I'm so glad to see this subject discussed in an environment where less government is promoted. It sure seems like what AOC and uncle Bernie want is so small a problem compare do what Putin wants. Democrats have always been more willing to fight wars than Republicans while the libertarian perspective is anti-war. But specifically how other than saying we are against it.
The only thing I can think of --that we should be promoting-- is our military should focus on deterrence and not justice. Justice is government sponsored revenge. And that is never seen by the one being revenged as a balancing. It is always seen as provocative. Is there a way to make real a threat without it being revenge and hence provoking more aggression. . .
Like . . . overwhelming their media explaining why we are dropping bombs in a hole outside of their town, making it deeper and deeper, day after day. Something like that. Certainly what Israel is doing is creating several generations of religious zeal to kill Jews. Maybe that's what they want. To be forever victims.
1) If you were in congress, would you vote for more funding for Ukraine (the current bill, shorn of any riders, will do fine as a test).
2) Do you regret your substack post in 1H 2022 criticizing Richard Hanania for not wanting to support Ukraine and saying that Putin "can't be appeased". Seems he's gone full neocon since then.
In your recent comments, you note that this whole "appeasement" thing is bunk, and there actually isn't much to worry about if we negotiate with Putin.
We could have probably averted the war, and even a month or two in (when you were bandwagoning on the moral panic) there was a peace deal on the table. But because we decided Putin was Hitler, this was Munich, Russians are Orcs, and Ukraine is The Shire we ordered them to reject the deal.
Where are we now? What did that accomplish? How many people died in the Avdiivka just today so you could avoid challenging your social circle in a way with real risk involved?
Now that the Ukraine debacle is turning out to be a complete fucking disaster, you're looking for an exit to say "well, it was never what I wanted." When the heat was really on. When people were waving those flags and canceling anyone with Russian blood or a Russian name, you dogpiled.
Look, you're not getting out of this by saying "Putin bad". Everyone in these third world shithole conflicts is bad. Both Iran and Iraq were bad, etc. There ain't much to write home about in Ukraine, and unlike Russia they are asking for my money and weapons.
The response to "everyone involved is bad" is the libertarian response "don't get involved".
It seems plausible to me that Putin's popularity in 2007 was in fact largely based on his handling of the economy, but that this factor has become somewhat less important to the Russian public in the time since then.
The 40% RGDP fall figure seemed well off to me. Having googled quickly it is indeed what the world bank data seems to show. However this still seems to be a weird data artifact to me. This source seems more plausible - https://tradingeconomics.com/russia/gdp-per-capita-ppp#:~:text=GDP%20per%20Capita%20PPP%20in,of%2012358.15%20USD%20in%201998.
Update: it's worse that that, *Google* shows this in their handy chart referencing world bank but the actual world bank data is consistent with the above... https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD?locations=RU
I'm so glad to see this subject discussed in an environment where less government is promoted. It sure seems like what AOC and uncle Bernie want is so small a problem compare do what Putin wants. Democrats have always been more willing to fight wars than Republicans while the libertarian perspective is anti-war. But specifically how other than saying we are against it.
The only thing I can think of --that we should be promoting-- is our military should focus on deterrence and not justice. Justice is government sponsored revenge. And that is never seen by the one being revenged as a balancing. It is always seen as provocative. Is there a way to make real a threat without it being revenge and hence provoking more aggression. . .
Like . . . overwhelming their media explaining why we are dropping bombs in a hole outside of their town, making it deeper and deeper, day after day. Something like that. Certainly what Israel is doing is creating several generations of religious zeal to kill Jews. Maybe that's what they want. To be forever victims.
Let's get down to brass tax Bryan.
1) If you were in congress, would you vote for more funding for Ukraine (the current bill, shorn of any riders, will do fine as a test).
2) Do you regret your substack post in 1H 2022 criticizing Richard Hanania for not wanting to support Ukraine and saying that Putin "can't be appeased". Seems he's gone full neocon since then.
In your recent comments, you note that this whole "appeasement" thing is bunk, and there actually isn't much to worry about if we negotiate with Putin.
We could have probably averted the war, and even a month or two in (when you were bandwagoning on the moral panic) there was a peace deal on the table. But because we decided Putin was Hitler, this was Munich, Russians are Orcs, and Ukraine is The Shire we ordered them to reject the deal.
Where are we now? What did that accomplish? How many people died in the Avdiivka just today so you could avoid challenging your social circle in a way with real risk involved?
Now that the Ukraine debacle is turning out to be a complete fucking disaster, you're looking for an exit to say "well, it was never what I wanted." When the heat was really on. When people were waving those flags and canceling anyone with Russian blood or a Russian name, you dogpiled.
Look, you're not getting out of this by saying "Putin bad". Everyone in these third world shithole conflicts is bad. Both Iran and Iraq were bad, etc. There ain't much to write home about in Ukraine, and unlike Russia they are asking for my money and weapons.
The response to "everyone involved is bad" is the libertarian response "don't get involved".
It seems plausible to me that Putin's popularity in 2007 was in fact largely based on his handling of the economy, but that this factor has become somewhat less important to the Russian public in the time since then.