<blockquote>'..Russia will have the resources to cause major problems for or to make major contributions to a globalized world. We all have an interest in Russian reform.'
- Joseph S. Nye, (
Source, September 8, 2010)
'..Sanctions [1)] will hurt Russia, and 2) Putin does not care.'
- Paul Roderick Gregory (<a href="[
www.forbes.com];
'Russia should pressure (rebels in) Donetsk and Luhansk not to hold these elections, to avoid a frozen conflict. Unified pressure from the United States and Europe is needed to persuade Russia to take that step..'<blockquote>'The planned separatist elections are "a way to get nowhere," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said in an interview with USA TODAY. "Russia should pressure (rebels in) Donetsk and Luhansk not to hold these elections, to avoid a frozen conflict."
Unified pressure from the United States and Europe is needed to persuade Russia to take that step, Klimkin said.
To resolve the conflict, he said, legitimate local elections need to be held under Ukrainian law and in accordance with a Sept. 5 cease-fire agreement between the national government and separatists, who have been aided by Russia.'
-
Ukraine urges Russia to stop separatist elections, October 21, 2014</blockquote>
'..It might make sense to widen the sanctions on individuals and introduce sectoral sanctions on the oil and gas industry..'<blockquote>'What are the policy implications for the West? Financial sanctions are already being applied to virtually all firms in the economy. It might make sense to widen the sanctions on individuals and introduce sectoral sanctions on the oil and gas industry, but otherwise the sanctions are already working, we must insure that they are enforced, and it might be wise to keep the prospect of more sanctions open.
..Obama should .. approve LNG terminals, eliminate restrictions on crude oil exports.. Obama must lead Europe by the nose to a comprehensive energy policy. If the United States does not lead, no one will.
We have a nuclear option that few talk about: throw Russian financial institutions out of the SWIFT system and watch them collapse.'
- Paul Roderick Gregory,
Western Sanctions And Rising Debts Are Already Strangling The Russian Economy, August 28, 2014</blockquote>
'..Putin appears to have set aside voices of reason in favor of the claims of quacks that autarky and isolation are actually good for Russia. Stalin listened to the pseudo-science of Trofim Lysenko and ruined agriculture. Putin is learning from the pseudo-economics of his advisor, Sergei Glazyev, how to weaken the entire economy by going it alone.
..Putin’s misadventure in Ukraine has turned Russia further into an international pariah isolated from world markets, technology and capital..'<blockquote>'..the true facts, for those interested, are:
First, Russia’s economic recovery began before Putin became Russia’s “elected Czar” — as some fawning followers call him. Since Putin assumption of power in the last days of the 20th century, Russia’s economic growth has been lower than two thirds of its former Soviet neighbors.
Second, Putin’s renationalization of Russia’s energy, minerals, and banking has destroyed hundreds of billions of dollars of market value of property belonging to the Russian people. Mismanagement of Putin’s petrodollar state caused Russian energy production to stagnate as it missed out on the tar-sands and fracking revolutions that began in North America.
Third, Putin appears to have set aside voices of reason in favor of the claims of quacks that autarky and isolation are actually good for Russia. Stalin listened to the pseudo-science of Trofim Lysenko and ruined agriculture. Putin is learning from the pseudo-economics of his advisor, Sergei Glazyev, how to weaken the entire economy by going it alone.
Fourth, Putin’s misadventure in Ukraine has turned Russia further into an international pariah isolated from world markets, technology and capital. Russians traveling abroad no longer proudly display their passports at check-in lines. Their musical stars are booed at international competitions, and their embassies are beset by protesters. International courts impose large judgments on Russia, and even the UN decries Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
- Paul Roderick Gregory,
Fire Putin As Russia, Inc. CEO For Mismanagement, August 7, 2014</blockquote>
Context '..a smooth transition to an era of unsubsidized competitiveness.'<blockquote>
German Intelligence Claims Pro-Russian Separatists Downed MH17, October 19, 2014
'..Russia could face even further sanctions..''..Cutting the flow of riches to the Kremlin..' - Emma Ashford'..to diversify their energy sources..' - '..strengthen their defences..'U.S. energy agency jumps into fusion funding, August 14, 2014
Focus Fusion</blockquote>