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Can someone explain this to me? From what I can tell, Putin seems like a guy who is always reaching out to befriend the United States, but the neoconservatives in both the Republican and Democrat party act like we're still in the Cold War and are always fearmongering about Russia. Makes no sense to me. What would be wrong with the #1 and #2 superpower allying together? Why is it a bad thing that our next President is warm towards Putin?
They have to do something about Trump, he undermined the entire establishment, even if this gets Hillary two extra votes from some neocon citizens.
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Originally Posted by JasonF
Because Putin is a dictator who cracks down on personal freedoms in Russia and who's trying to rebuild the Soviet Union?
Explain how he is a dictator, and explain how he is trying to rebuild the USSR.
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Originally Posted by Retroit
If I am not mistaken, the Us and Russia were on good terms during George Bush's term. Obama is antagonistic to just about every country besides Iran. Russia is the one stabilizing factor in the Middle East since the inept US foreign policy under Obama/Clinton.
No, Russia and the US have not ever been on good terms, that is why Russia went ahead and started doing what it wanted to do in its national security interests.
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Originally Posted by daylux
Putin is more of a nationalist than a globalist. I don't hear about mass migration into Russia and he is not part of the EU. I believe the media is owned by globalist billionaires and have conditioned people to believe certain things about Putin. He just wants a sovereign country like Trump.
Russia has large immigration problems, similar to the US actually.
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Originally Posted by charolastra00
That's a loaded statement and an argument that screams ignorance about the realities of life in Russia.
Russia does not have free press. Journalists who are critical of Putin and his regime end up jailed, exiled, or worse. It's difficult to say what people think because they only see and hear a positive view of Putin unless they are specifically risking their livelihoods and lives to seek out further information and dissent.
Talk to a Russian about it sometime.
My family is Russian and live in Russia, and I lived in Russia for a few years, life is much, much better since Putin took power in 2000. The Yelstin years were a disaster, now society there is pretty much in par with the West, i.e. cell phones, cars, air conditioning, washing machines, entertainment, etc. Objective economic measures alone shows this.
Is it perfect? Not even close, but it is far, far better than many countries the US consider its allies.
Excellent post. It's amazing to read pro-Trump comments that try to rationalize Trump's links to Russia and Putin, while downplaying Putin's very real threat to Eastern Europe. Russia's incursions into the Ukraine, Georgia and Syria show that Putin is an aggressive threat. NATO reports Russia is building up forces along Russia's western border.
Elliot, you are living in the perverted world and even don't realize it. Your world is full of false ideas, distorted reality, old prejudices, BS sterotypes of the lying propaganda and noxious fantasy.
If you really want to help your country - you first must wake up from your consciousness mist to see the world soberly, as it is.
The U.S. and NATO have troops throughout eastern Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere, basically surrounding Russia. Those dastardly Ruskies moves forces to its own western border and somehow Russia is the aggressive threat..
At a time when billionaires spent lavishly to buy politicians, Putin did not line his own pockets. Putin is a patriot, a nationalist, instead of a globalist, That is why the global elites hate him. But Russian people adore him.
I admire Putin, a real leader.
No, he has lined his pockets. Russia (and Ukraine before the last revolt) has a unique unwritten deal with oligarchs, in that the oligarchs stay out of politics, and the Russian gov will leave them alone. Some oligarchs have crossed that path and found themselves fleeing Russia or in jail.
Putin was a real leader in 2000 and years after when he took a disastrous Yelstin time, and turned it all around, but he did not continue that transition into a real democracy, I do not think the current citizens will even allow it right now because they will vote in someone who is much worse for Russia and the world.
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Originally Posted by charolastra00
Unless you're a journalist. Or gay. Or have any opinions that are not in line with Putin's. But then again, you can't disagree if you're in jail or dead.
Yup, a whole lot to respect. The German people loved Hitler, too.
It is not as absolute as you make it out to be. There are plenty of gays in Russia, even have their own bars and everything, nothing illegal about it, unlike US ally Saudi Arabia. It is not the best for journalist for sure, but neither is Turkey, a NATO member. Not saying two wrongs make a right, but the criticism and actions about Russia, and the basic silence and inaction of US allies doing the same or worst is ridiculous.
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Originally Posted by 3~Shepherds
Sanders is a person who likes Russia, he is a Socialist, not much difference.
Russia is really far from socialism, about the only thing they have is state run businesses, but the welfare support for citizens is the opposite end of socialism.
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Originally Posted by dv1033
Doesn't Russia need the same to justify its rising military expenditures?
Remind how Russia's economy is doing under Putin? Seems he's built a nice kleptocracy for himself.
Russia's economy is doing great under Putin. GDP has increased greatly under him and the quality of life for everyone has increased greatly.
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Originally Posted by dv1033
He can't even take care of his own people... His economy is in shambles because of him.
He kills dissidents and stifles free speech...
So why do you believe him?
The Russia economy is not in shambles, the damn country ranks sixth GDP PPP, going from GDP PPP per capita of 14,000 in 2000, to 24,000 in 2016.
The U.S. and NATO have troops throughout eastern Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere, basically surrounding Russia. Those dastardly Ruskies moves forces to its own western border and somehow Russia is the aggressive threat. I don't think you and the Clinton hawks will be happy unless Russia allows a NATO base in Moscow.
Wealth inequality in Russia is one of the world's highest. A report by Credit Suisse says 35 percent of Russian household wealth is controlled by just 110 billionaires. Worldwide, billionaires collectively account for 1 to 2 percent of the total wealth.
The problem is Russia is kleptocracy which is supported by Putin and is still heavily tied to commodities.
MOSCOW — The World Bank downgraded its 2016 Russian economic forecast Wednesday and said more than 1 million people will fall into poverty as the government curbs expenditure and a squeeze on real incomes continues.
The economy will shrink 1.9 percent this year, with an average oil price of $37 a barrel, the World Bank said — a more severe contraction than the 0.7 percent it predicted six months ago amid expectations of a higher crude price.
“Current projections indicate a long journey to recovery,” the World Bank wrote in its twice-yearly Russia Economic Report.
I won't deny that Russia was doing good when oil and gas was booming, but like Nigeria, Saudia Arabia, Venezuela, etc, it's economy is very much commodity based. Russia will never have an open, diversified economy like developed nation as long as Putin is in control.
On the other hand, his neighbors in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the Ukraine aren't quite such fans of Mr. Putin.
Seriously? You admire an authoritarian tyrant who runs a kleptocracy in Russia, who arrests or assassinates his political opponents, and who dreams of restoring the Russian Empire that existed during the days of the Soviet Union?
Don't you worry. With Hillary hawk as prez, we'll all wake up one day in 2018 to learn that the U.S. and NATO have begun Operation Ukranian Freedom.
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