leaders form the cabinet. But then Janukovich-controlled police shot at protestors, and he just left. He wasn't killed like Gadaffi. You might say — he was afraid for his life. But that is his problem. After that, Rada held a vote for his removal.
Those are just basic fact. They are a bit different from Russia Today version of events though, where violent Azov thugs chase the president and become the power, I understand.
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