Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_elvaRJrhE0
The Joe Rogan Experience we're all occupied with Russia and Ukraine right now but China's the bigger issue right in the long term and and we just need that we need to be able to multitask and yeah we got to worry about Russia Ukraine conflict and does that get out of control or just you know you know where is it going I guess that's a bigger question where do you think it's going yeah um I don't think anybody's got a plan in Washington right now uh or NATO I don't think anybody knows I think they're all being basically reactive as opposed to you know what what's the end game here what is what is the the final way that we wrap this up and I mean look we've spent the U.S has spent I don't know as of the end of 2022 and that was that's almost a full year because it started in February so almost in a full year the U.S spent about 50 billion dollars in assistance and about half of that is military aid right in a variety of forms right the high more systems all the way to protective body armor right so it's it's all over the map in training um if you compare that 50 billion dollars in Aid to and so what's that about 25 billion dollars in military aid if you compare that to previous year or the year before we were probably spending on the Ukraine we were probably spending 250 270 million dollars in military assistance that's it right so that ramp up is incredible and then that doesn't include what the eu's put into it what the UK has put into it and everything else so how do you back out of that right how do you say okay we're now we're putting a patriot missile battery in there um and you know France and and we have agreed I think we're looking towards you know more advanced uh armored technology we're going to give them tanks that they've been hankering for hankering I said hankering um and so that might be a Ukrainian word uh I I don't know when you I don't I have no idea where it's going to wrap up Putin's not going to give up Crimea so what does that mean well you got to
create some Middle Ground then where it's not going to be a complete victory for the Ukraine and that's going to make a lot of people unhappy who are just standing around waving Ukraine Flags right and so where do you go from there I I don't know you know hopefully there's some serious negotiations happening off the radar screen but there doesn't seem to be a lot of evidence to that effect and Putin doesn't seem to show any interest in it um and he's been able to so far to Tamp down on the dissidents at home and really much like with China the only thing Putin would really fear is losing power and he loses power if he loses the population and so far that really hasn't happened there's been protests uh people unhappy with the uh sorry that was mine that's your phone that was my sports and their alert I guess yeah exactly whenever there's something big happening in the World of Sports um and uh so anyway I I to answer your question in a very lengthy rambling way uh who knows where it goes but it would be nice if we had more open discussion about it at least in Washington and and open with our NATO allies about what's going to happen we can't keep up I don't think this same pace of support you know it's it seems unreasonable to think that we can but has there been any discussion as to like how long we do this for uh not really I think there's uh I think there's uh there's a general sense because everybody's got add there's a general sense of fatigue to some degree in some circles but uh saying you want to know where it's going isn't saying that you're in support of Putin and that's part of the problem in today's world if you say well so where is this all going people say well [ __ ] you right Putin puppet well no [ __ ] you I just want to know what's happening so yeah it's weird like that isn't it I mean it's it's so strange that you're either with them or against them and you can't just be going what are we doing what is it not working lift the top go over the top [ __ ] do you not know how to work a cigar lighter uh it's hard to teach you that in the CIA it's technical nowadays look at that it's not really it's really [ __ ] easy okay I look like a [ __ ]
monkey [ __ ] a football here with your lighter do you know how to do it no no no off the top I'm trying to lift the top but it's like give me that [ __ ] oh no I'm gonna figure this out you're not gonna I'm gonna spend the next two hours trying to figure this I think you're on the wrong side flip it over oh for [ __ ] sake Jesus Christ there you go look at that I'm trying to open the bottom calibri I'm not paying any attention I'm not paying attention and besides the fact I use a Zippo oh remember the Zippos or the ones that leave that nice smell yes I guess gasoline smell and I got a couple of Bic lighters too and you know the nice thing about them I don't have to [ __ ] with the top that's true right but anyway that that was uh there you go that was mildly embarrassing but I'm too old to be embarrassed about anything anymore so I mean worst case scenario is this breaks out in a nuclear war the top lifts up um that's the worst case scenario right yeah if you look at if you I mean maybe this is a good time to say okay 2023 here we are what should we pay attention to what are we going to look at with Russia Ukraine you're right if if suddenly Russia decides I'm going with an unconventional weapon right it's time it's time to break out you know the nuke um and let's see what let's see what that does to the community of of Nations um so there's that potential in terms of how to just escalate something happens in terms of NATO when it drags NATO into it that's a way this thing escalates um a cyber security attack in the region maybe maybe initially targeted at uh at Ukraine but then it somehow it you know goes off into uh into NATO allies creates a major issue shuts down Power Systems in Poland and surrounding region so there's ways that this thing could could uh escalate get a little bit out of control maybe as we talked about maybe there's increasing protest movement in Russia maybe and that threatens Putin's regime and that makes him decide to do something a little bit more drastic what is the the general consensus from the Russian people do they they have a
lockdown on the media in Russia right and even on the internet right yeah they do they've got um and they've done they've been very successful and you know it's not like the old days and during the Cold War you know you could put a complete blanket over it right and and that was it there was no way for them to get news they're not completely shut off right so that's they they know what the hell's going on Russian people are you know the population in general you know they're very switched on pragmatic they suffer well and what that's part of the problem they suffer well but my friends from Russia have always told me that nobody believes the media that you know is kind of like a nod and a wink as to what what the the media tells you and the people kind of know that they [ __ ] you right there's a much more open the the reaction to the media is much more open and in the United States like if you're one of those people that listens to MSNBC you're all in you know you're all in with Rachel Maddow she's gone now right whoever the [ __ ] is over there now you're all in with those people if you're on Fox News you're all in with those people right right uh now the Russian general populations always had kind of a dry very sarcastic sense of humor towards information in general right what they're being told by the authorities and that includes the media so you know he can't control the population the way they used to but they still you know it's still a dictatorship and so he's still got a significant State control and the state media is still very good as is the security apparatus at controlling the message so they're very good at that right and so that's kind of balanced against and they're they're constantly in this this battle against you know increasing technology and its ability to spread information that's outside the bubble and so yeah I mean there's there's dissent there's a feeling of dissatisfaction but you know Putin's been he's been very good in the past at finding the bogeyman right whenever he's threatened of pointing to some outside force you know usually us um and saying look what they're doing to
us and kind of rallying the troops getting everyone to to yeah you know the motherland so you know I wouldn't it's like hoping that uh the the moolis is like hoping the Iranian regime topples under the weight of this current protest I wouldn't you know hold on a lot of hope I wouldn't put a lot of money on it