Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Russians Are Shrinking!
The Wall Street Journal ^ | May 3, 2013 | OLIVER BULLOUGH

Posted on 05/04/2013 1:54:56 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

Vladimir Putin is more than a year into his third term as president of Russia, and he is likely to dominate the country's next decade as he dominated the last—just as Joseph Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev dominated their own times in the Kremlin. Like Putin or loathe him, he embodies an era.

But centuries from now, the history books will barely remember the human rights abuses or oil pipelines in today's coverage of Russia. Mr. Putin will be remembered for one thing only: missing the chance to save his nation from a lingering decline.

The United Nations predicts that, by 2050, there will be 116 million people in Russia, a drop of 30 million in the half-century from 2000, when Mr. Putin was elected president. That drop in numbers is roughly equivalent to the entire population of Canada.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: empirebuilding; eurasianunion; fsb; humanrights; kgb; nationalization; putin; ussr
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-33 last
To: MinorityRepublican

Meanwhile we have a trillion Chinese being ignored just south of there, which are busily making more, and more, of what is sold in all our stores.

Ever increasing trade surpluses.

Growing military budgets.

Zero, tolerance or importation of other cultures.

Yet it goes on. We send American jobs out of the country.


21 posted on 05/04/2013 3:42:16 PM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

Yep. It is the WSJ after all.


22 posted on 05/04/2013 3:55:04 PM PDT by Amberdawn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican
It's NOT just Russia - this happening almost everywhere EXCEPT 3rd world and Muslim countries.

In 200 years there won't be enough Germans in Germany to keep the language alive. Same for the rest of Europe - add enough Muslims to France and France becomes a Muslim country. All the artistry of the French will be gone...Hugarians and Brits are dying out too.

Democrats are working at bringing millions of 3rd world people here... millions who bring their cultures with them. Put enough poor Mexicans in the US and we become Mexico - gangs, poverty, elites and very poor - almost no middle class. Should be fun. Want to bring children up in that world? Cultures vote with their hopes and dreams - or the lack of hopes and dreams...

It's call cultural suicide. It's a form of genocide...

The difference in the US is our liberal elites - our Politically Correct ones - are for it. Poor dependent third world types vote democrat... well, until there's enough of them - then they dump the liberal elite old white guys.. bye bye Biden...and vote in the kinds of people who run the countries they came from...

Suicide among white middle class men is climbing - and the desire to create a family by white middle class women is falling. Our liberal elites are cheering - soon we'll be a 'brown' country. As if there aren't any brown countries in the world... Cultural suicide... genocide by any other name...

23 posted on 05/04/2013 4:25:47 PM PDT by GOPJ (The screed of so-called journalists: 'If it doesn't fit, you must omit.' - - freeper Vigilanteman)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

Yes, but it would still be ours.


24 posted on 05/04/2013 5:12:58 PM PDT by cradle of freedom (Long live the Republic !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: demshateGod

Interesting hypothesis.


25 posted on 05/04/2013 5:19:03 PM PDT by Pan_Yan (I believe in God. All else is dubious.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican; a fool in paradise; Slings and Arrows
Yoga's popular in Russia.


26 posted on 05/04/2013 5:22:48 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pan_Yan

Mark Steyne wrote it I think.


27 posted on 05/05/2013 7:07:54 AM PDT by demshateGod (The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican

-—missing the chance to save his nation from a lingering decline———

I would argue that Putin knows and understands the problem but lacks the means to remedy it. The people have destroyed Mother Russia by giving up. There is no means of advancement in a country lacking the ability to manufacture those things present elsewhere. It’s cool to pretend you are worldly. It is yet another thing to be on par with the truly worldly.

Putin has turned to his only real strength, arms. He has pushed the manufacture and sales of arms because so far as industry goes, arms are his strong suit.

Back when, Russia was given the option to import capital and manufacturing but stole the money and rejected the work. China was given the same opportunity and has thrived. Russians lack the individual initiative present in the Chinese and are in decline.

Then there is Boston. How many have found that life in near commuist Boston is preferable to life in a country without roads?


28 posted on 05/05/2013 7:23:49 AM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 .....History is a process, not an event)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican
Mr. Putin will be remembered as the man who failed to defend the Russians against the most terrible enemy of all: their own love of vodka.

I never trust those authors who are opposed to spirits.
29 posted on 05/05/2013 11:10:28 AM PDT by wonkowasright (Wonko from outside the asylum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wonkowasright

It was a shortage of vodka that was cited as one of the reasons from Khrushchev’s downfall.


30 posted on 05/05/2013 11:13:57 AM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: Revolting cat!

31 posted on 05/05/2013 1:51:58 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican

32 posted on 05/05/2013 1:55:05 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet - Mater tua caligas exercitus gerit ;-{)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MinorityRepublican

It looks like Russia is a stereotypical boogey forever.
Academia and media types are always pointing at it on this and that.
The reality is Russian demographics is same or better comparing to most industrialized nations.
Most other stereotypes aren’t actually fit post-Soviet Russia as well.
Today they are by far not the most drinking nation, their abortion rates decreased sixfold since 1992 too.
There aren’t bread lines and food shortages, no bears in the streets.
And they have a population growth for a few years and counting, too.


33 posted on 05/13/2013 3:53:29 AM PDT by cunning_fish
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-33 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson