7 Reasons That Russia Is Not The Soviet Union

Forbes ^ | 12/31/2013 | Mark Adomanis

[cunning_fish]

National Review published a rather overheated piece the other day that contained an entertaining line: “Russia has become the Soviet Union with a better suit”. The idea that Russia is fundamentally the same as the Soviet Union is a popular one, particularly on the political right where “Soviet” has for decades served as a synonym for “bad.” Barely a day goes by without someone bemoaning Putin’s “Soviet” character or the “neo-Soviet” policies that Russia pursues in its part of the world.

However this idea is deeply mistaken and extremely misleading, and can only be held by deliberately ignoring a huge amount of contradictory information. Indeed, by focusing on the minor and superficial similarities between present-day Russia and the USSR we ignore a great deal of what actually makes Russia unique.

I’m under no illusion that I will conclusively end peoples’ habit of substituting “the Soviet Union” for “the Russian Federation,” but I thought I would draw attention to some of the most glaring differences between the two. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are seven important reasons why the Russian Federation and the Soviet Union are not the same:

[Freelance Warrior]

There are some facts you tend to ignore:

The USSR's military industry was built by Stalin. At expense of several millions of people put to starvation. Later it was evacuated eastwards by Stalin.

Germany was a way more advanced country technogically, therefore the USSR had to use another resource, which was human lives.

Post-Antanta countries didn't take responsibilities to be USSR's allies in case of war with Germany.

I agree the Soviet losses could be smaller, but it was Stalin who was in charge during WWII.

[cunning_fish]

>>>Putin supports Iran because Iran is a very good customer. One takes care of his customers.<<<

Not to mention that Iran is a mortal foe of Sunni terrorists and a good leverage against Saudi-backed Al-Qaeda and Muzzie bros who are worse than Iran by a large margin.

[ilovesarah2012]

http://rt.com/news/putin-iran-nuclear-solution-894/

Putin: Now there’s a real chance of solving Iranian nuclear problem

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2014/jan/13/obama-reiterates-opposition-to-new-iran-sanctions/

Obama reiterates opposition to new Iran sanctions

[dfwgator]

The USSR's military industry was built by Stalin. At expense of several millions of people put to starvation.

We gave Stalin a ton of supplies, but the Soviet Union never admitted it.

[Freelance Warrior]

We gave Stalin a ton of supplies, but the Soviet Union never admitted it.

The USSR did get lend-lease supplies from the U.S., say, a half of its wheeled vehicules were made in America.

[ETL]

From the Russian News and Information Agency:
July 27, 2006
"'I am determined to expand relations with Russia,' Chavez, known as an outspoken critic of what he calls the United States' unilateralism, told the Russian leader, adding that his determination stemmed from their shared vision of the global order.":
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060727/51913498.html
_____________________________________________________

Venezuela Set to Develop Nuclear Power With Russia
September 29, 2008
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Russia will help Venezuela develop nuclear energy — a move likely to raise U.S. concerns over increasingly close cooperation between Caracas and Moscow.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,429441,00.html
_____________________________________________________

Venezuela's Chavez welcomes Russian warships
Nov 25, 2008
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela – Russian warships arrived off Venezuela's coast Tuesday in a show of strength aimed at the United States as Moscow seeks to expand its influence in Latin America. The deployment is the first of its kind in the Caribbean since the Cold War and was timed to coincide with President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Caracas — the first ever by a Russian president.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%22Venezuela%27s+Chavez+welcomes+Russian+warships%22&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz2

More Yahoo search results for Russia and Venezuela connections:
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geu_X30pZJCJEAfCtXNyoA?p=Russia+Venezuela+bombers+tanks+arms&y=Search&fr=404_news
_____________________________________________________

From National Public Radio (NPR):
August 29, 2006
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been visiting countries such as China, Iran and Russia as part of an effort to build a 'strategic alliance' of interests not beholden to the United States. He considers the United States his arch enemy.":
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5729764

[ETL]

Chavez "armed to the teeth" with new Russian tanks
NotiUno.com (Spanish-language article) ^ | July 24, 2009 | News Desk
(English-language translation)

Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 11:53:03 AM ET by rrstar96

The government of Venezuela will purchase tanks from Russia to double its fleet and strengthen its armed forces. [Venezuelan] President Hugo Chávez made the announcement amid growing tensions with Colombia over its military agreement with the United States, which would allow troops from that country to operate from Colombian bases.

"We are going to bring several new tank battalions in order to double the armored force we presently have... I am not going to pay attention to what the neighbors say, or up north, forget the Yankees," said Chávez in "Hello, Theoretical President", the new version of his Sunday show.

The Venezuelan president explained that the new tanks are part of a "western shield plan" to protect the border with Colombia, from where he believes the United States is planning an offensive. ..."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2302021/posts

Original source (in Spanish):
http://www.notiuno.com/2009/07/chavez-se-arma-hasta-las-muelas-con-nuevos-tanques-rusos/

Chavez "armed to the teeth" with new Russian tanks
NotiUno.com (Spanish-language article) ^ | July 24, 2009 | News Desk
(English-language translation)

Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 11:53:03 AM ET by rrstar96

The government of Venezuela will purchase tanks from Russia to double its fleet and strengthen its armed forces. [Venezuelan] President Hugo Chávez made the announcement amid growing tensions with Colombia over its military agreement with the United States, which would allow troops from that country to operate from Colombian bases.

"We are going to bring several new tank battalions in order to double the armored force we presently have... I am not going to pay attention to what the neighbors say, or up north, forget the Yankees," said Chávez in "Hello, Theoretical President", the new version of his Sunday show.

The Venezuelan president explained that the new tanks are part of a "western shield plan" to protect the border with Colombia, from where he believes the United States is planning an offensive. ..."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2302021/posts

Original source (in Spanish):
http://www.notiuno.com/2009/07/chavez-se-arma-hasta-las-muelas-con-nuevos-tanques-rusos/

[cunning_fish]

>>>There are some facts you tend to ignore:

The USSR’s military industry was built by Stalin. At expense of several millions of people put to starvation. Later it was evacuated eastwards by Stalin.

Germany was a way more advanced country technogically, therefore the USSR had to use another resource, which was human lives.<<<

In mid-1930s Soviet Air Force clearly outclassed Luftwaffe in Spain.
Earlier in Spanish Civil War Soviet SB medium bombers were faster and more agile than German fighters intended to intercept them.
Germans has still flew biplanes at the time.
Soviet Rata fighters were unmatched too. Fast, agile all-metal low-wing, retractable landing gear - it was a revolutionary aircraft, an F-22 of earlier 1930s.

Soviet DB-3 bombers at the time probably had the heaviest payload to date and they had hundreds of it.

Soviet military were the finest by mid-1930s. Earlier Spanish Civil War and border conflicts with the Japanese are showing.

The problem is Stalin has killed everyone in charge, and right about late 1930s was another global leap it terms of military technology.

USSR came into war with an earlier 1930s technology and lack of competent leadership.

[ETL]

Wouldn’t you approve if Obama was about to praise US operatives stealing Soviet secrets?

As I said, I would be shocked if he would have approved such a thing...

From Accuracy In Media | AIM.ORG

Obama’s Red Mentor Praised Red Army
AIM Report | By Cliff Kincaid | April 30, 2008

Frank Marshall Davis

Barack Obama’s childhood mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, a member of the Moscow-controlled Communist Party USA (CPUSA), wrote a poem dedicated to the Soviet Red Army. “Smash on, victory-eating Red Army,” he declared. He also wrote poems attacking traditional Christianity and the work of Christian missionaries.

The “Red Army” poem goes beyond hoping for the communists to beat the Nazis in World War II and hails the Soviet revolution. It says:

Show the marveling multitudes
Americans, British, all your allied brothers
How strong you are
How great you are
How your young tree of new unity
Planted twenty-five years ago
Bears today the golden fruit of victory!

http://www.aim.org/aim-report/obamas-red-mentor-praised-red-army/

[bert]

Putin is a great salesman.

He sold tanks to an army that has very little maneuver room. He sold tanks that are an obsolete concept in war now dominated by tank destroying air craft.

[kitkat]

BUMP

[ETL]

Putin is a great salesman.

He sure is. He's sold a lot of BS to people here in the US.

[ETL]

Putin supports Iran because Iran is a very good customer.

More importantly, because they too are an enemy of the US.

[dfwgator]

Reminds me of the joke from the movie “One, Two, Three”.

C.R. MacNamara: Cigarette? Cigar?

Peripetchikoff: Here, take one of these.

C.R. Macnamara: Thanks. Hm, ‘Made in Havana’.

Peripetchikoff: We have trade agreement with Cuba. They send us cigars, we send them rockets.

C.R. Macnamara: Good thinking.

*Macnamara coughs on cigar*

C.R. MacNamara: You know something? You guys got cheated. This is a pretty crummy cigar.

Peripetchikoff: Do not worry. We send them pretty crummy rockets.

[cunning_fish]

>>>Putin supports Iran because Iran is a very good customer.

More importantly, because they too are an enemy of the US<<<

There are no enemies and friends, there are interests and unions in foreign policy.

[ETL]

Putin supports Iran because Iran is a very good customer.

Russia, along with the ChiComs and the late Hugo Chavez OPENLY state(d) that they seek a "new world order", with a substantially weaker US and a significantly more powerful 'them'. They've even signed a pact to this fact...

From the Sino-Russian Joint Statement of April 23, 1997:
"The two sides [China and Russia] shall, in the spirit of partnership, strive to promote the multipolarization of the world and the establishment of a new international order."

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HI29Ag01.html
_________________________________________________

"Joint war games are a logical outcome of the Sino-Russian Friendship and Cooperation Treaty signed in 2001, and reflect the shared worldview and growing economic ties between the two Eastern Hemisphere giants."

http://www.heritage.org/research/commentary/2005/09/war-games-russia-china-grow-alliance

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170287,00.html
_________________________________________________

“We are creating a new world, a balanced world. A new world order, a multipolar world,” Chavez told reporters during a visit to Communist China, one of many. His “new world order” includes [RUSSIA], China, Iran,... and a significantly weakened United States, he explained.

Resurgent Communism in Latin America
by Alex Newman, March 16, 2010:

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/world-mainmenu-26/south-america-mainmenu-37/3122-resurgent-communism-in-latin-america?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=
_________________________________________________

From the Russian News and Information Agency:
July 27, 2006
"'I am determined to expand relations with Russia,' Chavez, known as an outspoken critic of what he calls the United States' unilateralism, told the Russian leader, adding that his determination stemmed from their shared vision of the global order.":
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060727/51913498.html

[tophat9000]

I thought the biggest enemy of America was Obama. .he sures has done more damage

[ETL]

I thought the biggest enemy of America was Obama. .he sure has done more damage

They are working together toward the same basic end.

[tophat9000]

look today its a multy way battle for world dominance between paleo Communist China Neo Communist Russia and Crypto Communist Obama’s America with Islamofascism thrown in the mix for good measure or could be the other way around I can’t keep track of all the communist and fascist without a scorecard I just know we’re all screwed

[Freelance Warrior]

I-16 fighters (Germans named them RATA-18) were outclassed in Spain by German all-metal fighters Me-109. Stalin didn't invest in alumunium industry and by the 40es the Soviet fleet was outdated.

The USSR also suffered from poor quality production - this is a shortcoming of any huge leaps, while Germany was an industrially developed country with a long history.

Anyway, poor leadership and unpreparedness can't be ignored. After the initial German successful strike not much resources were left...