Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Russia, did Obama overplay his hand?

The crash of the Russian ruble is directly related to US sanctions during the winkie measuring contest over Ukraine. Okay, Putin got in lots of good jabs, but clearly the US delivered the knock out punch.

But how smart is it to collapse the Ruble? I don't think it's a smart move at all, because if you paint Putin into a corner with no exit, he has a HUGE military to answer back with. We could be pressing things toward war.

I've thought the same thing. Glad to see Putin put in a corner, but am concerned how he'll react.

Given that most of Russia's business is with Europe, I can't see our sanctions having that much impact. If we can truly have that much effect, just think what China could do to us.

Going into a major war would really tank his economy (not that it's never been done by some of these maniacs, foreign and domestic.) Gotta wonder how China would figure in, what with the US being their biggest market and also with the amount we're in debt to the Chinese right now.

IMO, we should say "Goodbye" to the Baltic States, they'll be the first to get sucked up.

It absolutely is our sanctions. Their oil industry is heavily in debt and they have a 7 billion dollar payment due on Sunday. Our sanctions does not give them access to foreign banks with hard currency to refinance, so if the Ruble crashes, the Russian oil industry defaults. And since the Russian economy is based on oil, Russia defaults (again). There will be a run on the Russian bank by Saturday, just watch.

Russia could take them pretty easy, and we could get them back, but it would be ugly. Fighting Russia would be very different from fighting Arabs. Bloody the Arab's nose and they turn tail and run. If Russia has demonstrated anything throughout time, it's that they have the stomach for a stand up fight. Then factor in they're a major nuclear power. Not pretty. Obama should think about how far he's pushing this.

It'll be interesting to see if Russia set's it's sights South instead of West and doesn't something in Saudi Arabia, to "correct" the price of crude.

Once again, I'll say it. It's as if Putin is reading the Bible to decide what's next. War, as predicted...

Screwing with Putin is fine. Russia is over extended. We broke 'em back with Reagan, and now we have done it again. To hell with Russia.
Appeasing folks like that never has a positive outcome.

more than sanctions, our driving down the price of Crude is what is busting Putin's financial chops. Oil is their biggest export. They have used that as a weapon for years.

The Ukraine was not a NATO nation, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are. Should be a whole different ballgame if Russia decides to invade.

Whether or not NATO has any wherewithal has yet to be determined.

IMO you are giving Obama way too much credit, the recent drop in the price of oil is causing more grief for the rubble than sanctions ever could have.

No it's the sanctions. WE are not driving down the price of crude, Saudi Arabia is. Lowering the price of crude is most certainly not in the US best interest.

Russia is feeling the heat of the falling crude prices no doubt. But the collapse of the ruble is what's going to get them, and the ruble is collapsing because the Russian oil companies can't re-finance with any bank outside Russia. So they're tied to the Ruble when their creditors are demanding dollars. They're screwed.

Either you're just too busy hating on Obama (common problem around here) or you just don't know what's going on. Read up on Rosneft, Russia's biggest oil company and their debt.

Putin is a lunatic with military power and a nuclear arsenal. He is bat sheit crazy and unpredictable which make him a huge threat!

I'm not comfortable with Russia having serious issues and a man like Putin behind the trigger.

I'm not a psychiatrist, so I'll hold off on diagnosing his mental state.

As far as being unpredictable, I'd say if one understood Russian Nationalist sentiments his actions are very predictable.

They key is understanding he's not a pansy like Western leaders.

Yup!

Show me where he's acted contrary his predecessors. He isn't going to nuke the US, though I'd love to see him skull fuuk our national lawn jockey. Only problem with that is the collateral damage.

This mentality scares me. Hey, I'm not Obama fan. But to hate him so much you want to see harm come to the US just to spite him, that's freaking crazy. Because if the does as you say, the US will be on the receiving end as well as Obama.

It's getting very interesting (aka scary). In a few months we've done to the Ruble what it took several years for the Versailles Treaty to do to the Deutschmark. I hope the outcome is not the same.

On the other hand, I think Putin's power rests on keeping several powerful, &/or monied, factions in Russia happy. And I doubt if they are happy right now. I think he's been chastened. Either he makes a desperate gamble soon or he has lost too much face to lead Russia.

I suspect one of the powerful interests is the military, but I bet the other power brokers would like to get back to business as usual.

Apparently we are experiencing the curse of "living in interesting times"!