candide

Ahem... Is he really worthy of any of these two titles?

You are considering this issue in an inverted way. The issue is not whether a democratically elected government would have been better, it is whether an unelected autocratic government is providing significant benefits that would justify it. It may or may not have made a noticeable improvement, we don't know. However, what we know for sure, is that the coup did not bring any noticeable improvement. So why impose an autocratic corrupt and illegetimate regime, with all the flaws that are attached to it, in particular the absence of accountability and counter-powers, if it doesn't bring any improvement? The answer is quite obvious! On top of it, what you and a few others are unable to grasp, is that the democratic process is a learning process. It took time in Western countries to develop acceptable democratic systems. This learning process simply cannot happen if it is regularly interrupted by coups which are replacing corrupt elected politicians by corrupt unelected autocrats. It could have happened if there had been no coup. Yingluck may not have been re-elected.

BS! You are responsible for checking the information you convey! And once again, you don't quote your sources, and just try to have other posters losing their time finding the source.

There are opinions and there are facts You can have whatever opinion you want but not your own facts. That's where the source credibility comes into play. OMG it reminds me the discussions we had with the MAGzA guys in the defunct world news forum....

I think they have gone too far with the 2019 law, but: - details matter: the essence of the law is to mandate Ukrainian language. It does not strictly forbid using Russian. Ex Russian language can be used in newspapers, but a translation in Ukrainian must be provided. Doctors or judges can use Russian by mutual agreement, etc... - there is a context: the Ukrainisation trend was notably amplified after the invasion of Crimea and after citizen of "autonomous" regions got granted Russian passports. So Russia is also partly responsible of this excessive reaction. All this is explained in the article you refer to, but it seems you don't like to mention what doesn't support your point. So OK they have gone too far and It's obvious that the EU, the ECHR, etc... will put pressure on them to amend the law. However, the key issue is: does it justify invading Ukraine and slaughter people? For me, the answer is obvious. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/25/ukraine-adopts-law-enforcing-use-of-ukrainian-in-public-life Your tendency to occult information in order to support your propaganda is also evident about the Mariopol event. The protesters "burning alive" in Odessa was not caused by the government, but by a conflict between pro-Maidan and anti-Maidan protesters (the local administration and police being largely anti-Maidan in this place at that time. Pro-Maidan protesters had been continuously attacked by armed pro-Russian protesters (while police wasn't doing much to prevent it) and it caused the latest confrontation which culminated by the burning of a building. This is all documented here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Odessa_clashes

Ahem... https://www.grid.news/story/misinformation/2022/04/18/russias-favorite-war-propagandist-is-a-navy-veteran-from-missouri/

And in particular..... ???? "Against the Iraq War - Dominique de Villepin On February 14, 2003, in the UN Security Council, Dominique de Villepin refused ratify the Iraq war. He spoke on behalf of peace and on behalf of the Iraqi people. But his warnings were never heeded and they still ring true today." https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/074567-011-A/great-speeches-that-made-history/

You are confusing Putin's speeches with reliable information. There was no plan to place nukes in Ukraine. Actually, there aren't any nukes even in second line NATO Eastern Europe countries. Apart from France's and UK's own nukes, nuclear weapons are stored in only 5 countries. There are no nukes in countries such as Poland, Hungary, etc... "In 2021, it is estimated that there are 100 U.S.-owned nuclear weapons stored in five NATO member states across six bases: Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Büchel Air Base in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi Air Bases in Italy, Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands, and Incirlik in Turkey." https://armscontrolcenter.org/fact-sheet-u-s-nuclear-weapons-in-europe/

And now It's Biden's fault! ???? Nothing's better than a good MAGA conspiracy theory, in order to exonerate a bloody autocratic Russian leader! ????

So all these deaths and dramas are not because of Putin, but because of Zelinski. And also be because of an oral promise made to the Soviet Union, a Union the Russian federation left in June 1991 when it declared its independence, 6 months before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Where do you get your "grassroots point of view" information from? RT? Putin's speeches? ????

And at a more general level, the more countries in the EU, the less manageable it becomes.

Ooops! Sorry! 14 years! ????

I can imagine how many young tourists will be scammed by people claiming to sell marijuana. ????

From the full article: "The court has, however, granted bail to the four defendants at 200,000 baht each." So 24 years after their crimes were committed, they are still walking free......

You need to look at the broader picture: - Pakistan is India's arch enemy and is allied with China, - China is in conflict with India for parts of Cachemir - It's not only about Cachemir but also a part of Tibet which is like a balcony overhanging China

Exactly. The Russian federation left the Soviet Union and declared its independence in June 1991! Oh wait! Don't Putin and his fans refer to oral promises made by the US not to extend NATO to former Soviet Union countries, made to the defunct Soviet Union, in order to justify the invasion of Ukraine? ????

Another lame oversimplification. This is not the same people. The truth eventually surfaced and the GOP has been voted out. That's the difference between a (surely imperfect) democratic system and an autocratic system. The USA did not convince anyone that Russia is a threat. Eastern European countries which experienced Russian imperialism in the past did not need to be "convinced". They new by experience that Russia was a threat. They begged to be admitted to NATO. No one is currently convinced by the U.S. we just need to look at what Russia is actually doing and the lame lies of Putin (Ukraine threatening Russia, lol! Denazification! ????) Putin is a fail. Putin is real clown. He failed to develop his country, he failed to create a soft power in order to attract allies, he even failed to create a modern and efficient army. He's a dinosaur. What a difference with China! And we should pay attention to his lame justification for killing people and destroying an independent and democratic country?

Following this line of thought, if the US had not been overtly anti-German and had not helped UK and Russia during WW2, and let them alone resolve their disputes with Hitler by themselves, lots of lives would have been spared! ????

It's a ridiculous fake equivalency! The WMD scam was based on faked evidence, the invasion of Ukraine by Putin is real, the killings and destruction are real, they are not faked evidence.

Lol! You are defending an autocracy by citing a piece of propaganda by another autocracy! Of course, nothing to do with the fact that Russia was first an unstable corrupt country run by an alcoholic guy, then an increasingly authoritarian State lead by an incompetent old-school ex-KGB official! Not to mention that Putin had probably no intention to ally with democratic and wealthy countries (which Russia is obviously not after 20 years of Putin's leadership.) Below a link to a more balanced analysis https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/russia-could-have-joined-nato-but-why-didn-t-they-do-it-55561

Interesting analysis. Apparently, It's not going to end soon. "To win the war in Ukraine, Repass advocates that the US and its allies build up a Ukrainian strategic force amounting to five brigades of up to 40,000 soldiers capable of mounting offensive operations to force the Russians out of their country." https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/04/opinions/bergen-repass-ukraine-interview/index.html

Ave Caesar! ????

As far as I know, the only significant changes since April 5: - the interest rate has been lowered from 20% to 14% - inflation has reached 17.6% seen as of April 22, a more than 20-year high., and is expected to accelerate, according to Russia's Central Bank.

Thanks for the update, I did not check it since early April. 14% lower than 20% but still high, and still costly. You may also add inflation to the list of your indicators "Inflation, which the bank hopes to bring down to its 4% target in 2024, is on track to accelerate to 18-23% this year from 17.6% seen as of April 22, a more than 20-year high." https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/russian-central-bank-lowers-key-rate-14-flags-more-cuts-2022-04-29/

Or go to a Karaoke serviced by handsome boys! ????