Thursday, March 10, 2022

Back To The U.S.S.R.

We begin with grim reality: Also, grim reality for the Russians: Military equipment as yard ornaments. Thinking of all the Americans who supported the Vietnam War; or the Gulf War; or the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. And will this lead to the people of Russia turning against Putin?

Putin’s most trusted propagandists are becoming ever more desperate to distort or deny the evidence of the atrocities because the truth is finding its way past the roadblocks erected by the Kremlin. Russian citizens are not pleased either with the war, nor with the financial price they have to pay for their leader’s ill-conceived military conquests.

Even the infamous show run by Soloviev—who was recently sanctioned as an accomplice of Putin by the European Union—became dominated by predictions of Russian doom and gloom. Andrey Sidorov, deputy dean of world politics at Moscow State University, cautioned: “For our country, this period won’t be easy. It will be very difficult. It might be even more difficult than it was for the Soviet Union from 1945 until the 1960s... We’re more integrated into the global economy than the Soviet Union, we’re more dependent on imports—and the main part is that the Cold War is the war of the minds, first and foremost. Unfortunately, the Soviet Union had a consolidating idea on which its system was built. Unlike the Soviet Union, Russia has nothing like that to offer.”

State TV pundit Karen Shakhnazarov pointed out: “The war in Ukraine paints a frightening picture, it has a very oppressive influence on our society. Ukraine, whichever way you see it, is something with which Russia has thousands of human links. The suffering of one group of innocents does not compensate for the suffering of other innocent people... I don’t see the probability of denazification of such an enormous country. We would need to bring in 1.5 million soldiers to control all of it. At the same time, I don’t see any political power that would consolidate the Ukrainian society in a pro-Russian direction... Those who talked of their mass attraction to Russia obviously didn’t see things the way they are. The most important thing in this scenario is to stop our military action. Others will say that sanctions will remain. Yes, they will remain, but in my opinion discontinuing the active phase of a military operation is very important.”

Even Walter Cronkite turned against the war in Vietnam; it raged on for years after he did, regardless.  I just read an economist blaming current inflation on government spending (i.e., Biden).  Government spending was much more profligate in Vietnam, and nobody blamed it for the inflation that ravaged the 70's.  At least not until Paul Volcker raised interest rates to almost 25% and choked the economy down so tight inflation died first.

I think the drama is not going to be another Russian Revolution, but a slow burn like the "Vietnam Syndrome" we supposedly suffered from in the '80's (as false as "cancel culture" is today, but never mind that now).  Will Putin be toppled?  Doubtful, but he will decline in influence, especially as his adventure has exposed the weakness of the Russian army.
I've seen the same delusions in America more than once in 60 years.  But there are always consequences. Which strikes me as hilarious because the VS store in the local mall shut down several weeks ago.
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