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Zelenski is a puppet who says and does what he's told so he's far more like Obama or Biden than Trump. Putin may be more like Trump in that he seems to not care who he offends and says what he thinks, but there's no bluster there. Then again, I'm still heavily leaning towards the opinion Putin is playing a part in this farce and both sides are in collusion. He's been friendly with our deep state fr too long even if it was always to serve his own ends. That's why I refuse to take it seriously and want no part of it. It could very well be all an act meant to drive our country even further down the depths of insolvency. First Covid, now war. Inflation, recession, pandemic, genocide, its madness and we need to stop following our leaders and start putting them in straight jackets and institutions.
They must run out of tin foil in your area more frequently than in others. Any other conspiracy theories you wanna chuck into the mix?
... And now - to address your post Ruth, from this thread
I'd rather respond to it here, since at the end, it pertains specifically to Ukraine after all.
So..
Quote:
I'm surprised at this question. As I'm sure you know, the former Baltic States did the same thing, and I assume the 'Stans did, too. This is what one would expect from territories that had been dominated by a "foreign" power against their will for decades, or generations. Russian as the official language was imposed on them. They changed the policy, because they were finally free to do so. Pretty simple and natural.
Maybe if things were to settle down eventually, and there was no more agitation and interference in their internal politics from Russia, they might someday find the magnanimity to declare Russian a second official language. But for now, they've had enough of Russian being a official language. Surely you can understand that. Maybe if there were ever someday, relationships of goodwill between Russia and its neighbors, genuine honest goodwill, it would be possible for there to be a dual-language policy.
And I am surprised that you are not aware of the difference between the Russian perception ( the difference) between the Baltic states and Ukraine. ( But may be the Russians never told you about it back in those times you were there.)
With Baltic states it was pretty straightforward; in spite of all the "horrors of the Russian oppression" during Soviet times, 99% of the Baltic population ( be that Estonians Latvians or Lithuanians) were speaking their respective languages ( and attending their own schools and Universities taught in their languages.)
So when they announced independence, they simply cut the Russian language off, and with it - the Russian-speaking population remaining in their countries, leaving it without legal citizenship ( you don't know the official state language - you can't have citizenship; pretty simple.)
Which was of course against the EU laws of "freedom, democracy, minorities," and whatnot, but since it was done towards the Russians - these violations didn't count, since it's the Russians we are talking about, they can't be in the right by default, so who cares.
On another hand, Russians were well-aware of anti-Russian sentiment during Soviet times in the Baltic states, and they kinda were regarding those countries as the spoils of war ( be that during the Russian Imperial times or the Soviet ones.)
With other words - no particular cultural/linguistic ties to Russia, so no pain.
So once they were cut loose, that was a done deal in the minds of the Russian population for the most part.
But in case of UKRAINE it was a whole different story.
No matter what American ( and Ukrainian) propaganda would love to tell you withing the last eight years, trying to present Ukraine as some "unrelated to Russia state" ( as in case with Baltics sorta) - it's all invented fiction.
Not only because Russia historically grew out of Ukraine, but because of enormous personal/family ties between the two, and the gradual transition of what "Russia" and "Ukraine" actually are.
To give you an example -
"According to the census of 1989, 20% of the families in Ukraine were of the mixed origin ( mostly Russian-Ukrainian,)
The questionnaire of the Russian population of Ukraine in August 1991 showed that 73% of them had close relatives among Ukrainians in the Eastern part of Ukraine, 62% - in central/Southern regions, 53% in Crimea, 52% in Bukovina region and 45% in Galicia."
So obviously these two were intertwined (unlike the Russians and Balts,) so when you look at the South-Eastern part of Ukraine in particular, it becomes obvious why Russian and Ukrainian were spoken interchangeably in the country side there, while Russian was dominating in big cities, since Russians were responsible for the industrialization and education there from Imperial times.
( Russian was widely used in the big cities across Ukraine overall for the same reasons actually, and this includes speaking Russian at home.)
So obviously the language issue was a huge one, when it came to Ukraine, with its highly nationalistic, Ukrainian-speaking Western part of the country, and the very international, Russian-speaking South-East, where people didn't differentiate much between the ethnic Russians and Ukrainians.
So this is the background of the "language law" that followed in Ukraine back in 2014 ( actually even earlier than that - 2012 - that was the pre-set of the huge conflict,) but I address that in a separate post.
What I'd like to add here though, is regarding the status of the Russian language in "Stans," that you again assumed/projected incorrectly.
Here is the Gallup poll from 2008 that shows quiete vividly, where the Russian is still a preferred language of communication, and as you can see Kazakhstan is one of the top ones.
Overall the rule of thumb is, since Kazakhstan still has sizeable Russian population AND infrastructure/industrial sector built by the Russians, the Russian language is kept and protected there as one of the official languages.
In less developed "stans" - Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, once they started sliding in development after the departure of the Russians, the Russian became mostly obsolete.
In Tadjikistan on another hand, where Russian was first abolished in the 90ies, after the separation, it became important with time again, when the ties between T. and Russia grew up again, and with supply of labor that came from T. to Russia.
NOW the knowledge of the Russian language became an asset, and Tadjiks actually blame the Russian gov. that it does not put enough of effort to promote the Russian language there.
In fact I've heard the president of Tadjikistan ( who still speaks perfect Russian himself,) lamenting that they'd like to have Russian textbooks/Russian system of education being put back for their children ( but Moscow is in no rush to proceed with it.)
I think I saw similar complaints from Uzbekistan - that Russians are not willing to promote/support their language there, as English-speaking countries do.
Russians killed over 3 million Ukrainians by starving them to death in a horrific event known as The Holodomor. Now they are killing Ukrainians with tanks and missiles. How long will the world watch the atrocities and do nothing?
Ukraine might become economically wealthier after this International Worldwide tragedy. Rescue them up to $20,000 to $30,000 USD annual income average wages. Kind of like what occurred with Croatia after Yugoslavia ended up much smaller for the most part. At least two countries worth going to(Serbia, Croatia) Rather than only one.
The Ukraine peoples's own (average) salary is probably around $5,000 USD. With enough jobs paying higher, and others even less. Trust me, able to pull off Moderate income luxury life in Ukraine when Cost of living is that low stunningly affordable. So, Ukraine still isn't quite a Dirt poor country such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Laos, Pakistan, Nepal stark, bleak, abysmal less than $3,000 USD equivalent for one example.
Stalin, Lenin, Gorbachev/ Putin especially want those three other USSR Soviet Stan's to be same country as much wealthier Internet savvy modern Kazakhstan that is equal to Malaysia, Turkey's own $10,000 annual salary celebration. (That is a lot of cash funds in a lot of regions on this World). Although, of course irreversibly fatal error overly late now to ever change the country's borders from 1991/Earliest 1990's/Three Decades Ago
Uzbekistan/Turkmenistan/Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan just belonging to Kazakhstan
Same with Moldova right back to Romania
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Baltic same country rather than three
Finland belonging to old Soviet USSR
Azerbaijan, Armenia switching some land grabbing Nagorno Karabakh, Nakhichevan
Chechnya/Abkhazia/South Ossetia to Georgia
Dagestan to Azerbaijan
Kabardino-Balkaria to Georgia, Armenia, or Azerbaijan
Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia to the Baltic Lithuania one
How does Mongolia have Russian language Cyrillic on Google satellite map writing
Without any significant alterations for Belarus, Ukraine (Quite rare in my own reflection of the Soviet Union)
Just have to go with what is, Putin
Although, give away Donbass/Donetsk/Luhansk, Crimea to Russia since 2014
Avoid any loyal stubborn following to NATO, EU (While having the colossal vast aid, support simultaneously. Key alliance for Ukraine's own possible increasing economic wealth)
Listen to the Minsk Protocol MP MA Minsk Agreeing Agency earlier, and carefully
Ukraine might become economically wealthier after this International Worldwide tragedy. Rescue them up to $20,000 to $30,000 USD annual income average wages. Kind of like what occurred with Croatia after Yugoslavia ended up much smaller for the most part. At least two countries worth going to(Serbia, Croatia) Rather than only one.
The problem with a Marshall Plan for Ukraine is (1) the first, post WWII Marshall Plan was during a period of economic growth of the USA.
Presently, the USA is in a period of decreasing economic growth. The stock market is doing well, but it's unhinged from the real economy. The USA has been printing money.
Quote:
Over the past two years, as the Federal Reserve fought to rescue the economy from the clutches of the coronavirus, the central bank’s emergency remedies increased the nation’s money supply by an astonishing 40 percent.
That was almost four times as much new money as had been created during the two years that preceded the pandemic and, to some Fed critics, explains why the United States is experiencing its highest inflation since 1982.
Once the USA loses it advantage of the petro dollar, it could be disastrous. My children's generation will be poorer than my parents' generation in the 1950/60/70's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Stalin, Lenin, Gorbachev/ Putin especially want those three other USSR Soviet Stan's to be same country as much wealthier Internet savvy modern Kazakhstan that is equal to Malaysia, Turkey's own $10,000 annual salary celebration. (That is a lot of cash funds in a lot of regions on this World). Although, of course irreversibly fatal error overly late now to ever change the country's borders from 1991/Earliest 1990's/Three Decades Ago
Uzbekistan/Turkmenistan/Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan just belonging to Kazakhstan
Same with Moldova right back to Romania
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Baltic same country rather than three
Finland belonging to old Soviet USSR
Azerbaijan, Armenia switching some land grabbing Nagorno Karabakh, Nakhichevan
Chechnya/Abkhazia/South Ossetia to Georgia
Dagestan to Azerbaijan
Kabardino-Balkaria to Georgia, Armenia, or Azerbaijan
Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia to the Baltic Lithuania one
How does Mongolia have Russian language Cyrillic on Google satellite map writing
Without any significant alterations for Belarus, Ukraine (Quite rare in my own reflection of the Soviet Union)
We are still dealing with the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and other Eastern European minority issues from the pre-World War I world. Two world wars and it's not settled
Well, Pootie-Pie is in hot water now! (Though I'm sure he doesn't acknowledge that.). The Amerikansky Prezident is in Poland. Pootie's plan has completely backfired: NATO is beefing up the border areas. More NATO, not less.
This is one show I don't want to watch to the end, but I, and the rest of us, won't have any choice. Sit tight, everyone.
Well, Pootie-Pie is in hot water now! (Though I'm sure he doesn't acknowledge that.). The Amerikansky Prezident is in Poland. Pootie's plan has completely backfired: NATO is beefing up the border areas. More NATO, not less.
This is one show I don't want to watch to the end, but I, and the rest of us, won't have any choice. Sit tight, everyone.
Nor I, dreading this resumption of Cold War politics. Eastern European countries have an understandable fear of Russian aggression now well-demonstrated by this Ukrainian 'adventure.' Romanian friends would tell me that Americans in particular profoundly underestimated the threat Putin posed to regional stability. Looks like they were right.
Nor I, dreading this resumption of Cold War politics. Eastern European countries have an understandable fear of Russian aggression now well-demonstrated by this Ukrainian 'adventure.' Romanian friends would tell me that Americans in particular profoundly underestimated the threat Putin posed to regional stability. Looks like they were right.
I'd suggest (Trump aside), that western Europeans were every bit as guilty, if not more so, than America.
I'd suggest (Trump aside), that western Europeans were every bit as guilty, if not more so, than America.
Agree, western europe buying a big chunk of their energy from Russia...
gee, what could go wrong
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