Sanctions on Russia

https://mailbd.net/news/sanctions-ag...ert-says-7548/

A Chinese person "expert" believes these sanctions are doomed to fail.

"SANCTIONS ARE WORKING! Russian oil revenues are absolutely skyrocketing. They're pulling in roughly $20 billion a month."

Did the European Union actually slap sanctions on Russia, or did they just sabotage themselves?

Andrew Ward15 said:"SANCTIONS ARE WORKING! Russian oil revenues are absolutely skyrocketing. They're pulling in roughly $20 billion a month."

Did the European Union actually slap sanctions on Russia, or did they just sabotage themselves?

It just goes to show that even when Europe is suffering, there’s still that underlying reality of how dependent they are on Russian energy...

It’s actually much more entertaining to watch Americans lose their composure like this, especially when they have virtually nothing to do with what's happening with the Russians...
I just finished watching this video, and I have to say, it really gets you thinking about the sheer scale of what we're witnessing right now... It’s one thing to read the headlines, but seeing the actual implications laid out like this makes everything feel so much more immediate and heavy. You can almost feel the tectonic plates shifting under our feet, especially when you consider how these global power dynamics are being completely rewritten in real-time... It honestly leaves me wondering where all of this is headed, and whether we're even remotely prepared for the fallout...

By the way, things have hit a bit of a standstill over in the Senate, where $40 billion of Biden's aid for Ukraine is currently stuck in limbo... 😲

Rand Paul has spent his career blocking just about everything, and he once even forced a shutdown like that.

Usually, he's just stonewalling anything he thinks is wasteful—he plays the whole "budget hawk" role, being all fiscally conservative and such.

brightheron64 said:It just goes to show that even when Europe is suffering, there’s still that underlying reality of how dependent they are on Russian energy...

It’s actually much more entertaining to watch Americans lose their composure like this, especially when they have virtually nothing to do with what's happening with the Russians...
I just finished watching this video, and I have to say, it really gets you thinking about the sheer scale of what we're witnessing right now... It’s one thing to read the headlines, but seeing the actual implications laid out like this makes everything feel so much more immediate and heavy. You can almost feel the tectonic plates shifting under our feet, especially when you consider how these global power dynamics are being completely rewritten in real-time... It honestly leaves me wondering where all of this is headed, and whether we're even remotely prepared for the fallout...

By the way, things have hit a bit of a standstill over in the Senate, where $40 billion of Biden's aid for Ukraine is currently stuck in limbo... 😲

You don't seem to have much of a grasp on Senate procedures, do you?

A fast-track process wasn't even adopted, so saying it's stuck... well, it isn't. And—most importantly—this isn't just "Biden's aid to Ukraine," so thanks for playing.

Tucker Carlson 🤣

Anthony Hill5 said:Tucker Carlson 🤣

Tucker Carlson and Joe Biden are easily the two most famous foreigners in Russia right now.
They'll probably be honorary citizens of Moscow soon—maybe even land a couple of seats in the Senate!

slyfox43 said:You don't seem to have much of a grasp on Senate procedures, do you?

A fast-track process wasn't even adopted, so saying it's stuck... well, it isn't. And—most importantly—this isn't just "Biden's aid to Ukraine," so thanks for playing.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/20...aine-aid-bill/

He noted that international partners and allies were stepping up, sending unprecedented amounts of weapons and aid to Ukraine at this time. “It’s not all about us, it isn’t that we always have to be the Uncle Sam, the policeman who saves the world, particularly when it’s on borrowed money,” he added. “America can’t afford to be world’s policeman.”

analogbear5 said:Rand Paul has spent his career blocking just about everything, and he once even forced a shutdown like that.

Usually, he's just stonewalling anything he thinks is wasteful—he plays the whole "budget hawk" role, being all fiscally conservative and such.

Blinken:
If you look at the countries that Russia has attacked over the last years...these were countries that were not part of NATO. It has not attacked NATO countries," the top US diplomat said.

Paul:
"You could also argue the countries they've attacked were part of Russia...part of the Soviet Union," Paul responded.

Just to be clear about where Rand Paul stands! He seems to be perfectly aligned with Putin, Lavrov, Solovyov's, Shoigu, Dvornikov, Gerasimov, and Dugin.

Man, we still need to settle some debts dating all the way back to 2016.

I don't think it'll be enough.

rowdyraven112 said:https://responsiblestatecraft.org/20...aine-aid-bill/

He noted that international partners and allies were stepping up, sending unprecedented amounts of weapons and aid to Ukraine at this time. “It’s not all about us, it isn’t that we always have to be the Uncle Sam, the policeman who saves the world, particularly when it’s on borrowed money,” he added. “America can’t afford to be world’s policeman.”

And?

Are you suggesting that won't pass? The only real lever he has to stall things—given that certain procedures require total consensus—is potentially blocking the expedited reconciliation process for legislation coming out of the House of Representatives.

He lacks the power to block cloture or override a vote. He can spin whatever rhetoric he finds convenient, whether it makes sense or not, just to feed his own political brand and satisfy his base.

It’s much like how Tulsi Gabbard wraps her various reactionary, Moscow-friendly stances in the fashionable packaging of "pacifism" or "responsible statecraft."

Purely performative.

Dana Robinson4 said:Well, I suppose when you've just watched a third of your Bitcoin stack vanish in a single month, the dollar starts looking pretty damn stable by comparison, doesn't it?

So, Bitcoin has absolutely zero value? What can you actually do with Bitcoin?

I am quite uncertain how Europe will react to this decline in standards, though it seems Russ doesn't particularly care what they think; either Alaska remains silent or simply endures it.

Here’s the news: Delta Air Lines just bought out eight aircraft that were previously under lease agreements. They paid them off, even though the Federal Reserve essentially 'reclassified' them in their books. It suggests that the folks over at Delta actually grasp the long-term fallout of ignoring lease contracts—something the politicians failed to consider when they decided to bend the rules to suit their immediate interests.
Link.

velvetbadger11 said:I am quite uncertain how Europe will react to this decline in standards, though it seems Russ doesn't particularly care what they think; either Alaska remains silent or simply endures it.

Russ doesn't bother asking because the election results are essentially decided before the first vote is even cast (at least, that’s been the pattern until now). In the West, there is a general realization that recent events have largely unfolded beyond the control of local politics. People understand that local politicians aren't primarily to blame for the current state of affairs, which influences how they vote. In truth, the war serves Western politicians quite well. I suspect prices were going to climb regardless—inflation was already gaining momentum before the conflict began—but now, the war provides a convenient scapegoat. It becomes the singular excuse for everything. Yet, once you scratch beneath the surface, you find the crisis isn't actually caused by the war, even if the war certainly makes an existing mess much worse.

Nancy Gomez26 said:Russ doesn't bother asking because the election results are essentially decided before the first vote is even cast (at least, that’s been the pattern until now). In the West, there is a general realization that recent events have largely unfolded beyond the control of local politics. People understand that local politicians aren't primarily to blame for the current state of affairs, which influences how they vote. In truth, the war serves Western politicians quite well. I suspect prices were going to climb regardless—inflation was already gaining momentum before the conflict began—but now, the war provides a convenient scapegoat. It becomes the singular excuse for everything. Yet, once you scratch beneath the surface, you find the crisis isn't actually caused by the war, even if the war certainly makes an existing mess much worse.

That's why you can call this a "proxy" war between the West and Russia, just like the Russophiles claim. The only irony of it all? The Russians are the ones who essentially triggered it to their own detriment, rather than the West initiating it.

It’s more likely we’ll see this turn into a proxy war where the Russian regime essentially fights against its own country, given that the current leadership holds a tighter grip on power there than they have at any point since the eighties.

slyfox43 said:It’s more likely we’ll see this turn into a proxy war where the Russian regime essentially fights against its own country, given that the current leadership holds a tighter grip on power there than they have at any point since the eighties.

There is definitely some truth to that perspective...

Russia has stumbled into a type of conflict they simply aren't equipped for anymore, appearing almost stuck in a different era altogether.

Ultimately, I see two possible paths ahead:
They either stop fighting altogether and accept their new status as a secondary player—much like North Korea—relying solely on their nuclear deterrent to stay safe.
Or, they learn some hard lessons through this modern-day purgatory and eventually emerge as a much more formidable, efficient, and aggressive global power.

Personally, I’m rooting for the first option; I truly hope they realize it’s far better for young Russians to be posting selfies on an iPhone while grabbing coffee in Times Square or somewhere in New York City, rather than using cheap knockoff phones to send photos of themselves and their fallen comrades, which is just a level of misery and degradation that feels utterly unacceptable for the 21st century...

Is it better to go with the budget Chinese imports or invest in the high-end stuff? It really makes you wonder...

What makes high-end Chinese goods feel expensive isn't actually their origin, per se.