World in midst of Cold War 2.0, says Germany's Sigmar Gabriel

[Doug the Dem]

Source: Politico Europe

German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel has warned the world is facing a “new phase of nuclear rearmament,” and is in the midst of “Cold War 2.0.”

In an interview with German paper Bild, Gabriel spoke of the new “ice age” between the West and Russia and the danger of both sides building up their weapons.

Germany should speak up to denounce the move, he added.

When asked who is the worst out of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Gabriel noted that the one thing they have in common is their focus on strength as a means to gain respect. They see the world “as an arena, a battleground … This is a dangerous development,” he added.

Read more: http://www.politico.eu/article/sigmar-gabriel-world-in-cold-war-2-0/

---

Yes! Yes! GODDAMN YES!! I have been saying for YEARS that we've been in Cold War II ever since Putin's "reelection" in 2004! And now the Foreign Minister of Germany is acknowledging reality!

[Calista241]

1. I think there's potential for a 2nd Cold War.

But Russia's economy isn't large enough or broad enough to seriously compete. Yes, they can do shit to piss us off, like in Syria and Ukraine. But both those countries are basically next door to them. Russia couldn't project military power further from their borders even if they wanted to.

And oil will notbe the economic driver it is for much long. If even 25% of cars in Europe and the US convert to electric vehicles, the price of oil crash, demand will drop dramatically, and Russia's economy will crater. Russia and Arab states absolutely need to expand their economies to avoid this catastrophe.

And their interference in our election was super low tech. They basically hacked a couple people's emails, and timed their release effectively. If the Dems had even minimal security standards, like making everyone use a standardized and maintained email system, that kind of attack couldn't have been successful.

[Doug the Dem]

2. Russia's Economy has Always been Crappy

Remember how the USSR was described as a Third World country with a big military? That didn't stop them from engaging in Cold War One with us!

[The_jackalope]

4. That's one reason Russia has been focusing on information warfare

They don't have the economic power to compete militarily, but by clever use of cyber and information warfare they can make their enemies defeat themselves. Like they're doing with the USA now.

[rurallib]

3. Which side are we on - or the administration anyway?