Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

Nathan Thomas12 said:The US doesn't care who owns the oil or how much they have, as long as it’s sold in US Dollars. Libya and Iraq tried moving away from the greenback, but it didn't last. Then came Iran and Venezuela, and they got hit with embargos.

Man, this whole argument is just one of those things that's been totally debunked a hundred times over. I mean, if you look at the actual numbers, non-Western currencies only made up about 5.8% of reserve currency back in 2021, and in 2011, they were sitting at a measly 5.5%...

The Russian Ambassador in Vladivostok was just posting on Twitter.

He’s showing absolutely zero compassion for the people in Ukraine!

"No mercy to the Ukrainian population!"

https://twitter.com/Experdiza/status...yeHNsXHdQ&s=19

Then, after the backlash, he tries to backtrack and claims he meant to put a question mark there instead of an exclamation point. Like, seriously?🤣>

It's pretty clear to me that a genocidal war criminal is running the show in all of them.

James Phillips92 said:None of that is the real reason. The main driver was just grabbing the oil—pretty much the same logic behind Putin seizing territory in Ukraine.

... plus all the gold and foreign currency reserves they're snatching.
And hey, why stop there? They'll take the cultural heritage too, right?

Adam Lee13 said:Man, this whole argument is just one of those things that's been totally debunked a hundred times over. I mean, if you look at the actual numbers, non-Western currencies only made up about 5.8% of reserve currency back in 2021, and in 2011, they were sitting at a measly 5.5%...

Look, you can call the petrodollar a myth if you want, but then I guess it’s also a myth that the whole world buys goods from China using US Dollars. And if that's "stupid," then it’s also "stupid" that China—and pretty much every oil exporter out there—uses that money to buy US Treasuries or take out loans denominated in USD.

The dollar remains the world's reserve currency today. Central Banks hold around 59 % of their reserves in U. S. dollars, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).3 Many of the reserves are in cash or U.S bonds, such as U.S. Treasuries. Dollar-denominated debt outside the U.S. continues to rise, with levels reaching $13.4 trillion as of mid-2022.

Nathan Thomas12 said:Look, you can call the petrodollar a myth if you want, but then I guess it’s also a myth that the whole world buys goods from China using US Dollars. And if that's "stupid," then it’s also "stupid" that China—and pretty much every oil exporter out there—uses that money to buy US Treasuries or take out loans denominated in USD.

The dollar remains the world's reserve currency today. Central Banks hold around 59 % of their reserves in U. S. dollars, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).3 Many of the reserves are in cash or U.S bonds, such as U.S. Treasuries. Dollar-denominated debt outside the U.S. continues to rise, with levels reaching $13.4 trillion as of mid-2022.

So, what exactly is your alternative to U.S. Treasuries then? 🤔

Andrew Booth29 said:So, what exactly is your alternative to U.S. Treasuries then? 🤔

Russian bonds

Nathan Thomas12 said:Russian bonds

If you’re looking for a foolproof way to set your money on fire, then sure—that’s an excellent choice. 🤦

James Phillips92 said:None of that is the real reason. The main driver was just grabbing the oil—pretty much the same logic behind Putin seizing territory in Ukraine.

I feel like I missed something—where exactly has the United States seized territory?

wanderingmaker3 said:Basically, if you look closer, it's always just about the money, isn't it?

boldotter2 said:Exactly! It's not even about the profit for Americans, it's more about the leverage you get from controlling the oil supply. It's more important to them that everyone else *doesn't* gain that kind of influence. Maybe that's just how it goes.

Ukraine will eventually wrap up its whole situation with Russia, but I think that's just one chapter in the much bigger American playbook.
They're going straight for Russia's throat. It's all about resource control. After that, China might just have to become the biggest supporter of renewable energy.

Seriously, the United States has a now or never moment right now. They could take down Russia, and maybe even China too. And honestly, it's probably all thanks to Putin and his way of dealing with frustration through these imperialist power plays.

Nathan Thomas12 said:The US doesn't care who owns the oil or how much they have, as long as it’s sold in US Dollars. Libya and Iraq tried moving away from the greenback, but it didn't last. Then came Iran and Venezuela, and they got hit with embargos.

dustymarlin10 said:... plus all the gold and foreign currency reserves they're snatching.
And hey, why stop there? They'll take the cultural heritage too, right?

and so on.

Can we finally agree on why the United States is responsible for all of this?

It’s not just about them looking out for "their own interests." It’s more like they're grabbing all the oil, but the profit from the oil itself isn't the point. It's about the cash—though it’s not even really about the money or who owns the oil, but rather the currency. Actually, it’s not even about the currency, it’s about making sure everyone else can't make any money either (it seems pretty clear to me that the ultimate capitalist goal is to prevent others from profiting so they lose their purchasing power🙂). But that's not the whole story; this is a unique moment where they're trying to seize control (whatever that looks like) over China and Russia. In reality, what they're truly after is gold and cultural heritage. 🤣

I get the gist, but I'm curious: what kind of "cultural heritage" would the United States as a nation actually try to take? I mean, are they planning to claim Iraqi literature as their own? Or maybe the Vietnamese language? 🤔

goldenowl73 said:The Russian Ambassador in Vladivostok was just posting on Twitter.

He’s showing absolutely zero compassion for the people in Ukraine!

"No mercy to the Ukrainian population!"

https://twitter.com/Experdiza/status...yeHNsXHdQ&s=19

Then, after the backlash, he tries to backtrack and claims he meant to put a question mark there instead of an exclamation point. Like, seriously?🤣>

It's pretty clear to me that a genocidal war criminal is running the show in all of them.

That guy is just trying to push that tired argument that Ukraine shouldn't be defending itself against aggression and is somehow responsible for all the casualties.

The USA always follows its own interests—it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about dollars, oil, geopolitical leverage, or some other niche influence. These moves aren't usually driven by some grand "greater good," and frankly, they often involve committing outright crimes in the process. We shouldn't kid ourselves about that. They aren't exactly the "good guys," but over the last decade or so, they've been significantly less problematic than the Russ—especially given how things look right now.

somied said:anyway, it’s a pretty interesting bit of logic—suggesting one should sympathize with Russia just because Americans aren't exactly saints ourselves. lol.

That is a completely flawed and incredibly rushed conclusion. My take? No one is innocent here, but at this exact moment, the stench coming from Russia is significantly more overwhelming than anything coming from the US.

Look, I wasn't pointing the finger directly at you. It’s just that, generally speaking, pro-Russian types love to claim that the Russians are doing everything right—which begs the question, are Americans the bad guys? Fine. Both sides have plenty of flaws, sure, but that doesn't give me any reason to suddenly start rooting for Russia. Personally? If I had to choose, I’d take American shortcomings over Russian ones any day of the week. 😬

somied said:anyway, it’s kind of funny hearing people argue they should root for Russia just because they think Americans are just as bad. lol.

Land of the free and home of the brave, huh? haha
Vs. Putin's playground

Seriously, how clueless can these Russians be? 🙏

View on twitter

They’re out here claiming a Chinese agricultural drone is actually some high-tech American tech they supposedly found in Pittsburgh, which was allegedly designed to spray Russians with some kind of ethnic virus. 🤣

I mean, hey, at least they aren't blaming pigeons or ducks this time. ☕

Peter Barnes said:The USA always follows its own interests—it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about dollars, oil, geopolitical leverage, or some other niche influence. These moves aren't usually driven by some grand "greater good," and frankly, they often involve committing outright crimes in the process. We shouldn't kid ourselves about that. They aren't exactly the "good guys," but over the last decade or so, they've been significantly less problematic than the Russ—especially given how things look right now.

Oh, sure, because Russia was such a group of "good guys" from 1940 to 1990. First, they teamed up with Hitler to occupy and absorb three countries, and then they kept six more under their thumb by installing puppet regimes called Communist parties.
Absolute legends, clearly.

Peter Barnes said:The USA always follows its own interests—it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about dollars, oil, geopolitical leverage, or some other niche influence. These moves aren't usually driven by some grand "greater good," and frankly, they often involve committing outright crimes in the process. We shouldn't kid ourselves about that. They aren't exactly the "good guys," but over the last decade or so, they've been significantly less problematic than the Russ—especially given how things look right now.

Oh really? I think I've heard that one somewhere before.😁

ali yes of course, the USA always follows its own interests. This is quite different from Russia, which, for example, looks out for Ukrainian interests alongside Georgian and Belarusian ones—not to mention their concern for Lithuanian interests or the general good, like how providing gas can benefit all of Europe, or how grain helps Africa. It’s also different from China, which similarly pursues other people's interests; for instance, their moves regarding Taiwan often serve a broader purpose, and they act as benefactors in Africa by securing resources. Not to mention almost every other country on Earth follows the interests of others, just like people do. Even you, for example, likely prioritize other people's needs over your own quite often.

🙂

Russian propaganda isn't really designed for an international audience—it’s built for their own people and the pro-Kremlin crowd abroad. Most folks back in Russia swallow whatever they're fed, so there's zero need for any kind of subtle sophistication. Honestly, if they didn't just accept whatever the state vomits out, they'd probably end up in a federal prison camp. They've been conditioned from birth to believe everything the government tells them.
The Russian public buys into it, and frankly, that’s all Putin needs to stay in power.
So, when you ask why Russian propaganda hits the level of Alan Ford—or whatever low-brow comic strip you prefer—the answer is simple: because it works. It's like that old joke about the dog and the eggs... it works because it can.

somied said:anyway, it’s an interesting argument—that you should sympathize with Russia just because they're as bad as Americans. lol.

What I find fascinating is this whole obsession with "self-interest."

Obviously, it's clear that everyone acts in their own interest—whether it's Americans, Russians, Chinese, Icelanders, Bob and George, or even dogs, cats, and sea urchins. 😉

Yet, when it comes to Americans, there's this constant national mantra that "they only look out for themselves," which makes it sound like they're the only ones on Earth acting this way.

If I got a single dollar for every time I heard that silly cliché, I could buy myself a speedboat. (Not that I'd be doing it for my own interest!) 😁

I never hear anyone parrot mantras like "the Chinese only care about their own interests" or "Europeans only look out for themselves," even though that's just as true for them as it is for Americans.

By the way, the sanctions against Russia are also in our interest. Of course, supporting Ukraine is a noble gesture, but the ultimate goal is to stop Russian aggression, which, if it succeeded in Ukraine, would continue its path across Europe.

PS. I actually saw a crab kill a sea urchin the other day. An urchin naturally acts in its own interest, trying to cling to the ocean floor. This one clearly failed, and since the crab was also just acting in its own interest rather than the urchin's, things ended exactly how they did.

Look, it’s a given that what’s good for the USA isn't necessarily what’s best for everyone else—that's just how geopolitics works. But if you actually sit down and look at the math, American interests align far more closely with our own than anything involving Russia ever could.

Andrew Booth29 said:Look, it’s a given that what’s good for the USA isn't necessarily what’s best for everyone else—that's just how geopolitics works. But if you actually sit down and look at the math, American interests align far more closely with our own than anything involving Russia ever could.

Spot on. Has always been that way.