Quote Originally Posted by Poptart View Post
I’m sorry but Putin is such an desperate loser.

He really tried to invade Ukraine with like half a tank of gas and blames NATO for all of his problems like a jealous abusive boyfriend who holds everyone but himself accountable. “I’m mad that Ukraine likes the West more than me. Now I must mobilize for war. It’s your fault for making me mad!!@ You deserve to be hurt for hurting my feelings. Make another move and I swear I’ll fuckin crack your head open dude—I have a nuclear arsenal and I’m not afraid to use it! Laugh at me one more time, I dare you..”

Authoritarian regimes are composed of people who want a strong ruler who will brutally punish their enemies, who are ubiquitous. This means that the more cruel and punitive the leader is, the more the authoritarian followers love them. You can see this behavior in Trump’s followers, too. It’s a cycle of abuse, but it seems to be widespread in populations.

This means that Putin, or any guy who rules people like this, have almost no restraints placed on their behavior by their supporters. Their end has to come from outside their support group, from people who either are not authoritarian or are stronger than the ruler.

If you have spent a lifetime being rewarded for behaving as if you are above the law, you are probably not going to be able to moderate your behavior just because things seem to be going badly right now.
Witness both Trump and Putin doubling down on their bets.

Both of them are also making vague threats that there will be terrible consequences if they are opposed in the slightest.
Well, they are right about that.
There will be terrible consequences. For them.


Let’s talk about nuclear weapons. First, they will not end civilization. There haven’t been just two bombs exploded in history; there have been thousands, all exploded in tests, and the world keeps chugging along. Burning carbon is a much bigger threat.
Second, a nuclear bomb is one of the most complex devices ever made by humans, and the trigger mechanisms sit right next to a source of very hard radiation. Radiation tends to weaken metals and wiring and destroys electronics, which means that the triggers have to be replaced every four years or so, or else the bomb just won’t go off.
Putin has been in charge of Russia for twenty years. That’s twenty years of stealing everything that can be resold. Russia has the most advanced jet fighter in the world, and has been able to build and maintain about five of them.
Russia has one of the most advanced tanks in the world, and they have been able to build and maintain just a very few of them.
Russia has very advanced delivery rockets, and about one third of them fail to get anywhere near their target. As for numbers, they are taking the rockets from the ring defenses around St. Petersburg to use to bomb Ukrainians.
What are the chances that Russia’s nuclear arsenal is any different? Do they have five working devices? Do they have rockets that will get these devices anywhere near their target?

Most knowledgeable experts say no.

Russia is currently leveling cities and killing everyone in and around them. Does it make any difference to the dead that they died by conventional or by nuclear weapons? At least, a nuclear bomb doesn’t torture you for weeks before killing you.

Putin and Trump really are like serial abuser husbands. They threaten ultimate violence in order to perpetuate continuous violence.
They both need to be course-corrected.