Interesting insights, Mark. I read The Saker a lot. It's a real love/hate relationship. I like his insights from the other side but, yes, he is ridiculously pro-Russian. Having said that, he has been quite realistic in his latest posts about the sinking of the Moskva and some of the failures of the SMO. What I find more disturbing are his comments about the China lockdowns. He is all for them, and can't see that they never work and are merely the CCP in Beijing showing the people of Shanghai who's boss. Also, like many alternative "insider" blogs, The Saker is hilariously self important: he has even given instructions about how he will run his blog when nuclear armageddon kicks off. Not sure accessing his blog will be my first prio if that happens! However, fair's fair, amid the nauseating propaganda spin by the West, it's useful and refreshing to check out his kind of site.
Agree 100% on The Saker, as I use the site solely for maps, timelines and statements of hard fact that I can independently verify or dismiss. It's funny that, as someone whose first real job out of college (Berlin Wall came down halfway through my Soviet Area Studies major) involved analyzing local media reporting in immediately post-Soviet Moscow and St. Petersburg, I can clearly hear from sentence structure, syntax, lexicon, etc. in most articles the original Russian being written down in English. So, yes, heaps and heaps of salt...
What was particularly eye-opening (bracing, really) was Dr. Karber's presentation. A few grains of salt there, too, as the Military-Industrial Complex ain't exactly gonna fund itself. That said, it was surprising to see how far off the mark the common perception among hawks here in the US that booting Putin from Ukraine would be a milk run really is.
I'd really love to see the dialogue among our betters center on what is actually in AMERICA'S best interests in resolving the Ukraine conflict--in other words, realpolitik, not empty global/utopian ideology. Can't claim the answers, but high time someone started working on them. Something involving Teddy Roosevelt, speaking softly and carrying a big stick sounds pretty good right now...
Thanks again, Mark--your coverage of this conflict has been outstanding!!
Who knows what America's "leaders" get out of this? There definitely seems to be a split between the Pentagon folks, who at least have experienced real war, and the idiots at the State Dept/5 Eyes who haven't. My guess is that this is America's Suez 1956 moment: they know they are losing ground as global top dog and see this as a chance to knockout Russia and send a big warning to China. You can see that in the imperious way they talk to both countries (and India). This is a nation that still thinks it's the Numero Uno, but isn't.
Yes, I’m afraid you are absolutely correct and that the Suez ‘56 analogy is quite apt. I remember (when learning about it) almost feeling bad for Attlee, Churchill and Eden blustering and bumbling around in the postwar decade until Nasser delivered the memo that the rest of the world was already reading (“almost” being the operative word, as an American, particularly, one of Irish extraction). Watching it happen in real-time, to my own country, is maddening.
I wouldn’t have been able to answer this with a single-source recommendation until “The Romanovs: 1613-1918” by Simon Sebag Montefiore came along in 2016. While the focus is on the Romanov tsars, the book covers everything from the foundation of “the Rus” in Kiev, through the principality of Moscovy, all the way through the circumstances giving rise to the Russian Revolution.
The names, dates, etc. are extensive and can seem daunting/tedious if you let them. I was beating myself up over all the history I’d forgotten over the last 35-ish years, until I remembered that nobody was grading me on this and that I was reading for fun. Book reads like a Netflix period-piece drama but is factually spot-on. That’s the great thing about Russian history…it’s so wild that there’s no need to sensationalize it.
As I don’t want you to drop $25-30 on a book you might not like, the book was sufficiently popular (and, right now, Russians are sufficiently UNpopular) that it should be available from your library’s physical or digital stacks. You’ll probably know a chapter or two in whether you want to go the distance. If you do, you’ll get a tremendous handle on all the relevant history.
Thank you so much!! I read the reviews on Amazon and the introduction and prelude chapter of the Two Boys. I am already enthralled with Montefiore writing style.
I have a lifelong interest with the Angevin/Plantagenets. They too had a fascinating and turbulent dynasty of over 300 years as well. I am thinking the Romanovs will be equally fascinating!!
Very much looking forward to reading this work. I purchased it on Kindle thus far. :-)
Thank you very much for the recommendation. I greatly appreciate it.
Another good source on Russia and Ukraine is John Helmer. According to his bio:
"John Helmer is the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. He first set up his bureau in 1989, making him today the doyen of the foreign press corps in Russia."
His articles are tedious and chock full of information and source links.
I watched the video of Karber at West Point. What I got from that is that the Russians learned a lot back in 2014, and they spent a lot of time preparing. They're going slow to minimize casualties, but they knew they'd need to do that from the start. They knew if they tried a blitzkrieg they'd get wiped out. They knew their enemy.
As an armchair warrior (5 star!), I really want Putin to get this over with. However, I see your point. In our Western video game culture, we expect shock and awe every time (which didn't work, btw). Also, people forgot how potent the Ukie army is. It has a large number of troops and a lot of good equipment. It seems they lost their airpower, logistics and mobility quickly, but still, troops dug in in major city centers can hold out for a long time. With the Moskva feeding the fishes, maybe Putin will go up a gear.
As to your assertion above, I was talking with a family member and he saw through the Covid scam, but thinks this is all Putin and Ukraine will ultimately prevail. I pointed out that when your enemy has destroyed most of your tanks, most aircraft, fuel depots, ammunition depots, communications, and owns the skies, you're not likely to pull off the longest of hail mary's...
Like Baghdad Bob? Plus when our media talks, most intelligent Americans don't listen. We assume it is all political propaganda. After all, that is what we have been getting from even before Trump came on the scene.
It's a rock solid rule that any institution that spends massive energy on insanity like 100% equality, AA and gender rights is not going to be at the peak of its efficiency. The US armed forces are no exception. Sure, there are some very tough units, but the overall standard is mediocre.
As I said, I take The Saker with a grain of salt, and I usually take USG officials likewise. OTOH, I'd be wary of taking lightly any power that can deploy hypersonic missiles.
Interesting insights, Mark. I read The Saker a lot. It's a real love/hate relationship. I like his insights from the other side but, yes, he is ridiculously pro-Russian. Having said that, he has been quite realistic in his latest posts about the sinking of the Moskva and some of the failures of the SMO. What I find more disturbing are his comments about the China lockdowns. He is all for them, and can't see that they never work and are merely the CCP in Beijing showing the people of Shanghai who's boss. Also, like many alternative "insider" blogs, The Saker is hilariously self important: he has even given instructions about how he will run his blog when nuclear armageddon kicks off. Not sure accessing his blog will be my first prio if that happens! However, fair's fair, amid the nauseating propaganda spin by the West, it's useful and refreshing to check out his kind of site.
Thank you, Mark for this balance of perspectives.
Agree 100% on The Saker, as I use the site solely for maps, timelines and statements of hard fact that I can independently verify or dismiss. It's funny that, as someone whose first real job out of college (Berlin Wall came down halfway through my Soviet Area Studies major) involved analyzing local media reporting in immediately post-Soviet Moscow and St. Petersburg, I can clearly hear from sentence structure, syntax, lexicon, etc. in most articles the original Russian being written down in English. So, yes, heaps and heaps of salt...
What was particularly eye-opening (bracing, really) was Dr. Karber's presentation. A few grains of salt there, too, as the Military-Industrial Complex ain't exactly gonna fund itself. That said, it was surprising to see how far off the mark the common perception among hawks here in the US that booting Putin from Ukraine would be a milk run really is.
I'd really love to see the dialogue among our betters center on what is actually in AMERICA'S best interests in resolving the Ukraine conflict--in other words, realpolitik, not empty global/utopian ideology. Can't claim the answers, but high time someone started working on them. Something involving Teddy Roosevelt, speaking softly and carrying a big stick sounds pretty good right now...
Thanks again, Mark--your coverage of this conflict has been outstanding!!
Who knows what America's "leaders" get out of this? There definitely seems to be a split between the Pentagon folks, who at least have experienced real war, and the idiots at the State Dept/5 Eyes who haven't. My guess is that this is America's Suez 1956 moment: they know they are losing ground as global top dog and see this as a chance to knockout Russia and send a big warning to China. You can see that in the imperious way they talk to both countries (and India). This is a nation that still thinks it's the Numero Uno, but isn't.
Yes, I’m afraid you are absolutely correct and that the Suez ‘56 analogy is quite apt. I remember (when learning about it) almost feeling bad for Attlee, Churchill and Eden blustering and bumbling around in the postwar decade until Nasser delivered the memo that the rest of the world was already reading (“almost” being the operative word, as an American, particularly, one of Irish extraction). Watching it happen in real-time, to my own country, is maddening.
@NFO Could you please recommend a basic book on Russian history and culture? Thank you
I wouldn’t have been able to answer this with a single-source recommendation until “The Romanovs: 1613-1918” by Simon Sebag Montefiore came along in 2016. While the focus is on the Romanov tsars, the book covers everything from the foundation of “the Rus” in Kiev, through the principality of Moscovy, all the way through the circumstances giving rise to the Russian Revolution.
The names, dates, etc. are extensive and can seem daunting/tedious if you let them. I was beating myself up over all the history I’d forgotten over the last 35-ish years, until I remembered that nobody was grading me on this and that I was reading for fun. Book reads like a Netflix period-piece drama but is factually spot-on. That’s the great thing about Russian history…it’s so wild that there’s no need to sensationalize it.
As I don’t want you to drop $25-30 on a book you might not like, the book was sufficiently popular (and, right now, Russians are sufficiently UNpopular) that it should be available from your library’s physical or digital stacks. You’ll probably know a chapter or two in whether you want to go the distance. If you do, you’ll get a tremendous handle on all the relevant history.
Thank you so much!! I read the reviews on Amazon and the introduction and prelude chapter of the Two Boys. I am already enthralled with Montefiore writing style.
I have a lifelong interest with the Angevin/Plantagenets. They too had a fascinating and turbulent dynasty of over 300 years as well. I am thinking the Romanovs will be equally fascinating!!
Very much looking forward to reading this work. I purchased it on Kindle thus far. :-)
Thank you very much for the recommendation. I greatly appreciate it.
Terrific…glad you like it. Enjoy!
Montefiore is addictive. His Stalin books are very good, and his Moscow Trilogy is a great read, even if historical fiction isn’t really my thing.
Yes looking forward to getting in to it. Hoping it covers the Russian Orthodox Church too.
Thanks very much. I try to be objective.
Another good source on Russia and Ukraine is John Helmer. According to his bio:
"John Helmer is the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. He first set up his bureau in 1989, making him today the doyen of the foreign press corps in Russia."
His articles are tedious and chock full of information and source links.
http://johnhelmer.org/
Right. The tediousness is problematic for me. That's part of the problem with The Saker, as well. Perhaps I'm a bit tedious, too.
I watched the video of Karber at West Point. What I got from that is that the Russians learned a lot back in 2014, and they spent a lot of time preparing. They're going slow to minimize casualties, but they knew they'd need to do that from the start. They knew if they tried a blitzkrieg they'd get wiped out. They knew their enemy.
As an armchair warrior (5 star!), I really want Putin to get this over with. However, I see your point. In our Western video game culture, we expect shock and awe every time (which didn't work, btw). Also, people forgot how potent the Ukie army is. It has a large number of troops and a lot of good equipment. It seems they lost their airpower, logistics and mobility quickly, but still, troops dug in in major city centers can hold out for a long time. With the Moskva feeding the fishes, maybe Putin will go up a gear.
Here's an interesting new vid from Mariupol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VrKFX7DmQE
As to your assertion above, I was talking with a family member and he saw through the Covid scam, but thinks this is all Putin and Ukraine will ultimately prevail. I pointed out that when your enemy has destroyed most of your tanks, most aircraft, fuel depots, ammunition depots, communications, and owns the skies, you're not likely to pull off the longest of hail mary's...
Goebbels was probably the greatest propagandist that ever lived. The Nazis still lost. And they will lose again in the Ukraine.
Like Baghdad Bob? Plus when our media talks, most intelligent Americans don't listen. We assume it is all political propaganda. After all, that is what we have been getting from even before Trump came on the scene.
It's a rock solid rule that any institution that spends massive energy on insanity like 100% equality, AA and gender rights is not going to be at the peak of its efficiency. The US armed forces are no exception. Sure, there are some very tough units, but the overall standard is mediocre.
As I said, I take The Saker with a grain of salt, and I usually take USG officials likewise. OTOH, I'd be wary of taking lightly any power that can deploy hypersonic missiles.