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Jerri's avatar

Your work is FANTASTIC---so I offer an idea....as a cultural sociologist I watch how symbols are transformed. Can you use your reach to transform the symbol "Z"? Instead of it being anti Ukraine, let's have it be seen as PRO Z-elensky.....that the Z shows SUPPORT for Ukraine. If we began a global movement that Z is really a way for people (and those in the Russian military who put it on their equipment) to show SUPPORT for Zelensky it would create all sorts of confusion. I think we need to take seriously that Putin reveres his status in judo---which teaches how to use the power and energy of the opponent to be used against them I think we need to do the same with Putin...use the "Z" against him....have it become the symbol of Ukraine and Z-elensky. Thanks for using your social media reach to see if we can have this happen. Thanks again for your work.

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Refined Insights's avatar

Well, this is arriving a little late. First off, excellent article as always.

The simple truth is after Russia turned its back on R&D upon the collapse of the Soviet Union and concentrated on its natural resources, it's made itself far more fragile.

An economy which exports mainly raw commodities is an economy which has to be incredibly open because it's dependent on the outside world to supply everything else it needs.

So, Russia, like many African countries albeit in far more dire straits, needs the global economy way more than it should.

The second problem is that these economies are highly susceptible to fluctuations in demand. This is true of any mono product economy but much more true if that prodyct is oil and gas.

If you are mainly exporting cars, a fall in demand for vehicles will certainly hit your economy hard. But an economy that can make cars can probably make glass, electronics, steel, and other kinds of vehicles. Its specialization is transferable because it's based far more on the knowledge of its people rather than geographical accidents like mines and wells.

That's the problem with seemingly sensible advice like comparative advantage and specialization: efficiency in the short-term is simply the acceptance of fragility in the long-term.

This is apart from the other oft cited and obvious problems with Russia and similar states: corruption, dictatorship, etc.

Will the event alert other nations to the dangers of globalization and perhaps, a little more self-reliance? Only the future can answer certain questions.

What is clear is this is a turning point. It would be foolhardy for all parties involved to squander it.

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