When the US entered Iraq, the PR guy in Baghdad constantly said the US had lost and was being defeated by Iraqi forces. Even when fires could be seen behind him, he said the US was far away.
Why is the media doing the exact thing with the Ukraine and Russia? Heck, why are they doing that with everything?
What are they losing? It really does look like they are losing, and trying to cover up the losses.
Thanks for your detailed response. I appreciate that you actually provided useful advice.
I just fear what happens when they have no option but to use the full hard power of the state against the populace instead of relying on the soft power they have been using to keep their system running.
They will, but use of hard power like that is typically a bad and worthless idea that will generate more blowback than anything else. You can't run everything off of soft power, and if you use hard power, others might use it back.
I've said before, I don't expect any more than 5,000 dead from direct conflict by 2030, and I still think that's a reach. More likely 500.
Sure, they might gun down a protest, but they'll gun down one protest.