AlaskanAg99 said:
Russia has a history of letting their citizens suffer, collapse of their economy may not be a big concern. If their belief is win in Ukraine, dominate the Uke energy fields, then the rest of the EU will be so starved for resources, they'll take whatever Putin gives them at high prices along with complete removal of all sanctions.
Option 2: Putin is removed and someone takes over that's willing to play ball to save the Russian economy.
Option 3: Putin is removed and a hardliner takes over, orders a general mobilization for war in Ukraine and EU countries are forced to put boots on the ground in Ukraine.
Russia has never cared about their citizens and they are culturally very different than Western Europe. They have no real democratic tradition and the country isn't set up well to be a democracy. It has been and will likely always be led by a strongman. Either that or it breaks apart.
The most frustrating thing about all of this is so much of it was preventable and the obvious solution (US going all in on energy production and using our tech and Navy to dominate the market) is not only off the table we are trying to go in the other direction.
Russia and China aren't strong enough though to really take advantage and they are insanely flawed and corrupt. It's going to be an "everybody loses" situation and the only real glimmer of hope is that people seem to be waking up to just how dangerous the WEF/Davos crowd is.
It is so incredibly frustrating that people don't understand just how many people around the world are going to suffer because we went from Trump to Biden. We need a real leader so badly right now that actually puts America first and the world will follow.
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
Ronald Reagan