all 8 comments

[–]jet199 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Russia have large mineral wealth and, unlike the US, have a population which have nothing better to do than die for their country.

As in Afghanistan and most other places the side which cares most about winning will always have the long term advantage over those who don't really know why they are there and just want to get home.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

population which have nothing better to do than die for their country.

We haven't had a war for 3 months Jet. We're fucking jonesing here.

large mineral wealth

Spoils of war! I mean assuming we don't turn them into nuclear slag.

[–]chottohen 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

will always have the long term advantage over those who don't really know why they are there and just want to get home.

Once they get to the AO, the troops on both sides are highly motivated to get their asses home in one piece, regardless of the politics involved. So that factor tends to even things out.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

We said we crushed Iraq too, but 10 years later a Shia government emerged. Wars are easy, occupations, not so much.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

We don't have to occupy them. Their only threat is their nukes. We secure those and go about our day.

[–]IkeConn 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Just the state of California has a bigger economy than Russia.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

New York, Texas, and California have higher GDPs. I was wrong about Minnesota, they only earn 1/3 of what Russia does.

[–]AntarchomachusAnarchist 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I'd be very surprised if Russia invades Ukraine. Unlike with Crimea, the Ukrainian population doesn't want anything to do with Russia, I can't imagine they intend to try and occupy it by force.

This seems like some sort of political posturing with Putin knowing Biden's botched Afghanistan withdrawal has left the American public with little appetite for military intervention.