Internet backbone provider shuts off service in Russia

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[–]package 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

So to spite the russian government they made it easier for the russian government propagandize its citizens?

[–]Tiwaking 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

"Russia cut off from world"
soviet anthem plays

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Swan Lake is what the USSR media played when they dissolved.

[–]Jackalope 8 insightful - 4 fun8 insightful - 3 fun9 insightful - 4 fun -  (9 children)

How do you feel about this kind of economic warfare? It seems to me that it might cause as much suffering and deaths as real war, and mainly among innocent civilians

[–]TemporarilyDeceased 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The economic sanctions aren't hurting Putin or other high-ranking officials. They moved their wealth into hard assets or into foreign shell companies long before the invasion so the economic sanctions are only hurting the little people. Turning off the connection to the internet prevents lies AND the truth from getting in or out. The people protesting against this in Russia are the ones getting their news from the internet.

Making this worse, by cutting them off from the world it forces them to find their own solutions both financially and for communications. China needs friends and they're both already heavily invested in Africa giving them incentive to develop it further.

This is short-sighted wishful thinking, but that's all the West seems capable of these days.

[–]filbs111 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

I find it disgusting and disgraceful. We're supposed to live in a "free world" with free markets, where there's competition between providers to provide goods and services that people want, and the government has a role in preventing monopolies, cartels etc. That's not happening here, and there are bad people with power who think that's a good thing, and this will get worse.

[–]restlessincanada 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

i agree, hurts working class people on both sides and does nothing to resolve the conflict.

[–][deleted] 6 insightful - 3 fun6 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 3 fun -  (5 children)

I'm not sure this is in America's best interest as it provides a compelling reason to ditch the dollar. What is to stop us from economically blackmailing any country that doesn't do what we want.

I'm not worried about Russians too much, they don't need to import food or fuel, they won't starve or freeze. Luxury foreign consumer goods they can live without.

I don't know what else we could have done besides sit back and impotently let Russia do whatever it wants, which might embolden them, and lead to a direct confrontation with NATO when they try to grab another former Soviet Bloc country.

[–]restlessincanada 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

i also worry about this, it not good for the US dollar or any nation that uses it as their reserve currency if nations like Russia and China move away from it. there is some talk that these sanctions could push russia towards a gold standard, not sure how likely that is but i dont like the uncertainty that this is creating.

[–]filbs111 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

That should reduce the extent to which the US Fed can get away with debasing the currency. Every cloud has a silver lining!

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Russia has been on the gold standard since at least 2016.

[–]restlessincanada 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

i think that right now the US dollar is the reserve currency worldwide. but there has been talk of russia and others moving away from the dollar and towards gold and other foreign currency.

[–]Jackalope 6 insightful - 3 fun6 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

I'm not sure this is in America's best interest as it provides a compelling reason to ditch the dollar. What is to stop us from economically blackmailing any country that doesn't do what we want.

Thats an excellent point...we've been doing it to south american countries for decades, and now we see Venezuela moving to Bitcoin