Posted on 08/28/2015 12:20:31 PM PDT by rickmichaels
When he hasn’t been diving to the depths of the Black Sea in another demonstration of his he-man virility, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been busy overseeing an unusual import-substitution program.
The plan – like his numerous manly man stunts – is intended to demonstrate no one can push around a proud Mother Russia. In a steady stream of declarations, Moscow has been closing its borders to goods imported from afar. It’s unusual because it appears to hurt Russians far more than it does the intended targets, and comes at a time Russia’s economy is in dire shape from the collapse of oil prices. Putin’s thinking seems to be this: The angrier he gets at western democracies, the more his people will be made to suffer.
The Russian president’s relations with the West have been testy for some time, but really darkened after he seized the Crimea and lent extensive support to the destabilization of Ukraine. Sanctions were imposed, Russia was kicked out of the G-8 and other measures taken to display western displeasure. Stephen Harper felt emboldened to publicly lecture him on his activities in Ukraine. None had the impact of the oil crash, but they had the effect of isolating and embarrassing Putin, whose leadership has been all about restoring Moscow to the place of international respect he feels it deserves.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalpost.com ...
Gee.
it means that, when Russia decides to go to war, Putin doesn’t care about blockades either.
Regardless of what you think about Putin, Ukraine has been in Russia’s “sphere of influence” for the last 350 years. Imagine if a large economic bloc of Mexico and Latin America tried to divide California from the USA? What would your reaction be?
Why is anyone surprised by Putin’s actions?
If a people are ruled for centuries under various guises of totalitarianism—the Czars, the Soviets, Putin—do they lose their will to resist?
pop that Putin..
let’s see....import bans hurt the average joe....and Trump wants to....(oh, never mind)
Ukraine has been in Russia’s “sphere of influence” for the last 350 years —
And Stalin starved to death about 7-10 million Ukranians in the early 30’s terror famines.
They don’t need that kind of ‘sphere of influence’, which I think Putin would not mind repeating.
What’s that old saying about trying the same thing over and over expecting different results? During the Cold War we only banned the export of items with military applications to the Soviet Union. It was the Soviets themselves who banned the importation of goods from the West. I guess Putin thinks the laws of economics are different now.
You are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, Ukraine had 25 years to work on making itself truly independent, but like the Russians, they were too sovietized and corrupt - the country spun its wheels while gangster- politicians looted the country. The USA can't fix their culture. Like Iraq, our involvement may just wind up splitting the country among its stronger neighbors.
I wouldn’t much care about California. I imagine the Anvy would be loath to give up their bases there though. We could call those Gitmo West.
Anvy=Navy. Yeesh.
Bad analogy.
Imagine Mexico invades California because their Csar imagines it might want to go its own way.
Ukraine is a soveriegn country and chose not to be a Russian puppet any more, that is why the invasion happened
sphere of influence
heel of the Russian boot stomping on their faces for 350 years does not change the fact that they are an independent nation that should choose their own leaders and their own course.
“Our involvement” - joke
They have 25 years of Russian puppet leaders and finally got their independence, so they get invaded.
I hope Russia gets carved up.
I don’t much care if Russians suffer under Putin. They seem to like it.
Why do people like you fellate Putin?
Not even Trump is polling that high.
Destroying perfectly good things that already been produced?
Does Putin think he is FDR?
And yet for 225 years the US has accepted the situation. And now suddenly the USA needs to get involved?
The US is not involved in the invasion of Ukraine, Obama doesn’t seem to care at all
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