Jaw
It's OVER 5,000!
Propping up Ukrainian resistance to bleed Russia with old stockpile weapons is about the most Reagan foreign policy move I can think of. The opposition to it makes no sense to me.
Global Events & Politics Überthread
- Thread starter Hawk
- Start date
Propping up Ukrainian resistance to bleed Russia with old stockpile weapons is about the most Reagan foreign policy move I can think of. The opposition to it makes no sense to me.
sturg33
I
You cannot help the seals... They are too far gone and too stupid to help
I don't even care about the seals. We will drag them across the finishing line crying and screaming like the children that they are because thats what adults do.
What concerns me are the smart people that still think the traditional foreign policy decisions and alignment is the only way.
What concerns me are the smart people that still think the traditional foreign policy decisions and alignment is the only way.
The inevitable result when politicians don't deliver to their base.
striker42
Well-known member
Russia being a gas station doesn't mean they don't have an impact on the world economy. Energy prices affect the price of almost everything. Also, the rising price of food has less to do with Russia's economy and more to do with Russia putting its boot on the face of the country that's the world's bread basket.
Saying Russia's a gas station is saying that their economy doesn't significantly contribute to the global economy in other ways. If you can replace your reliance on Russian energy then you can greatly mitigate the impact of cutting Russia off. Compare that to China which is a huge player in many areas of the global economy. If you cut of ties with China you can't just replace the supply Chinese made micro-processors and be fine.
I honestly think one of the reasons behind Russia's recent exploits has been their seeing the writing on the wall in regards to oil. They see that we're probably a generation away from no longer being reliant on oil and gas as a species. We have increasingly efficient solar power tech, we have electric vehicles that perform at high levels and only need better battery tech to nearly replace gas, we're seeing greater proliferation of nuclear power, fusion power no longer seems like a pipe dream, etc.
Russia is almost like a monocrop economy. If the world were suddenly not dependent on oil and gas, Russia's economy would collapse virtually immediately. So they've chosen to expand while they still have the power to do so.
striker42
Well-known member
Go away completely? No. That will take longer than a generation. Move off our heavy reliance on fossil fuels? I think we're a generation away from that.
And it'll go in stages. We're already seeing movements away from coal and towards nuclear, solar, hydroelectric, wind, etc. Most major auto manufacturers are planning on moving towards electric vehicles and away from gas. After that we'll see things like semi-trucks move to electric. We're even seeing electric aircraft pushes.
It'll take longer for other things. Mining to use your example. We're farther away from no longer being reliant on massive diesel heavy machinery. Shipping is another area. The sheer lifespan of cargo ships will mean they will lag behind the curve.
But I think we'll see a massive reduction in our reliance on fossil fuels. It wont even have to be motivated by environmentalism. The tech is reaching the point where market forces are pushing towards cheaper, virtually limitless sources of energy.
That massive reduction in reliance will make for significantly less demand meaning significantly lower prices for fossil fuels. That's bad news for economies reliant on fossil fuel income.