Enigma
As you may not know I view Russia as a separate and distinct entity on the world stage and even though the West wishes to integrate the entire world into one economic and political system there are forces at work in Moscow that will not abide by this Western paradigm. We should not be surprised by this anymore than we would accept an Asian or Middle Eastern modus vivendi imposed upon us in Europe or America at the expense of our culture. I know that it is questionable whether we live in a "uni-polar" world in which the United States of America is the only power that can wield enough political, economic and military influence and come out on top and yet I believe that even though America is very powerful we indeed do live in a "multi-polar" world as evidenced by other political/cultural systems still extant throughout the world that are in direct opposition to our well laid plans.
Leftists and sometimes conservatives will often accuse the West of conspiracy to "rule the world" however, I wouldn't necessarily call it a conspiracy as it is an agenda. All great powers have agendas and operations to enhance their position in the world either through political, economic or military means. Just because the West has their agenda doesn't mean we are the bad guys on the world stage. Everyone is attempting to wrest control from the other either through peaceful or warlike means and it has been this way for thousands of years. It is simply the nature of man.
When it comes to Russia, they too have their agenda(s) and I believe their prime objective whether under the Czar or a Khan-like communist party leader has essentially been the same: control of the Middle East. In addition, I believe Russia has either been the catalyst or has assisted in being the catalyst for 3 major world wars in the last 100 years: World War I started by Russia when the Czar moblized millions of soldiers to support Serbia; World War II started when Russia signed a secret non-aggression pact with Germany to equally carve up Poland between the two; the Cold War started when Russia reached the nadir of their power in 1945 and felt compelled or tempted to intimidate the exhausted West into submission or subserviance to Moscow. Is another World War upon us with a revitalized and vengeful Russia? I believe the signs point in that direction.
Ironically, Russia is the only communist nation to renounce communism. Communism began in Moscow and it was they under Gorbachev who threw off at least the edifice of this evil system while keeping the party members in control of the levers of power. No other communist nation has followed the footsteps of Moscow. The question is why? Communism is alive and well in Latin and South America, in Asia and Africa but not so in Europe in any meaningful way. Curious. Is Russia jettisoning the old armor of communism and donning a new uniform or suit of armor for the next great world war?
A great article from National Journal covers the perplexing nature of Russia in the 21st Century and is a must-read. Here is a little excerpt to get you going:
A Russian businessman once offered me his view of the Russian national character. It went like this: "Russians are like small children. Generally they are sweet and lovable and innocent -- but now and then, without warning, without provocation, without any discernable reason, they bite you on the neck. Don't even ask them to explain why -- they would have no idea themselves; the question would be meaningless." He chuckled. "Yes, they've done this to me," he admitted.
The search for a Russian national type, for any kind of "national character," is probably fruitless -- a nation is not a single personality, for one thing. Nevertheless, it says something about the Russians that anecdotes like this one are common; I've heard many variations in a dozen-odd years of travels in and about the country. Whether Russians lend themselves to such essentialist interpretations is beside the point -- the point is, Russians feel themselves to be something quite distinct. And such sentiments create a hard reality of their own.
And indeed, as the cradle of a rich language using an alphabet created by a Byzantine missionary, as a centuries-old guardian of Orthodox Christian religious culture, as a vast country with a proud if often tortured past, Russia can be viewed not merely as a state but, like America or China, as a repository of distinctive ideas and traditions -- something like a civilization. Westerners are occasionally possessed of the odd idea that Russia can be plastic to the touch. But those, including Washington policy makers, who underestimate Russia's sense of separateness, its determination to be itself, are doomed to get Russia wrong...
Leftists and sometimes conservatives will often accuse the West of conspiracy to "rule the world" however, I wouldn't necessarily call it a conspiracy as it is an agenda. All great powers have agendas and operations to enhance their position in the world either through political, economic or military means. Just because the West has their agenda doesn't mean we are the bad guys on the world stage. Everyone is attempting to wrest control from the other either through peaceful or warlike means and it has been this way for thousands of years. It is simply the nature of man.
When it comes to Russia, they too have their agenda(s) and I believe their prime objective whether under the Czar or a Khan-like communist party leader has essentially been the same: control of the Middle East. In addition, I believe Russia has either been the catalyst or has assisted in being the catalyst for 3 major world wars in the last 100 years: World War I started by Russia when the Czar moblized millions of soldiers to support Serbia; World War II started when Russia signed a secret non-aggression pact with Germany to equally carve up Poland between the two; the Cold War started when Russia reached the nadir of their power in 1945 and felt compelled or tempted to intimidate the exhausted West into submission or subserviance to Moscow. Is another World War upon us with a revitalized and vengeful Russia? I believe the signs point in that direction.
Ironically, Russia is the only communist nation to renounce communism. Communism began in Moscow and it was they under Gorbachev who threw off at least the edifice of this evil system while keeping the party members in control of the levers of power. No other communist nation has followed the footsteps of Moscow. The question is why? Communism is alive and well in Latin and South America, in Asia and Africa but not so in Europe in any meaningful way. Curious. Is Russia jettisoning the old armor of communism and donning a new uniform or suit of armor for the next great world war?
A great article from National Journal covers the perplexing nature of Russia in the 21st Century and is a must-read. Here is a little excerpt to get you going:
A Russian businessman once offered me his view of the Russian national character. It went like this: "Russians are like small children. Generally they are sweet and lovable and innocent -- but now and then, without warning, without provocation, without any discernable reason, they bite you on the neck. Don't even ask them to explain why -- they would have no idea themselves; the question would be meaningless." He chuckled. "Yes, they've done this to me," he admitted.
The search for a Russian national type, for any kind of "national character," is probably fruitless -- a nation is not a single personality, for one thing. Nevertheless, it says something about the Russians that anecdotes like this one are common; I've heard many variations in a dozen-odd years of travels in and about the country. Whether Russians lend themselves to such essentialist interpretations is beside the point -- the point is, Russians feel themselves to be something quite distinct. And such sentiments create a hard reality of their own.
And indeed, as the cradle of a rich language using an alphabet created by a Byzantine missionary, as a centuries-old guardian of Orthodox Christian religious culture, as a vast country with a proud if often tortured past, Russia can be viewed not merely as a state but, like America or China, as a repository of distinctive ideas and traditions -- something like a civilization. Westerners are occasionally possessed of the odd idea that Russia can be plastic to the touch. But those, including Washington policy makers, who underestimate Russia's sense of separateness, its determination to be itself, are doomed to get Russia wrong...
posted by Bruce R. McConnell | 8:45 AM
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