RUSSIA TODAY: Origins of a Killer State

financialsense.com ^ | 7 Jan 2011 | Jeff Nyquist

[El Sordo]

Writing this spot down...

[Just mythoughts]

bttt how long?

[lurk]

Russia, like China, has some problems.

Systemic corruption.
Aging population.
Decline in population a couple of percentage points per year.
60% + of the adult population has a serious alcohol problem.
Average woman has had multiple abortions.

Strangely, it seems to be in their dna to feel the need to make life hard for themselves and other nations.

[SuzyQue]

Me too.

[elcid1970]

All those demographic negatives were well noted in the Soviet era. Ironically, Russia’s democratic liberator had a reputation as a drunk. Its current de facto dictator is a fitness fanatic.

But consider the positives, mostly vast natural resources. Russian theoretical and applied sciences are a resource of themselves, as well.

However, unlike in the days of the USSR, one of Russia’s most key resources is fleeing the Motherland like blood from an open wound: its fertile young women.

[goldstategop]

Russia is an open society. Foreigners can visit most of it, which was closed to them in the Soviet time. Contact with ordinary Russians is possible that wasn’t allowed in the 1970s and most Russians are well informed about the world today.

[Kabud]

consider the facts:

russians have at least 3 times more INTERCONTINENTAL ballistic missiles to hit USA then we have

russians have 10 times more tactical nukes then NATO

russian missiles are of a much better reliability

russians will attack at the first strike

USA will only have a chance to retaliate
after most of our nuclear capabilities wil be destroyed by russian first strike

USA political will will be broken after a devastating blow that russian attack will bring

russians always had at least a DOUBLE arsenal hidden and never officially mentioned or accounted

russians developed at least 3 new ICBM since USA did not even modernized ours

russians developed a multipple warheads systems up to several dozens on one vehicle

russians have in the vicinity of 5-15 thousands hardened for direct nuke hit bunkers:

with silos and underground CITIES;

underground manufacturing facilities to produce more warheads practically unlimited in quantities;

underground, deep enough to withstand direct hits facilities in the Urals to manufacture anything industrial: copper for instance, the largest copper facility UNDERGROUND!!

also biological and chemical to the level of beyond any human common sense

[Kabud]

BLACKMAIL is constant: “give money or face world war 3”(russian official)

Tsiganok also holds the opinion that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict largely depends on Washington.

“Why so? We should not forget that, along with its annual assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan, the U.S. renders assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Washington may at any moment stop doing it, which will have a serious impact on the negotiation process,” he said.

According to him, this seemingly local conflict, may, if intensified, cause a third world war. Once NATO sides with Azerbaijan, and Russia with Armenia, a third world war is sure to begin.

http://news.am/eng/news/43875.html

[elcid1970]

See post #8 below.

And Yuri Andropov liked American jazz, too.

[darth]

I knew LTG Danny Graham (retired three star, former head of Defense Intel Agency)in the 1980s. He told me two interesting things about Russia:

1. Moscow was a Viking settlement about 1000 years ago. They spent that 1000 years extending their empire through conquest.

2. What is the difference between America and Russia? America is a country with an army and Russia is the opposite.

We know from sources since the fall of the USSR that they came close to nuking us at least four times. As long as we have Obama as Pres. we are in danger.

Even if the danger of nuclear war is very low in a particular year, over the long run that percentage is cumulative.

Nuclear war WILL happen sooner or later.

Prepare.

[darth]

I forgot to add, as far as I know, the Russians never disabled their Perimeter system. That system launches EVERYTHING they have automatically if a nuke goes off on their territory.

I have always thought that the best way for Iran to attack the USA is to bust a nuke in Russia and watch as Perimeter does its thing.

[rmlew]

Moscow was not a Viking settlement so much as a Rus/Viking colony with overlordship of the local Vyatchi Slavs. It was a unimportant compared to Tver and Suzdal.

[darth]

Thanks for the history lesson.

[rmlew]

The Vyatchi were prior tributaries to some of my ancestors. I also took Russian history. Depressing subject. Mongrols, Ivan the Terrible, Time of Troubles, serfdom, Slavophilia, Communism..... And we wonder why the drink.

[Cronos]

this has one big flaw — why would Russia support China? They fear China taking over Siberia.

[Cossak]

1. Moscow’s founder Russian prince Yurii Dolgorukii (Yrii Longhand) was not Viking. Russian town Kiev is 1500+ years old, Russia 1500 years ago was called Gardarika, country of many towns. Biggest Russian town Kiev was destroyed by Chenghis Khan in XI century as many others, so Moscow became more important. Another one of oldest Russian towns was Novgorod. Russian princes often hired Vikings as mercenaries; there is no toponimics in Russia related to Vikings or tombs discovered so their significance was not that big.
2. Nobody sane will destroy his best oil and gas buyer.

[darth]

Thanks for the info.

I never studied Russian history. I was just passing on what Danny Graham said.

However, what do you think about his idea that conquest is a part of Russian culture?

I was at a Space Station symposium a few years ago and there was a panel discussion with several astronauts and cosmonauts. A member of the audience asked one of the European astronauts about working with Russians and Americans in space. The European replied, “Well, the Russians and Americans have many characteristics in common and both are VERY different from Europeans.” He went on to add that both Russian and American culture had a lot of “frontier thinking” in them, i.e., more similarities than differences.

[cunning_fish]

I think it is a kind of safety concern. They were invaded million times and responded with a paranoyal buffer zone doctrine. The ultimate goals are to reach oceans and mountains as a natural barriers in their expansion. If it is impossible for some reason (for example in Europe or Asia) they are bumping weaker nations nearby to use as a buffer against a possible agression.
That kind of neurotic mentality is a main obstacle to a friendly US-Russian relations.

[Cossak]

Europeans are not that different from Russians for last Russian Tsars and Qeens were Germans by etnicity and about 4,5 millions Europeans immigrated in Russia in 18-19 centuries. Forexample 100 000 Scotlands, about 1,5 milliom Germans. Conquested etnicities were not exterminated their lands were not grabbed; often their princes served at Tsar’s court, as Tatars or Georgians.
Similarities between Russians and Americans may be caused by Bolshevik revolutionaries influence who arrived to Russia from USA and we in USSR were celebrating feast 1 May devoted to solidarity with American workers struggling for their rights. Another visible signs of American culture were emblem of red pentacle, abbreviations in names of different institutions and organisations, word activist, pioneer and pioneer organistion similar to American scouts may be someting else now does not comes to mind. In USSR books by Western authors were as familiar to average Russian as of our own authors. And Russia is multietnic country each etnicity has own pecularities. It was exellent Soviet film Mimino by Georgian producer with scene when one Georgian and one Armenian came out from lift and Japan who was in same cabin told to another Japan: Those Russians look so alike.
Frontier thinking develops when numerous strong neighbors invade your country enslaving people destroying towns and capitals to ashes. During Ivan the Terrible and earlier there was tax to collect money for ransom seized Russian people from Osman slavery.