<story><title>How the weak can win – A primer on protracted war</title><url>https://acoup.blog/2022/03/03/collections-how-the-weak-can-win-a-primer-on-protracted-war/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>bduerst</author><text>I&amp;#x27;d wished they would have gone into some of the differences between a protracted was with the U.S. and Russia looks like.&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s seems like it is easier to point out how Afghanistan and Vietnam were able to draw out a long-term protracted war and out-will a democracy that (to a degree) follows the changing will of the people.  It&amp;#x27;s especially easier given the lack of threat to the mainland that can be manufactured.&lt;p&gt;But what about against a neighboring oligarchy like Russia?  How do you out-will the singular authoritarian leader and&amp;#x2F;or his small group of oligarchs?</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>thematrixturtle</author><text>Chechnya is the counterpoint here: Russia crushed the local populace completely mercilessly and &lt;i&gt;successfully&lt;/i&gt; installed a puppet in the form of the equally merciless Ramzan Kadyrov.&lt;p&gt;This would be likely the worst possible outcome for Ukraine, but it&amp;#x27;s sadly feasible.  The main difference is that world didn&amp;#x27;t really care about a bunch of Muslims in an unpronounceable city (Grozny) in what was legally Russian territory, while for Ukraine they do seem willing to stand up a bit more.</text></comment>
<story><title>How the weak can win – A primer on protracted war</title><url>https://acoup.blog/2022/03/03/collections-how-the-weak-can-win-a-primer-on-protracted-war/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>bduerst</author><text>I&amp;#x27;d wished they would have gone into some of the differences between a protracted was with the U.S. and Russia looks like.&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s seems like it is easier to point out how Afghanistan and Vietnam were able to draw out a long-term protracted war and out-will a democracy that (to a degree) follows the changing will of the people.  It&amp;#x27;s especially easier given the lack of threat to the mainland that can be manufactured.&lt;p&gt;But what about against a neighboring oligarchy like Russia?  How do you out-will the singular authoritarian leader and&amp;#x2F;or his small group of oligarchs?</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>giantg2</author><text>&amp;quot;How do you out-will the singular authoritarian leader and&amp;#x2F;or his small group of oligarchs?&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;If the Russian people are unhappy enough, regimes change from within. We can see that with some of the Russian soldiers surrendering.send me to Ukraine? OK, I&amp;#x27;ll just surrender so I don&amp;#x27;t have to fight and die for a bogus cause.</text></comment>