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A lot of Russians have Asian features. My ex had a squarish face with slightly almond shaped eyes. There's Asians with Caucasian features too. I saw a woman in Novosibirsk with long black hair, tall and strongly built, almond shaped blue eyes. The eyes were very striking to me. Looking at people around the world is very interesting. Compare the Persian nose to the nose of some Mezoamericans. tHey're definitely related.
Correct. The Soviet economic model lacked the diversity of Western countries. They were ahead throughput the 50’s and 60’s but started losing the race afterwards. The interesting thing about communism though (at least the one that Marx talked about is that it was meant to be the final stage in economic development. Capitalism was a stepping stone needed to reach the final utopia.
Oh boy.
There was never "communism" in Russia, just socialism.
Russia was dubbed as "Communist" country ( mistakenly so,) only because it was ruled by the Communist party.
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There was no plan to make Russia weaker.
Surrre...
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Russia failed in the 90’s like many former Soviet bloc countries because they didn’t know how to transform from a socialist economic model to a laissez-faire one.
What?
No, "new Russians" knew very well how to implement "laissez-faire" capitalism in Russia, and that's precisely what brought the devastating consequences for the country.
Americans are starting to get a taste of it now, ( that very "laissez-faire capitalism, where the "market rules over everything,") and they are not going to like it a bit ( except for those on top of course.) But it was a "OK" by American democrats to push this model onto Russia. See what's coming to them now.
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Of course, blaming the west does wonders to stoke the fires of nationalism.
Because those blames are well-founded.
Sorry for the lack of information on your part, so here it is the umpteenth time - this might help.
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People always need scapegoats. Even in the US, the SU was portrayed as the ultimate antagonist to fuel pride.
The SU WAS the ultimate antagonist of the US for real, starting with the October revolution in Russia. From that point on Russia was against precisely the thing that was making America tick - "making money."
There was no plan to make Russia weaker. Russia failed in the 90’s like many former Soviet bloc countries because they didn’t know how to transform from a socialist economic model to a laissez-faire one. Of course, blaming the west does wonders to stoke the fires of nationalism. People always need scapegoats. Even in the US, the SU was portrayed as the ultimate antagonist to fuel pride.
Ohh, please...the West was complicit up to its neck and happily feasted at the banquet....Moscow was swarming with western advisors and bankers...sure they were invited by Russia...of course Russia bears its fair share or responsibility (something Putin clearly acknowledge)
Even some of these advisors admitted their mistakes.
There was definitely a plan to make Russia a docile integrated member of the international world order.
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The South China Sea doesn’t belong to China. Why do you think Japan, Vietnam, SK, Phillipines and Indonesia are wary?
Stop portraying Russia and China as innocent bystanders (this is a Botticelli tactic) Nothing could be further from the truth.
Nobody portrays Russia and China as innocent....a simple thought experiment that never get answered...what happen if Russia and China start putting military bases and assets in Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, etc??.......the usual crickets follow.....yes I thought so...
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In fact parallels can be drawn between Taiwan and Ukraine. Both Russia and China hold claims to territories over there, yet most residents do not wish to join the bigger neighboring country. Botticelli has been told off countless times by Greysholic. All the Ukrainians on this board have spoken against Putin.
....you conveniently forget that the Ukrainian population is made up by many Russians in some geographical areas of the country and they do want to join Russia (and many migrated to Russia after the beginning of the conflict).....Russia has no intention to annex Ukraine nor the need to.
Why Taiwan does not propose a referendum about joining China?? The Crimean parliament did and it passed...simple as that.
Last edited by saturno_v; 12-15-2017 at 05:10 PM..
Maybe in the 18th century, however it’s incredibly outdated nowadays and I’m not saying it to counter Trump, just that it doesn’t represent people well anymore. I think France has a great system in place where elections are determined by popular vote.
The problem with the electoral college is that it makes the voices of millions essentially null and void. If you live in a state that votes blue, you might as well not vote red and vice-versa. Why not have each vote count and ignore federal subdivisions in this context (states).
I would argue that the Electoral College works even better now, preventing what the wisdom of the founding fathers accurately predicted, the dictatorship of the large cities.
Sorry you cannot compare France with a country so big and diverse as the US which is, furthermore, a full presidential republic compared to the semi-presidential system that France has.
Remember, with he Electoral College, the most populous states still get the biggest share of electors so any claims that says it is undemocratic are bunk.
Last edited by saturno_v; 12-15-2017 at 05:52 PM..
Listen to the long answer that Putin gave the the question "What would you have done in 1991"?? (Russian audience), and listen to who he assigns the blame for the turbulent 1990s.....there is no mention of the West...not once...
Nobody portrays Russia and China as innocent....a simple thought experiment that never get answered...what happen if Russia and China start putting military bases and assets in Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, etc??.......the usual crickets follow.....yes I thought so...
Answer: nobody cares. Mexico would never allow China or Russia to put military bases on its country. its not a dictatorship that needs outside support to prop up its leaders control of the country.
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Originally Posted by saturno_v
....you conveniently forget that the Ukrainian population is made up by many Russians in some geographical areas of the country and they do want to join Russia (and many migrated to Russia after the beginning of the conflict).....Russia has no intention to annex Ukraine nor the need to.
Such people in Ukraine are a minority everywhere they live with a few exceptions in the Donbas. They have no right to take land that is not theirs and give it to a neighboring hostile state and should be dealt with harshly if they tried.
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Originally Posted by saturno_v
Why Taiwan does not propose a referendum about joining China?? The Crimean parliament did and it passed...simple as that.
Because China would invade, they threatened to do this if Taiwan declares full independence.
The Crimean Parliament proposed the referendum in secret after literally a Russian armed coup physically took over parliament. So it was Russia which proposed the referendum nobody asked for. That's a fact whether you like it or not.
Answer: nobody cares. Mexico would never allow China or Russia to put military bases on its country. its not a dictatorship that needs outside support to prop up its leaders control of the country.
Do not ask if they "would not allow"......I ask for US reaction......US almost went to nuclear war with the Soviet Union for the missiles in Cuba...please....
A Russian military base in Venezuela is definitely a possibility....albeit remote......cannot wait for US reaction in that case...
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Such people in Ukraine are a minority everywhere they live with a few exceptions in the Donbas. They have no right to take land that is not theirs and give it to a neighboring hostile state and should be dealt with harshly if they tried.
In Crimea a minority?? LOL If Russians were a minority where is the Ukrainian resistance trying to get Crimea back?? I guess they were on the beach this summer....LOL
The Crimean Parliament proposed the referendum in secret after literally a Russian armed coup physically took over parliament. So it was Russia which proposed the referendum nobody asked for. That's a fact whether you like it or not.
Even if what you said was true (it is not) the result of the Referendum was clear...
Last edited by saturno_v; 12-15-2017 at 05:53 PM..
Ohh, please...the West was complicit up to its neck and happily feasted at the banquet....Moscow was swarming with western advisors and bankers...sure they were invited by Russia...of course Russia bears its fair share or responsibility (something Putin clearly acknowledge)
Even some of these advisors admitted their mistakes.
There was definitely a plan to make Russia a docile integrated member of the international world order.
Plenty of countries have had foreign advisors. Why would the US want to eliminate Russia when it benefits from a large successful capitalist country. You can hate globalisation all you want, but it’s the reason you’re sitting in Seattle today.
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Nobody portrays Russia and China as innocent....a simple thought experiment that never get answered...what happen if Russia and China start putting military bases and assets in Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, etc??.......the usual crickets follow.....yes I thought so...
I’ll give you the same answer I gave regarding BRICS.If either Russia or China decide to establish a base in any of those countries then let them do so. Who cares what the US thinks. Knock yourself out. As long as the host country agrees to it, I see nothing wrong with it. Mexico or Cuba are sovereign nations, therefore the choice lies with them. If the US complains I’ll give you the same answer I gave regarding NATO expansion.
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....you conveniently forget that the Ukrainian population is made up by many Russians in some geographical areas of the country and they do want to join Russia (and many migrated to Russia after the beginning of the conflict).....Russia has no intention to annex Ukraine nor the need to.
Some 70 years ago someone said the same thing about Austria, Danzig and other territories. I wonder what happened afterward.
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Why Taiwan does not propose a referendum about joining China?? The Crimean parliament did and it passed...simple as that.
Why would Taiwan wish to join a country that has a lower standard of living. There’s also the complication coming from the fact that both China and Taiwan wish to claim ownership of the other country as they each view themselves as the rightful representatives of such country.
Oh boy.
There was never "communism" in Russia, just socialism.
Russia was dubbed as "Communist" country ( mistakenly so,) only because it was ruled by the Communist party.
Interesting that you chose to respond to my comment aimed at Saturno, when there’s already one aimed at you.
Did you not read what I wrote? I said communism as envisioned by Marx. Lenin took that as a template and built socialism. I never said the USSR was communist.
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What?
No, "new Russians" knew very well how to implement "laissez-faire" capitalism in Russia, and that's precisely what brought the devastating consequences for the country.
Americans are starting to get a taste of it now, ( that very "laissez-faire capitalism, where the "market rules over everything,") and they are not going to like it a bit ( except for those on top of course.) But it was a "OK" by American democrats to push this model onto Russia. See what's coming to them now.
It was a transitional period. Problems were bound to happen. Russia’s products were not well suited for a free market economy because most its products served the needs of the government in power. Perestroika was an attempt to slowly bring about change.
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Because those blames are well-founded.
Sorry for the lack of information on your part, so here it is the umpteenth time - this might help.
Anyone can post links. What if I decided to pull out some article penned by Kasparov or Masha Gessen?
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The SU WAS the ultimate antagonist of the US for real, starting with the October revolution in Russia. From that point on Russia was against precisely the thing that was making America tick - "making money."
Well yeah, that was the Cold War, both the US and SU were at odds with one another and both engaged in activities to undermine the other. You need to understand what I’m trying to achieve here. I’m not saying that the US is guilt free, I’m trying to show that Russia is culpable as well. What I’m saying is that in the end everyone screws everyone over.
I would argue that the Electoral College works even better now, preventing what the wisdom of the founding fathers accurately predicted, the dictatorship of the large cities.
Sorry you cannot compare France with a country so big and diverse as the US which is, furthermore, a full presidential republic compared to the semi-presidential system that France has.
Remember, with he Electoral College, the most populous states still get the biggest share of electors so any claims that says it is undemocratic are bunk.
Let’s look at the 2016 election. In California over 30 % of people voted for Trump, yet the state went to Hillary. It’s as if those 30% + people never voted.
I’m not sure I understand your “dictatorship of large cities” comment. A larger proportion of the population lives in urban areas, therefore it’s only logical they would have a larger say in matters.
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