Watch Russia!
53Putin believes in force over persuasion
Just who is in control over there?
Vladimir Putin was the leader of the new Russia, and now the president Medvedev is his puppet. Putin was also a KGB operative and now he poisons people who disagree with him. As an avid chess player I watched how chess grand master Gary Kasparov was not allowed to run for office because Putin was so afraid he'd lose to Kasparov.
Russia is best remembered as of late for its communist government, a dictatorship that gave socialism a bad name, unfairly, since socialism and communism are as different as night and day. Just the same, many people in Europe are beginning to fear the emerging Russian super state. The U.S. would do well to see Russia for what it really is, an emerging disctatorship under the guise of a capitalist, free market democracy. It is none of these things, and is now headed down the path of absolute power in the region.
NATO wishes to include members of what was once the Soviet Union, but NATO is afraid of the Russian backlash. We saw this in Georgia, where the government was hardly ideal, but still was sovereign. Now parts of Georgia have been cleaved off and are in the Russian sphere of influence, to borrow that cold war term.
Russia will do its best to cow Europe by using its massive gas reserves to keep Europe from blossoming as a unified entity, and the EU will do little but complain about it. And with the US bogged down in both Iraq and Afghanistan, they will also be powerless to do much other than complain. And all the while Dictator Putin will be laughing all the way to the bank as his nation grows fat on extortion money from gas profits.
Russia has not forgotten the bully tactics of the old USSR and will use them to shift world domionance toward themselves. No need to wait and see, it is happening now. The E.U. has begun to plan ways to counter this bullying, but I am afraid that none of these strategies will be effective. Too bad, because it will stunt the growth of the E.U. and NATO as well as the economies of emerging democracies.
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The sooner the use of renewable energy becomes widespread, the sooner the fossil fuel hoarders will loose the power of extortion.
Well we fear Russia more than the Middle East for causing us trouble over here in Spain, although we are still aware after having been hit by terrorists on a regular basis. Some of ours are home grown like ETA, the Basque group, but some others come from the Middle East, witness 3-11, the day we were hit by islamic terrorists. But Russia is the 800 pound gorilla in our room.
BTW we are strong on green energy here with lots of wind turbines whirling about.
The manipulation of oil prices by market speculators is aiding Putin in his reconstruction of the Soviet Union. The objective is to rekindle the cold war which will provide yet another very lucrative venue for capitalism; the design and production of new, more destructive nuclear weapons.
This will of course lead to huge amounts of "defense spending", which will funnel yet more trillions of tax payer dollars into boondoggle nuclear shield and defense systems like Reagan’s infamous "Star Wars", which is still receiving funding!
The entire “War Against Terrorism” is in fact NOT a war against anything but rather a war FOR completely unbridled,global free market capitalism.
Coldwarbaby! You mean that stupid star wars program is still being funded? I can't believe anyone still puts any credence in that! It's be better to send someone up there and throw stones than shoot some beams at the damned things!
Putin is pushing the envelope to force the old USSR states back into the fold, and he is also trying to thwart growth in the E.U. and NATO. As for Nato I believe that we Europeans need to depend on our own and stop relying on the U.S. to defend us. It jusat gives the U.S. a voice in our affairs. We can still be allies when necessary, but adopted children no more.
Yes, the so-called war against terrorism (or does it have a new name now with Obama?) has been as much of a joke as your war against drugs. It seems to me that we're a bit ahead of the U.S. because we have decriminalized marijuana over here. Drug uses get treatment, not jail time. We wean people off drugs and find them something useful to do besides become hardened criminals in prison.
We have a high rate of unemployment, but we count everyone from the start to the finish of their unemployment. I believe the U.S. stops counting once they're off unemployment, so there are many who are no longer counted once they end their unemployment benefits.
Basically we help people get jobs, or we keep them able to put food on the table and get medical help until they find work. Unlike the U.S. as well we don't live to work. We work to live and we enjoy a lot of time off.
But back to war and spending. We don't spend huge amounts of money and blood on military items. We simply don't have to anymore because we gave up our colonialism and desire for conquest years ago. It would be good if the U.S. took a similar stance because then it could spend more time and effort on its own multitude of problems. How come we can see the faults over here but many Americans remain blind and ignorant of the disaster that is looming overhead?
I really wish America well. I just have my doubts.
I find Putin fascinating in a horrible way...like an accident on the freeway that you just can't tear your eyes away from.
As to Russian dominance over natural resources, the answer is outside investment (and subsequent control). If Russia will make some deals in order to expedite the harvesting of her natural resources (gas), then that exchange will include some degree of supervision in the hands of the investor...which is good since greed and capitalism are pure motives, at least.
The trick is to find ways to incentives Russia to cooperate with outside investors in this regard.
America, which was once considered the great beacon of freedom in the world, or so I've been told, needs to wake up and smell the corpses it has left rotting all over the world.
Other countries once sought to emulate the u.s. It's time for the u.s. to start taking lessons from places like Spain, Scandinavia and even the resurgent Socialist Democracies of South and Central America.
We should stop trying to beat them and go ahead and join them!
If it were not for the fact that russia is the "800 lb gorilla" and represents the potential for the erradication of the majority of life on this planet, She would be about as impressive as Haiti. Once humanity rids itself of the primitive idiocy of using fossil fuel for energy and utilizes the myriad sources of energy created by the provider: the sun and takes full advantage of nuclear science, mankind will have taken a giant progressive leap forward. Nations like Russia will be relagated to joining the throng if she desired to, again, become a world power. Russia and the USA hold the continued existance of extant life hostage. Each nation is armed with nuclear "overkill." It remains to be seen just how this 'problem" will be resolved. Over population, greed, fragmenting monotheism and an overbearing lust for "control," may force the hand of "Mother Gaia." Her "immune" system will be actuated and a necessary return to "balance" may be the result. The human virus may be reduced to numbers this planet can bear. It's health can then be restored.
Ivan, do you believe that Russia will achieve its former position as Soviet Union did during the cold war era?
Don't know how I missed this one, Ivan - Russia is a source of great concern over here.
Greece and the Balkans are once again becoming centre stage - Russia, the EU and the US are all jostling for influence here. Greece is becoming a major energy Hub for Russian gas, so we cannot avoid Russian politics. So far, the government is trying to balance the various influences, but it is not easy
Interesting times!
tdarby 2 years ago
I have always been fascinated by Russia. Thanks for the informative Hub about the tactics Russia is involved in to force power in their direction.