Russia and Ukraine

[Silver]

How about I do my patriotic duty by 'Muricansplaining it to you anyway.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Sure, time and numbers, just like Nazi Germany had in '45 when they called up boys and old men to fight too.

It was the Russians who defeated the Nazis, due to time and numbers (and greater industrial output).

It was the Russian winter and poor Nazi planning that defeated the Nazis. Barbarossa was going pretty well for the Germans until General Frost showed up.

But think about your analogy: An aggressor nation, in violation of prior agreements and international laws, invades a neighbour. The aggressor drastically underestimates both the resistance it will encounter and the international reaction to its invasion. It expects that the neighbour's resistance will quickly collapse and the response of other countries will be muted at best. Instead, the neighbour country stubbornly refuses to collapse and an international coalition begins sending massive amounts of military and humanitarian aid (much of it from the US) to the attacked country. The war drags on and on until winter sets in, which ultimately causes the invasion to collapse.

History's kinda cool, huh?

Boru

[Belacqua]

How about I do my patriotic duty by 'Muricansplaining it to you anyway.

I expect there's more than enough 'Muricansplaining going on in the world today. 

What we need more of is 'splaining from the millions and millions of people around the world who are tired of 'Muricansplaining. 

To paraphrase Andre Breton: The man who can't imagine why a reasonable Iranian would hate the US is an idiot.

[Deesse23]

Sure, time and numbers, just like Nazi Germany had in '45 when they called up boys and old men to fight too.

It was the Russians who defeated the Nazis, due to time and numbers (and greater industrial output).

Russian people were well motivated, because their country was invaded.
Many german troops were poorly motivated, expecially after having seen the atrocities commited, and having seem the failure of strategic planning. Contributors also were the severe lack of manpower, and alienating the people in occupied territories. Wish there was a modern "war" comparable to that. Oh, wait.....

Ukrainian troops are well motivated, because.....
Many Russian troops......

When push comes to shove: Who will have the greater industrial output: Russia (whose economy is ca. 1/4 of Germany), or Ukraine, Europe, USA and Canada?

Your knowledge about history and current world events is akin to your knowledge about philosophy: Superficial at best.

Thanks for reminding everybody about who invaded whom, by the way.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

In the clearest sign yet that Putin understands how badly his elective war is going, new defensive lines are being constructed inside Russia. While this is - at this stage of the war - probably a very good move on Russia’s part, it obviously indicates a Russian fear that Ukraine has the capability to send armoured units into Russian territory.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/world/r...le-strikes

Boru

[The Grand Nudger]

On the subject of BASF, I wrote about it a bit back - and we definitely have a problem..though it isn't going to affect 1st worlders a much as third worlders (no surprise there). The whole "because of energy prices" is misleading. They make the ingredients for fertilizer, which competes with energy generation for feedstock in the haber process. It doesn;t actually matter what the cost of that feedstock is, as it gets rolled into the price of the product, and that product is used by a captive market that can and will and has bought it at any price. A more accurate assessment would be, that because energy production has been prioritized over fertilizer production....they would prefer to go to someplace where it's easier to procure their feedstock even if it means that someone will freeze to death in their homes.

Poor..poor BASF, billions in profit, but not as many billions as they would have liked. So, naturally, they use the war in ukraine as an excuse to move their profiteering operation to friendlier ground, where they, too, can get some of that sweet sweet laundered russian ff at half market price - so as to better exploit the corn growers market in the us. Its not as if they stopped doing expos and donating fertilizers to grow their own market share and prevent american startups or green producers from muscling in.

So I guess we can add corporate propaganda to russian propaganda as a thing at least some people are susceptible to, and feel presents a compelling case for abandoning ukraine to a bunch of murderous thugs.

[Deesse23]

Predictable news here concerning energy costs in Europe.

US policy to hurt Russia through its energy sales, at the expense of so-called allies, is bearing predictable fruit. Germany loses and China gains.

Predictable bullshit from a clueless moron.

By 2021, Europe already contributed less than 1/3 to BASFs total revenue.
BASF CEO also stated that not only energy prices, but EU regulations contributed to problems that are based on a 10y old trend of weak growth in Europe.

Nothing to do with 2022 energy, USA or alien lizard people
Pure delusion

[The Architect Of Fate]

 expect there's more than enough 'Muricansplaining going on in the world today.

 Says the only person in this thread engaging in it 

What we need more of is 'splaining from the millions and millions of people around the world who are tired of 'Muricansplaining. 

Says the person lecturing a group consisting of many Non-Americans 

To paraphrase Andre Breton: The man who can't imagine why a reasonable Iranian would hate the US is an idiot.

No one in modern Iran has a reason to hate the US aside from those with a decades-old grudge or its leadership who use the American boogeyman to maintain control.

[Thumpalumpacus]

No one in modern Iran has a reason to hate the US aside from those with a decades-old grudge or its leadership who use the American boogeyman to maintain control.

Not to derail this thread, but this is an extremely short-sighted view of the relationship between the two countries. Khomeini's rise to prominence, and later to the seat of highest power, was fueled by resentment of the shah specifically as an American puppet. Iranians of more libertine bent are rightfully angry that America gave such powerful impetus to such profoundly anti-democratic forces -- forces even more authoritarian than the shah they replaced.

That's all I'll say about the matter here in this thread, as I don't want to derail it.

[Deesse23]

I have had a look at the actual Quarterly statement of BASF.

Its still doing stellar. 1.3bn€ EBIT (profit after tax), and forecast for the entire year 2022 is up to 7bn€. Thats 10% (at close to 90bn€ sales). For every € of BASF business, they are making 10ct€ profit!
Of course 3bn€ increased energy cost for 2022 (2.2bn€ in 9months) will hurt, even if you are making 10bn€ profit otherwise, but 7bn€ left isnt shabby.

What this probably is, is a pretense to make a strategic move to some best cost location(s), namely China, and this energy stuff is the argument in order to get it done. Wont go into details, our russian troll wont read or process (or admit to having processed it) anyway, but it has to do with the power of unions and how the Board(s) of Directors of German companies have to be constituted, by law, and why its not as easy as in the US to make some (bigger) relocations.