Posted on 12/31/2016 12:27:51 PM PST by WilliamIII
Their economy is tied to oil. So year to year trends are not as important as longer periods that include a a full cycle in oil prices.
Current state of affairs does not peak to whether a country is improving or declining.
You are assuming comments about Russia that are not derogatory are Pro. Yes, Most are aware of Chechnya. The difference is in the type of Muslim beliefs. They are not Shiite or Sunni, as most are Safi.
Winters are brutal in Russia. They come early and last long.
The Russian problem with Ukraine is the Russians have always seen that territory as part of the Motherland, Russian. Ukrainians see the matter very differently. They don’t see themselves as Russians. They’re Ukrainians and their beloved Ukraine is not part of the Motherland.
>The Russian problem with Ukraine is the Russians have always seen that territory as part of the Motherland, Russian. Ukrainians see the matter very differently. They don’t see themselves as Russians. They’re Ukrainians and their beloved Ukraine is not part of the Motherland.
Before the violent Neo-Nazi coup that kicked out the elected government about half the people in the Ukraine identified themselves as Russian with the majority of these Russians speakers living in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. If you know anything about the history of the Ukraine you’d know that the borders of the country never stretched to the Russia areas which also happen to be the richest parts of the Ukraine. If the Ukrainians really want to be free they need to let those areas go but the globalists running the place are too busy holding gay pride parades and making war on their Russian speaking population to be bothered with making a lasting peace.
“Current state of affairs does not peak to whether a country is improving or declining.”
That would be correct, but there is no upward trend.
GDP is declining.
Life Expectancy is not improving.
Their cash reserves are at a critical level.
Oil production is stagnant.
The have had and continue to have the highest abortion rate on the planet.
Alcoholism rates are not improving.
There does not exist a democratic system in Russia.
Corruption is devastating the economy.
Russia exports few goods and services.
There is no positive trend in Russia.
And all of that makes Russia a third world dictatorship and there is no trend that points to improvement.
High Alcoholism Rates are directly corrilated with economic despair and hopelessness.
In Russia, there is little social mobility.
Thus, it is the economic conditions that contributes to the high Alcoholism Rates and the alcoholism is cause of the low Life Expectancy.
First you said Russia didn't have Muslims. You were very wrong. Now you're claiming you didn't mean what you clearly said, but meant instead they don't have the same "type of Muslim beliefs?" Well you're wrong here too. "Safi" is a made up word. I'm guessing you meant Sufi? Well Russian Muslims aren't Sufi, something like 90% of them are Sunni are the rest are almost all non-Sufi Shi'ite. Maybe just admit you're out of your element?
About 70% of Russian economy is state controlled. For the rest of it there is a mafia like protection system that functions like this: Russian laws make it impossible to run a profitable business without breaking some of them. Mafia Dons in Kremlin give selected people permission to break these laws. Everybody in business pays the protection money up the chain.
If you have read The Godfather then it pretty closely matches how the book described Sicily and has the same problems.
I have followed their demographics for a while and I assumed they couldn’t exit their death spiral, as did most demographers. Perhaps we were wrong.
Sorry I was going back years ago and yes it is Sufis. I recall when the Russian military acted quickly, however; the children died in that school the Muslims took over. I was told the ones who believe in this (Sufism) are the ones who control Chechnya. It has been awhile since I have spoke to Sobi. (Col.Sobichevsky). I just looked him up wondering his fate, and; he passed on. We were running TS cross border OPS in 68-69 and this Russian Captain gets off one of our call black C-130’s. I was shocked as having seen many lodge act NCo’s and some officers in SF I had yet to see a Russian. He was in HQ SOG in OP 35 then. Getting back to Russia I do not see them repeating the mistakes they made in Afghan that we failed to learn from . Specifically driving up and down MSR’s and other roads. We have got to make the resistance in countries do the fighting and we train, advise, lead them. That is UW and it works.
http://russiasperiphery.blogs.wm.edu/transcaucasia/general/sufism-2/
That sure is an interesting story by the Russian Insider on their Birth Rates.
However, the article seemed to miss Russia’s Abortion Statistics.
In Russia, 44.7% of all pregnancies end with an Abortion.
Here in the United States, 22.6% of all pregnancies end with an Abortion.
Russia in Not Pro Birth, Russia in Not Pro Life.
Trends, trends, trends. From Putin’s bully pulpit he has been saying there are too many abortions. He is not in favor of increased abortions, unlike our current President.
Anyway, I see demographics rebounding in Russia and that is the number one gauge of the direction a nation is going.
Compile the low Birth Rate in Russia with a low Life Expectancy, the highest Abortion Rate in the world, and a decling GDP, there is no positive trend.
If someone were to show me those statistics and not tell me the name of the country, I would think those statistics were that of an Eastern Bloc state in the 1970’s or of an authoritarian Sub Saharan nation in the middle of a famine or total war. As for short term and long term trends, Brazil and Mexico are far better positioned than Russia.
Who invented the [Communist] Reductions of Paraguay?
"CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Reductions of Paraguay The Jesuit Reductions of Paraguay, one of the most singular and beautiful creations of Catholic missionary activity..."
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=jesuit+reductions+paraguay+beautiful
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.