FSU Politics/Current Events V

Yeah - I thought you caught my reference above Don't ******** with lions - unless you're on the back of an elephant.

 

Eh? I was referring to myself - I saw a bunch of lions up close, but was on an elephant, and they don't really ******** with elephants.

 

What do you guys make of this?

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/fe...aine-reforms-path-russia-150604103847612.html

 

It's basically a provocation to Putin. A mostly meaningless position yet one given to someone whom Putin HATES.

 

Haha that's what I figured, good stuff.

 

saw this on espn: http://www.espnfc.us/uefa-champions...behind-shakhtar-donetsks-owner-rinat-akhmetov

interesting read. i never knew much about shakhtar's history or its owner's past. i always assumed there was shady business though. is this an accurate representation of what's going on now and peoples' thoughts on shakhtar and akhmetov himself?

 

I knew of this but never read a full detailed explanation, thanks for sharing.

Man this place is more deserted than Pripyat lol miss the old days.

 

Fvcking right! But I'm slowly coming out of my hate stupor for everything Russia(n). The Hobbesian in me is starting to think that enlightened despots (Putin) aren't always that bad. He has the only realistic strategy for Syria...which is to bring the 'revolution' full circle and reinforce the Assad regime until it outlasts everyone else.

Yo Footy I'm heading out to Bloomington/Indy next week. Anyplace decent to catch a drink for CL fixtures??

 

Are you kidding me? Realistic strategy is by supporting a despot who is even hated by all his neighbors and supported (aside from Putin) by an 8% minority (Alawites)?

I think the only realistic path is creating a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq and Northern Syria, and then destroying ISIS by hands of just about everyone. Kurds are fighting ISIS on the ground (or Daesh, or ISIL, or whatever else they are called this week), Iran, Turkey, France, UK, and US are fighting ISIS from the air. Russia needs to get going. I am almost hoping a couple more Russian planes are knocked down by Turkey. Putin is going to do nothing but sanction Turkish tangerines and complain about being knifed in the back but will never openly engage the NATO might.
With ISIS gone (and they are suffering huge reverses right now), Russians will no longer be able to use them as an excuse for being there and will have to pull out. And then - Assad is done. He is done already but Russians are propping him up.

 

Curb your indignations. Putins strategy is far more sound than Kerry's proposal (the only other strategy proposed by anyone else) - which is a unified, secular, Assad free Syria. Putin's strategy is at least attainable, if not improbable. But the Obama administration have their collective heads in the clouds if they think they can unify and secularize Syria.

 

I'm glad Putin has made that clear?

 

Pardon the poor sentence structure. I meant to say the Obama administration stated goal (as stated by Kerry) is for a unified, secular, Assad-free Syria. Putin's strategy of a Syria with Assad is far more attainable, if not slightly improbable.

 

Turkey has carried out strikes against ISIS in support of its clients Turkomans, who ARE fighting against the Daesh.
And, yes, Turkey has attacked Kurds. But this wasn't the question, was it?