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History is useful as an educational tool. Using it to define geopolitics is naive at best. My problem with human outlook on history is that it's not universal. Each person decides what is valuable and what should be shunned, therefore it's veracity comes into question. The other issue I have with it, is that it's a slave to time. The importance of an event is usually determined by it's proximity to the present. Over time, it becomes relegated to irrelevance.
That's why I find the idea of Russians never forgetting the 90's to be nonsensical, as they were able to move past worse things like Napoleon's invasion or WW2. What I told erasure was that just because the US and Russia are at odds today, doesn't mean that the potential for friendship is dead.
Ahhh...
At least I understand now more of what you are talking about.
See, the difference with "Napoleon's invasion" and "WWII" here, is that human level of development is on a different stage now, speaking of technology.
The cogs of history keep on grinding, new empires come and go, and what it looks like, is what the end of it all we are coming to, is that one particular superpower ( the US) is trying to take over the world, with very few variables left, standing on her way to achieve it. Russia being major obstacle, obviously, and the two cogs in this case are going at each other.
So HYPOTHETICALLY speaking you are correct, and this stage of mutual distrust between two countries caused by the 90ies should pass in 20-30 years down the road, in the same manner probably as the Cold war with its "Cuban Missile Crisis" passed at certain point in time.
However what I increasingly see now, is that more and more countries are getting involved into Syrian conflict, (with Syria being vital to Russian geopolitical interests.)
Not only that, but the latest Putin's announcement that Russia has some super-duper new weaponry, makes me think that it's not any longer "stuff as usual," and we are running out of options for "potential friendship between Russia and US" twenty years down the line, when both countries will be governed by the "new leaders." I am leaning to this understanding of situation even more, keeping in mind that Trump was not even planning to be confrontational with Russia, but something clearly changed his plans.
With other words, when even the American leader who plans the reconciliation with Russia is not able to proceed with his initial plans ( obviously something or someone in the office is pointing him at impossibility of such policies,) then what to expect from the next American leader, that is openly drums the drums of war with Russia, ( as Hillary Clinton did for example)?
Why Russia (and frankly the world) needs to fear is the decline of America. China is rising, that's inescapable. China is planning strategically, for the long haul as is Russia. America has never been astute at this as others, we don't think too far ahead or look far behind and that gets us into trouble. We tend to look down on others and scoff at what we see. It's little more than whistling in the dark. America is going to go to great lenghts to keep the power it has and there is little it will not be willing to do to accomplish its goals.
Russia is building new weapons. Preparing. Some of them are quite interesting, a drone submarine capable of following a pre planned course carrying a 100 megaton warhead. Norfolk Naval base may someday disappear in a flash. Hypersonic cruise missiles and missile warheads that are capable of taking evasive action in flight. Most are well along in development or testing.
Russians remember history. They also know who did and is doing what. I suspect the Chinese do to.
Anyone not living under a rock can see what's going on.
I'm well aware of it's original conception. Nevertheless, it came from the Greeks. The US adopted that when it formed in a manner where it emulated many of it's aspects, including it's exclusionary nature. What I'm getting at, is that the framework for democracy was set a long time ago and it's up to us to play around with it so that we get the optimum results.
BTW, foreign residents are still barred from participating in elections in every country, so the Greek mindset hasn't been totally neglected.
The same could be said about Russia then. It went from a monarchy to a republic. The French did it well over a century before though, so they went through five different republics. There's a good reason why France is often considered a model country in social development. It exhibits many of the traits found in "free market countries" while still placing an emphasis on social welfare.
Yes, it might be so, that this corrupt version of Democracy, going hand in hand with slavery and thus making "Democracy" a privilege of some, while disregarding other, came to the West from Greece.
Now compare this to the life style of Russian peasantry communes, without any claims to "democracy," and you'll know what's genuinely left idea and what's not.
That Russian peasantry went under yoke of slavery (serfdom that is,) is yet again a whole different story. The "mir" has been kept alive throughout times of monarchy, (practically till the bitter end of it,) serving as a controversial subject for Russian intellectuals, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky including.
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How about healthcare or public transportation?
What's about it?
Russian cities were built/revived for the most part during Soviet period of history, and thus they were PLANNED for extensive usage of public transportation.
Do you really think that today's cut-throat capitalism in Russia can eradicate in twenty years, what has been built and planned for centuries ahead?
When it comes to healthcare, I assure you that from everything I know about it over there, Russian government is salivating at American idea of "health insurance" ( meaning making the cost to come straight out of people's pockets,) but they know realistically, that that won't be able to implement it. So at this point they simply cut free medical services as much as possible, close as many clinics/hospitals as possible, and pay doctors/nurses as little as possible, practically forcing them to ask people for payments directly, in order to survive.
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She's hardly the only politician to use that term. John Kerry used it during his election campaign.
I don't keep track of those who lost elections, sorry.
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Trump's MAGA, on the other hand, implies that the country has fallen from grace and needs to reclaim it's spot.
But was he talking about "American exceptionalism?"
I don't think so.
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That's known as "Manifest Destiny". The US took over following the end of WW2 and has not had an easy ride since then. We've not had a WW since then, though it may happen at some point.
As you can see "Manifest Destiny" came way before WWII, and it clearly has *spiritual* ( if not to say downright "Biblical") undertones.
"Journalist John L. O'Sullivan, an influential advocate for Jacksonian democracy and a complex character described by Julian Hawthorne as "always full of grand and world-embracing schemes",[13] wrote an article in 1839,[14] which, while not using the term "manifest destiny", did predict a "divine destiny" for the United States based upon values such as equality, rights of conscience, and personal enfranchisement "to establish on earth the moral dignity and salvation of man".
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When Europeans were in charge, we had widespread colonialism and two global conflicts. Prior to that, we had conflicts all over the globe.
Europeans were never really "in charge" - not with underdeveloped mode of transportation/aviation/communications and the rest - the way it was back then.
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Despite what many news outlet may claim, the world has never been more stable then since the time the US became the dominant power.
It's better to say that the world hasn't been more stable than after the nuclear weapon has been developed, and both Russia and the US had it. But even THEN, the stability was on a very shaky ground from time to time, to say the least.
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The US is also defending the Earth against any incoming asteroid, so humanity's survival may well depend on that.
I suspect that there is more than "asteroids" threatening the humanity, and there will be nothing that the US alone will be able to do, to protect the human race.
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Feminism got hijacked by the wrong people.
Sorta like Islam has been hijacked by the radicals?
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PC in moderation is fine as it raises awareness about issues plaguing fringe groups.
"Raising awareness" shouldn't mean the demand to see things in only ONE possible "correct" way.
Sorry, sites with domain .ru works mostly slow in my area. They poisoned in early last december but police start investigation in the beginning of March (3 months after) under pressure of mass media. Terrible situation, but typically for russian reality.
People in Russia are forced going to the rally in order to support mr. Putin against their will. Same story every time - government keep forcing budget workers and students take a part in rally. It only seems to be a nice picture - tonns of people marching along Red Square, smiling and shouting any slogans. A friend of mine was telling me how he participated in a couple of those rally. Though he was given a day off for it. Anyway as long as we are forcibly have to go to that sort of events we never is gonna be democratic country.
As Paul McCartney famously sang, "BACK in the, BACK in the, BACK IN THE USSR!"
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Why are we not surprised?
Thank you for posting. And yes, it's sad.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 03-05-2018 at 09:06 AM..
As Paul McCartney famously sang, "BACK in the, BACK in the, BACK IN THE USSR!"
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Why are we not surprised?
Thank you for posting.
Do you really believe that? There's a lot of people being paid to spend their time at the rallies but I seriously doubt they being forced. There's an element of people in certain organizations obligated to show up also I'm sure along with those who come willingly or as rubber neckers. It happens here in the US too. It's part of how things work everywhere, all states and organizations do it. I've seen it first hand when my daughters were in college,
No one was beaten into the street or forced to go by gunpoint. If Pepsik has proof otherwise he should put it up.
No one was beaten into the street or forced to go by gunpoint. If Pepsik has proof otherwise he should put it up.
I'm agreeable to that. I'd love to hear more from Pepsik.
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