Been thinking about this in regards to the war.
I can’t decide if they are drunk, or having some shenanigans in the mortar pit?
Because the Chinese public sees them as incompetent, which means there isn’t any public support for Xi jumping in. Quite the opposite.
The two above reasons are solid, I'd also add that it's important for American public opinion to feel like we (and our weapons and tax dollars) are supporting a winner. If it felt like a lost cause - that Russia was a great military power that Ukraine was powerless to resist - I think public opinion would shift and there'd be less support for helping Ukraine militarily. So exposing the Russian army's weaknesses and poor quality helps continue support for supplying weapons, ammo and aid to Ukraine.
I think there is a gauntlet to shoot. Make it look too hard and hopeless, and people don't want to throw good money after bad. Make it look too easy, then people don't think you need much help. It needs to look daunting, but achievable with western backing.
But here's the counter point.....we're painting them as incompetent (basically agree).....yet the lines have been basically stagnant since November. I just think there's a happy medium here because just the fact that Ukraine has stymied the Russians has popped the Russian "great military power" balloon.
I don't think the average person paying attention is that tuned in. Remember, before the invasion, we were told Ukraine was doomed and would be overrun in a matter of days. Simply lasting this long has been a huge deal, so I don't think that many people are concerned with the pace of the counteroffensive - the fact the Ukrainians have the initiative at all and are making even incremental progress in liberating occupied territories is seen as a major, major accomplishment, IMO.
From the very beginning China’s netizens have ripped the Russian military apart. The more we can make them look like a foolish investment the better.
The Chinese military has to be seriously reevaluating things....
What you see on twitter does not match what you see on the nightly news. On the nightly news, they do not make the Russian military look like bumbling idiots. I think we here in this thread are quite a fringe group of americans, in terms of consumption of Ukraine news and yes, propaganda.
Good points...I might be letting this thread taint my opinion a bit..
Operationally, This is the death of the Russian military as a significant joint force threat. How could you trust them with anything real?
I think it's mostly tactics, training, planning and logistics.
Several months ago I expressed surprise to my brother in law, a former Army bird colonel, that the Russians were having such a difficult time, given the perception that they had a strong military.
They spent the money on the toys but not on the training and logistics to actually use them effectively.
Russia is operating at like 1/4th of their stated capacity. They have some cutting edge stuff, but no real inventory.
So true....
That's always been my concern...shit really starts going south for them (especially the prospect of losing Crimea) I could see him putting that shot across the bow to make the bad man stop.
Agree. Low morale too. Rumors of civil war still.
