Sanctions on Russia

brightheron64 said:Well, how?

It happens when a supposedly parliamentary monarchy turns into an untouchable autocracy, especially when they're more than willing to turn on the oil taps without asking too many questions...

Are you suggesting something akin to how the Soviet Union pressured their way into 50% concessions for Northern Iranian oil fields just a year prior—the very thing Mossadegh stood against?

Or perhaps more like how Russia seized Crimea and its exclusive economic zone, along with the Donbas, both of which hold massive gas reserves? Anyway, let's get back to the main point.

brightheron64 said:No, nothing has anything to do with Ukraine—it's the same kind of confusion we see all over the world. 🙄

Did it ever even cross your mind that Putin might have reached a simple conclusion: "If George Walker could pull it off, why shouldn't I?"?

It just sounds like someone saying, "Man, I wish I could date Vesna Zmijanac."

brightheron64 said:No, nothing has anything to do with Ukraine—it's the same kind of confusion we see all over the world. 🙄

Did it ever even cross your mind that Putin might have reached a simple conclusion: "If George Walker could pull it off, why shouldn't I?"?

Of course, it’s a foregone conclusion that his logic was more along the lines of: "If Hitler could do it, why shouldn't I?"

And you seem to be fully on board with that, given how certain historical precedents are treated as sacred scripture—especially by those who enjoy playing the progressive while essentially kissing the boots of fascists.

brightheron64 said:Well, how?

It happens when a supposedly parliamentary monarchy turns into an untouchable autocracy, especially when they're more than willing to turn on the oil taps without asking too many questions...

Just a reminder: Mossadegh actually stepped down a year before the coup, only to return to power fueled by "street support"—which was ultimately his undoing due to backing from the Tudeh Party.
Once Ike and Churchill realized he had aligned himself with the pro-Soviet communists in Iran, they decided it was time to step in.
Nationalizing the oil fields likely wasn't the primary trigger for the coup, but once you combine that move with Mossadegh's ties to the Tudeh Party, you're looking at a completely different level of political risk.

Iran under Western influence was actually developed, free, and progressive—women could walk wherever they wanted, there was freedom of thought, and the whole country was thriving...

But look at Iran today: a total backwater where human rights don't exist, women are treated like garbage, and public executions are just another Tuesday.

slyfox43 said:Are you suggesting something akin to how the Soviet Union pressured their way into 50% concessions for Northern Iranian oil fields just a year prior—the very thing Mossadegh stood against?

Or perhaps more like how Russia seized Crimea and its exclusive economic zone, along with the Donbas, both of which hold massive gas reserves? Anyway, let's get back to the main point.

So, was he actually taken down by the CIA?...

slyfox43 said:Are you suggesting something akin to how the Soviet Union pressured their way into 50% concessions for Northern Iranian oil fields just a year prior—the very thing Mossadegh stood against?

Or perhaps more like how Russia seized Crimea and its exclusive economic zone, along with the Donbas, both of which hold massive gas reserves? Anyway, let's get back to the main point.

Yes, let’s get back to the heart of the matter...

Just one more tragic chapter added to the endless collection of 357,426 sorrowful stories etched into the history of civilization... And yes, I realize that if I were to say my observation out loud in the daylight, I might sound absolutely terrible...
You know, it’s like that old fable where the scorpion tells the frog, "Look, I just have to do it, it's in my nature"... and honestly, there's something about the impulse to just lash out at anyone in our nature, too. But I don't quite recall you being the type to rail against every single human tragedy; if anything, it feels more like you're just pivoting to whataboutism whenever things get heavy, especially when those comments seem to be coming from... well, let's just say a certain neutral corner of Europe like Switzerland...

That silly little guy is just one of many... n He’s certainly a figure of history, but unfortunately, he’s also a figure that serves as a mirror to exactly what we are... It isn't just that Putin is a tragedy for humanity... the truth is that humanity itself is a tragedy... even though it simultaneously produces countless wonderful people, brilliant individuals, and truly transcendent minds...

brightheron64 said:So, was he actually taken down by the CIA?...

Yes, let’s get back to the heart of the matter...

Just one more tragic chapter added to the endless collection of 357,426 sorrowful stories etched into the history of civilization... And yes, I realize that if I were to say my observation out loud in the daylight, I might sound absolutely terrible...
You know, it’s like that old fable where the scorpion tells the frog, "Look, I just have to do it, it's in my nature"... and honestly, there's something about the impulse to just lash out at anyone in our nature, too. But I don't quite recall you being the type to rail against every single human tragedy; if anything, it feels more like you're just pivoting to whataboutism whenever things get heavy, especially when those comments seem to be coming from... well, let's just say a certain neutral corner of Europe like Switzerland...

That silly little guy is just one of many... n He’s certainly a figure of history, but unfortunately, he’s also a figure that serves as a mirror to exactly what we are... It isn't just that Putin is a tragedy for humanity... the truth is that humanity itself is a tragedy... even though it simultaneously produces countless wonderful people, brilliant individuals, and truly transcendent minds...

Take him down? Not exactly, though the CIA-backed Tudeh Party was certainly active, attempting to assassinate the Shah four years prior and staging their own coup attempts both within the officer corps and on the streets just before these events unfolded. In a constitutional monarchy, power isn't concentrated solely in the Prime Minister, and it’s a stretch to paint Mossadegh as some pristine democrat who would have found political violence distasteful. But I suppose that nuance escapes you.

Anyway, getting back to the point...

Just one more tragic chapter among the millions in human history. Granted, my observation might sound rather callous in the light of day.
But much like a scorpion tells a toad, "it's just my nature," the impulse to destroy is woven into the human fabric. I don't recall you ever truly mourning every single human tragedy; if anything, you tend to deflect by bringing up other grievances—classic whataboutism—especially when those arguments originate from... well, let's say, somewhere like Switzerland?

That foolish Putko is merely one n figure in the grand timeline, yet he serves as a mirror for our collective reality. Putin isn't a unique tragedy of mankind; humanity itself is a tragedy, regardless of the countless brilliant minds and wonderful individuals who strive against it.

Since I can't rewrite history (unless we lean into the revisionism you seem to find so appealing), I will focus on what I actually *can* control to mitigate this current tragedy. That means providing financial aid where I can, fighting the disinformation spread by fascist regimes and their useful idiots, and backing the politicians and corporations making morally sound, civilized decisions.

Bringing up old tragedies is nothing but whataboutism when it's used cynically to justify ongoing ones, which is precisely what you're doing here.

Just wait. These guys are going to show you how Russia actually thrives under sanctions, while IKEA, Germany, and the rest of the European Union just go broke. Both Russia and the USA are winning here.


Jovan Mrgodic
10 Hours ago
We’ll find a way to survive regardless. Just imagine what's happening to those Swedes...

They go around asking people in Russia if they actually feel the impact of the sanctions, and then they decide to poll high schoolers, where everyone just says, "No, we don't." But when you talk to the people who are actually out there working and paying the bills, they say things are looking a bit different... I guess you have to wonder what kind of sample size you're getting when you ask a majority of kids who aren't even in the workforce yet if they're feeling the squeeze of an economic crisis 🤦

wearytrucker22 said:Just wait. These guys are going to show you how Russia actually thrives under sanctions, while IKEA, Germany, and the rest of the European Union just go broke. Both Russia and the USA are winning here.

Jovan Mrgodic
10 Hours ago
We’ll find a way to survive regardless. Just imagine what's happening to those Swedes...

The shows on Fox News are even more absurd. They are nothing short of pure comedy, especially when you have Smith on screen.

Megan Thomas5 said:Iran under Western influence was actually developed, free, and progressive—women could walk wherever they wanted, there was freedom of thought, and the whole country was thriving...

But look at Iran today: a total backwater where human rights don't exist, women are treated like garbage, and public executions are just another Tuesday.

And that isn't even the worst part. If we’re being honest, their biggest crime is simply not being pro-American or acting as reliable customers for U.S. military hardware, much like Saudi Arabia—an outfit whose blatant primitivism somehow never triggers concern from the same people who are constantly losing sleep over Ukraine, Georgia, Uyghurs, Tibet, or Taiwan. Not to mention the way they conveniently ignore what happens in Yemen.

https://twitter.com/biannagolodryga/...27615802654726

Word on the street is they’re planning to get the Moscow Stock Exchange up and running this coming Monday. 🍿

hollowdriver13 As stated by:
https://twitter.com/biannagolodryga/...27615802654726

Is it not entirely predictable that the Moscow Stock Exchange is allegedly slated to reopen this coming Monday? One has to wonder if anyone truly believes such sudden shifts in market stability can occur without significant prior maneuvering. 🍿

While I harbor significant doubts that they will actually follow through with opening it, I find myself eagerly anticipating the moment when Uncle Vanja manages to leapfrog right over McDonald's in total market value.

Ronald Chavez2 said:And that isn't even the worst part. If we’re being honest, their biggest crime is simply not being pro-American or acting as reliable customers for U.S. military hardware, much like Saudi Arabia—an outfit whose blatant primitivism somehow never triggers concern from the same people who are constantly losing sleep over Ukraine, Georgia, Uyghurs, Tibet, or Taiwan. Not to mention the way they conveniently ignore what happens in Yemen.

and the Russians are out there doing the exact same thing in Syria.

Arthur Booth96 said:They go around asking people in Russia if they actually feel the impact of the sanctions, and then they decide to poll high schoolers, where everyone just says, "No, we don't." But when you talk to the people who are actually out there working and paying the bills, they say things are looking a bit different... I guess you have to wonder what kind of sample size you're getting when you ask a majority of kids who aren't even in the workforce yet if they're feeling the squeeze of an economic crisis 🤦

Still, it’s a win that the younger generation is against the aggression and special ops—it's mostly just the old guard supporting it. There might be some hope after all...
And let's be real, these kids want McDonald's, Apple, Google, Facebook, all the modern tech, goods, and cosmetics. This idea that Russians are somehow tougher than Westerners is a total myth; they crave the modern lifestyle just as much. They'll break eventually.

Ronald Chavez2 said:And that isn't even the worst part. If we’re being honest, their biggest crime is simply not being pro-American or acting as reliable customers for U.S. military hardware, much like Saudi Arabia—an outfit whose blatant primitivism somehow never triggers concern from the same people who are constantly losing sleep over Ukraine, Georgia, Uyghurs, Tibet, or Taiwan. Not to mention the way they conveniently ignore what happens in Yemen.

I'm not quite sure which group you're referring to, but I can tell you for certain that I am not one of them.

When it comes to Yemen, we're looking at a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia where both sides act with total disregard for civilian life. I don't see any silver lining in that conflict; all I see are innocent people trapped in the crossfire. As for selling weapons to the Saudis and the Emiracan regimes—which is something everyone does, including Russia and the Chinese—it strikes me as a cynical calculation based on the idea that they are somehow "better than the alternatives." Usually, those kinds of calculations end up costing the person making them, though rarely before they've already cost an entire population their lives.

hollowdriver13 said:https://twitter.com/biannagolodryga/...27615802654726

Word on the street is they’re planning to get the Moscow Stock Exchange up and running this coming Monday. 🍿

European Union stock markets have already bounced back, so maybe the sanctions against Russia won't actually wreck their economy as much as people thought.

There are huge investments coming into energy and defense, plus you've got those three million future workers who arrived in the European Union. I guess most of them probably won't even go back.
👍

Daniel Barnes53 said:

European Union stock markets have already bounced back, so maybe the sanctions against Russia won't actually wreck their economy as much as people thought.

There are huge investments coming into energy and defense, plus you've got those three million future workers who arrived in the European Union. I guess most of them probably won't even go back.
👍

The stock market isn't really a reflection of what's happening in the real economy... you can speculate on the markets just like those guys commenting on exchange rates today, which isn't even the actual market rate compared to what a regular person gets when they walk into a bank or a currency exchange to buy cash...

I mean, back when the US markets crashed in 2008 and every single stock tanked, even now, big companies like Verizon or JPMorgan Chase are still operating just fine. Their shares might be worth a fraction of what they were before the crisis, but the businesses themselves are doing okay.

The stock market is basically just a mirror for the economy, and it always seems to price in future events way ahead of schedule.
It’s funny how people still act surprised whenever things actually start trending upward. The last time we saw a real turnaround like this was back in March 2020.
And look, I’m not judging—there are plenty of speculators out there. I guess I have to include myself in that group, too.

Daniel Barnes53 said:

European Union stock markets have already bounced back, so maybe the sanctions against Russia won't actually wreck their economy as much as people thought.

There are huge investments coming into energy and defense, plus you've got those three million future workers who arrived in the European Union. I guess most of them probably won't even go back.
👍

But I guess I don't quite see how those two things are connected, because it isn't like the European Union itself is under sanctions, so why wouldn't the markets there be able to recover? 😁