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Question for Europeans:
Is Russia based on its culture and involvement in European politics considered a part of Europe? Is Russia just like Spain, Ireland or France only much more to the east?
Question for Europeans:
Is Russia based on its culture and involvement in European politics considered a part of Europe? Is Russia just like Spain, Ireland or France only much more to the east?
Please explain.
Oh wait Rebel - is it a thread addressed to Europeans?
That means I'll be posting here every two minutes.
Just for you.
The real question is should Kazakhstan be considered European? They seem to want to identify as European (seemingly from being part of the Soviet Union with Russia and the other European countries) but they definitely are not in Europe.
This doesn't seem to be the case with any of its neighbors. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan all seem to have readjusted themselves to identify as Asian nations, but Kazakhstan doesn't want to do that for some reason.
I was more interested to hear opinion of Europeans but you are too welcomed to chime in. Why not.
Based on my trips to Europe, last one not even a month ago, Russia is not really considered European country, in a sense that it is not a part of the family of free and democractic countries that comprise Europe.
Russia is very different in this respect than Spain or Ireland. Russian are not free to move around Europe like most citizens of European countries.
Rebel, you are confused as usual.
Was Germany "free and democratic country" in the thirties?
Was Spain or Italy? Are they not European now?
You are projecting "things American" onto Europe that has much much older history that didn't start yesterday, that's why your question does not make much sense and you are not going to hear the kind of answer you'd hope to hear.
The real question is should Kazakhstan be considered European? They seem to want to identify as European (seemingly from being part of the Soviet Union with Russia and the other European countries) but they definitely are not in Europe.
This doesn't seem to be the case with any of its neighbors. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan all seem to have readjusted themselves to identify as Asian nations, but Kazakhstan doesn't want to do that for some reason.
OK, it's quite simple to understand if you look at things this way; Russia ( originally) is an Empire, that includes a lot of non-European people, but Russians ( who are originally Europeans and who have European culture) are the founding and bonding force of the Empire, in the same manner as Englishmen are the founding and bonding force of the United States + -.
Rebel, you are confused as usual.
Was Germany "free and democratic country" in the thirties?
Was Spain or Italy? Are they not European now?
You are projecting "things American" onto Europe that has much much older history that didn't start yesterday, that's why your question does not make much sense and you are not going to hear the kind of answer you'd hope to hear.
I think you are projecting "things Russian" onto Europe forgetting that for many European nations Soviet Russia was the agressor and opressor, that Soviet Russia was the driving force behind halting any progress of civil rights and democracy in the former Soviet Block countries.
Russia has always been different than Europe in many cultural aspects and today in XXI century these difference are more visible than ever.
Europe is one big cohesive mechanism. Europeans freely travel for business and entertainment, the same kids you met in Gdansk Openair you will find few days later in Dublin or Ibiza. Not so much for Russians. Rusians are still not a part of this European integration and not only because they are not a part of European Union. So is not Switzerland or Croatia yet both seem to be much more integrated with Europe than Russia.
Russia is very different in this respect than Spain or Ireland. Russian are not free to move around Europe like most citizens of European countries.
That is because they are not in the European Union... but that doesn't make them "not European". Norway and Switzerland are also not in the European Union, does that mean these countries aren't European either? lol
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