Sanctions on Russia
in War in Ukraine ·
Brenda Murphy3 said:Look, obviously there will be shortages, but I doubt we'll run out of the absolute essentials that trigger riots and total chaos, which is what people are freaking out about here.
Even during the whole COVID mess, there were shortages, and honestly, we still deal with them all the time, yet I don't see the standard of living in Europe plummeting. If anything, this is probably a massive long-term win for Europe because manufacturing is likely to start moving back home. They’ll actually start considering things besides just chasing a quick buck.
Things might get a little dicey, sure, but the idea that one Russia could bring the entire EU to its knees through blackmail is just laughable... maybe the Russians would have more leverage if they weren't so desperately dependent on selling their energy, but at the end of the day, they're basically a banana republic where something like 60% of their GDP relies on energy exports. Without those sales, Russia falls apart—no money, no salaries, no pensions... nothing.
If things start getting messy in Europe, you can bet your life that Russia will completely implode from the inside out.
Exactly. Most people forget that just 20 or 30 years ago, the European Union wasn't dependent on Russian energy at all. There’s a silver lining here: the truth is coming out, and Russia's ability to play the "blackmail card" is hitting rock bottom. All they'll have left is shouting empty threats about nuclear war. We're essentially heading back to Cold War dynamics; it’s certainly not pretty or ideal, but it isn't a tragedy either.