trampling out the vintage

 

Thomas Friedman had op-ed piece in NYT yesterday about Ukraine.  Some Reader Comments:

Giovanni

Kent, England

-------------------- I cannot fathom what Putin was thinking by launching an all-out open invasion of Ukraine.  I always assumed his tactics were slow, covert destabilisation, cyber warfare, using proxies in a deniable way.  

But this?  

He has clarified everything for the world in one crazy act of aggression.  

        Nobody can be seen to be doing business with Russia now.  Every major corporation is scrambling to dump their Russian assets.  They are the new South Africa in the days of apartheid.  His army will be bogged down in Ukraine for the next 20 years fighting a resistance army in the ruined cities.  

The war will come home to Russia through bombs planted on the Moscow metro or in shopping malls.  This will go down in history as one of the biggest miscalculations of all time.  Putin's regime is finished.

Rational Person

USA

----------------------------- Replace as much of our supply chain out of China to USA and allied / friendly countries as quickly as possible.  China is not a good partner for trade, security, peace or freedom.  It will mean short term pain for us, and our allies.  

No more blind eye to China.  

Chinese and Russian people must also be told that we respect them, want to live in peace with them, share cultural relations with them, but not under circumstances where our trade empowers their abuse of freedom, security and democratic governance.

John

Cleveland

--------------------- The Europeans are learning that an over-dependence on Russian oil has made them vulnerable; the US would be smart to recognize that our over-reliance on Chinese manufacturing could become a similar national security risk.

Rob

British Columbia

-------------------------------- The most effective way to deal with China is to simply stop buying the products they produce.

LT

Chicago

--------------------------- "What will it be, Xi?"  

My guess is that Xi will sit back and do as little as possible and let the West and Russia work it out as the most likely "best" case scenario serves Xi's and China's interests too.  

Russia ends up constrained, isolated, and diminished, Europe remains non-radioactive, but the West is exhausted from months, maybe a year or two of dealing with an angry and aging megalomaniac with nukes.  

Too exhausted to go another round with another authoritarian leader with nukes and grand ambitions.  

Mr. Friedman's hope that China joins the West in opposing Putin seems quite unlikely.  Xi has never shown an inclination towards joining the West to maintain a peaceful world order even when it might serve China's interests.  

        He seems to prefer to watch the West punch itself out and "win" just by letting the West become evermore weary.

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