Posted on 11/25/2007 9:23:45 AM PST by Fennie
In 1984 a book was published with the title New Lies For Old. It was written by Soviet KGB defector Anatoly Golitsyn. The book claimed that the Soviet Union had a secret long-term strategy to disarm and defeat the United States through a controlled collapse of the Soviet empire that would take place in the last decade of the twentieth century. In the book's most remarkable chapter, titled "The Final Phase," Golitsyn accurately described the future of the Soviet bloc. Communism would give up its monopoly of power in Russia, he explained, as apparent freedom and democracy would be introduced. The communist Warsaw Pact alliance would be dissolved. The Berlin Wall might be taken down and Germany united as "the key to progress toward a neutral, socialist Europe"...
Stiff Right Jab - Index -
http://www.geocities.com/graymada/SRJ/potemkin.html
http://www.geocities.com/graymada/SRJ/rbl.html
http://www.geocities.com/graymada/SRJ/putin.html
Yeltsin?
To this day, the KGB and some Russian Mafioso still run the place.
Right. It's a corrupt, leeching mafia state. But it is no longer an expansionist empire that spreads a freedom-destroying ideology, controls a large fraction of the world, and threatens to engulf more on any serious level.
Since when does the definition of "victory" require "making the enemy's government a nice one"? This is precisely what I'm talking about. People have been taught by, perhaps, Hollywood movies to culviate a ridiculously utopian notion of what it means to win/lose over a foe.
Transport a random American and a Russian from the 1950s to today and show them the two countries: what lives are like, what the respective economies are like. Show them the modern map of Russia - tell them about all the "former Soviet states". (Are there "former American states"?)
Heck, just focus on women: where do "mail-order brides" come from, in the popular imagination - America, or Russia? If you hear a story like: "desperate woman signed up for what she thought would be a housekeeping job, flew to Turkey, handed over her passport, and was kidnapped into prostitution", is that woman more likely to be from Russia or from America?
X is in the business of creating, marketing, and selling software in stores. Y is in the business of pirating software and selling it out of a street kiosk. Is X from Russia and Y from America - or vice versa?
Or focus on migration - did millions of Americans start coming to Russia in 1991, or vice versa? Do brilliant American college kids go to Russia to get their PhDs, or vice versa? Are there more children born in America to Russian-born parents, or vice versa?
How many Stalin, Lenin, Beria, Dzerzhinksky statues have been brought down vs. how many Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt statues?
Believe me, neither the 1950s American nor the 1950s Russian transported to today's time would be in any doubt whatsoever as to who won the Cold War.
No, we did not make Russia's government into a nice, beautiful, human-rights-respecting democracy. I never said we did. (Although it's worth pointing out that its government today is "more democratic" than it used to be.) I just said we won the Cold War. It's a bizarre modern western standard that, bizarrely, have decided that winning wars entails remaking the enemy's society into Sweden and anything less is not only failure but somehow defeat, or even "part of their plan".
The impossible-standard-of-victory problem has plagued us when it comes to evaluating Iraq, and it'd be ridiculous and sad to let it demoralize us needlessly in our thinking about the Cold War.
Interesting perspective.
What convinces you of that assertion?
They are stupid enough to believe that God will lose at Armageddon.
They are stupid enough to believe they can dispense massive death and be untouched with the reaping from their sowing themselves . . .
They are arrogant enough to believe that they deserve to be the ruling elite . . .
However, they have achieved or almost achieved most of the goals I read about in 1965. That indicates something beyond the ignorant blind clumsiness you seem to be so convinced of.
Reality. History. Believers in the possibility that centralized planning is viable are delusional.
Uh-huh, funny that.
Anyone over a certain age whining about life in the good ol' USA during the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s & mocked our western cuture? Those individuals could always take a trip to Germany. Preferably visit West Berlin where from any number of observation platforms view the "Worker's Paradise" with their very own eyes.
Communist sympathizers within the American or English media, academia (brainstems of every stripe), and/or Democrats wouldn't have dared try *selling* the communist nightmare as long as people could see, & speak of what they'd seen.
Never.
If such a depressing sight as communist life didn't sober up one's POV, pronto, it sure the hell provided one hellova perspective to illustrate the stark difference between two ideologies well beyond what anyone could ever say to the contrary.
Of course the wall's long gone, observation decks too as well as the Soviet worker's paradise, all of 'em.
While we in the west?
We've never been happier, freer all-way-around & especially free from "communism", communistic laws, and communistic thugs.
There's simply nothing left to see.
Certainly nothing left that'd reinforce the value of our western life and/or freedom, except ourselves and y'know such things aren't taught youngsters anymore, eh? :o)
And the hardcore former communists of the old bloc nations? What became of the party faithful, at all levels in all those countries, anyway?
Why the poor losers either embraced *&* accepted capitalism, free markets (& all other things western), or, they just vanished into thin air.
What else could they do?
Where else could they possibly have went, following the collapse? ;^)
...right? {/sarc}
Too bad they’ll run out of Russians before their evil plans come to fruition.
LOL.
Yes, as you describe, we have made stunning gains where Russia has remained gloomy and in so many ways failing.
Whether or not history will read this as a temporary flow before the ebb, or as part of a longer term advantage for the forces of freedom and capitalism ... that depends on what is yet to happen.
And that I suspect is the only place that you and I actually disagree, that being on what the future holds. If the forces of light remain strong, then you will have been right, and we will both be glad that my pessimism was ill founded. If the forces of darkness resurge, then our victory in the Cold War will have been as short lived as our victory in World War I.
May the forces of liberty be with you.
Ones like Herbert Marcuse saw it different and indeed their planning and plotting is still alive and well today.
The Origins of Political Correctness One of the most serious, oldest, and ongoing attacks on our nations future yet not one shot has been fired. As a nation we are ripe pickings for any charismatic leader to come along promising Utopia. For that matter so is Russia and all Europe.
imagine a long distance marathon that is fairly evenly matched (think USSR in the 1970's was ahead in many ways), now think of what happens when one of the runners "drops out of the race".
as long as the remaining runner doesn't stop running (even if he slows down), he should still win.
check how much the US spend on its military after the fall of the USSR to figure out how much danger we are in, and check the amount the ex-USSR spent.
the US is in pretty good shape militarily right now.
what happens in another two to six years is another matter of course...
You seem to enjoy casually calling people crazy, delusional.
Obsiously, you’ve not read the tons of primary source materials I have. Pity.
Yeah, centralized planning breaks down . . . and often quicker than most think.
But, Scripture indicates they will be in wholesale overt global power only 3.5-7 years or so. And it will be messy and not seamless nor without rebelliousness amongst the factions.
However, for a time, the world ruler will rule over every people group; tribe; language group.
I guess you don’t believe The Bible, either.
So, the MSM disinformation is easier to swallow, evidently.
Odd.
Congratulations are in order, you’ve seemed to dropped the IQ level to a low I have’t seen here in years.
the pyramid schemes and kleptocracy of the 1990s?
you mean Social security, right?
What are the prize holdings of today's Russian "empire"?
What ideology does she spread? Which Westerners hold to an ideology that Russia is perceived to be the vanguard of?
Chopping off an empires colonies is a victory, yes. But it is not as long a lasting victory as taking out the roots of tyranny in the empires capital city.
It may not be as complete a victory, but as far as "long lasting" goes, there's nothing longer than "forever". And the USSR is gone forever. There are no serious signs that it is returning.
Yes, as you describe, we have made stunning gains where Russia has remained gloomy and in so many ways failing. Whether or not history will read this as a temporary flow before the ebb, or as part of a longer term advantage for the forces of freedom and capitalism ... that depends on what is yet to happen.
Fair enough, but until/unless there are serious signs that the USSR is in any danger of returning let alone threatening the "forces of freedom of capitalism", it is reasonable to consider the particular matter put to bed till further notice.
And that I suspect is the only place that you and I actually disagree, that being on what the future holds. If the forces of light remain strong
I'm not sure what the future holds and in no way do I believe that the "forces of light" will necessarily remain strong in a permanent and unchallenged way. What I do believe is that the serious challenges are unlikely to come from a movement centered in Russia let alone a hypothetical Russia empire that doesn't exist; I am far more concerned about political Islam for example.
Well, Social Security squared. But a difference of degree and not of kind, sure. :)
Don't sprain your arm giving yourself those undeserved self-congratulatory pats on the back.
And their five year plans consistently fail.
Now I’m starting to wonder ... did the Roman Empire really fall, or was it all a hoax?
Novus Ordo Seclorum
Political Correctness {Cultural Marxism} is alive and well. It has all but taken over Europe and is thriving in our nation as well. I don't think you read the article I linked.
Agreed. As a matter of fact, consistency is not important to them, but expediency is.
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