In this post from Andrzej, we ask the question: can we switch-off war?
I am from Poland. These days, we are a little over-sensitive about Ukraine, and now even more so about Crimea crisis. I would like to show you very interesting article, which I found here: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2014/03/vladimir_putin_s_crimean_mistake_the_russian_president_is_miscalculating.html.
The author is analyzing the possibility of war and future existence of puppet pro-Russian Yanukovith Crimea state from an “infrastructure perspective”. It reads:
The Crimea could explode into bloodshed. To prevent if from happening, maybe turning off the power for 15 minutes will force a reboot in Putin’s aggressive, misguided, and ultimately doomed scheme.
The main idea is quite simple: most of the electric power, water supplies, and 70% of food is from the Ukraine mainland, and, as a result, peninsula is not self-sustainable. The author’s idea, copied form Ukrainian internet, is that Ukrainian government should make this fact visible to Putin and the world by switching power for 15 minutes:
The Crimea’s dependence on Ukraine for nearly all of it electricity makes it equally vulnerable to nonviolent retaliation. One suggestion making the rounds of the Ukrainian Internet is that the mainland, with warning, shut off the power for 15 minutes. It may not normalize the situation, but it could give Moscow pause. Of course, Russia could retaliate by cutting off Ukrainian gas supplies, but that would mean cutting off much of Europe as well. Besides, Ukrainians proved this winter that they aren’t afraid of the cold, and spring is coming.
Do You think is possible to use infrastructure to defend in the way that an army does? Is possible to switch off war?
Installing (Social) Order 
Love the idea. Don’t underestimate the power of keepin’ the lights on.
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yeah, don’t get me started on the “evacuation” plans for municipal nukes.
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Another point is to analyze what is a role of nuclear plants, there is is still about 20 reactor in Ukraine. Nuclear power plants needs stability, maybe this is a proof that one cannot think about nuclear energy in world of unstable second modernity
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sorry yet another human- not “a” human
darned typing bizness
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attacks on infrastructure have a long history in siege-craft, no? So a tactic to advance interests yes, as a total solution not so much. More grist for the mill of vulnerability/fragility studies and yet a human living-nightmare in the making…
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also, the picture is original, but it does contain two images; one is from Reuters and the other is from a DIY home helpers website…
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