Putin warns on U.S. missiles in Europe

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by DaShi
Which makes it kind of stupid. If a nuke is launched as a malfunction toward Europe, Russia will be a wasteland before anyone knows what happened. Best to point them at some benign target like Canada than to risk a nuclear war over an accident.

Such a malfunction is extremely unlikely. But the psychological effect is rather appreciable.

[DaShi]

The effect that it turns people against your country? No one's going to give in to Russian demands because of this.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Vagabond: face it, your country just isn't terribly important anymore. You're a second-rate power at best.

And your point being...

The mere fact that such a discussion (not on Poly, but in the real world politics) goes on shows that what you said is not quite opportune.

[Dinner]

What the foreigners do isn't Putin's main concern. This is all a show for his domestic audience to try to convince them Russia still matters.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by DaShi
The effect that it turns people against your country?

As I said earlier, sometimes it's necessary to make it worse before it gets better.

No one's going to give in to Russian demands because of this.

True, no one will give in in the form of a direct/immediate reaction to this. However next time they'll be more inclined to reckon with Russia. People somehow tend to prefer a more confortable life to less comfortable.

[Pekka]

Dude, we have comfortable lives. Maybe this is the source of your envy?

In effect, you have already justified all hostile actions, stating that sometimes things needs to get worse. Here's how your statement fails, it's not our lives that would get so much worse. Like someone pointed out, we don't care. THere's nothing you can do. You will be demolished even if one single 'malfunctioning' warhead should launch.

If you want a military build up, guess where that money is away from? You'll only get poorer as a result, I mean one would guess people learned from the cold war, especially how it ended. Go ahead, keep on barking, that's all you've got.

[The Vagabond]

Maybe.

[Pekka]

Well, the answer to this is not a military build up. It's a domestic problem.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Oerdin
What the foreigners do isn't Putin's main concern. This is all a show for his domestic audience to try to convince them Russia still matters.

Do you seriously think that Russia doesn't matter anymore?

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by The Vagabond
And your point being...

The mere fact that such a discussion (not on Poly, but in the real world politics) goes on shows that what you said is not quite opportune.

We're worried about Iran, too, but that doesn't make them anything more than an uppity third-world country (like Russia, really).

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by The Vagabond
True, no one will give in in the form of a direct reaction to this. However next time they'll be more inclined to reckon with Russia. People somehow tend to prefer a more confortable life to less comfortable.

No, it just makes us look at you and say WTF. At least the British have delt with their change in world standing by accepting reality and actually making a good showing in world affairs with what they have instead of stomping their feet around trying to be more important than they are. Just because you act like the old Soviet Union, doesn't mean you can be as important some day.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by The Vagabond


Do you seriously think that Russia doesn't matter anymore?

This is really what its all about. Not Russian security. It's about Russia being pissed as hell that they didn't have the ability to prevent western influience in what they truely believe as their area. The Poles don't have to ask your premission to do anything anymore so get over it.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Pekka
Well, the answer to this is not a military build up. It's a domestic problem.

Domestic problems can't be solved by neglecting the exterior environment.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker


We're worried about Iran, too, but that doesn't make them anything more than an uppity third-world country (like Russia, really).

If you put Russia on the same level as Iran, it's a problem of your perception. I have nothing to add, except that perception probelms may one day lead to real problems.

[Kuciwalker]

You're a slightly more important third-world country than Iran, but you're still uppity.