I don't think we should wish ill on people, just because they're from another country. Honestly, China and Russia are threats through propoganda. The US is ignorant in regards to recognizing propoganda on social media. Of course, a lot of our politician's benefit from this too, so there's not a lot of will to do so.

If we don't educate our populace to handle the new world, we will be open to foreign meddling, no matter the country.

I don’t think the hope is for harm to the people of these countries, but for the downfall of the oppressive governments that rule them.

The answer to how to make that happen is, broadly speaking, through those people.

I don’t think the hope is for harm to the people of these countries, but for the downfall of the oppressive governments that rule them. — Pfhorrest

That is fair. I don't think you can. A country has to want to liberate itself first. That requires a deep seeded belief in people. The only thing keeping America from not becoming a fascist state or a corptocracy is the culture. Due to propoganda, that culture is slowly fading however. 20 years ago, if a president had tried to hinder the post office, both parties would have thrown him out. Not today. I would worry more about preserving our own liberties and culture, then worry about China or Russia.

Economic collapse, if their economies collapse, their systems will go too, as the people would be too starving to shut up, especially in our time, the time of not ever shutting up and protesting 24/7

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I don't think we should wish ill on people, just because they're from another country. — Philosophim

I'm not wishing I'll on the Russian or Chinese people. I want them to be rid of their dictators and corrupt governments.

I don’t think the hope is for harm to the people of these countries, but for the downfall of the oppressive governments that rule them. — Pfhorrest

Exactly

The answer to how to make that happen is, broadly speaking, through those people. — Pfhorrest

Hopefully the internet is censored any further in those countries so that we can continue to communicate with the people via social media.

Russia's not going anywhere. And who comes after Putin?

And who comes after Putin? — tim wood

Stop conflating Russia with putin. Soon enough he'll just be a bad memory.

Russia's not going anywhere. And who comes after Putin? — tim wood

His son/daughter? we bringing back the empire

Spread the word of liberty and break through the Great Firewall. As the Hong Kong protesters and the ‘89 democracy movement showed, people want it and are willing to risk their lives for it.

Recent developments in Belarus look promising and should hopefully inspire many of the downtrodden populace in Russia. — Professor Death

I don't think the situation in Belarus looks promising at all.

A successful coup is unlikely, since both Lukashenko and Putin will do everything to avoid it from happening. If Putin's aid is required, it will only strenghten Russia's control over Belarus, bringing it one step closer to becoming a part of the Russian Federation.

Western aid is unthinkable. Even less likely than in Ukraine.

No, these small crises on Russia's border have had a tendency to work out in Russia's favour, as they have in Georgia and Ukraine.

As for China; China probably has more power over western internal affairs than vice versa. We all know the measures China is willing to take to ensure its population remains compliant, and under such circumstances a popular uprising is unlikely to get off the ground, let alone succeed.

you have no evidence/sources for any of these assertions.

(this is where you justify what you wrote)

what are the best ways to disseminate the word?

The hypocrisy of lukashenko claiming foreign powers are interfering in Belarus and yet ringing his Russian mate Dobby the House Elf (putin) to come and interfere:

I'm not wishing I'll on the Russian or Chinese people. I want them to be rid of their dictators and corrupt governments. — Professor Death

Bravo!

Ridding the world of political gangsters will likely remain a centuries long process.

For Russia, the weakness seems to be the economy. Although the Russian people can be very intelligent, their economy is smaller than Canada, Italy, Brazil etc. I'm sure it doesn't help that Putin's kleptocracy is very busy sucking as much money out of the Russian people as possible and then hiding it overseas.

The Chinese communists have performed economic miracles, but this is a threat to them as well. As great masses of Chinese become more wealth and educated, the political choke hold is going to become ever less appealing. All dictatorships are inherently unstable, even the biggest one in human history.

What we in the west should keep clearly in mind is that actors like Putin aren't really politicians, but instead the smartest gangsters in the world. Why rob banks when you can be the bank, why worry about police when you can be the police etc. The smartest gangsters don't waste time stealing the little stuff, they steal countries. When we invite these mobsters to the U.N. and the White House etc we are handing them credibility which they don't deserve, thus feeding their very intelligent game.

Any ideas welcome of how to further unravel putin's and the CCP's tentacles. — Professor Death

Let's hope that things go well in Belarus: that indeed Lukashenko would fall without piles of bodies and violence.

Or then, it can go like with the demonstrations against Putin years ago: people in the streets and then it whimpered away.

Remember these photos from Moscow during the Obama years? From 2011 I guess.



Things can go worse, you know:

Belarus' embattled President Alexander Lukashenko has declared that the country will not have new elections "until you kill me," according to videos posted online by local news outlets.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday accused NATO of deploying tanks and planes to Belarus' western border, a claim the military alliance rejected.

Speaking at a rally of his supporters in central Minsk, the 65-year-old leader dismissed opposition calls for a new election and urged Belarusians to defend their country.

"I called you here not to defend me, but for the first time in a quarter-century, to defend your country and its independence," he said to the estimated 5,000 strong crowd, just as tens of thousands of protesters once again hit the streets in several cities demanding his ouster.

It's about time we start messing with putin's Russia's internal affairs. They've been doing it long enough to other countries.

It's about time we start messing with putin's Russia's internal affairs. They've been doing it long enough to other countries. — Professor Death

Who "we"?

That they mess with other countries comes from their overwhelming paranoia and own insecurity.

These people, the siloviki, genuinely believe that they are already under a deliberate attack from the West under the veil of some NGO of George Soros. From their point of view, it's just a pre-emptive strike, a defence that they are doing.

Who "we"? — ssu

Anyone reading this.

That they mess with other countries comes from their overwhelming paranoia and own insecurity — ssu

We in America dramatically under estimate the impact of WWII on Russian psychology. They lost 40 times as many people as we did, and two vast armies ravaged over everything west of Moscow, twice. The Nazis came very close to turning the Russian people in to farm animals. And this was only the latest in a series of invasions from the West.

This is how Putin survives. The Russian people correctly see him as strong and smart, and national survival transcends all other concerns.

We in America dramatically under estimate the impact of WWII on Russian psychology. — Hippyhead

First came Napoleon, then came Hitler. They're not going to wait for the third one. Or that's the jingoist line how aggression is tried to be described as defence.

This is how Putin survives. The Russian people correctly see him as strong and smart, and national survival transcends all other concerns. — Hippyhead

He is smart and cunning, that's for sure. But he is a huge gambler, who's popularity unfortunately has been based on starting wars (2nd Chechen War for starters...) and who could make some "pre-emptive" moves if Belarus gets into really serious political trouble.

Comparing to the start of the Euromaidan protests in Ukraine, the focus on events happening in Belarus seem quite little. Perhaps the reason is that the events in the US and it's elections and the pandemic simply have veered off media interest in this Eastern European country.

What is notable is that Putin has forces ready to come to the help of Lukashenko:

At least it was peaceful this sunday, but the crowds were not smaller.