Russia’s new military doctrine lists NATO, US as major foreign threats

[mrmouth]

He's kept up with the news. It's the sources that are the problem.

I mean it takes some serious stones, serious ignorance or just an obvious bias, to start believing stuff that the majority of the rest of the world are not believing in.

Although all three are indeed possible for these people who want to see the US as the agitating factor in a clearly European issue involving a country like Russia who has such a pathetically bad record on just about everything, under Putin, It would be nothing more than a joke of a country if they were not tossing their regional weight around at a time when the global market is less than ideal.

[Condottiere 40K]

In an all out exchange, it doesn't really matter if the ICBMs spoof or sidestep the active defences, assuming there are any, since there would be an immediate response.

Doing that for an IRBM or tactical missile would have some advantages.

[Sire Brenshar]

Cold war 2? Between who? Russia and nobody who cares? The same Russia that managed to defeat Ukraine , only to have its economy go belly up.

Yeah not much happening news-wise recently.

[conon394]

lol how much did the US pour into ABM research?

Russian 'ABM killer' intercontinental missile to enter service in 2016

http://rt.com/news/217695-abm-killer-missile-russia/



y'know, the most memorable part in that film was the scene where the farmers realise that since all the topsoil is irradiated, they're all going to starve.
oh yeah and the scene where after the nukes are launched, noone really cares 'who started it'

Yep real impressed with secret tests verified by nobody. And again who cares the curent logic of the US ABM defense is not Russia.

[mrmouth]

Russia managed to roll armor, equipment and personnel over an unguarded border to take portions of a region of Ukraine. People need to stop referring to that as a victory. Annexing South Ossetia was more of a victory.

Although ask any civilian living there is they feel the befitted from it:

If History Is a Guide, Crimeans’ Celebration May Be Short-Lived

Officials daydreamed about building an economy based on tourism, like that of Monaco or Andorra.

That has not happened. These days South Ossetia’s economy is entirely dependent on budgetary funds from Russia. Unemployment is high, and so are prices, since goods must now be shuttled in through the tunnel, long and thin like a drinking straw, that cuts through the Caucasus ridge from Russia.

Its political system is controlled by elites loyal to Moscow, suddenly wealthy enough to drive glossy black cars, though many roads are pitted or unpaved. Dozens of homes damaged in the 2008 war with Georgia have never been repaired. Dina Alborova, who heads a nonprofit organization in the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, said her early hopes “all got corrected, step by step.”

“During the first winter, we still thought, ‘The war just ended,’ ” she said. “By the second winter, frustration had taken root. When the third winter came, everything was clear.”

Now that sounds like a Putin win.

And I just love the irony in pivoting the entire Russian military doctrine towards NATO - a defensive alliance. NATO jumps, after Putin jumps first. It should be clear as to what the common denominator is in any NATO action or even official comment.

Russia's only threats are internal. If they ever learned how to use soft power it would be a benefit to the entire world. Instead the world gets a shirtless Russian thug who comes from the very intelligence services that run the country and aim to keep control of it through jingoistic BS. What a shocker. New Russia same as old, dead USSR.

[Dr Zoidberg]

Yep real impressed with secret tests verified by nobody. And again who cares the curent logic of the US ABM defense is not Russia.

But RT said so! And Exarch says they're as reputable a source as CNN, the BBC, or a variety of other news outlets.

The fact that they're funded entirely by the Kremlin as its English-speaking mouthpiece is, apparently, completely irrelevant.

[Exarch]

hahahaha, look at all of you, eagerly trying to console each other; it's really quite touching. Reminds me of girls trying to console the Queen Bee over some guy not asking her to Prom or somethin'.

Simply put, Russia and its nukes and its military capabilities give it a firm grip over NATO's testicles. One wrong move by the Bald Headed Eagle and all Putin has to do is squeeze.

[Gaidin]

hahahaha, look at all of you, eagerly trying to console each other; it's really quite touching. Reminds me of girls trying to console the Queen Bee over some guy not asking her to Prom or somethin'.

Simply put, Russia and its nukes and its military capabilities give it a firm grip over NATO's testicles. One wrong move by the Bald Headed Eagle and all Putin has to do is squeeze.

You're funny! Just because missile personnel are messed up at the moment doesn't mean every other system is out of whack.

[Exarch]

oh i'm not doubting some of NATO's capabilities; but what use is an alliance if half the members wont fight the Big Bad Mother Russia?
Let me re-emphasize that; the half of NATO that counts like Deutschland and Frankreich not the pissant wannabe Germans like Poland and Norway

[Gaidin]

oh i'm not doubting some of NATO's capabilities; but what use is an alliance if half the members wont fight the Big Bad Mother Russia?
Let me re-emphasize that; the half of NATO that counts like Deutschland and Frankreich not the pissant wannabe Germans like Poland and Norway

What the hell makes you think nukes are about a fight? What makes you think it's about a fight? Look at Russia's economy. Done without firing a shot. That's what happens when the rest of the alliance agrees. Unlike, say, Cuba. Now stop acting like Nukes and military are the be-all-end-all like you know nothing. Especially when wrecking their damn customers is the last damn thing Russia wants to do.

[Exarch]

What the hell makes you think nukes are about a fight? What makes you think it's about a fight? Look at Russia's economy. Done without firing a shot. That's what happens when the rest of the alliance agrees. Unlike, say, Cuba. Now stop acting like Nukes and military are the be-all-end-all like you know nothing. Especially when wrecking their damn customers is the last damn thing Russia wants to do.

your news is at least 2 weeks out of date; looking at Russia's rouble, they seem to be doing ok despite the best efforts of others *cough*america*cough* in destroying their economy.
Yeah, maybe obama and Hilary making such a brou-ha-ha over pivoting to Asia wasn't such a great idea when it leads to things like China bailing out Russia and Russia supplying China wit hi-tech weapons.

EDIT: oh and how're those sanctions coming along btw? looks like the Europeans wont be able to hack it and arent going to renew them come June which means US strategy vis-a-vis Russia is ed and isolated. Sucks to be you, Obama, you ed up real bad

[Vanoi]

your news is at least 2 weeks out of date; looking at Russia's rouble, they seem to be doing ok despite the best efforts of others *cough*america*cough* in destroying their economy.

The Russian economy is estimated to shrink next year 4% along with inflation going into double digit numbers. Tell me again how great the russian economy is doing?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ruble-...102231535.html

[Gaidin]

your news is at least 2 weeks out of date;.....<snip>

EDIT: oh and how're those sanctions coming along btw? looks like the Europeans wont be able to hack it and arent going to renew them come June which means US strategy vis-a-vis Russia is ed and isolated. Sucks to be you, Obama, you ed up real bad

They seem to be doing pretty good, yo.

Now
-First bailout being scaled up(Trust Bank?)
-Foreign investment deterred
-Capital flight spurred
-Slump in oil prices reduces export revenue
-Hit ruble hard(slipped again on Friday)
-Banks VTB(second largest) and Gazprombank(state lender) will be bailed out for state projects like railways

In the past week
-Government has to support key banks
-Deepening currency crisis
-Sharp, unexpected interest rate hike
-Informal capital controls to large state-controlled oil and gas exporters to try to shore up rouble

In the past six months
-Crude oil prices halved
-Saudi Arabia functionally said frak off and is prepared to withstand prices
-Panic buying in foreign currency
-Spike in deposit withdrawals(sound familiar? Except we in America weren't under sanctions...)
-Russian gold and forex reserves have fallen to lowest levels since 2009

Predictions
-Possible econimic shrink of 4 percent in 2015
-Budget deficit of more than 3 percent if oil price didn't rise
-Reserve Fund in play in 2015(specifically a crisis action)
-Must have budget break even at 70 dollars per barrel by 2017
-Rouble inflation currently forecast of 10 percent for end of 2015
-Rouble inflation currently predicted at least double digits for all of 2015(though peaking at end of 1st quarter or in 2nd quarter)
-If oil goes down to $50 a barrel, predicted Rouble will not be able to be maintained even with higher sales by exporters
-Parliament working on legislation to boost banking sector
-Standard & Poor's said it could downgrade Russia's ratting to junk as soon as January due to rapid deterioration in "monetary flexibility"
-Russia may repurchase corporate bond issues denominated in foreign currency if needed

I think you're at least a week out of date...Just sayin'.

[Exarch]

The Russian economy is estimated to shrink next year 4% along with inflation going into double digit numbers. Tell me again how great the russian economy is doing?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ruble-...102231535.html

in the context of a global slowdown? i'd say Russia is doing pretty good compared to say, the US which overwhelmingly relies on deficit spending and money printing and the coercion of arms to maintain liquidity.

I also like how you neglected to mention that Putin's Russia is making a concerted effort to redirect the Russian economy away from oil and natural gas and into services and if you think that's impossible i refer you to the stellar example of Iran which, despite sanctions, managed to successfully redirect its economy away from natural gas and oil to services. These sanctons simply serve to accelerate Putin's plans to reorient Russia's economy away from natural gas/oil to services and high tech.

Onto my former point about Russia's econom; even with a recession over the next 2 years (Putins' projection), Putin stlll enjoys over 80% popularity even with the economy going to . Can Obama claim the same thing? i doubt it, Obama is barely scraping by with half of Putin's popularity and zilch political capital to make changes necessary for the US economy which relies overwhelmingly on the World's Largest Economy (that's China, in case you forgot).

Finally, aint it grand how Putin managed to steal Turkey, a key NATO ally right out from Obama's nose?!

Now those caucasian christian europeans are going to have to go through turks just to get some gas; man, that must rile those atlanticists up something fierce; even Bulgaria was desperately begging Putin to restart SouthStream and going so far as to continue building its portion of the now defunct pipeline.

[Condottiere 40K]

Looks like the Americans are pulling out of any economic morass which is still lingering, while in the short term, the Europeans might be able to scrape by with falling petroleum related prices.

Putin had to decide between guns and butter at the beginning of this year; if the oil price remains around this current level, he might not be able to afford either in the coming year.

[hellheaven1987]

You all know what I am going to post.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Exarch]

that was pretty ing funny, hellheaven +rep

anyhoo, if any of you were unlucky enough to have invested in shale oil companies, well doom on you, brother. Let's hope obama bails you out before your water becomes unbearably flammable

[hellheaven1987]

Well, shale gas, instead shale oil, is the one that partially cause the drop of oil price. There are several reasons that cause the drop of oil price.

- Production of shale gas, which increases natural gas overall production and make several different industrial sectors to use more natural gas instead oil (like energy industrial sector).

- Better drilling technology; a BBC article mentions it reduces at least 30% drilling cost between past five years.

- Demand reduce, particularly in BRICS, due to slower economy growth (yes even China grow slower this year, now lets not mention India and Brazil).

[Exarch]

Well, shale gas, instead shale oil, is the one that partially cause the drop of oil price. There are several reasons that cause the drop of oil price.

- Production of shale gas, which increases natural gas overall production and make several different industrial sectors to use more natural gas instead oil (like energy industrial sector).

- Better drilling technology; a BBC article mentions it reduces at least 30% drilling cost between past five years.

- Demand reduce, particularly in BRICS, due to slower economy growth (yes even China grow slower this year, now lets not mention India and Brazil).

not to mention the fact that once fracking's been initiated, you cant really stop it unless you want all your crude to be contaminated rendering it useless for sale, which means all those fracking projects in the US are looking at losses for some years to come.
On that note, Saudi has to keep pumping regardless because of the above same reasons, either pump the oil or lose it.

Not that i'm complaining though, i might actually see a return to pre 2001 petrol prices

[Nevins]

in the context of a global slowdown? i'd say Russia is doing pretty good compared to say, the US which overwhelmingly relies on deficit spending and money printing and the coercion of arms to maintain liquidity.

Some pretty garbage analysis you are trying to peddle here. You really trying to say that the US economy has experienced growth because of deficit spending/QE (ill do you a favor and link the two here) and coercion of arms? This at a time where the US is scaling back its armed presence and has its smallest deficit since 2008?

Onto my former point about Russia's econom; even with a recession over the next 2 years (Putins' projection), Putin stlll enjoys over 80% popularity even with the economy going to . Can Obama claim the same thing? i doubt it, Obama is barely scraping by with half of Putin's popularity and zilch political capital to make changes necessary for the US economy which relies overwhelmingly on the World's Largest Economy (that's China, in case you forgot).

Thats what happens when one nation has a free press, and one doesn't.