re: Putin gives Ukrainian seperatist tanks.

quote:

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How so?

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His fiasco in Ukraine and his support for Assad (which I don't necessarily think is such a terrible thing) has destroyed any illusion that the Federation is anything more than it's ever been. They enjoyed an economic boom as oil prices soared and he has support from many of the most influential citizens in his country. The US and Europe are as certain as ever before, however, that we're still dealing with the same kind of nation that we dealt with during the cold war--though then there was a much broader belief in an apparent parity between our two factions. Russia's paltry threat to pivot away from the petro-dollar is another sign of their desperation. Putin is standing on his own dick to all but his own people (who will decline to the tune of 20-50 million over the next century. They are not capable of long-term self-sufficiency let alone true power projection.

But I look forward to whatever you have to offer. I mean, you lived there.