U.S. and European companies still have billions of dollars in assets in Russia—and Moscow is starting to retaliate.
  • atro_city@fedia.io
    2112·
    4 months ago

    Shouldn’t have invested in Russia. It was a bad business decision and you have to live with the consequences. The article is written as if the West is to blame for the sanctions. The facts are very clear: Russia invaded.

    The writing was on the wall for years. Ukraine warned the EU, the Baltics had been concerned for years, and these companies idiotically increased their investments in Russia. At the latest once the war started it should’ve been clear that exiting Russia was going to be necessary, if not forced.

    Want to blame somebody? Blame Russia.

      • REEEEvolution@lemmygrad.ml
        11·
        4 months ago

        Just randomly. Ignore anything from 2014 to 2022. Putin woke up one day and decided invading Ukraine would be rad. Events always happen disconnected from each other, don’t you know? While you’re at it, also ignore anything from 1990 to 2014. Nothing to see here, move on.

      • Atomic@sh.itjust.works
        99·
        4 months ago

        What part of his comment makes you think he doesn’t understand what he’s talking about?

        He’s very clearly stating to the companies. Don’t blame the West for sanctioning Russia, blame Russia for engadging in activities that warrants sanctioning, and blame yourself for increasing your investments when the writing was on the wall since at least 2014

        • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
          152·
          4 months ago

          Literally the first sentence. Thinking that companies would avoid investing in the Russian market shows profound lack of understanding of how capitalism works. The whole system prioritizes short term gains over long term planning.

          • Atomic@sh.itjust.works
            29·
            4 months ago

            That’s an opinion you have. Not a factual ideology of what makes capitalism, capitalism.

            You can certainly think that’s how some businesses operate, and I’m sure plenty do take short term risks. But to call that a cornerstone of capitalism is at best uninformed.

            He didn’t say he was thinking they would or wouldn’t. He said he doesn’t think they should. Those are two different words that mean two different things.

            When I say, Russia shouldn’t push their polotical opposition out of windows. I’m not saying I don’t think they would. I’m saying I don’t think they should.

            • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
              111·
              4 months ago

              This is the reality we observe, and entire books have been written explaining how selection pressures of the capitalist system end up prioritizing short term thinking. Again, both of your arguments stem from fundamental lack of understanding of how the system you live under operates.

              • Atomic@sh.itjust.works
                14·
                4 months ago

                I live under a fully functional social democratic welfare state. But it’s adorable that you think you can assume whatever suits your agenda.

                Books have been written about how the earth is actually flat instead of a spherical. That doesn’t mean the content is correct.

                Truth is, writing headlines about companies that every 5 years put together a solid and safe 20 year plan in accordance to previous estimates and slowly pulling out investments and assets from places where the risk of geopolitical conflict is higher than the norm, just simply doesn’t generate a lot of clicks.

                • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
                  51·
                  4 months ago

                  I live under a fully functional social democratic welfare state. But it’s adorable that you think you can assume whatever suits your agenda.

                  It’s adorable you think capitalist states are democratic.

                  Books have been written about how the earth is actually flat instead of a spherical. That doesn’t mean the content is correct.

                  The mechanics here aren’t very difficult to understand. The flat earth analogy is very apt to your denialism of the basic principles of financial capitalism though.

                  Truth is, writing headlines about companies that every 5 years put together a solid and safe 20 year plan in accordance to previous estimates and slowly pulling out investments and assets from places where the risk of geopolitical conflict is higher than the norm, just simply doesn’t generate a lot of clicks.

                  Truth is that the global capitalist system has crashes roughly once a decade like clockwork. Absolutely hilarious that you think that constitutes a solid and safe plan. 😂

        • Pili@lemmygrad.ml
          6·
          4 months ago

          blame Russia for engadging in activities that warrants sanctioning

          But why though? Russia had just observed 20 years of invasion of Afghanistan by the USA, with absolutely no divestment and no sanction as a result. So the logical conclusion should be that invasion doesn’t warrant sanctioning. Why would Russia be a special case? If everyone can invade everyone, it would make sense that Russia understands that it also applies to them.

    • myself
      811·
      4 months ago

      -10,000 yogthos credit points

  • Pistcow@lemm.ee
    138·
    4 months ago

    Yeah, that’s how sanctions work with a trading partner. If they didn’t want sanctions, don’t be a dick.

      • welldraught
        105·
        4 months ago

        Yes do you not consider most western companies to be dicks? I am very happy that Russia managed to find other business partners in international trade and the US fascist war tactics of using sanctions fired back. Free market works equally, so unfortunate for US.

      • The Bard in Green@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz
        36·
        4 months ago

        Yes. When we refuse to trade with assholes, we lose opportunities to profit off of said assholes.

        Some capitalist assholes who don’t care if the people they’re profiting off are assholes don’t like being told not to do business with said other assholes, so ALL the assholes whine about it, but from my perspective the thing to remember is they’re all a bunch of assholes.

        Phrasing it the way the headline does puts a very particular spin on things, don’t you think?

        • welldraught
          9·
          4 months ago

          I’m sorry but if you refuse to trade with assholes the US will invade you shortly after. Or they will overthrow your goverment by funding extremists in your country. It is not just the loss of profits, if you refuse to trade with US corporations, ie the biggest assholes, you will get eradicated.

          • PolandIsAStateOfMind
            5·
            4 months ago

            Obligatory reminder that a fruit company messed up entire nations or soda producer funded death squads.

            • welldraught
              5·
              4 months ago

              Let me also note something less extreme. The good people at Nestle use to run an ‘ad’ campain in African countries to make mothers belive that natural breastmilk is dangerous and if they want their babies to survive they have to buy their product. They were given free samples which lasted roughly the lenght until the mother stopped lactating. Of course then the honourable people at nestle stopped providing the formula milk for free. It became rather expensive for the child to survive actually. Ah Nestle.

        • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OP
          102·
          4 months ago

          What the article actually says is that western companies have little interest in exiting Russia. What’s happening is that Russia is choosing to seize their assets in retaliation to the west trying to steal Russian foreign assets. The phrasing of the headline is an accurate summary of what’s actually happening, which is that the west is seeing serious economic blow back from its economic war with Russia.