yes, not the best at anything but the politically well-connected, ie people who had shit handed to them. That's basically what I'm saying, the genetic lotteryOriginally Posted by steelreserve
yes, not the best at anything but the politically well-connected, ie people who had shit handed to them. That's basically what I'm saying, the genetic lottery
Without being sure of how exactly how things work in Russia, I'd say it strikes me as less likely those guys were well-connected because they were raised with a silver spoon and had it all handed to them, than because they were cutthroat bastards who knew how to bribe the right people and scheme their way to the top. Not that that's much better.
My (admittedly limited) understanding of how things shook out in the post-Soviet scramble is that it wasn't a minister or the son of a minister who would become an industrial tycoon. They would keep their government jobs and then sell off the rights to be the favored oil company, favored steel company, etc., to whoever offered them the biggest cut. Not necessarily anyone who was born into it, but people who were good at making Mafia-style connections.
Of course, I wasn't there, so that could be all backwards, but it sounds about right for Russia.
See you Space Cowboy ...
I think you all have a pretty good handle on it. I've always understood it that to cope with the rampant shortages during the Soviet period a significant black-market barter and personal favor based economy developed. Much of the goods and materials for that informal economy were fed by graft and corruption via government officials. When the Soviet Union game unglued, those corrupt officials and their associates divided into two camps...the oligarchs who run monopolistic industries and then the various organized crime figure who run other industries. Apparently, as a result the graft and corruption of the Soviet period continues to this day.
Circling back round to the original topic, some analysts are starting to speculate that this rampant corruption and redirecting of resources is the reason why Russia is running out of modern war material ranging from night fighting gear to precision guided munitions. Simply less of this stuff than the government contracts stipulated ever ended up in the depots.
Honestly, divorcing it from the human tragedy unfolding before our eyes, and it is fascinating. Coming up during the later stages of the Cold Ware there was always a debate on whether the Soviets were truly as capable as some analysis indicated. Or if the known rottenness in the system had become too pervasive to deliver when called upon. If 2021-22 Russia is any barometer for 1970-the End USSR....then the answer is fairly clear that they wouldn't have been able to economically and militarily deliver on the higher end estimates.
Anyways....carry on.
Watch 3:05 to 3:30 and you'll see how undisciplined the Russian army is. This speaks to their poor leadership. And Trump said Putin was a genius. Pathetic.
I cant see video, so I have to ask was this so called poor leadership by Putin worse than Benghazi or the withdrawal from Afghanistan?
^^^ What a moron.
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Give a lib a fish--he eats for a day
Teach a lib to fish--he is back the next day asking for more free fish.
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Depends on what your thoughts on mass graves of civilians and war crimes by uniformed members of an official nation-state military happen to be.
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And this speaks to someone's ignorance (used in it's true meaning not as a derogatory term) of the Russian military. They are undisciplined because there are very few if any career noncoms in the Russian army. They do not pay enough and haven't for a very long time. In fact, the last time Russia had a great noncom force was during the Tsars. It dwindled from there but made a comeback in WWII. However, because the Russian (and USSR at the time) concept was to have conscripts they could pull into the military anytime they needed them, they saw no reason to have a strong professional enlisted military. That is why officers in the Russian military do the jobs noncoms do in the American military.
This has nothing to do with Putin and everything to do with a century of Russian military tradition.
I'm aware that they have no NCO corps. That contributes to their lack of leadership which is a big part of their problem. And my reference to Trump and Putin was obviously a partisan joke.
On the serious side. I don't think I've seen a more pathetic military.
Last edited by willy; 04-06-2022 at 05:01 AM.
Very important point. Efficient and proficient military forces have been running on the backbone of leadership provided by noncoms since at least the Roman legions.
I suspect the purges done in the first half of the 1900's also have a long-term ripple effect as well.
It is simply eerie as all get out to see various versions of "hypothetical history" play out before our eyes. The debate on how much the conscript force and lack of noncoms would tell on the battlefield was a core plank of all the speculative techno-thrillers I read during the late Cold War. The reliance of the Russian military on "dumb" weapons was another.
Makes me wonder if, outside of nuclear weapons, the Cold War era fears of rampaging Soviet field armies loose in Europe was overblown. At least once the WWII vets aged out. ANyways...please return to your regularly scheduled program of political flaming.
Apparently some folks here are ok with those deplorable acts of violence on civilians, if they can make their political statement about past administrations.
- - - Updated - - -
"Ukrainian mothers are writing their family contacts on the bodies of their children in case they get killed and the child survives."
Jesus.
[QUOTE=El-Gonzo Jackson;799453]Apparently some folks here are ok with those deplorable acts of violence on civilians, if they can make their political statement about past administrations.
typical liberal taking things out of context. I merely posed question due to not being able to see the 30 seconds of video Tom referred to. But hey if it fits your narrative, run with it. We all know you have genius IQ, lol
It's fascinating how someone can take a statement like "Russia is terrible, and the Democratic Party is also terrible because their actions have also led to death and suffering," and somehow end up with "Russia is fine, and death and suffering is fine." I mean, what even is the thought process that gets you from Point A to Point B there? Are we just switching out words for their opposites until we get a statement we like? Are we saying that if you compare two things you don't like, you must support one of them? Are we just not paying attention at all to what the words actually mean?QUOTE=El-Gonzo Jackson;799453 Apparently some folks here are ok with those deplorable acts of violence on civilians, if they can make their political statement about past administrations.
typical liberal taking things out of context. I merely posed question due to not being able to see the 30 seconds of video Tom referred to. But hey if it fits your narrative, run with it. We all know you have genius IQ, lol
lol, of course we all know the real answer, which is just the standard liberal tactic of blurting out any random snide remark where you accuse your opponent of supporting something ridiculous and crazy, and it doesn't even have to make sense. That's what liberals do - if the point being argued is about something where they look bad, just make up something completely different and argue against that. Poor pretzel-brains.
See you Space Cowboy ...
[QUOTE=cubanstogie;799471]It takes a pretty sad human being to have such disregard for human life and the suffering of the people in Ukraine being invaded by Russia.Apparently some folks here are ok with those deplorable acts of violence on civilians, if they can make their political statement about past administrations.
typical liberal taking things out of context. I merely posed question due to not being able to see the 30 seconds of video Tom referred to. But hey if it fits your narrative, run with it. We all know you have genius IQ, lol
But go ahead and try to make the thread about liberals and conservatives, when it is not.BTW, you can click the > symbol on the video and watch it on youtube. Even an idiot can figure that out.
remember this ? this was the smug germans laughing at Trump when he chastised them for making themselves dependent on russian energy,
[QUOTE][QUOTE]
good thing europe invested in bringing in all those immigrants. they can snuggle up with them to keep warm.Russian Oil Giant Shuts Down Natural Gas Pipeline to Germany as Energy Prices Soar
In 2018 during his speech to the UN General Assembly President Donald Trump lodged a warning to Germany about their country’s reliance on Russian energy.
The German delegation laughed on camera at the remarks.
In June Russia announced it would reduce natural gas flows through a key European pipeline by roughly 40% into Germany.
German politicians called this a political move.
The Russians don’t care what they call it. They will have to deal with it.
But Russia was not yet finished.
In July Russia announced it was cutting gas to Germany and Europe by another 20%.
Earlier this month natural gas prices reached a new record high in Europe. And Russia announced up to a 60% price increase in the coming cold weather months.
On Wednesday Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom announced they were shutting down the flow of natural gas to Germany due to “routine maintenance” at a compressor station.
The Germans are not happy.
The Russian state-controlled energy giant said earlier this month that it would cut the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline until Saturday for what it says is a three-day pause for routine maintenance at a compressor station.
According to Gazprom, the only remaining turbine, which is located at the Portovaya compressor station, needs maintenance. The head of Germany’s Federal Network Agency, Klaus Mueller, has said that the maintenance work is technically incomprehensible and he considers it a way of punishing Germany for siding with Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
Gazprom has repeatedly reduced the flow of gas through Nord Stream 1 claiming technical issues such as equipment repairs. Germany calls these cuts a political move to sow uncertainty and push up prices amid the war in Ukraine.
Russia has also reduced the flow of gas to other European countries which have sided with Ukraine in the war.
They are liberals. They don't care about facts.
Have you seen the videos of how these refugees/immigrants behave in Europe's society? It's appalling.
Hater = Realist
yep...they've made Sweden the rape capital of the world.
Correct. Today's liberalism is a cancer to society.
Hater = Realist
Ehttps://www.zerohedge.com/political/...comment-stream
shame on the US government
six months earlier…
https://youtu.be/9jUa45UcOvE?si=Vzqse67heuIObNs5
Last edited by Steeler-in-west; 01-13-2024 at 11:47 AM.
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