Valid points, reasonably explained, and makes perfect sense... So there is really nothing I could factually criticize about it. On the other hand I have weird, unsubstantiated feeling...
I can't help thinking about a puppet theater, where the protagonist and the antagonist are confronting each other in the little stage window. It may all look very credible, until you start to suspect that both are played by the same puppeteer. But why would they do that? A world that is finally coming to grips with the issue regarding fossil fuel energy and climate change has disastrous consequences for an entire sector of industry (maybe the biggest one). This applies globally across the board, but for countries like Russia, who barely have anything else to export, it's a worse situation still.
Could it be that Putin is in fact acting on behalf of the fossil fuel industry (Russian as well as international companies)? The objective is not be nuclear war, which never benefits anyone, and not even Ukraine, which I don't see Russia being able to take, much less hold. Instead, it is simply to make sure as much oil and gas can be sold, for as much as possible, before the inevitable global shift to renewable energy takes place? At the same time outdated weaponry in both Russia and the West could be used up, fueling the arms industry worldwide? I know, this is just a conspiracy theory, but I think it makes sense, at east somewhat.
mmmm, interesting question! IT is true that despite these 'sanctions', the rise in price of oil and gas have meant that russia are making more money then they were before.. if this was all a ruse to spike the price of it and make loads of money from it then they have played their game like pros..
i dont know if its true of course.. and i do wonder if it makes sense to totally desecrate your global accessibility for this.. or to put it a better way.. if there arent better and smarter ways to make more money .. but hey anythings possible!
Hahaha, that's exactly right: pros they are, pros and cons!
So while this is all just blind speculation at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if in ten years or so some whistleblower exposed some deep collusion and an actual conspiracy between alleged enemies. At least it would fit perfectly well into the narrative so far.
As far as smarter ways of making more money, (again, this is just my own belief), I would say we could create insane amounts of wealth by getting everyone involved, letting everyone create real wealth, with everyone and for everyone. However, that would also mean losing power and control over the masses, which is something the elites today may not want. In a way they remind me of 19th century aristocrats looking on in disbelief how mere commoners surpassed them in wealth with railroads, steel mills, and such. Their days are numbered and they know it.