Most likely.But,since we are taking about KGB mafia which supposed to be smart,they still could have some hidden aces.
Never underestimate soviet secret services.
Armchair General's DonbAss Derailed Discussion Thread (Topics Include History, Traps, and the Ongoing Slavic Civil War plus much much more)
- Thread starter ParadiseLost
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Most likely.But,since we are taking about KGB mafia which supposed to be smart,they still could have some hidden aces.
Never underestimate soviet secret services.
Russia is about 2/3rds of the useful Soviet Union. OK, maybe more like 3/4ths of the useful Soviet Union nowadays.
Russians are experts at playing 666-D chess. It's similar to Stalin's big-brained move in hoping that the West and Nazis fight each other in WWII due to him signing the M-R Pact with Hitler only for France to quickly fall and then having the Soviet Union itself be forced to fight a death match with Nazi Germany instead.
planefag
A Flying Bundle of Sticks
Having the West win in Ukraine more than compensates for having the West lose in Afghanistan. Ukraine is much more important than Afghanistan, after all. Afghanistan was never going to be a part of the Western bloc, but Ukraine is. And ironically, it's good that the Afghan War ended right when it did so that the US and West could focus much more of their attention on Ukraine.
strunkenwhite
Well-known member
Botching two occupations at the start of the 21st century destroyed the neoconservative movement that had been ascendant since Reagan.
I don't know what the fuck you're talking about with the Spanish-American War: we did it, we won, and we weren't sorry, even though we chose, sooner or later, to give most of the conquered territories their independence.
But getting back on point, when the USA fucks up its foreign entanglements, it tarnishes our reputation abroad—but not this badly. In two hundred years, no American military debacle can compare to Putin's war in terms of:
Exposing military weakness
Creating military weakness
Economic consequences (of either domestic or foreign origin)
Political consequences (beyond economic)
But, you know, I can admit that I don't know how much better the US Army would have fared if it had tried to fight the Vietnam War without drafting anybody, using only volunteers. Russia started this war with one hand tied behind its back, and now the other arm is broken.
Tiamat
I've seen the future...
This latest video from Russian media is rather interesting. Besides the overall dire tone, and talk that if Russia were to face defeat it may lead to disintegration of the country(!), they're now calling it "war", rather than "special military operation."
Denial is not a river in Egypt, as they say.
Whatever one says about the American effort overall in Afghanistan, the point is the Americans in the end after 20 years, walked away.
The Russians can't quite so easily walk away here, after throwing away piles of vehicles and equipment, along with tens of thousands of casualties in a six-month 'operation" that's starting to make the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which lasted several years, look like a live-fire exercise.
King Arts
Well-known member
You know at this point Russias best option would be coming to the US and asking if they would be willing to end the sanctions in exchange for Russia to acknowledge Ukraine and recognize Ukraine has the right to the territory. And other things. Like at this point they should be willing to negotiate on everything except for removing nukes, and giving up other territory. Think Russias smart enough to do that?
LordsFire
Internet Wizard
A better question, is whether or not Russia's leadership is sufficiently within the real world to realize they're at a point where they stand to gain by negotiating?
Tiamat
I've seen the future...
I'd have to second LordsFire on that, as right now the Russian leadership is still sounding, or rather increasingly sounding like the German leadership in 1945 with talk of "inevitable victory".
I mean, the Russians can go "total war" and mobilize...but that's going to present a whole other bunch of issues, and not just with Russians not wanting to get involved and fight, and the Soviets faced similar issues of their own with mobilization if the Cold War had ever gone hot. Not to mention the time to go "total war" should have been six months ago.
Vatniks try to talk down on the US, when the US did an invasion of a foreign country better, and coined the term Offense is the best Defense. Because what America may have issues with its woke and SJW at the officer level, it makes up for by actually training and having a military that is FULLY volunteer and trained to do thier jobs.
We don't skimp on basic or AIT even during a fucking war.
I mean, militarily we didn't do horrible even with the draft.
Hell, majority of those that deployed in Vietnam were Volunteers from what I jave seen mentioned on here many times.
The US has not lost militarily since 1812, and even then it was a draw. We won in Spanish American, Civil, ww1, ww2. Korea was a draw, but look at how well the south is doing vs the north. Vietnam we won most battles and had a more political failure.
Grenada, Panama.
Desert storm 100 hours.
The bombings of Yugoslavia.
Then you have a-stan and Iraq start.
The Iraq invasion was quick.
A-stan was quick.
What happend? We stayed when we shouldn't have.
Siberia is skewing the look by territory. In population Russia has half of Soviet Union's at its end. Plus lack of Warsaw Pact puppets. And the western territory/satellites lost were major industrial and technological support while at it (in particular Ukraine, as many funny things in military hardware used/shown/being upgraded show).
Central Asia and the Caucasus have low human capital, so they can be excluded from this calculation. Human capital matters a good amount.
Also, off-topic, but had Stalin lived longer, do you think that Crimea would have still been transferred from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR? In real life, it was done in 1954 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Russia's and Ukraine's union:
Depends for what. For recruiting grunts to carry AK's, it's perfectly fine.
How the hell do i know?
If they're actually smart enough to avoid accidentally shooting themselves, that is:
McNamara’s Folly: The Denial of Individual Differences
<p>Account of well-intentioned but ill-fated attempt to conscript unintelligent or outright mentally-retarded men into fighting in the Vietnam War after remedial education, illustrating the difficulty of social interventions, the practical consequences of low intelligence, and the cruelty & evil...
www.gwern.net
This question was directed towards everyone here, not just you, FWIW.
If they're actually smart enough to avoid accidentally shooting themselves, that is:
McNamara’s Folly: The Denial of Individual Differences
<p>Account of well-intentioned but ill-fated attempt to conscript unintelligent or outright mentally-retarded men into fighting in the Vietnam War after remedial education, illustrating the difficulty of social interventions, the practical consequences of low intelligence, and the cruelty & evil...
This question was directed towards everyone here, not just you, FWIW.
>Caucasus
Yeah, i think they have made a pretty good case that they make reasonably effective infantry, even if that was after Soviet Union fell.
But,they still destroyed russian nation after 1917 - so all we have now are postsoviets.They would do the same in poland - but,they ruled here only 44 years,and we have catholic church.
Russians had nothing - so,only remnants survived.
Well,Sralin had great idea - who could belive that might France would just surrender? And later,he still could made it - if he do not demanded Romania,Finland and Straits in the end of 1940.
Only after that Hitler decided to attack his ally.If Sralin waited for,let say,1944,he could backstab germans when they fought combined USA and England forces.
And then entire Europe would be his.
All true - but,it is KGB.There could be some hidden genial plan to take over World,or at least Europe.
Paranoid? yes,but in case of KGB we must be paranoid.
P.S Baba Wanga saw in stars,then Putin would be King of Earth! so,@LordsFire ,they do not need to talk! /or,they really have hidden genial plan - they are KGB/
Their numbers aren't anywhere near as large as those of Central Asia, though.