Reparations for Ukrain

[vlyons]

I've been thinking about this for a few days. After Russia departs Ukraine, as I believe one day they will, can Russia be forced to pay reparations to Ukraine? Probably NATO will pony up funds to help clear out the bomb debris and rebuild some infrastructure and housing. But is there any way to force Russia to pay any reparations to Ukraine?

Your thoughts please.

[Ocelot II]

1. I don't think so. How would you enforce the debt unless by seizing assets,

which has already been done, at least to some extent? Anyhow, seems like Russia is broke.

[DFW]

5. It is, but not really

Some of the seized asets will not be returned, and as a whole, Russia is incredicly rich in natural resources. Their management of them was catastrophic, but there are plenty more. Oil, gold, timber, rare earth metals, who knows what else has yet to be discovered? Eighty plus years of a socialist economy, plus uninterrupted corruption with their change to a just-as-corrupt oligarchy meant that the State was bankrupt--the country is not.

The question is how will the demand for reparations be handled? The Marshall Plan is an inaccurate model, since Russia was never conquered (and never will be) and brought to its knees. They would need to be persuaded, and that is the hard part.

[Ocelot II]

6. How could those natural resources be seized without actually invading the country?

The income from them, especially oil and gas, could be taken somehow, I suppose, but since the Russians' management seems to be incompetent and corrupt, it doesn't seem feasible on any large scale. Unless Putin and his minions are gone, and maybe not even then, I don't think reparations beyond what's already been seized or frozen will be possible.

[DFW]

7. The resources themselves can never be seized by force.

Nor should they be. It wouldn't be worth it in the long run, even if it were feasible. It would have to be done in a grinding methodical way, one that let their economy recover. They have the resources, but not the will or the traidtion to let them be exploited in an economically and environmentally efficient manner. That would require a change in national mentality, which can only come from within. For a nation ruled by autocratic leaders who brook no criticism, and therefore control a media telling them that Russia is the greatest and everyone else is ganging up against them, it might take generational shift for this to be possible.

What Russia lacks is a system with a peaceful transfer of limited power at the top. Instead, they have a system that largely continues a transition of absolute power at the top, the transfer of which has rarely been peaceful. Self-criticism and admission of guilt have never been part of their national psyche. Russia right, everyone else wrong. As long as a great majority of their population continues to beieve this, they will never be a peaceful, trustworthy neighbor. How can they if they continue to learn from their national leadership that peace equals weakness and trust is foolish?

[uponit7771]

3. There ... WILL ... be a Marshal plan for Ukraine and no doubt Putrid will be paying some of it...

... but not a crushing part.

That's a done deal

[PortTack]

4. Assets be they yachts or expensive properties need to be sold to the highest bidder to help pay

For the rebuild

[Ocelot II]

8. That can probably be happen but it won't be nearly enough.

Realistically, it's unlikely that Russia will end up paying significantly to rebuild Ukraine.