![\"theNewRussia\"](\"https:\/\/www.technologyinvestor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/theNewRussia.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nNow look at the NATO members — the ones in blue.<\/p>\n
Here’s yesterday’s map:<\/p>\n Personally, I don’t think Putin wants war with the U.S.<\/p>\n But he does want to reconstitute the Soviet Union. He’s said that a zillion times.<\/p>\n Putin is no Hitler. But there are analogies. Like Germany in the 1930s Russia is emotionally crushed. Germany took land (Sudetenland) and the West stood idly by. It was called appeasement. But the Germans loved the land grab and Hitler’s popularity soared, as has Putin’s inside Russia.<\/p>\n The Germans went after the Jews. Putin is going after gays, lesbians and other minorities he doesn’t like. Putin’s roving gangs of thugs even beat people up during the Sochi Olympics. Putin rejects western ideas, like liberal democracy, human rights, etc. He’s into traditional Russian values.<\/p>\n Putin is playing a slower, much longer-term game than the Nazis. Think the best game of chess you ever played.<\/p>\n He’s winning. He took Crimea. We did nothing. He downed the Malaysian plane. We did nothing. We put in some “sanctions” but sanctions cut both ways; they hurt us as much as they hurt Russia. The Europeans have no stomach for them — for what? Italy is already in recession. The French want to sell Russia the warships. And now the sanctions are being escalated. Escalating sanctions could really begin to hurt business. Our business. Think Visa and MasterCard in Russia.<\/p>\n From today’s Wall Street Journal:<\/em><\/p>\n Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has ordered his government to prepare retaliatory measures against U.S. and European sanctions imposed on Russia last week, as the Kremlin stepped up pressure on Ukraine.<\/p>\n Mr. Putin has shown no outward sign of buckling under the weight of sanctions-the harshest yet imposed by Brussels and Washington-aimed at getting him to stop supporting pro-Russia rebels across the border in Ukraine.<\/p>\n The Russian Foreign Ministry described eastern Ukraine as on the verge of a “humanitarian catastrophe” and said Tuesday it would push for an international mission to help masses of civilians fleeing the fighting. At Russia’s request, the United Nations Security Council met for a briefing on the situation Tuesday night.<\/p>\n \u00a0Russia must help the “humanitarian catastrophe.” We’re the good guys, etc.<\/p>\n How much will all this affect stockmarkets? It already has. Look at the last ten days. Not pretty:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n