They also ignore the reality of geopolitics, and our history with Russia since the fall of Berlin Wall. Matt Stoller broke down the key facts in a brief Twitter thread, which I've posted in full below, followed by a brief elaboration. Before I get to that, a quick reminder: I plan to post Nasdaq hedges after we get a bounce, but if you'd like to scan for optimal hedges now, you can do so using the Portfolio Armor website or iPhone app. 

Now to Matt Stoller's thread, which starts with him quoting a hawkish tweet by former U.S. ambassador to Russia (during the Obama administration), Michael McFaul. 

On The Destruction of The Russian Economy

Regarding Stoller's second tweet, about Western economists destroying Russia in the '90s, here is some hard data on that, via Dimitri Sines' excellent post last week in The American Conservative ("How Russia Went Wrong"). I've taken the liberty of bolding a couple of sections: