@theackwardstation:
What I meant to ask is if you don't think the West will get "bolder" and try to expand more and meddle more with nations around Russia (or even Russia itself), especially Eastern Europe, but not only. Maybe Middle East and Western Asia too.
Obviously those countries are closer to China and Turkiye, but this hypothetical scenario could lead to a new geopolitical era where the West is even more politically engaged with the East in general.
I would guess any countries that specifically were Russian clients are going to be up in the air, and that the West, China and others will make moves to gain influence.
There's not a whole lotta Eastern Europe left that hasn't heavily turned west to the EU/Western block at this point in any case. Ukraine is the big one, but like otherwise there's just Moldova, Belarus and Russia itself (unless we count the Caucasus).
Moldova might actually make moves to reunite with Romania I guess? Belarus would quickly move west if Lukashenko was ever overthrown.
Russia itself?? We'd all have to see what comes out the other end here. If anything maybe it would become a huge tug of influence war between Europe and China or something.
Central Asia is just unquestionably China's to gain, Europe has no inroads there.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
@Kirbycide:
This video smacks so much of the ones that Colbert, O'Brien, and the like do with random Americans on the street. And that's what makes it so terrifying. I can see Americans saying exactly this type of shit if the US were to go to war.
Fucking terrifying.
I think people are correct to say it's identical to the US (or really most such countries) in that half would be all gung ho and pumped with Fox News type bullshit, and the other half would be opposed.
Thing is with Russia the anti-war side would mostly be literally terrified of speaking out, it's basically illegal right now, or even before that not advisable. So that means that side has no import or voice, and even some people in that video might be anti-war but avoiding being public about it for obvious reasons.
Also there is no actual chance to express this politically either.