Russia -- The Empire of Tyranny

frontpagemag.com ^ | May 19, 2005 | Askar Askarov

[jb6]

During my 12 years in the US army, I got to work on 2 UN missions (what eye openners those were to the UN corruption) but the interesting thing is, I met a lot of educated black africans and all of them admitted they wished the empires had not left Africa. They were better off as colonies.

[jb6]

what Russia needs is a decentralization (not disintegration) with Central Authorities having minimal powers like foreign policy and defense

Russia had that for 8 years under Yeltsin. Was it better off?

[MarMema]

"genocidal oppression of the chechens" says everything to me. I wouldn't even know where to start in addressing this kind of ignorance.

Heading off Sat morning to a place a mere 100 miles south of Beslan, I wonder just what more it would take for people to get a clue.

[MarMema]

The question least asked however is what this “Great Russia” gave to the Russians in the first place? Having never achieved material prosperity in its history, Russia’s current economic output is less than that of Los Angeles county alone. Most Russians are living at a subsistence level.

Typical western thinking. Money or money, your choice.
Don't even consider or mention the incredibly beautiful architecture, the maintenance of Christianity while the rest of Europe was doing the dark ages, Andrei Rublev, Tchaivosky, balalaika music - Flight of the Bumblebee, the Bolshoi, the Moscow circus, znamenny chant, Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Gogol, Tolstoy, Danilova, Taglioni, St. Seraphim, Berdyaev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Pavlova.

And that's just off the top of my head.

[MarMema]

Askar Askarov is a PhD candidate in Russian/Soviet History at the University of Maryland.

With an MA at Stanford and looks to be of Azerbaijani heritage.

[MarMema]

so it can become successful democracy ?

Translated....so Russia can become a country with a walmart and mcdonalds on every corner instead of a church, and so they can have endless commercials screaming at people to BUY!!!, like we do, and so they can be a merchant society like us. Where everything is measured by money and your car, and your front lawn.

When Putin sets this all up, America will be happier with him. Of course by then Christianity will be nearly outlawed in this country, the homosexuals will be in the White House, and we will be routinely killing off both the unborn, elderly, and brain damaged at rates so breathtaking that our population will be primarily comprised of immigrants.

[lodi90]

Fact is, in Russia you can feed a family of 3 well for a month on $60.

You must REALLY like potatoes.

[Long Eared Hair]

That Mr. Askarov looks like Bulgakov's character Sharikov ("The heart of a dog). The book's about a man (Sharikov) made out of a dog during a miraculous surgical operation: 'Zina!' cried Philip Philipovich anxiously. 'Clear away the vodka, my dear. We don't need it any more . . . What have you been reading?' He suddenly had a mental picture of a desert island, palm trees, and a man dressed in goatskins. 'I'll bet he says Robinson Crusoe . . .'he thought. 'That guy . . . what's his name . . . Engels' correspondence with . . . hell, what d'you call him ... oh - Kautsky.' Bormenthal's forkful of turkey meat stopped in mid-air and Philip Philipovich choked on his wine. Sharikov seized this moment to gulp down his vodka. Philip Philipovich put his elbows on the table, stared at Sharikov and asked: 'What comment can you make on what you've read?' Sharikov shrugged. 'I don't agree.' 'With whom - Engels or Kautsky?' 'With neither of 'em,' replied Sharikov. 'That is most remarkable. Anybody who says that . . . Well, what would you suggest instead?' 'Suggest? I dunno . . . They just write and write all that rot ... all about some congress and some Germans . . . makes my head reel. Take everything away from the bosses, then divide it up . . .' 'Just as I thought!' exclaimed Philip Philipovich, slapping the tablecloth with his palm. 'Just as I thought.' 'And how is this to be done?' asked Bormenthal with interest. 'How to do it?' Sharikov, grown loquacious with wine, explained garrulously: 'Easy. Fr'instance - here's one guy with seven rooms and forty pairs of trousers and there's another guy who has to eat out of dustbins.' 'I suppose that remark about the seven rooms is a hint about me?' asked Philip Philipovich with a haughty raise of the eyebrows. Sharikov hunched his shoulders and said no more. 'All right, I've nothing against fair shares. How many patients did you turn away yesterday, doctor?' 'Thirty-nine,' was Bormenthal's immediate reply. 'H'm . . . 390 roubles, shared between us three. I won't count Zina and Darya Petrovna. Right, Sharikov - that means your share is 130 roubles. Kindly hand it over.' 'Hey, wait a minute,' said Sharikov, beginning to be scared. 'What's the idea? What d'you mean?' 'I mean the cat and the tap,' Philip Philipovich suddenly roared, dropping his mask of ironic imperturbability. 'Philip Philipovich!' exclaimed Bormenthal anxiously. 'Don't interrupt. The scene you created yesterday was intolerable, and thanks to you I had to turn away all my patients. You were leaping around in the bathroom like a savage, smashing everything and jamming the taps. Who killed Madame Polasukher's cat? Who . . .' 'The day before yesterday, Sharikov, you bit a lady you met on the staircase,' put in Bormenthal. 'You ought to be . . .' roared Philip Philipovich. 'But she slapped me across the mouth,' whined Sharikov 'She can't go doing that to me!' 'She slapped you because you pinched her on the bosom,' shouted Bormenthal, knocking over a glass. 'You stand there and . . .' 'You belong to the lowest possible stage of development,' Philip Philipovich shouted him down. 'You are still in the formative stage. You are intellectually weak, all your actions are purely bestial. Yet you allow yourself in the presence of two university-educated men to offer advice, with quite intolerable familiarity, on a cosmic scale and of quite cosmic stupidity, on the redistribution of wealth . . . and at the same time you eat toothpaste . . .' Copyright 1968 in the English translation by Michael Glenny Collins and Harvill Press London, and Harcourt, Brace & World Inc, New York.

[RusIvan]

These few lines of his are an accurate summary of all known Russian history in its psychosociological aspect, not just of its soviet period - he built better than he knew. ==

It is YOUR generalization not his. So Zinoviev isn't guilty but you. Don't hide behind him.

As an aside, one Karl Marx characterized pre-soviet Russia of mid-19 century as "asiatic despotism". ==

So now you rely on father of communism to draw your critisizm on Russia? What next? Recall some verses of Mao Czhe Dun or Hitler? You may find very critical summary of Russia in "Mein Kampf".

As they say: if the shoe fits, wear it.==

I would say if vision is impared then find glasses which fits. Accualy I recall you one more proverb: "Po Senke shapka" or "Svinia vsegda griuz naidet".
Means whoever is the seeker then soever his stereotypes:).

[GSlob]

As you are so proud of your pile - continue sitting in it by all means.

[A. Pole]

As an aside, one Karl Marx characterized pre-soviet Russia of mid-19 century as "asiatic despotism".

He also wrote that the Communist Revolution in Russia were next to impossible, but if it happaned there it would be a huge setback to the Communism.

He wanted Communist Revolution to start in Western Europe and North America. And with the growth of EU, integration of North America and free trade globalisation we might be getting closer to the fulfilment of his wish.

[RusIvan]

As you are so proud of your pile - continue sitting in it by all means.==

Everyone has his miscomings. And I know them but I would like to discuss them with goodwill people only.

Another russian rethoric question inroduced by Lermontov which you probably know but forgot: "But whose are the jury?"
IMO the jury of those who try to judge Russia has to be exemplerary.
The decendants of "puns of Pildulskii" or SS men from baltics are not. OR those as the author just recently climbed down from the asian mountains even more.

[lizol]

Could you please explain to me what "puns of Pildulskii" are - those ones compared by you to "SS men from baltics"?

[Long Eared Hair]

Probably followers of Pilsudsky (sp?) - Polish dictator back to 192x. "pun" - maybe it's the Polish word for "Sir".

[lizol]

Aha, so the Poles in general.

"Polskiye pany" was a common deifintion of the Poles, used by bolsheviks, during Polish - Soviet war 1919-1921.

It's related to the fact, that in Polish language words "mister" (or "sir")and "lord" ar the same - "pan" (plural - "panowie", but in vulgar language spoken by simple people - "pany").

So - when someone stupid heard, that Poles call each other "pan" - like for example a farmer Mr (pan) Jan Kowalski, or a nobleman Mr (pan) Jerzy Krasnodebski, or a worker Mr (pan) Jozef Nowak, or a factory owner Mr (pan) Zbigniew Krajewski - he thought probably, that all of them are "Polskiye pany" (Polish Lords)

But of course this is not a stereotype (sarcasm).

[jb6]

A dollar will buy you a loaf of very good bread (not that Wonder bread crap) and 2kg of potatoes. I go food shopping often enough (actually my wife has stopped me, I buy to much extra crap) and a loaf of equal quality bread costs us $3-$4.

[Long Eared Hair]

The name "Polskiye pany" was used by Bolshevick propaganda before the WWII. In fact, the Bolshevicks meant their class enemies ("capitalists and landlords") in Poland. I think the commissars took care to explain it to the Red Army soldiers. But the confusion you write about, could occur, I think.
Did the Polish peasants used the word "pan" addressing to themselves before WWII? Taking into account that at that time they were used to bow from the waist having taken off their hats in order to salute their landlords as well as kissed landlords' hands, I doubt it.

[sergey1973]

Under Yeltsin Russia had not a decentralization (in a normal sense of the word) but an anarchy. Each governor run its province as his own fiefdom. It was bunch of mini-dictatorships under "Grandpa Yeltsin" as a formal head of state.

What I'm suggesting is the model under which federal government sets clear parameters for local self-government (i.e. separation of powers, electability of governor, etc). Local governments under reasonable and clear federal guidelines should run most of the local affairs. In current model almost all powers are concentrated with Putin Kremlin so any local problem is naturally blamed on Kremlin. Basically, proper balance of power is a quite a daunting task, but definitely not an unachievable one.

[jb6]

As long as they are "deserving" third worlders, especially Islamics, it's all worth it.

[sergey1973]

"During my 12 years in the US army, I got to work on 2 UN missions (what eye openners those were to the UN corruption) but the interesting thing is, I met a lot of educated black africans and all of them admitted they wished the empires had not left Africa. They were better off as colonies."

Not surprising in light of the monstrous regimes that sprung up in Africa after independence (Idi Amin, Mobutu, Bokassa, Mugabe, etc.). Actually I mentioned in my post that there were Empires that did a lot of good for the world. I.e. British Empire has overall quite a mixed record, but for a number of places in Africa it did a lot of positive things, like building Railroads, schools, bridges and providing world class education in its colonies.