Thetownend.com

To what extent should we be worried about Russia and the prospects of a new Cold War.

Putin is tightening his grasp on power, with Russia inceasingly turning its back on open democratic processes, opposition leaders are getting gunned down in the streets, the Russian military is being modernised and grown, and its boundaries seem to be something to be ignored.

As a teenager in the 80's the idea of the cold war didn't really seep into my reality too much - there were girls and beer to concentrate on.

Our army, navy and air-force, and many others in NATO, are a shadow of what they used to be, and ours is set to get smaller still.

Is it time to halt the reverse and start to match Russia's military expansion? It has ever been the case that you need to be holding a big stick while negotiating with the Russians.

They're still using very, very outdated kit. Also, they'd have to get through NATO members before they could get to us.

If, by 'us', you mean the world in general.... We should always be concerned about nutjobs.

There has always been a perceived threat from somewhere throughout the many years I've been on this planet. No point worrying about it. Enjoy life.

I don't see it ever getting back to what it was. Russia needs the West to buy it's energy and we need them to sell it to us. Add on the rest of the deep financial links and integration and it's never going to kick off properly. It's just a game of chess, each side treading carefully to see how far they can push the other whilst trying to get what they want.

Personally I'm all in favour of us going all out to stop him and sod the consequences. We've seen what happens so many times before when you let a rogue leader get away with it, needs to be stopped now. It's the civilians that suffer the most and I've always believed we (the West) have a moral obligation to stand up for those that can't protect themselves.

100%

Wake up and smell the roses....!!!

Russia, do you really think they are the problem or NATO and the fuck wit American's ?

The USSR was brought to it's knees with Reagan and Thatcher during the 80's and very early 90's.

After that NATO and the European community moved so far East toward Russia that is what caused so much unease.

What the fuck has America gotten to demand their right to control these areas so close to Russian borders.

Germany should be the ones who are leading this situation.

Do I hear Merkel demanding Russia to pull back....No

If the boot was on the other foot and Canada were siding with the East what actions would the USA do then ?

You would hear the whining and bombs half way around the World.

Just look at the shit the America and for that matter the UK has caused in the Middle East, South East Asia and in fact everywhere America has tried to control...

Russia a problem...I don't think so...

America and her puppet partners Yes.

COYMR's

 

So says a man on the other side of the world, safe from any repercussions.

The problem with Russia is that it is essentially run by a tight cadre of the super-rich. Most of them are ex-KGB officers who, when the Soviet Union fell, knew exactly when and where to be, and had the power and connections to threaten, cajole, and bribe their way to their fortunes.

Putin is the case in point, but he's just the figurehead. The only way Russia is going to progress and become a truly modern nation whose policies aren't based on hatred and xenophobia is for Putin to die (he's not letting go of power any other way) and for the super-rich to be taxed up the wazoo. There's only one way that's going to happen, and that's going to be a huge shift in government to a more progressive, liberal one, and in Russia, that means there will be blood on the streets as the Right-wingers try to re-enact what's happened in the Ukraine.

Bomb the bastards!

I'd just like to add that not all Russians are like Putin. My in-laws are very kind and generous people!

Yeah....scrap the Bundeswehr and revive the Wehrmacht...

I've only ever met two types of russians - absolute balls to the wall nutters and unbeliveably warm friendly people.

But it's never about the people, is it - it's always the politicians

And I think Vodka....

I would welcome the return of Cold War, of sorts.  At least you knew who the enemy was and that you'd probably be dead before you had a chance to worry about it, but at least our boys based around the world destroy them as well, united in mutual death or misery, the communist way, no less.

The new 'Cold War' however, should not be focused on the East/West axis, but on the Middle East/Rest of the World Axis. Russia, and Putin should be brought into the fold against a common enemy, the EU cease it's expansionist agenda and the UK should once again be able to conduct independent and unilateral military action where it is in its best interest.

Yes, I live on the other side of the world...however, do you really think a serious conflict won't effect here as well.

Why do you consider the USA way of living is right ?

What have the Americans done for anyone...except cause total havoc where ever they have gone.

 

Fair point.

Roads, irrigation, Krispy Kreme, Domino's Pizza Halftime report and wardrobe malfunctions?

 ;D

Including

Big Mac's and loud mouthed woman........

Fuck we should be so grateful to USA !!!.

And for the record, recently (1998) Britain finally finished paying them the final payment for their involvement in the second world war !!!. 

God, I love America... ::)





 

I can't quite put my finger on why, but I suspect that NZrobin doesn't like America much.

Maybe a big mac killed his mother?

NZrobin, what makes you think that the USA way of life is the way the ENTIRE WESTERN WORLD has structured itself? That's the same kind of generalisation that says that a person living in Sebastopol lives the same life as someone in Moscow.

As for being on t'other side of the world, you'll be pretty safe from Russia. They got no beef with NZ or Australia really, they have zero sway in the Pacific. China on the other hand, if they went to war, the Americans would definitely annex you and Australia so they can send you all to fight the Chinese in the Pacific whilst the President twiddles his thumbs.

There's only one person being loud-mouthed at the moment.. You're not American by any chance, are you?

 America's not all bad....any nation that can produce the Phil Silvers' Show deserves some credit.

At least the yanks don't take any shit. There's a lot of crap in this world where some pretty awful things happen, but people want to make the west out to be the worst of the worst? Try living life in some of these places then maybe you'll realise that the west ain't all that bad.

Obviously we support and follow the same football club...

However, some of these comments here are total bollocks.

The Yanks are good at causing disarray in other parts of the world where they really at not at risk especially when the shit hits the fan

As in Yugoslavia.

Iraq was / is a prime example where they supported Hussain into power and then say...whoops we have fucked up and then try to justify their decisions to remove him with wild accusations of "weapons of mast destructions" That's after removing all the millions of dollars of gold reserves that Iraq had.

Where did Bin Laden get this initial support in Afghanistan from...ummm America.

Syria.......Lets get Assad out be siding with the "rebels" ...oh shit, they are now ISIS...!!!

Let's don't even go down the path of Korea and Vietnam.

COYMR's





     

Yeah, coz everything you say must be right.

America is an amazing country I've been lucky enough to visit a fair few times, lovely people in the main, like most places, it's foreign policy sucks.

I'm not too proud of britains record  over the years either. We're like a stroppy teenager, leaving loads of mess for everyone else to clear up. Libya and Iraq were civilized stable countries until we (and America) got involved.

Stable maybe, civilized no

So basically you're saying that their Foreign policy is to stir up shit in other countries?

Who does that remind me of?

Pretty much every example you list has the Russians as the real stirrers of the shit. Yugoslavia? The Soviet Union broke up and instead of being responsible for their military hardware the Russians leased it to, and actually funded certain ethnic groups so they could buy more.

Iraq? Saddam bought Russian Military Hardware, had Russian scientists working on biological weapons which he used on his own people. The excuse for the second gulf was flimsy at best, but honestly, do you really think Saddam Hussein should have stayed in power?

Bin Laden got his support from America because the Soviet Union rolled in one day and said 'OURS'. In that era the Americans opposed communisim, so they saw the enemy of their enemy as a friend. Quite reasonable. The fact he used them is a sign of stupidity and short-term thinking, but it was Russia who instigated the whole debacle. Afghanistan was a (relatively) stable area with a loose coalition of Tribes slowly creating their own national identity and government before the Soviet Union rolled in and annexed the place.

Assad uses Russian weapons (both conventional and biological) on his own people. He is assisted and abetted by Russian military attaches. He has a good relationship with Moscow. And do you know why? Because it keeps the eyes of the world focused on the middle east, not on Russia where people's personal freedoms decrease day by day.

And let's not forget the huge numbers of Communist insurgencies the world over who were encouraged or directly helped by Moscow. Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, etc. etc. were all Russian-instigated conflicts. There is still fighting today in some countries that was instigated by the Soviet Union.

Force for world peace? My arse.

America's bad with its foreign policy sometimes, but at least they fuck up and admit it. The Russians just blame someone else or have everyone with knowledge of the fuck up shot.

Annnnd breath...

Can't we just dislike both?

There were some merits to the old days of the cold war, plenty of good jobs in the electronics, engineering industry etc. Plus we had the good old russian reversal jokes

"In America, you watch television. In Soviet Russia, television watches you."

Mind, after Snowden's revelations it's a bit of an irony.