https://youtu.be/rY_XyEVHK5M Dud (~Russian Joe Rogan) interviews Russian international relations expert and philologist, Russian democracy and the war form a big part of the conversation. Interview takes place in Athens, echoes of Thucydides

Don't be deceived by Dud, he's wicked sharp in his questions

Russia is more complex than Twitter/CIA would have you believe

@hrast @laurel @7 @Arkana @FreeFediBookClub @Intramuros_ @Leyonhjelm @MK2boogaloo @clayvaulin @sim @tarperfume

behind on the reading but this is suuuper relevant

@skells @hrast @laurel @7 @Arkana @Intramuros_ @Leyonhjelm @MK2boogaloo @clayvaulin @tarperfume I'm glad that I'm not alone in being behind on the reading. This week is kicking my arse. I'm too tired by the time I get around to read, it takes concentration.

@sim @Arkana @7 @clayvaulin @laurel @MK2boogaloo @hrast @Intramuros_ @tarperfume @Leyonhjelm

@skells @Arkana @7 @clayvaulin @laurel @MK2boogaloo @hrast @Intramuros_ @tarperfume @Leyonhjelm Well, I was considering the angle of Russia being Spartans worried about the threats from Athens... but I need to read on to see if this applies.

@sim @Arkana @7 @clayvaulin @laurel @MK2boogaloo @hrast @Intramuros_ @tarperfume @Leyonhjelm it's more layered than that, I love the way this guys mind works

@skells @Arkana @7 @clayvaulin @laurel @MK2boogaloo @hrast @Intramuros_ @tarperfume @Leyonhjelm Oh yeah. I look forward to figuring just how layered it is.

@sim @Arkana @MK2boogaloo @clayvaulin @laurel @hrast @Intramuros_ @skells @tarperfume @Leyonhjelm I don't know where everyone is in the reading but this has a way of getting very exciting for stretches of time, interrupted only by the need to account for the number of ships and men lead by whom and deployed where. One thing I haven't seen a footnote about but I've been thinking about; Thucydides will describe an encamped army as "barbarians" but I don't know that that's a good translation... within context it sounds like "irregulars" to me; not professional hoplites but military ranks of recruited or enslaved soldiers of (at best) mixed skill or training.

@7 @sim @Arkana @Intramuros_ @Leyonhjelm @clayvaulin @hrast @laurel @skells @tarperfume hoplites are made of professional men if I'm not wrong (certain classes of people which had privileges) so these barbarians he was talking about may indicate lack of training, equipment, morale etc.

@MK2boogaloo
Hoplites werent generally prefessionals, more like militias of free men who could afford weapons and armor. i dont remember barbarians in the ancient greek sense (non-greeks, mainly from asia minor) in the early years of the wars so it could be slaves or other lower classes, or i could be misremembering and mercenaries may have taken part.
@7 @Arkana @Intramuros_ @Leyonhjelm @hrast @laurel @sim @skells @tarperfume