So the Kremlin is detailing its position on “negotiations with NATO” and it’s that NATO must return to its 1997 borders and “take everything out and there is no “menu” but all demands must be accepted — so can we please stop evaluating this as an option for serious people? /1
Truly, what the Kremlin just said is only a fool or a traitor would present negotiations with Russia on security architecture as a serious option for a way ahead. And like, everyone at a US podium needs to hear what they are saying, and stop. /2
Ryabkov is laughing at everything like this is the most fun he’s had in years. It’s an utter mockery of any attempts of “stable and predictable” relations with Russia. /3
Final sentence: “politicians & military strategists who report to their headquarters on how much they succeeded in harassing russia — their comfortable life should end.” 🙄
Wait so does this mean we can skip the reports on “successful harassment of Russia” this week?? /4
Make it stop.
Either the WH doesn’t know or doesn’t care that everything they do is encouraging a worse outcome for Ukraine. Truly staggering to watch.
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Deeply nuanced piece from Estonia’s @EerikNKross on how Putin evaluates his options on Ukraine and against the West. Everything depends on the credibility of the West’s response. /1
“Moscow’s rhetoric shows they are most afraid of NATO/US direct military assistance to Ukraine—granting real military capabilities. This is more or less the only thing that could stop Russia; granting it should be decided rapidly so the Kremlin can be convinced of this reality”/3
Russian “request” that NATO member states not have equal status in the alliance depending on proximity to Russia (naturally 🙄) that is so ironically annoying … /1
The Kremlin goes on and on about how they have every right to move hundreds of thousands of troops and whatever weapon systems to within inches of neighboring states — or often into them when Russia happens to be occupying their territory — because it is “Russian territory” /2
And then they argue lots of places “invite” them to have forces there (also their “right”) /3
If you read one thing on Russian military build-up near Ukraine, read this by @Danylyuk. Clear-eyed analysis of Russian actions thru lens of “escalate to deescalate” doctrine & what “strategic deterrence” means to the Kremlin
“Russia’s understanding of deterrence differs significantly from West’s, & is aimed not at avoiding conflict, but at deterring the West & especially the US from participating in it” so Russian use of military force agst other countries comes w/o high risk of US intervention /2
“Even the smallest concessions that can be made to Putin in the current situation will only preserve opportunities for Russia to continue its aggressive wars and blackmail by their conduct to achieve the desired political results...” /3
Can’t stop thinking of story @badiucao told at @OsloFF about “commemorative watches” for soldiers who participated in the Tiananmen Sq massacre, & his quest to get one as evidence of the atrocity (& his artistic rendering of what the watch really is). /1
Reminded me so much of Soviet/Russian medals for internal crackdowns & invasion of Georgia, Crimea, etc, & how former Soviet nations have fought to get hammer & sickle removed from kitsch sports gear, etc.
It represents oppression & death of millions & too many do not know. /2
While writing this tweet, I noticed Apple does not auto-fill “Tiananmen” — which is pretty pathetic.
Leaving it out of the dictionary doesn’t erase it from history. Remember. /3
Great panel on how regimes come after activists (China, Iran, Venezuela) — “they gather and share techniques about how to f*ck people,” says Melanio Escobar. Many echoes of techniques Russian security services deploy heavily.
Samuel Chu: “We can learn from history what is coming next.” Always plan for worst case scenario of what comes next.
Masih Alinejad: “Be strong. Be strong. Be strong. … You can be miserable [when they come after you], or you can make them miserable for coming after you.”
Fun story re debt ceiling and the slow sad decline of the GOP.
It was after the election of the Tea Party contingent in 2010 that these bizarre talking points re debt ceiling, misunderstanding it as like a credit card or something, started getting pushed by more GOP electeds /1
Prior to the tea party class arriving in Congress, raising the debt ceiling was like naming a post office. It just got done because whatever. There isn’t another choice unless you don’t understand what it is and want an economic catastrophe to befall Americans /2
Tea party guys started making this a talking point for “grassroots” Americans, implying debt ceiling was incurrence of debt, the irresponsible thing (as opposed to spending & the budget, and let us please remember at this moment how much Trump admin increased nat’l debt) /3