Can the West hold the line when the economic hardships hit it as a result of the Russian sanctions?

[JohnSJ]

It is pretty clear that is what Putin is counting on that the West will eventually cave, and they can outlast the West.

What would be extremely helpful is if our "supposed" allies, Saudi Arabia, would increase oil output during this crisis.

[uponit7771]

1. K&R, depends on how prepared we are to what's coming. If dems message things are going

... be bad because of Putler then I think we can aim Americans anger AND get a lift when its over in a month or two.

Putler isn't going to make it in Ukraine, there's a good chance they can win IMHO.

Winning meaning Putler doesn't hold any area other than like a green zone

[Budi]

2. We'll suck it up if we truly 'stand with Ukraine'.

Putin's criminal org will fall before we do.

With RU squeezed out of the market, it may hopefully increase supply for other producing countries left out by the bullying business machine of RU.

[SheltieLover]

5. Yes we will!

🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. The only real economic card Russia has is withholding oil from Europe.

I am surprised that Putin didn't start this invasion at the beginning of winter instead of the end.

[JohnSJ]

7. It will affect energy prices here also, and how much the American public is willing to put up with

Last edited Tue Mar 1, 2022, 04:14 PM - Edit history (1)

those price increases.

An indication of that will be the midterms

[Ferryboat]

19. Given the American public's response to covid

With all the inconvenience that entailed, I don't forsee America pulling together on this. As a country we haven't learned to suffer and endure during truly hard times.

Our forbears went through the depression,WW1&2. They made this country what it is. Doing the right thing for the good of all. Sure some of us endured the energy crisis of the 70's but we were a different nation then. Now we are divided over just the basics. And who here thought we would be burning books in the 21st century?

A true test of our resolve is will be asking our fellow citizens to suffer inconvenience for total strangers. Given the response to covid I'm sceptical.

I'm too cynical these days.

[Wingus Dingus]

4. This, I don't know. I hope so.

Recent history says no, but we're approaching world-war circumstances, so maybe we will have more resolve.

[lagomorph777]

6. All Pootie has is oil; we have more oil capacity than ever.

The combined economies of the world utterly dwarf Pootie's shabby 3rd-world economy. We can do this.

[JohnSJ]

9. You do realize we have put a curb on a lot of our oil capacity to move toward more green energy

[lagomorph777]

10. No.

We are moving toward green energy, which frees oil capacity.

There are no curbs.

[JohnSJ]

13. That is semantics. Long term, you are absolutely correct, but realistically we are not going to

start to see impact from that for at least 2 -5 years, and maybe much longer depending on the upcoming elections.

[Celerity]

14. Revealed: Biden administration was not legally bound to auction gulf drilling rights

Justice department admits a previous ruling did not force the detonation of what environmentalists call ‘huge carbon bomb

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/dec/13/revealed-biden-administration-was-not-legally-bound-to-auction-gulf-drilling-rights

The Biden administration admitted that a court decision did not compel it to lease vast tracts of the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling, shortly before claiming it was legally obliged to do so when announcing the sell-off, the Guardian can reveal.

Last month, the US government held the largest-ever auction of oil and gas drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico’s history, offering up more than 80m acres of the gulf’s seabed for fossil fuel extraction.

The enormous sale, which took place just four days after crucial UN climate talks in Scotland, represented a spectacular about-turn from Joe Biden’s previous promise to halt offshore drilling and was denounced by outraged environmental groups as a “huge carbon bomb”.

The president’s administration insisted it was obliged to hold the lease sale due to a court ruling in favor of a dozen states that sued to lift a blanket pause placed on new drilling permits by Biden. But a memo filed by the US Department of Justice before the lease sale acknowledges that this judgement does not force the government to auction off drilling rights to the gulf.

snip

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21152195/8-24-2021-biden-opposition-to-motion-to-show-cause-and-compel-compliance.pdf

[Budi]

12. That is exactly right. We are all "Volodymyr Zelenskyy👍President of Ukraine"

"The two countries didn't need a war, "not a Cold War, not a hot war, not a hybrid war", he said, wearing a dark suit as he stood in front of a map of Ukraine. But he added that if Ukrainians came under attack they would defend themselves. "When you attack us you will see our faces - not our backs, but our faces.""

[Pobeka]

8. Based on our (USA) ability to simply wear a mask to protect our own citizens, I'd say no. But ...

... depends what the clueless are motivated to do by their political leaders.

[Moostache]

11. The real concern is whether or not Putin is insane now.

2 years in virtual isolation through the pandemic, and clearly NOT taking any advice from those around him, has left Putin in a mentally compromised place and already making bad calculations and decisions. These are when strongmen are the most dangerous, trapped and beginning to see the writing on the wall for a future that will not include them.

If he does launch a nuclear strike at anyone, the world must decide right now if we are willing to response in kind and truly launch WWIII or not. You cannot hurt a madman with billions of his own financial reserves once they no longer care to pretend to like their own people or anyone else for that matter.

[PSPS]

15. The pandemic response in the US has revealed that Americans are, by and large, very weak and soft.

"Who cares about Ukraine. I don't want to pay more for anything" isn't far from "Having to wear a mask during a pandemic is like nazi germany."

[JohnSJ]

16. At least 30% of them are, and that is significant. It took Pearl Harbor for us to finally get

involved in WWII

[JustAnotherGen]

17. The U.S. goods trade deficit with Russia was $16.5 billion in 2019.

U.S. goods and services trade with Russia totaled an estimated $34.9 billion in 2019. Exports were $10.9 billion; imports were $24.0 billion. The U.S. goods and services trade deficit with Russia was $13.1 billion in 2019.

https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/europe-middle-east/russia-and-eurasia/russia#:~:text=U.S.%20goods%20and%20services%20trade,was%20%2413.1%20billion%20in%202019

Imports:

The top import categories (2-digit HS) in 2019 were: mineral fuels ($13 billion), precious metal and stone (platinum) ($2.2 billion), iron and steel ($1.4 billion), fertilizers ($963 million), and inorganic chemicals ($763 million).

U.S. total imports of agricultural products from Russia totaled $69 million in 2019. Leading categories include: snack foods ($8 million), tree nuts ($6 million), other vegetable oils ($3 million), essential oils ($3 million), and other dairy products ($2 million).

Iron and Steel - we may have to play with China since the 232 Tariffs were implemented - Russia appears to have picked up the 'gift' of lower tariffs on their steel products.

I believe we can weather Vegetable oils and essential oils and dairy products . . . more for our farmers at home and in USICA.

Precious metal and stone - so fewer jewelry sales? Eh?

Mineral Fuels - What can we get from elsewhere?

I think if someone is whining that they can't get neroli oil or a new diamond ring - they are terribly out of touch with the situation.

[Autumn]

18. No. We will fall like a house of cards, the pandemic proved that.