it is far from certain that Russia will succeed in their campaign to destabilize the EU
That’s why I think that the Russian influence on social networks is not big.
The real fear the Russian government has is that some of their remaining imperial holdings also decide that enough is enough.
I think so, too. The question is which fate they can expect from joining the American free market. If they end up homeless without healthcare like poor American citizens then their freedom will be a trap. I think that the US cannot afford to have countries with better healthcare and housing in their sphere of influence in the long run. Germany is starting to discuss no treatment for unemployed.
But there is also the US problem of being overtaken by China. I think that problem can only be solved with a war. Russia would be involved. So some geostrategic considerations should influence Russia, too.
The typical Russian citizen living in the imperial holdings doesn’t aspire to US free market style conditions, but they can see on social media and from personal connections / travels that other often even Russian speaking people living in the Baltic states and (pre-war) Ukraine enjoy significantly more personal freedom and often also higher quality of life.
This is a direct practical refutation of the dominant propaganda narrative of the Russian government that if anything changes it will only change for the worse.
How people in the US or even western Europe live is entirely irrelevant to this perception.
There is no point in asking what ifs, and the EU is certainly not trying to emulate the US even though it does have its own problems.
That’s why I think that the Russian influence on social networks is not big.
I think so, too. The question is which fate they can expect from joining the American free market. If they end up homeless without healthcare like poor American citizens then their freedom will be a trap. I think that the US cannot afford to have countries with better healthcare and housing in their sphere of influence in the long run. Germany is starting to discuss no treatment for unemployed.
But there is also the US problem of being overtaken by China. I think that problem can only be solved with a war. Russia would be involved. So some geostrategic considerations should influence Russia, too.
The typical Russian citizen living in the imperial holdings doesn’t aspire to US free market style conditions, but they can see on social media and from personal connections / travels that other often even Russian speaking people living in the Baltic states and (pre-war) Ukraine enjoy significantly more personal freedom and often also higher quality of life.
This is a direct practical refutation of the dominant propaganda narrative of the Russian government that if anything changes it will only change for the worse.
How people in the US or even western Europe live is entirely irrelevant to this perception.
There is no point in asking what ifs, and the EU is certainly not trying to emulate the US even though it does have its own problems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Élysée_Treaty
The section called ‘Controversy’. Have we managed to become independent?
That’s why Russia must be worried. People see the material improvement but don’t consider the long-term perspective.