Do you think that Putin would commit nuclear suicide?
- Yes, he is that bat s$#t crazy
- Yes, but his generals would stop him
- No, he is not completely nuts
- No, heāll be gone before that
0 voters
Do you think that Putin would commit nuclear suicide?
What scenario are you thinking about? Hundreds/thousands of ICBMs are quite a different thing than a tactical battlefield nuke on Ukrainian forces. I wouldnāt recommend either, but Putin might consider the later, thinking we might be conflicted on what response to make, a la the chemical āred lineā in Syria.
DB2
1 Like
I donāt think putin is āmad, derangedā.
Sociopath? Sure.
Psychopath? Sure.
Authoritarian, dictator. Sure
But delusional, deranged. No.
Those are derogatory terms we are using to make ourselves feel like weāre really nailing putin. Just like the derogatory terms that unified us against Japs, and VCs, and ??ethnic group of choice?..
IMO, we set ourselves up to misunderestimate putin by labeling putin.
Putin has been pavlovian conditioned to expect the West to roll over.
Who says the west wonāt?
And, as DrB2 says, a low-yield tactical nuke on a battlefield?
Putin can claim plausible reasons to demand that the west let Russia kill āenemyā combatants.
The West is gonna have to decideā¦
Gonna stand up now? Or later?
ralph knows the etiology of misunderestimate.
Doesnāt āetiologyā add a delicious flavor to the origin of āmisunderestimateā? 
2 Likes
Putin can claim plausible reasons to demand that the west let Russia kill āenemyā combatants.
The West is gonna have to decideā¦
Gonna stand up now? Or later?
ralph knows the etiology of misunderestimate.
If Vlad pops a mushroom cloud, all bets are off the table.
That Genie can not be allowed on the battlefield.
āLow Yieldā tactical or not. My butt.
His Kremlin buds have got to be putting together their scheme to either help him get to a face saving off ramp, or just lock him in a sound proof room.
Think Iāll take time this week to re watch Dr. Strangelove. Too prescient for words.
1 Like
His Kremlin buds have got to be putting together their scheme to either help him get to a face saving off ramp, or just lock him in a sound proof room.
One would hope, but letās not confuse our hopes with actual knowledge. If Putin was surrounded by rational actors, he never would have invaded Ukraine in the first place.
Putin just arrested the head of the FSB, his deputy, and maybe others:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russian-spy-chiefs-under-housā¦
The message is clear. If you oppose Putin, you are in peril. The purges have begun already.
I do not believe is a sound strategy to rely on those close to Putin to keep him in check.
Iām reminded of the fantastic movie āDer Untergangā (āDownfallā in English) about Hitlerās final days in the bunker in Berlin. At that point, the war had long been lost, the Red Army was about to steamroll Berlin (and in fact did steamroll Berlin), yet Hitlerās generals still couldnāt stand up to him. Based on a book by Hitlerās secretary Traudl Junge.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363163/
Many people might be familiar with the movie from this scene which is often used as a parody video, but it is riveting:
3 Likes
The West is gonna have to decideā¦
Gonna stand up now? Or later?
One wonders whether Putinās adversaries might utilize the āescalate to de-escalateā doctrine that has been attributed to Russia in recent years.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russia%E2%80%99s-crazā¦
Putin has been pavlovian conditioned to expect the West to roll over.
I wish we could nail Putin, literally!
The West rolls over until we no longer roll over.
But this is the wrong view. Think in terms of self interest instead of on humanitarian, charitable terms. The Westās aim is to defeat Putin at the lowest cost. One good solution, arm Ukraine and use them as cannon fodder but short of provoking Putin to attack us. This is what is happening on the ground. As far as I can tell itās working, Putin calling on China, Syria, and mercenaries for help. One hell of a superpower!
I still hope that more pragmatic heads inside the Kremlin put a stop to Putin.
The Captain
4 Likes
or just lock him in a sound proof room.
In a six foot box six feet underground.
The Captain
4 Likes
As to nuclear war, Putin is probably bluffing. We should call his bluff, but how?
He would only use nuclear weapons if he thinks he can win. If tactical nuclear weapons are used, will the West respond? Or backdown? More appeasement? More excuses? More talk, no action?
Putin thinks we are weak. He can get away with much!!
As far as I can tell itās working, Putin calling on China, Syria, and mercenaries for help.
A war isnāt over until BOTH sides say it is over or one side is no longer capable of insisting that it isnāt.
ā Desert Dave (Quotation, with attribution, permitted and encouraged.)