It’s true that there was a long history of estrangement between Rome and Byzantium, embodied in the split between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Churches.
But it wasn’t Rome that brought down the ancient Byzantine civilization, it was a combination of internal decadence, and Islam.
Historically, Russia was a bulwark of strength against the Mongol and Muslim invasions. But frankly that went off course and came to an end with the Revolution of 1917.
Now, what you have, I think, is little more than an ancient resentment on the part of Russia. American didn’t put Russia down; they undermined and weakened themselves with a 70-year failed experiment in Communism. Reagan and the Pope only finished what the Russians themselves began by overextending and weakening themselves.
Putin is taking a dangerous and deluded path. He is pretty good at enriching and empowering himself and his friends, but he is leading Russia toward suicide. Russia cannot afford to expand and renew the Soviet Union while they are unable even to reproduce themselves. They won’t have enough Russian population to hold onto Russia, let alone regain and hold an empire.
First things first. They need to restore their economy and their society, stabilize their culture, and make their people happy and healthy enough to start having children again. Otherwise, they are finished. And it has nothing to do with us. They are doing it to themselves. Which, I’m afraid, makes them all the more resentful.
FWIW, Nina L. Khrushcheva is the granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev.
Russia has been minting money since the USSR was disbanded. I think the world would be stunned if knew how much.
It already is a power to be reckoned with, easily a "global power." So why the press release?
There is an old German saying: “Russia remains Russia”.
Do not for a minute suppose that Putin’s popularity is for any other reason than he is giving the Russian people what they want.
Historically, Russia vacillates between East and West. The Russian is torn between the culture and civility of the West, and the freedom of the romantic barbarity of the East.
The Gorbachev and Yeltsin years looked westward and reveled in European and American culture until the typical Russian was about ready to throw up. Putin brought back Slavophilism, the rejection of the West and the embrace of everything eastern as good.
Ironically, by doing things this way, by leading the movement, Putin is able to retain some of the better westernizations—not the complete purge of old.
His mission is also that any Russian leader would have—to restore Russian glory and its place in the world. But this goes hand in hand with a somewhat xenophobic outlook. This is why there have never been major roads or railroads from eastern Europe deep into Russia. Russia has been invaded enough times so that they will never fully trust foreigners.
Globalization is a foolish vision, a fantasy of idealists. But do not look to Russia for the naivete of the European bureaucrat.
Russia will remain Russia, because Russia looks out for Russia. America would do well to emulate this self interest instead of embracing warm and fuzzy visions of world government.
The article fails to note the single most important fact motivating Mr Putin. His country is dying.
Everything he does, including pointing to the symbol that his people might rally around, is to reverse the trend, to stop the decline and to promote a little optimism.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
.
They cant even make babies - how are they going to become a dynasty.
Then why is the Red Star still so prominent in Russia, and why is the hammer and sickle flag of the USSR flown on certain days of the year there?