Article

2014-04-25 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2014-04-25 04:56|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 The end goal Putin wants is to annex the eastern parts of Ukraine, with their industrial base - conveniently leaving their debt and economic issues with Ukraine as part of the disintegration. that leaves the western parts for the west to deal with, as well as ALL the debt from the entire country that was run up the by Russian gangsters who were looting the country for the last decade. The net effect is Putin's gangsters loot the country racking up debt, flee to Russia with the loot, then Putin steals the industrial parts for his fascist oligarchs (the the bonus of "Nationalism" as handy excuse for censorship and tightening political control over the Russian rabble of rubes), and sends the debt to the west.

Obama is a naif, and Putin played him big time.

Posted by OldSpook 2014-04-25 11:24|| 2014-04-25 11:24|| Front Page Top

#2 OS: I think Obama _wanted_ to be played; I think he thinks of the actual productive economy part of the West as The Enemy, to either struggle with his foot on his neck, or get sold out to a convenient 'frenemy' like Putin.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2014-04-25 15:09|| 2014-04-25 15:09|| Front Page Top

#3 The end goal Putin wants is to annex the eastern parts of Ukraine,

At the risk of arguing with people who actually know about this stuff... I think Putin's end game is a little more subtle: he simply wants non-hostile (read non-NATO) buffer areas on the border. If the eastern part of Ukraine splits off in some way but remains part of the Ukraine, Putin would be satisfied.

The Crimea was a different story, in spite of being right next door. That was a strategic Russian interest and they would have gone to actual fighting/shooting war over that.

Posted by SteveS 2014-04-25 23:07|| 2014-04-25 23:07|| Front Page Top

23:09 JosephMendiola
23:08 Bubba Graiting8281
23:07 SteveS
21:08 CrazyFool
20:51 Sgt. Mom
20:42 swksvolFF
20:32 JosephMendiola
20:29 swksvolFF
18:44 swksvolFF
18:18 swksvolFF
17:58 Shipman
17:53 Shipman
17:51 Shipman
17:32 Bubba Graiting8281
17:19 The Ghost of Walter Duranty
17:15 tu3031
16:54 Besoeker
16:27 badanov
16:06 DarthVader
15:43 Pappy
15:33 Bobby
15:32 Bobby
15:27 Bobby
15:09 Thing From Snowy Mountain