Hammer Time: Obama Announces Tougher Sanctions On Russia

[DriftingSand]

Is France refusing to deliver the two assault ships? No. The sanctions are all out of obama's mouth. In the last round of sanctions the US had a significant increase in trade with Russia. Even Americans ignore obama's sanctions.

It's literally impossible to take the Dope In Chief seriously. What a blight on America's history. With Mark Twain was still around. I'd enjoy his commentary.

 

[bendog]

Putin's literally dancing in the streets ... to pussy riot.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Hey genius, Russia has been committing electronic acts of war on the US and its citizens for years.
The ID theft industry is rampant in Russia. Many internet scams originate in Russia.
And what is our government doing? Nothing.
Our hi tech people should be hacking every Russian computer both government and privately owned as possible.

The Ukraine is one of the worst offenders. Russia is bad as well, as are the Baltic states.

 

[Uncensored2008]

There is a however. When a product is withheld from the marketplace or an individual market, that product must be sold elsewhere lest it become less valuable( increased supply, lowered demand)..So if Russia does decide as punishment for the sanctions, reduce gas and oil to the EU, Russia must find other customers to purchase the surplus.
Anyway, if Russia decides to move forward with an embargo, the world energy markets will take a spanking.
Yeah, I would imagine the EU countries will be pissed, but they decided to go down this road and hopefully there are contingency plans in place.

Oil is a world market. There isn't that much Russia can do to affect the market in general.

Natural gas is regional, and Western Europe is dependent on Russia for their supply. Cutting the supply of natural gas will devastate Europe when winter comes. It is a captive market, Europe has no other source.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Yeah, fuck the sanctions. We should just invade Russia.

Have you registered for the draft?
Uncle Sam Needs YOU

I think Shitting Bull joined Hamas, so he is doing his part for Obama.

 

[Lakhota]

Yeah, fuck the sanctions. We should just invade Russia.

Have you registered for the draft?
Uncle Sam Needs YOU

I think Shitting Bull joined Hamas, so he is doing his part for Obama.

No, but my heart goes out to the Palestinian people. I have nothing but disdain for Hamas and the Israeli government. IMO, both are extremist religious nuts.

 

[Uncensored2008]

I'm ten times better than you at foreign policy. Your saint is taking advantage of a foreign policy situation that his handler's created. A policy that benefits the United States empire. To be fair, that's what all leaders do, not that your black God had anything to do with it.

It's a narrative built on ZERO evidence and it's pumped into weaker minds like yours via CNN, MSNBC, FOX etc.

Don't get pissed off at me if you look at the flash and your eyes melt out when this planet burns to pieces.

As a feather Indian, such as great part of myself, you should be wary of American empire instead of endorsing American hegemony, traitor.

The only thing Indian about Shitting Bull is that he once watched a rerun of "The Lone Ranger."

 

[mamooth]

Exactly. And when the Russian people feel the squeeze - they will squeeze Putin.

It's not the people being squeezed, it's the Russian oligarchs. And being conservatives love oligarchs and monopolists of all types, you can understand their rage. Obama is hurting billionaires! How dare he sanction their masters! That threatens the supply of tasty table scraps which the conservative lapdogs here are so fond of.

Meanwhile, the world respects Obama for being the grownup in the room. The world thinks of Putin like a drunk guy in a bar waving a gun around. You may rightfully fear the guy, but you don't respect him.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Have you registered for the draft?
Uncle Sam Needs YOU

I think Shitting Bull joined Hamas, so he is doing his part for Obama.

No, but my heart goes out to the Palestinian people.

DNC motto for 2014 - KILL DA JOOOOOOZZZZ

 

[Lakhota]

I think Shitting Bull joined Hamas, so he is doing his part for Obama.

No, but my heart goes out to the Palestinian people.

DNC motto for 2014 - KILL DA JOOOOOOZZZZ

I have nothing against Jewish people in general - just Nutanyahoo's hardliners.

 

[Avatar4321]

I highly doubt Putin is terribly worried about this.

This is hardly the first time Obama has tried to draw a line to look tough against other leaders. He has backed down before, i see little reason to think he is going to hold to his word this time. If he was a man who was going to hold to his word, he would have done so a long time before this.

 

[Uncensored2008]

I have nothing against Jewish people in general - just Nutanyahoo's hardliners.

You have no brain, you do what your rulers at DailyKOS program you to do. Currently, the Khmer Rouge democrats are openly anti-Semitic, ergo you are anti-Semitic.

 

[Uncensored2008]

I highly doubt Putin is terribly worried about this.

This is hardly the first time Obama has tried to draw a line to look tough against other leaders. He has backed down before, i see little reason to think he is going to hold to his word this time. If he was a man who was going to hold to his word, he would have done so a long time before this.

I'll bet Assad called Putin to warn him about how tough Obama is...

 

[Lakhota]

I highly doubt Putin is terribly worried about this.

This is hardly the first time Obama has tried to draw a line to look tough against other leaders. He has backed down before, i see little reason to think he is going to hold to his word this time. If he was a man who was going to hold to his word, he would have done so a long time before this.

I applaud any president who may change his mind based on better/newer information to achieve a more favorable outcome - rather than obstinately stick to his outdated word.

Also, sometimes a president's word is simply a bluff - which may not always work.

 

[bendog]

I highly doubt Putin is terribly worried about this.

This is hardly the first time Obama has tried to draw a line to look tough against other leaders. He has backed down before, i see little reason to think he is going to hold to his word this time. If he was a man who was going to hold to his word, he would have done so a long time before this.

Obama can only do what the EU will agree too, or he cannot get out too far ahead. But the basic thread here is that Bushii initially, and the EU, thought Russia would act like a 21st nation state in accepting Reagan/Thatcher neoliberalism with its central premise that govt may ONLY act FurtherorProtect free markets run by individuals making free choices. Bushii was disabused of that notion, in part when Russia attacked Georgia. Obama, naively, tried reapproachment, only to see Putin emerge with a cult of personality with an aim at a new Russian Empire.

The EU tied its troth to Russia's oil and gas. There's a sort of 1970s OPEC to this, with oil being used for a political purpose tied to geopolitical, rather than capitalist, aims. We did a deal with Saudis where they bought a bunch of US equities and debt, so we're joined at the hip. We have done the same with the Chinese, though nationalist tensions remain.

Imo the OP, and this thread, put too much ideological influence on individual actors and parties, and not enough on cultural distinctions. If not for Putin, the Russians would probably need a different 'man of steel.'

Curiously, Merkel is the most resistant, along with France. Merkel is a conservative with every dislike of expansionist regiemes. France is socialist, trying to hang onto its economic .... lifeline. Yet, the socialists and conservative germans are tied. They are both neoliberal economies.

Obama must be seen as weak, despite being more aggressive that Bushii ever was. But, the neocons had qwagmired us elsewhere. And Bushii and Obama are both neoliberals.

In short, I don't see this as an actual political issue, beyond partisans needing bushii or Obama to "win." Rather, I just see it as a continuation of Western culture evolving, and as Reagan would probably see as the inevitable march to individual freedom from the state.

 

[Bull_ok]

These combined U.S. and EU sanctions will take a heavy toll on Russia - no matter how much Putin tries to pretend they don't.

Do you really think so? Russia is a huge, world widest country and I'm sure they have every possible natural resource there. So, there is no any sanction for them to be afraid of. Except those, who keep their money in foreign currency.

But it's much better than war - it's really so. We tired of provoking silly wars and expansion of military conflicts. And our country is always in the list! Our authorities are concerned about everything what happens in the world, but they have no idea about our inner problems...Or simply ignore them.

 

[Lakhota]

These combined U.S. and EU sanctions will take a heavy toll on Russia - no matter how much Putin tries to pretend they don't.

Do you really think so? Russia is a huge, world widest country and I'm sure they have every possible natural resource there. So, there is no any sanction for them to be afraid of. Except those, who keep their money in foreign currency.

But it's much better than war - it's really so. We tired of provoking silly wars and expansion of military conflicts. And our country is always in the list! Our authorities are concerned about everything what happens in the world, but they have no idea about our inner problems...Or simply ignore them.

Yes, I do. But the EU must also step up to the plate and do its part - even more so than the U.S. The sanctions will hit the top first - then trickle down to the people.

 

[TooTall]

Have you registered for the draft?
Uncle Sam Needs YOU

I think Shitting Bull joined Hamas, so he is doing his part for Obama.

No, but my heart goes out to the Palestinian people. I have nothing but disdain for Hamas and the Israeli government. IMO, both are extremist religious nuts.

In the Palestinian legislative elections on 25 January 2006, Hamas emerged victorious and nominated Ismail Haniyeh as the Authority's Prime Minister. The Palestinian people in Gaza got what they voted for.
My guess is if they held another election today, they would vote the same way,

 

[bendog]

I'm not sure they're even aimed at the proletariat. I forgot who coined the thought back when Putin emerged, but the Russians were given the choice between cheap sausage and vodka or democracy, and went for the cheap food and booze. The sanctions seem to me to affect the people whom Putin derives power from through enriching them via the state police power.

Now IF Putin actually stopped selling the petrochemicals ... then the proletariat would suffer.

 

[Bull_ok]

We can not penetrate into the minds of EU leaders. But maybe their decisions will come out into these circumstances. But can you explain me what danger average Russian citizens will face under these sanctions? I'm not very good at economy.

But I can see things which are obvious. You haven't answered my question.