For our third week, we’re going to try and take a deep dive into a complex topic that often finds itself lent to over-simplification in the rat-a-tat PT.

This week’s topic: Russia

What is Russia’s role on the world stage today, how should other countries respond to/treat Russia?  For people from the US and other Western Democracies:  Has the threat of Russian interference in elections been overblown, or are the concerns well-founded?  For Avocados from (especially) the former Soviet Bloc:  How do you see Russia?  As a threat, potential ally, or both, or something else entirely?  And for Russian Avocados:  What do you see as your country’s strengths and problems today?  What do you see as the source of these?

Putin is fair game for any part of these questions, though I think it’s worth discussing the differences between the Russian people and the Russian State.

I’m just gonna copy-paste Nancy’s notes from last week, since they’re friendly reminders:

Note #1: This is still a GIF/graphic/social media embed-free zone.

Note #2: For purposes of encouraging discussion, try to stay away from posts that are just complaints about specific people (or diverse groups of people!). Mentioning them to illustrate a deeper point is fine! Example:

No: “Russia is a vile cesspool filled with the dregs of humanity.”
Yes: “A problem in Russia today is the state’s use of propaganda and violence, which has quelled dissent effectively enough to prevent Putin’s kleptocracy from being ousted.”