by RoSsiBaRBeRa
Translated by Eugenia (a huge THANK YOU to Eugenia for this huge and complex translation! The Saker)
Source: https://cont.ws/post/269818
The 1990s are behind us, as is the breakup of the Soviet Union. The 2000s balancing over the cliff, the years of the debt slavery to IMF, unlimited rule of the oligarchs, the status of the regional power, gangs of non-systemic opposition by the American embassy, isolation and haughty attitude – all of this is in the past.
It is very important today, having finished that part of our path, to learn lessons from the past. Particularly because the war itself hasn’t disappeared, and the pressure of the collective West on our country is very much in evidence right now.
The most important conclusion appears to be that the deepest and the most prolonged depressions in the history of Russia coincide not with wars but with the periods of revolutions. Nineteen seventeenth, nineteen ninety first, and, finally, the aborted one, two thousand twelfth.
The dynamics of the GDP per capita in Russia from 1885 through 2011. The value for 1913 is 100%.
To destroy our country, our “friend and partners” were counting precisely on revolutions. And we have to admit that relying on a revolution in Russia rather than on a military confrontation with it, they have created the largest number of problems and difficulties for us.
If the Bolsheviks managed to reach the pre-war level after the WWI and civil war in the first 5-year period, and the losses after the Great Patriotic war were already recouped by 1955, we are still recovering after the catastrophe of 1991 with great difficulty.
GDP of Russia – USSR – Russian Federation in % of the GDP of the USA
Only at the end of two thousand twelfth after the defeat of the most dangerous attempt at revolution, Russia succeeded in transferring the battle for its sovereignty to the international front. The country did not only succeed in defending itself but also developed immunity to further attempts by the West to arrest the Russia’s development using the traditional Western tools – regime change and incitement of internecine conflicts. The country has come to understand the most important thing – the mortal danger of a stab in the back administered within its own borders.
Thanks to that, we have gained time and are continuing to develop successfully.
Even the enormous pressure the West consolidated against us, its sanctions, engineered drop in the oil prices, economic sabotage and juridical outrage in 2015 – the pressure that would have brought down any other country – in Russia only resulted in 3% reduction in GDP. Furthermore, by the end of this year, according to the European estimates, Russia is to expect positive growth.
Wars, crises, pressure, maligning – all of this does not really scare us. We have always weathered storms and have always emerged from them stronger than before.
Table: Three crises in comparison
Our chief enemy has always been the “5th column” inside the country. Those “our people” that betrayed our country at some time or other and, for the money of their sponsors, deceived their former compatriots. Fortunately, today we have become much more experienced, everyone has Internet available, and the Russian society is united by the deep sense of patriotism and generally is much more cohesive that even a few years ago.
All of this gives us a good chance to move our country to a new level of development.
Today, we already are in possession of an outstanding army.
We are one of the recognized leaders in technological innovations. We are again welcoming more little compatriots as the population growth is being restored after catastrophic 1990s.
Population growth in 1961-2016.
The geopolitical, diplomatic and military multi-step combinations devised by the Russian leadership time and again win the upper hand over the multibillion dollar analytical and specialized “agencies” of the Western countries.
But all these achievements are not the accidents of fate but the results of the tremendous effort, sophisticated analysis, well-calculated tactics and brilliant strategy.
Putin’s operation of 16 years duration
In the West, propaganda is usually considered connected with two phenomena – war and power, but it is recognized that propaganda by itself is unable to guarantee the loyalty of the people or popularity to any leader. That is why powers that be often ensure loyalty by force. Since the Western world is convinced that it is the “Crown of Creation”, it explains the Putin’s popularity rating by either propaganda, or the authoritarian nature of the regime, or by both. The ordinary people in the West are restricted by biased Western media to the view of reality in those simplistic terms. Only these paradigms are discussed or described in interviews.
That is precisely how propaganda operates, not imagined one but the real Western propaganda. The truth is hidden behind the different types of lie, and an ordinary person living, say, in the US has a hard type understanding the real situation.
In 2000s, Russia was of no interest to the world’s media. In 2007 at the Munich conference, tough words of President Putin perplexed the West. The media exploded with the headlines “Who is mister Putin?” arousing in the West a certain amount of interest towards Russia. However, since Putin’s words were addressed to the leaders of the Western countries and not to their citizens, the interest did not last long. In his speech that had the effect of turning the international relations upside down, Putin stated the most important idea – “enough is enough, Russia will no longer follow recommendations and demands from the outside. Period”.
The West was not slow to react: in 2008 the West decided to teach a lesson to that not particularly important “former superpower”. A puppet regime was used to destabilize the most vulnerable region of the country – the Caucasus. This was done in a traditionally underhanded dishonorable manner during the Olympic games, the event, for which for centuries wars used to be stopped. A signal to our country was sent.
Unexpectedly, however, a ruined fragment of once powerful country sent “rusted leftovers” of its once powerful military beyond its borders and crushed the Western-trained “invincible” army. That was unexpected, but, on the other hand, quite typical of the Russians. After all, we have always been considered the best warriors in the world, and the US did not see in the events anything menacing for itself. They understood very well that the important thing wasn’t who won on the ground but what would be told to the world about the conflict. The winner would be the one named the winner by the world media. As a result, after successfully forcing Georgia to accept peace settlement, the US easily won the information war over Russia and supplanted reality with a fiction.
Everything quieted down. Russia kept doing something in its “regional corner” without bothering the serious people of the world. The leader that said such dangerous things in 2008 left the position of the President and, judging by the reports, the current President was quite acceptable for the West. The US did not see much sense to do anything at all about Russia. Why bother pressuring the country if it is not doing anything and is incapable to overcome its own deficiencies?
The years passed, and the new elections approached. The 5th column of the country started to send alarming report, and the West decided to check them out. The disintegrated army kept buying the Western military equipment; the minister of defense was clearly incompetent individual; the economy was slowly growing but still the money was being spent incompetently. The treasuries were being bought as usual; the foreign corporations have unlimited access – so, there was no cause to worry. One thing bothered, though – the popularity rating of that same Putting who had several times defeated the western schemes. Using the data of the liberal 5th column, which has always been the conduit of the Western influence in Russia, anglo-saxons decided to use their favorite well-tested method.
After the elections to the State Duma, right in the middle of the presidential campaign, the civil unrest was initiated in the country; billions of dollars were poured into the Russia via the non-government organization (NGO), which had not been closed during the entire preceding period, via the agents of influence and embassy officials. The entire network in Russia was activated at once. The liberal puppets delivered exultant reports; local non-government media night and day broadcasted interviews and speeches of the opposition figures, and not only the ones controlled by the West but also politicians that decided it was time to join them. Everything was going according to plan, and the final hour was coming.
The first annoying sign was the refusal to grant the permission to hold the meeting on the Triumphal Square. The opposition had to settle for the permission to conduct their action on the Bolotnya Square. However, the 5th column felt on top of the world expecting total success and did not pay attention to this fact. . .
The second sign, which caused serious anxiety among the Western field agents, was the meeting of Vladimir Putin with the population that demonstrated clear disgust of the society with the opposition politicians and desire to demonstrate support for the President. But since Putin took no steps to use the popular support, these demonstrations were declared by the opposition-controlled media to have been staged, and the preparation for the meeting on Bolotnya continued according to the all too familiar plan . . .
The decisive action occurred 2 kilometers away from Bolotnoya, on Manezh Square . . . And the whole grandiose operation failed at once, within several hours . . .
All the events at that time and the actions of our President were a dangerous game. Many Russian citizens still do not appreciate how dangerous the events of that day were. Putin’s game was a complex intrigue and very risky.
It is well known that the greater the risk, the greater the prize. Net result of that operation was outing of the whole network of Western influence in the country, full takeover of the media fed by Western funds, full control over politicians and others who then acted on the side of the West, and the ability to control liberal faction in the government, which still lives under the Damoclean sword of compromising information obtained back then.
These events, a complete defeat of Anglo-Saxons in a game they were considered great masters of, caused total prostration of the collective West. The West put in a considerable effort to determine the real situation in the country, as it clearly saw the discrepancy between the reports of the “5th column” and reality. However, as the network of Western influence and its sources were “cleaned up” by the Russian special services, and every step of known agents of Western influence in power was controlled, this work was slow…
But the longer was the analysis, the more dreadful looked the reality…
It turned out that the army, which was presumably being destroyed by one “economist”, in reality had been thoroughly reformed; the industry serving the military was regularized; engineering teams had lots of contracts; military units that were thought to increase only a little were rearmed at incredible pace, and all that after reports that the country cannot produce anything and is buying Western samples for that reason. But the worst (for the West) situation was in the economy. How did in just ten years a country that was 69th by GDP surpass Germany, fifth economy in the world and #1 in Europe! How did the economy grow almost at Chinese speed!
Dynamics of Russia GDP per capita from 1885 through 2011 (The value for 1913 is 100%)
The strategy of containment was revived, specialists were reassigned to this direction, a huge army of special services personnel was directed against this old and still unbroken competitor. The West knew full well that if it does not stop the Russian revival now, while Russia is still not quite stable on its feet, it could lose not only the influence over Russia, but also the world hegemony.
From 2014 to 2015, Russia was subjected to assaults that no country was supposed to withstand, particularly not a country that just had a pre-revolutionary situation.
The project, which is at least 600 years old, of making part of the Russian people a weapon against Russia, is revived. Ukraine, which was quetly being destroyed by the West during all this period, using an example that worked in the middle of the XXth century, is rapidly converted into a military battering ram against Russia.
The West acts quickly, often sloppily, and at the beginning the Russian special services successfully counteract this. However, the pressure and financing turns out to be so great, with so many countries involved, that the situation changes dramatically. Several operations, including Maidan, are conducted in rapid succession. The majority of European countries unexpectedly support the creation of the temporary government, depriving Russia of the claim of illegitimacy of the new powers, whereas the media organize an unprecedented operation of whitewashing the coup in Ukraine. Under the circumstances, Russia has to wash its hands off the Ukrainian political process. Although in this the West won, it does not stand to reason to accuse Russia of doing nothing in Ukraine during the last 20 years.
In the 90s, Russia was in many ways weaker than separated from it Ukraine, and could only focus on its own survival. The Western media wrote with glee that the military potential of military Ukraine was greater than that of the Russian Federation. Indeed, as far as military hardware is concerned, Western analysts were right. One has to wonder how this colossal potential, essentially stolen from the Soviet people by “independent” Ukraine, could be wasted in just 20 years… Next, in the 2000s, Russia with great effort but quietly was restoring itself and did not have the capacity to interfere with the affairs of a foreign state. Only after 2012, Russia reemerges on the international stage.
What could have been done in just two years, when by that time the West had more than two decades to nurture in Ukraine a generation of its admirers?
Everything cannot be done at once.
However, Russians do not surrender, so, having distanced itself from the events in Kiev, Russia concentrated on Crimea.
The first actions of the new power in Kiev caused protests in Crimea, where the majority of the population is Russian-speaking. In parallel, Russian influence was mobilized via public organizations, such as “Russian community of Crimea” and party “Russian Unity”. In addition, direct dialog with the local powers in the autonomy was established. Few people know that, by Crimean peninsula, being an autonomy within Ukraine, right after Maidan events received an ultimatum from new Kiev authorities. The leadership of Crimea was told that within a day a plane will depart in the direction of Crimea, with new administration, and that military hardware is moving towards Crimea. The leadership was strongly recommended to leave before the arrival of the new administration. The details of the military operation prepared against them by the junta were forwarded to the Crimean authorities by Russia, and the Crimean authorities immediately asked the Russian Federation for the help.
In the morning of February 23, Putin tasked the heads of the armed forces and police to begin preparatory work for the return of Crimea to Russia. On March 1, Russian solders with local volunteers blocked all installations of the Ukrainian military on the peninsula. In the early morning of February 27, in response to an attempt of supporters of Mejlis and new Ukrainian powers to take over the building of the Crimean parliament, Russian special forces took over the defense of Crimean administrative buildings, and Supreme Soviet of Crimea decided to conduct an all-Crimea referendum. Sergey Aksenov, the leader of “Russian Unity” party, became the head of the new Crimean government. He announced that Crimea does not recognize new the Ukrainian government and asked Russia to “help ensure peace and quiet in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea”. The referendum about the status of Crimea was held on March 16. Based on its results, Republic of Crimea signed a treaty about joining Russia.
After that huge fiasco with the loss of the most valuable for the West part of its new colony and inglorious retreat of the battleship “Donald Cook” sent to “help”, the US became furious.
Virtually immediately, in April, the West showed its true colors by initiating a hot conflict. Using its puppets and supported by a part of Ukrainian population, Kiev starts an aggression against Eastern Ukraine bordering Russia. The operation verges on genocide of Russian population in the area. Ukraine uses prohibited by international conventions phosphorus bombs, cassette bombs, burns people alive, deliberately targets civilians, and so on. All this demonstrated cruelty has one purpose: to force Russia to invade the territory of a foreign country. Everything was done to achieve this, but even more was done to close the trap thus prepared for the “Russian bear” once it is in it …
The world media were on the ready; engaged politicians froze with microphones near their mouths, the world public opinion was prepared, and in Russia the game “Putin, move in the troops!” was played out…
The world stopped in anticipation… And… nothing happened…
Nothing that the West expected happened, but something else did happen. Putin withstood enormous pressure, but dozens of spy satellites observing Russian-Ukrainian border showed that Russian army remained on its positions. While collective West held the trap open and looked at it, in a different place, a bit to the side, two independent republics were declared unexpectedly, which unexpectedly had armed militias. Every day the quantity and quality of these militias, their supplies and support, grew. Since then the army of the aborigines in the new colony, Ukraine, taught by the US, suffered shameful defeats, encirclements, and surrenders. In the meantime, the West pretended to be a second Napoleon trying to convince the world without a modicum of proof of Russian involvement that one of the most powerful armies on the planet fights in Ukraine with its invisible ghost divisions…
The military path turned out to be a dead end for the US, and to prevent further defeats, which tarnished the image of the world “policeman”, the West, as is its wont, asked to start negotiations…
At the same time, the collective West conducted in another part of the world a greatest military operation since WWII – the creation of controllable tools –the terrorist armies.
Thing is, right now we live in the world with a military balance. The nuclear potential of the two powers does not allow the West to start a war for absolute world domination. The probability of mutual destruction for many years prevents the US and its satellites from starting a global war against Russia and its allies. Russian breakthrough in the development of hypersonic weapons (read here) makes the prospect of military success against it even less likely.
Even incorporation of new colonies the West has to conduct via financial expansion, which is slow, expensive, and not as effective as it would like. Thus, on the background of weakened Russia, with unprecedented provocation on September 11, the grand operation of destabilizing whole parts of the planet was launched, and the policy of controlled chaos was initiated. After staged events with twin towers, the world was told that terrorism is the main enemy. Interestingly, in 2001 terrorism was not a great threat; futheremore, few countries were familiar with it, except Russia and Israel. Importantly, the influence and spread of terrorism increased as the US, under the pretext of war on terrorism, occupied one country after another. While Russia, after taking over new territories, leaves universities, culture, economy, and life in its wake, the US taking over countries leave anarchy, chaos, and always the armies of ORGANIZED terrorists.
Thus, on the one hand, the US got a pretext to invade resource-rich countries and the ability to print more money to finance these wars, while, on the other hand, forming terrorist armies controlled by them.
There were several reasons for this plan.
First – the American debt. And ever increasing problems of servicing it, as it grows.
Second – the creation of chaos. By creating it everywhere except at home the US forms an impression that it is a “safe haven” for capital, attracting enormous financial flows to the US from destabilized regions.
Third, which is the most important, terrorist groups are not state armies. They cannot be attacked with nukes, as they act on the territories of countries. The terror does not maintain a traditional frontline, but it has commanders. This makes them a controllable tool. The only party that could stop terror, according to the Western plan, was the US, and any disobedience towards the US would immediately precipitate a terrorist attack.
Forth – TTIP. The treaty needed by the shadow financial rulers, corporations and finance groups. To stimulate its signing, millions of migrants, created by controlled chaos, were sent to Europe. The final act was getting close and everything was ready.
On September 29, 2015, the US and terrorist and mercenary groups controlled by them are within 20 km of Damascus. The key piece of the American operation, Syria, was almost ready to take its appointed place, the US is celebrating…
All of a sudden, on September 30, 2015, Russian air force starts airstrikes against terror groups all over the Syrian territory, which the world community and its special services did not expect. Bombers and strikers, protected by fighter jets and helicopters, Russia-based planes of Russian strategic air force, launches of cruise missiles from ships of Black Sea and Caspian fleets, salvos of newest cruise missiles “Calibr” of various modifications nobody knew about. The Russian airbase was protected by marines, paratroopers of the Russian airforce an army special forces. Also, the base was protected by arriving systems of PRO, radio-electronic warfare, whereas Russian warships entered the Mediterranean. Military transport planes, which Russia, according to presumably reliable intelligence, could not have in such quantities, created a “bridge” between the two countries, transporting unbelievable quantities of military supplies.
The seemingly successful Western operation of creating an arc of instability and forming from the remnants of Libya, Syria and Iraq of a new state controlled by the US, which was supposed to supply terrorism, that was almost competed, was ruined. More than 10 years of work, several states, many hundreds of billions of dollars, with the endgame in Syria, were crushed by the Polite Army…
Naturally, nothing is over yet. While in Syria mile after mile of the territory is taken away from terrorists, and the country, thanks to Russia, got a peace of sorts, the US still has Libya and Iraq.
But these are geopolitical issues, which will be dealt with in due time. The Russian Syria, meanwhile, is a question of our security, a foothold beyond the state borders. With this foothold, Western plans to push controlled terror by it to the Central Asia, the Russian underbelly, became much less acute and dangerous.
Still, it is guaranteed that right there we should expect the next “gift” from our foreign “friends and partners”.
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
Unfortunately, lots of people still do not think about why the US and England now pressure our country so fiercely. One can find the answer above. As well as in evaluating what exactly did stop the first large-scale military operation of post-Soviet Russia outside of its territory.
There is no doubt that Western attempts to put pressure on our economy, destabilize our civil society, lure Russia into anti-Russian unions, and play on inter-ethnic tensions will continue.
However, we must acknowledge that the fears of Western states are quite justified…
Huge territory, colossal resources, intelligent population, high morality – Russia has everything to become a dominant state. History shows that every time Russia overcame one aggression or another and the pressure on it temporarily weakened, a period of furious development followed. Getting rid of “shackles and burdens” that held the country down, Russia invariably responded by numerous actions, accomplishments, successes, and rapid growth.
Thus, it is hardly surprising that during these periods the West hastily united and collectively put pressure on our country. In other words, it did exactly what we see today.
Luckily, excellent diplomacy, masterful actions in geopolitics and a well-reasoned approach to internal enemies, as well as the best in the world nuclear defense force, in addition to the highly mobile and professional army, allow Russia to strengthen its constructive role as a Eurasian super-power, the role of the main counterbalance to imperial hegemony of the US and liberal madness of the EU.
Taken together, all of this can in the foreseeable future make our country a recognized leader of the world resistance to corporatocracy, globalization, false tolerance and political correctness, turn it into the main defender of traditional spiritual, religious, moral, and historic values of all peoples on Earth against the West that lost all bearings.
We will never go down the path of self-isolation, xenophobia, search for enemies or suspiciousness. These are all signs of weakness. We are strong and confident in ourselves.
The big barrier called Putin
http://bit.ly/1GxrGUo
Excellent and comprehensive . Spasibo Eugenia . Glory to thee , Holy Rusia and to your great People . Our only hope .
Meantime, the US homeland is rapidly losing it’s homogeniety, it’s capability to support logistically, financially and politically such an undertaking.
The illusion of stability at the homefront is clearly vaning in the eyes of all, but the most incapable actors and spectators.
Time for 9/11-ll, and the timeframe is short, it will have to happen b4 the Trump card is played out.
May you live in interesting times…
The 9-11 card has been played and after so many false flags there is little patriotism to mobilize- the 147 million in the chart of able men is a fiction – few – other than the desperate and dumb – would risk their lives for Washington DC economic hegemonic objectives.
The disintegration of US society for those who have seen the arc since WWII is dramatic. Consumerism is dying which is the only thing that was holding it all together. Fight for the USA – why?
The 36 million for Germany is a fiction as well. Whom would you send to the front? A bunch of pensioneers?
Thanks, Eugenia, great translation
Great analysis from RoSsiBaRBeRa, as always.
I don’t know who is behind this account. They call themselves “Polite Russia,” but those guys are excellent.
Vladimir Putin Addresses SPIEF-2016 Participants, Guests (VIDEO)
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160617/1041499727/2016-spief-putin.html
Dear Scott,
Thanks for putting the link – sadly Putin mentioned sports/doping during Q&A and it looks like the IAAF have gone ahead and banned the whole Russian track and field team (now on RT – via media sources – not confirmed yet) – so the innocents have got screwed too. The media now can be judge, jury and executioner. Politics and hybrid war continues. They can only compete as individuals now and not under the Russian flag.
This is the end of the Olympic Games as we know it. I hope all the innocent athletes sue these governing bodies esp. WADA and the IAAF which is supposed to protect innocent clean athletes who should be allowed to participate in sport.
No surprise – collective punishment. Disgrace.
“The media now can be judge, jury and executioner.”
ONLY when it serves TPTB’s purpose. Otherwise it is ignored and does not appear on the big screen.
ST. PETERSBURG, June 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed as a cliche the suspicion Russia backs nationalist forces in Europe. He expressed this opinion of his at a news conference following talks with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
“This is a two-fold question and one part of it is the assertion of a cliche spreading in Europe to the effect Russia supports some nationalist parties or maintains special relations with them,” he said.
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Putin recalled that back ten years ago he warned the European counterparts that “the policy they are pushing ahead with will inevitably result in the popularity of nationalist parties and movements.”
“We have nothing to do with that. You should go and ask those who are responsible for this in Europe,” Putin added. “It is very clear that this is a delicate humanitarian question and that people who try to get away from war do need help. But it is likewise clear that while granting aide each country should take care of its citizens.”
Putin stressed Russia’s firm intention not to meddle in such affairs.
“We maintain relations with all political forces in Europe. Those at the helm of power and those in opposition,” he concluded.
More:
http://tass.ru/en/politics/883193
Third time lucky re the Olympics 08 12 16
I am stunned. This much info in such a short article, pin-pointed to the core.
I have made several depictions of Vladimir Putin, including riding on various animals etc..
This one however is one of my favorites. Free to use on a strictly non commercial basis.
http://fotovision.no/GLP1/Vladimir_Putin_One_of_The_Good_Guys.jpg
Take Care
Kent
very beautiful, thanks a lot for sharing
Very very beautiful! Thanks Kent, thanks a lot!
” the west that lost all bearings.”
Well, that’s his opinion. Our opinion is that our identity is situated not in our hearts or brains but between our legs. The author may think that represents a descent in consciousness, but we’re democratic and we know that reality is not objective, it’s whatever the majority of people agree that it is, and our consensus opinion is that down is really up.
We’ve instilled these principles in our educational system and the main thing is, we always feel good about what the majority of us agree on. And we can create consensus reality in a lot of other places too. Like in Western Ukraine. So there!
The main problem I have with Russian visitors to the US is that they see many of the superficial results of a formerly productive country (more 6-10 lane highways in Los Angeles County than all of Russia) and find the rate of rot and decline hard to perceive, despite my insisting that such is the case. Although after a few days of jaw dropping astonishment, one retired engineer did wonder at the fact that he hadn’t seen any factories yet. External (and internal) financial looting. Like Britain. A scourge called “freedom”.
Greetings Message to Moscow 8 September, 1947
https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1947/09/08.htm
“Moscow is today not only the initiator in the building of the new way of life of the working people of the capital, a life free from want and wretchedness suffered by millions of poor and unemployed. Moscow is also a model for all the capitals in the world in this respect. One of the gravest sores of the large capitals of countries in Europe, Asia and America are the slums in which millions of impoverished working people are doomed to wretchedness and a slow and painful death. The service which Moscow has rendered is that it completely abolished these slums and gave the working people the opportunity to move out of their cellars and hovels into the apartments and houses of the bourgeoisie and into the new comfortable houses which have been built by the Soviet authorities.”
All the factories you cherish and have fond memories of are now run by the benevolent Capitalists in China’s Apple production facilities giving hundreds of millions there the chance to pull themselves up by their bootstraps…no exploitation in sight.
Yeah, right.
Keep counting.
Absurd commentary again, Ewan. As though Apple products are the only things that are needed. You have no diea what factories I would like to see built here or anywhere else. Simply absurd.
Please stop calling me “Ewan” (I believe he was from Scotland while I am from Ireland).
(I agree. Bro, please stop calling people “names” that you just make up. (Mod))
I have zero interest in the type of factories you would like – I have every disgust at your disregard of exploitation.
When the war comes it will not be between Russia and the West (since they have the same ideology) – it will be between those like you and those like I.
The sooner that happens the better.
As someone also from Ireland, I have to say to Anonymous, that your use of English leaves me completely puzzled by what you are trying to say or indeed what your issue is with Bro.
Further, you say that when the war comes it will not be between the West and Russia because they have the same ideology. What planet are you on??? By comparison the the rotten West, Russia is a great paragon of virtue. Surely even here is “Holy Ireland”, you can see the decay and degeneracy, and this is mostly imported from the US and the UK, where we take most of our cultural influences from, God help us. When I was a young man, I thought that we were finally beginning to free ourselves from the shakles of the post colonial slave mentality. Unfortunately those who sacrificed their lives 100 years ago and in the following War of Independence wasted their lives for the coming generations of Irish who have now abandoned the heritage and culture and faith of our forebears for the the values of pornography and meaningless materialism and selfishness. We are unworthy of our liberators.
By contrast, Russia is a country at last rising from 100 years of tears and hardship, seeking its proper place in the world with a government which has, as the charts above demonstrate, made great advances for its people. At the same time, the faith of the Russian people is undergoing a resurgence as they reject the western celebration of gay culture and multiculturalism, designed to divide society and tear it from its roots.
The West is in fact, in my view, a rotting hulk, rotting from the inside and tottering towards its inevitable implosion. It has rejected and abandoned all that truly made it great for perversion, licentiousness and momentary pleasure. Even our educational institutions are dumbed down massively, where many graduates are functionally illiterate. As Yeats put it;
“What need you, being come to sense,
But fumble in a greasy till
And add the halfpence to the pence”
“A scourge called
“freedom”“capitalism”.Our opinion is that our identity is situated not in our hearts or brains but between our legs.
Funny you say that. Today I read a Russian blog about St. Petersburg economic forum and his author used the same analogy with a different conclusion. According to him the West identity isn’t in its heart or brains but in its wallet.
I appreciate your point, but I would suggest that Money is not the identity of the mass of Americans, it is the Religion.
All kinds of lip service is given to other religions, but that is mostly about copping out, not doing anything and waiting for salvation that is certainly not deserved for anyone practicing such fakery.
The devotion, the firmly held belief, the real effort is put into something even more fake: Money. This is the God that actually receives the reverence and worshipful effort.
Good observation. Very good in fact.
I have come up against this problem and there is no easy solution. Perhaps time living in the US and dealing with everyday issues would wake such people up.
It is even worst if the person has never been to the US. Next to impossible to convince them that it is not Utopia :-)
Bro-
The “scourge” called freedom? The US has no freedom. Where else are black teenagers routinely shot dead for no reason? The US has the highest incarceration % in the world……the voting is rigged by Diebold machines. The food is poisonous GMO. The deeds, even if you own your house, are only “warranty deeds” because of the theft of the US constitution by the secret US corporation controlled in London. The US education system was hijacked by infiltration of a covert system designed to destroy the family by destroying men first, and then women. No, the article is correct. The West is lost. The fact that the elites call democracy the problem is due to continual use of the Hegelian dialectic: problem – freedom; reaction- make freedom the problem for everything so they can create “security” instead of freedom; solution- slavery and continual war.
But its run itself out. The planet doesn’t want this anymore. This isn’t just about Russia, this about eternal justice. I don’t buy it that freedom is the problem. They, the elites, are the problem. I’m done paying their tribute.
Excellent article. The truth of the the matter is that the USA is rotting from the inside and that the exterior displays normality. The evil, immoral and dark energy emitting from the USA will be defeated by the light of morality of the Russian Federation.
On a side note about the USA, their only military victory was accomplished when their entire military apparatus was dispatched to conquer the great threat that the island of Grenada imposed against the USA. Their president Maurice Bishop was assassinated as an example to the rest of the caribbean islands, if they had any anti-usa ideas that they would meet the same fate.
I sincerely hope that Russian can destroy the pillars of power, greed, control and money that support the table that the USA sits on.
The manpower-column in the graph is off by a factor of 1,000.
Things look like heating up in Syria. What will Putin do?
https://www.rt.com/news/347062-state-department-dissent-syria-bombing/
What I’d give for a leak on the signatories of that memo…lemme guess:
……stein
……berg
……rosen
……finkel
……feingold
……green
Whereas a few of the names are Jewish, the majority are definitely not. The list is available. One name that definitely wouldn’t be on such a list, even if he worked for the state dept rather than as an emeritus professor at Princeton, is Stephen F Cohen.
My point being that “it’s all a Jewish conspiracy” goes far too far. Sure crazed “greater Israel” Zionists and some key Eastern European Jewish background neocon individuals in USA are prime drivers of Russophobia. But most supporters of the Corporatocracy’s Empire of Chaos are of varying backgrounds – whether high up and aware of the Grand Chessboard plan or simply brainwashed MSM believing foot soldiers – and include super-rich Westerners of all backgrounds, US super-patriots, American exceptionalists, European anti-Russian through historical grievances superficial thinkers, Wahhabist Muslims wherever the KSA has spread its ideological poison and petrodollars etc.
The extreme Zionists play the anti-semitism card, to undermine opposition. It doesn’t help the cause to pick up the card and play under those rules. The truth is broader and it’s based on greed. Which knows no ethnic or sectarian bounds.
Sure crazed “greater Israel” Zionists and some key Eastern European Jewish background neocon individuals in USA are PRIME drivers of Russophobia.
And prime is the key word here.
As it was during the revolutions, that led to the formation of the Soviet Union.
Since then the technology has evolved, techniques refined, legions of goyishe useful idiots recruited, but the song remains the same tikkun olam, that describes the genetical jewish revolutionary spirit.
Unfortunately for us, we are an evolutionary species, revolutions only help our parasites to strenghten their harness on our backs.
Good point.
But it sure is funny how many gatekeepers at various organizations in various institutions just happen to be from that tribe. I don’t have in mind NFL or the Tuskegee University.
Guess it is good education and luck.
Thank You, very well written. Sadly my country Amerika is about to elect another cycle-0-path.
What do such GDP numbers mean if private west-connected Oligarchy still runs the country, biz, even the central bank?
What comes next, Mr. TheSaker quotes IMF numbers as advertisement for Putin?
It is as if the german MSM say that the average income for germans is 4000 EUR. Well, that’s true. Bad luck only how it is comprised (Billionaires get Billions, middle-class almost extinct, germany has the largest low-income sectore of Europe [which keeps destroying the surrounding economies, such as that of France], and those with less luck have to [try ro] survive under the bridges: https://www.google.de/search?q=germany+homeless&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQmN7Ipa_NAhWM1iwKHQPRAnYQsAQIPg&biw=1280&bih=851 ).
But the average income for germans is 4000 EUR.
So, what is the average income for Russians?
How expensive is life in Russia?
I know from my own attempts to find a job there that outside the american metropoles like Moscow or Leningrad the wages for a sophisticated programmer are hardly above 300 EUR per month and never exceeed 400 EUR per month.
I give a #$% on such polished GDB number in any country, because that only says if money is available in a country. But it says nothing about who gets and who steals it.
What is big Oligarchy-barrier Putin doing against the 5th column pro-western dual citizen Oligarchs in Russia?????
And where are his plans to undo the theft of the 90ties?
russia privatization 2016
https://www.google.de/search?q=russia+privatization&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=PA1kV_SEHOqS6AT_8ITwDg#q=russia+privatization+2016
A Russian Fire-Sale Privatization?
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/russia-deficit-privatization-plan-by-sergei-guriev-2016-03?barrier=true
Putin prepares Russia for massive privatization drive
by Ivana Kottasova and Alanna Petroff @CNNMoney February 2, 2016: 12:34 PM ET
Russians protest against economic crisis
http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/02/news/economy/russia-privatization-economy-putin/
Russia lines up state assets for privatisation
2 February 2016
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35473198
Ok, google put western propaganda results first, but we heard from Putin personally that his plans for more privatization are genuine.
Privatization means selling silver for cents on a Dollar. This is *theft*.
And apparently Putin believes he must accelerate such programs to keep Russia fluent.
Rather than finally making the Russian central bank anything Russian again!
http://thesaker.is/the-duran-interviews-paul-craig-roberts-a-warning-from-a-fierce-critic-of-washington/comment-page-1/#comment-247548
Martin from Soviet East-Berlin on June 06, 2016 · at 11:28 pm UTC
s.a.top on June 05, 2016 · at 3:27 pm UTC wrote:
“””””the central bank of russia is under russian control by law, “The Bank of Russia (Russian: Банк России) is the central bank of the Russian Federation, founded in 1860, headquartered on Neglinnaya Street in Moscow. Its functions are described in the Russian constitution (Article 75) and in the special Federal Law.” the gold reserve is not owned by the central bank only managed.”””””
I had asked you to read the real thing, Starikov’s book, not some MSM fiction written along the USA playbook on wikipedia.
Here the proof that you didn’t open a single of the sources I provided, yet you kept telling me that everything you never only attempted to read is “wrong”.
Now, here in an excerpt from page 28 (of 300) in http://lit.md/files/nstarikov/rouble_nationalization-the_way_to_russia's_freedom.pdf
“””””The law on the Central Bank is full of controversies. It is technically
federal property, and nevertheless, the Central Bank has no obligations
towards the state. What is more, should we, that is the state, decide to get
rid of the annoying man and use the gold and foreign currency reserves of
the Central Bank to build new factories and roads, we would be doomed to
failure. The three guys next to the lift would not beat us up while we still have
the Russian army and the nuclear shield. But very soon a fourth roughneck
would come to the flat. ‘Independent International Court’ is written on his
back. You must have already guessed that there is no chance for justice.
The Central Bank of Russia, if the Russian state wants to use what allegedly
belongs to it… can file a complaint to the international court!
‘Article 6. The Bank of Russia is authorised to file suits to courts in ac
–
cordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. The Bank of Russia
is entitled to appeal to international courts, courts of foreign countries and
courts of arbitration for protection of its rights’.
The Bank of Russia and the state cannot decide a controversy themselves.
It will be decided by the Stockholm court of arbitration. Or the independent
court of the State of New York. This is as ridiculous as if the Central Party
Committee and the People’s Commissioners for Finances at the times of
Stalin did not solve their disputes in the Kremlin or government sessions,
but at the court of the Third Reich. It was equally independent from the
Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party and from the USSR
government. Right? Right. Therefore it could decide who was right and who
was wrong in the USSR, being the court of Nazi Germany. It would have
been fair and impartial. And of course, it would have been guided only by
the interests of Russia and by the letter of the law. But the funniest thing is
that should the Central Bank appeal to the International Court of Justice,
it would inevitably win. And Russia, that is us, would inevitably lose. Why?
Because the Central Bank is a part of a whole system of similar central banks
which, in their turn are a part of a web called the International Monetary
Fund (IMF).
And what is most important: the gold and foreign currency
reserves of the Central Bank of Russia are not stored in Russia”””””
Sorry to distrurb your party, but Dr. Paul Craig Roberts is right.
Privatization Is the Atlanticist Strategy to Attack Russia — Paul Craig Roberts and Michael Hudson
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2016/02/08/privatization-is-the-atlanticist-strategy-to-attack-russia-paul-craig-roberts-and-michael-hudson/
I also have warned about Russian Central Bank and its western ties…this bank is not sovereign to Russia. And yes, Hudson is completely correct as usual.
If you are a country and you don’t have your own money, your own language, and your own borders….you are not a country.
Who knows why Putin is not dealing with the money power issue? It does raise some uncomfortable questions.
See my former comment:
http://thesaker.is/kudrin-returns/#comment-235310
Exactly, Kudrin and Savchenko – for me that made the glass spill over.
It also raises questions why people like Mr.TheSaker appear to be multiply resistant to such our comments. Worse: Appears to hate me for reminding of the real issues.
The entire “blind fanboy, I’m so proud of being that” gets more comical by the day.
Exactly, Kudrin and Savchenko – for me that made the glass spill over.”
If you speak Russian , there is a very interesting discussion after the original article in Russian, where the author answers similar questions.
Yes, saw that. tnx.
Wait.
India and Italy are tied for SECOND in terms of number of aircraft carriers they each possess (2), trailing only the USA- and ahead of Russia and China?!
Better watch out for India and Italy!
Very well written and informative article.
It’s time to emigrate to Russia.
I feel the same…….
A really masterful article with powerful explanatory force .
And an excellent translation that does it justice.
Thanks so much to you both :-)
Truly, Russia is the moral compass of the world. For all of those who believe in God, we hope for a restoration of the Orthodoxy in Russia to ally with their natural allies in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
This article is bloody brilliant. Print and show to my Aussie brothers and sisters.
One of the most comprehensive yet succinct accounts of recent Russian-US geopolitical and military history.
It puts in clear language (great translation) the arch of destabilization carried out by the American military-intelligent establishment in search of world hegemony.
It without a doubt proves, through a simple documentation of cui bono and cause and effect, that 9/11 was a strategic decision of willful chaos. I would be hard pressed to discern the difference between evil and a de facto policy of hurting others for your own gain. But am I projecting moral characteristics onto a political-social-captialist structure that is a nation?
Alas, this article does indeed inspire shame and, frankly, concern. Concern that we are all clearly unwilling participants in a deadly game of struggle where win or lose (and with long term considerations, as I am want to do with financial investments, I am not inspired our people will or should win), everyone suffers. At this point it’s hoping for a minimization of suffering.
What is the solution to this? A one world government? We cannot guarantee that crazy people won’t obtain power so removing the chances may make sense; however we clearly do not want to consolidate power where the cost of abuse rise.
I suppose this constant state of primacy seeking is a relic of human nature and our origins.
With the advent of robotics and AI I can say this ridiculous drama will take on a new level of risk.
When will everyone back away and stop playing this stupid game.
Nice analysis, but yet another attitude glorifying control of energy resources.
There is nothing nice about any of this.
It all poisons all of us. Gas isn’t that much better than oil.
Biggest problem is the entire idea of ‘economics’. If it doesn’t keep expanding it doesn’t work. Always needs more consumers. Just eats itself. Figure it out.
Soviet system was better.
All the responses to this thread seem to be about money and economy.
Which is apparently how everything needs to be measured?
Why?
Isn’t society and projections to a future more important, rather than an insular self-importance?
It’s God’s plan that Putin is the leader of Russia. He is just like Heracleus of Byzantine empire. In fact V. Putin is Heracleus II and Russia is Byzantine II. How nicely he rule Russia! Too good.
Excellent analysis. I only hope that President Putin continues for next 4 years and groom a suitable successor. Get rid of the kleptocrats/oligarchs and the remnant NGO. In crisis, Russia always produced great leaders from Peter the great to Stalin (though he was not a good human being, but did save Russia) to Putin. Hopefully, his successor would be as good a grandmaster with nerves of steel. Russia and China are the only two nations currently able to withstand the perfidious West.
@ Ahmed
” …Stalin (though he was not a good human being)
I can almost discern a malicious smirk of smugness behind that cheap shot. Indeed, Stalin was not a good human being; he was a GREAT HUMAN BEING, the greatness of which few of us can even imagine due to the opaque fog of lies and hate in the MSM for the unpardonable sin of having constructed almost singlehanded the anti-capitalist bastion that was the USSR.
I could write a long comment showing Stalin’s immeasurable contribution and concern for the well-being of the common Soviet people. Yes, he was implacable towards the enemies of the people, particularly the traitorous 5th column inside the party and state, but his devotion the people’s cause was always the cardinal guide of his life and work.
Just one snippet to show the mettle of the man: the troops buried in the trenches in one sector of the front facing the German army got word from HQ that a commissar would come for a routine inspection. He got there on the following day and to their amazement the commissar was none other than comrade Stalin.
If you are a decent person, do yourself a favour and check impartial sources about Stalin before parroting the clichés implanted in feeble minds.
Kim
The situation is even wors for the west:
The reaction of NATO is pure panik
Russia is delivering more oil and gas to China than the kingdom of SA ( pipeline is cheaper than ships ), the non intervention of Russia in dombass was desastrous for the west , the tanks and terminals build in klapeida Rotterdam & Wales will not be used for american and Qatari gas ( in case of an invasion we would have boycotted Russian gas ) instead germany is going for option 2 northstream 2 , the door in Syria is closed for Qatar !
The losses of the US petro dollar oil shares worldwide Will bancrupt the united states , even If the US manage to take over Venezuela and Brazil. The US has two options : war or collapse!
Personally i think it Will be collapse
Many others are taking the other side of this bet.
(Interesting they went all the way to Argentina to come up with some no-name to quote, when Salbuchi lives right there!)
Many of the apparent contradictions in Russia today, Lilia Shevtsova says, can be explained by the fact that Vladimir Putin and his regime have entered what Argentinian political scientist Guilliermo O’Donnell once called “the impotence of omnipotence,” the gradual loss of power by leaders who remain in office for a long time.
http://euromaidanpress
check out his career CV:
Earlier he has served in various capacities in the U.S. State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency and the International Broadcasting Bureau as well as at the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
First, Eugenia, superb and long work that we thank you for this contribution to understanding Russia.
Next, a good thorough exposition of the true state of things and what has transpired.
Saker, thank you.
Now, I leave it to the haters to trample and piss, though my POV is this is a terrific analysis and illuminates the truth.
Thank you Eugenia for translating this.
It requires another read and looking at all the charts etc. in more detail. A lot of very important information to digest.
“If the Bolsheviks managed to reach the pre-war level after the WWI and civil war in the first 5-year period, and the losses after the Great Patriotic war were already recouped by 1955, we are still recovering after the catastrophe of 1991 with great difficulty.”
Her lays the truth, in the first half of the post. The second half is some kind of positive propaganda which even if has its real base, do not endorse the first half. That means, that without a strong and united leadership on all fronts and without a strong and clear political message – ideology – the above written achievements cannot be continuous and successful. Throw out the multitude of political parties and form just one which unite the all people of Russia. The lesson is given. Begin with a planned economy and forget the foreign investors.
I also thought that was a “telling” quote. It was said “just in passing” by the author. But it should have been a “wow” moment instead. If it took the Bolsheviks only 5 years,and under a “lot” more pressure from the West than today.To restore the economy to pre-war levels. And after the “utter” devastation and losses of WW2 it took the Soviets only 10 years to restore the pre-war levels. But yet from 1991, the 25 years since, has not seen a full recovery. That alone should say a lot about the problems, and the solutions to them adopted (or maybe the problem is “not” adopted).
“If the Bolsheviks managed to reach the pre-war level after the WWI and civil war in the first 5-year period, and the losses after the Great Patriotic war were already recouped by 1955, we are still recovering after the catastrophe of 1991 with great difficulty.”
Here lays the truth, in the first half of the post. The second half is some kind of positive propaganda which even if has its real base, do not endorse the first half. That means, that without a strong and united leadership on all fronts and without a strong and clear political message – ideology – the above written achievements cannot be continuous and successful. Throw out the multitude of political parties and form just one which unite the all people of Russia. The lesson is given. Begin with a planned economy and forget the foreign investors.
Very good comment, ioan.
I profess small knowledge of Russia.
I look at Putin’s years and I see marvelous success for the RF, stunted only by the Hegemon’s efforts.
I see no ideology better than great leadership. Russians always demand a great leader.
I see no need for a Party. Putin is basically Tsar for Life. The Russians have a say. They keep him in power.
Is this ideal for Russia in the decades ahead? A Tsar?
If Putin can be followed by a talented, intelligent, cunning leader like himself.
Always you must be lucky to find a good leader.
But we know Ideology by itself produces mediocrities and worse.
And Parties are the test bed for the mediocrities.
So, I don’t see either solution as good.
Bright men who loved Russia selected Putin. That formula might be a good starting point.
He was known. He was trusted. He performed.
The FSB and St. Petersburg produced him. Maybe that was the Party and the Ideology.
But you still have to have a great man with a great mind and a great heart for his country.
“But you still have to have a great man with a great mind and a great heart for his country.”
Gospel Truth :-)
My impression is that Putin loves his country !!!
Boris Yeltsin ? Hell no.
Gorbachev ? Hell no. When I found out that he started a Foundation in San Francisco I had my proof.
Dmitry Medvedev ??????? I’m on the fence.
“While Russia, after taking over new territories, leaves universities, culture, economy, and life in its wake, the US taking over countries leave anarchy, chaos, and always the armies of ORGANIZED terrorists.”
—————————–
The saddest indictment of our Global “Policeman.” They could have had it all – instead they isolated themselves in exceptional arrogance.
A delightful read – thank you.
Thanks to the writer and the translator. I am always grateful for an inspirational article like this one. My mother was a physician in the Yugoslav resistance movement (1941-1945) against all sorts of fascists (German nazis, Croatian ustashi, Horty’s Arrow Cross troops, Albanian ballists, Mussolini’s and Bulgarian fascists) occupying the territory of Yugoslavia. During the war she gave Russian names to all of her children, fully realizing that without “Ivan and Masha” entire family would be dead. She herself comes from a petite bourgeoisie family but had no problem joining Tito’s partizans as that was the only way to fight evil and have some chance of survival.
In 2002 she realized, way ahead of many people including me, what Putin was after, namely rebuilding RF differently from other predecessors. She respected him for consistency and integrity few could see at the time. Prompted by her, I later read her (she couldn’t see any longer) some paragraphs from a rather good biography of Putin, written by Roy Medvedev, which confirmed her intuitive grasp of his vision. The point I am trying to make is that it takes an antifascist to immediately recognize another one.
It as not too surprising that Putin uses force very selectively, almost like the last resort. War is too blunt an instrument to be used (if one is wise enough) anywhere but obviously blunt situations, like in Syria and Iraq. For this reason he didn’t use it in Ukraine, and refrained from using it against Turkey. He used it sparingly against Gruzia in 2008, after blunt stupidity by Saakashivili. The mistakes during Chechen wars ( late 1990’s), clearly sharpened his judgements for later situations.
Putin obviously surrounds himself with people who have similar integrity and attitude in dealing with critical national problems. He will not appoint anyone
below his standards and that guarantees success of his strategic vision during
his term in the office.
What happens after? We saw it with Medvedev who fell bellow Putin’s standard at least in dealing with Libya. I can only hope that he drew right conclusion and is thinking about coming up with power transition mechanism that makes sure RF makes wise choices in the future. Tito’s mechanism (rotating presidency among 6 republics) was failure and was partly responsible for collapse of Yugoslavia.
Regards, Spiral
“We saw it with Medvedev who fell bellow Putin’s standard at least in dealing with Libya. ”
My intuition tells me he is not the man for the job.
Thank you Eugenia for your work. Thank you The Saker for all you do daily in informing us.
Long live Putin the Great! May God always guide him and protect him.
Glory to Russia! What pride for Russians to have Putin as their leader.
God bless.
Regards,
Carmel by the Sea
May God Bless President Putin, and grant him many years.
“TTIP… To stimulate its signing, millions of migrants, created by controlled chaos, were sent to Europe” I had a vague suspicion of this, or some similar blackmail game, being the case… Here is the first source that openly states TTIP to be the hidden reason for that refugee flood…
I feel proud, PROUD for my fellow citizens in Germany
who, rather unitedly, reject TTIP, saying “we dont want chlorine chickens and GMO on our tables”
thus having enforced upon USA (via Mr Soros, may he fry in H.ll)
to make use of overtly foul play against Germany
by means of refugee masses contaminated with organized gangs of Maghrebian crooks…
a tactical step which will, once the truth gets public, become a big big shame for USA and NATO.
Our citizens become, as it seems, more and more able to look thru propaganda smokescreens, including that about neofascist groups acting in Germany…
Our media are so full of warning against neonazis but I, meself, never saw one! Perhaps its only because I live out in the green, having watched not a single political march or demonstration during last fifteen years.
But I feel there is more about it. Nazis, today, seem to be a bogeyman. I am sure that most of us never saw a Skinhead or Neonazi alive… only on TV and photos…
but what we do see, even in small towns, is a rise of burglaries and pickpocketing, done mainly by gangs coming either from South-East Europe, as Albania and Romania, or from the Maghreb, and in the bigger towns there was also a rise of sexual assaults (not in the small towns and villages, perhaps those gangsters are too coward to touch a village woman who has relatives and buddies-from-schooltime everywhere around, perhaps it is also because big German towns squirm with unprotected but overdressed and over-make-up´ed girls, while our villages dont).
“Wo Gefahr ist, wächst das Rettende auch” (Hölderlin). Germany may be too goodwilled, many of our citizens may be only patient sheep, but we still have not become completely sheepish… and if you tease and harass a sheep too much, it will remember its horns on the head, and use them.
I find President Putin’s public statements forthright and factually correct for the most part. One
exception is his insistence that “global warming” is a fraud. His position on this issue flies in the face of readily available evidence to the contrary, as seen in graphs on the following web page, some animated:
http://www.climate-lab-book.ac.uk/spirals/
Work by Tim Garrett, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah that was initially published in 2009, and he’s published a couple of followup papers since then, that work indicates that civilization itself is a heat engine. And the only way to turn off the heating of the earth is to terminate civilization.
In addition, it seems that Garrett’s initial paper, which was written more than eight years ago, which points out that only collapse of civilization prevents runaway climate change –well, as it turns out now we know that collapse of industrial civilization leads to abrupt climate change. See following video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CXRaTnKDXA
Excellent piece. When the numbers speak, everything else is irrelevant. It is a common perception in the West that the economic growth of Russia in Putin’s era is due to external factors, outside the control of the Russian Govt – oil and natural gas prices. As numbers show oil and gas exports constitute a minority in export revenue and state budgets – thus net growth of wealth in Putin’s era could be only partly explained by the price of energy commodities and to a greater extent explained by the Russian Govt’s ability to internalise revenue streams and allocate them more productively (i.e. Not in offshore accounts, but in infrastructure, etc.). This is one of the angles of propaganda that the West uses vs Russia – the relative prosperity in the past years is not due to Putin’s policies, rather to high oil prices (which grew as a result of the West bringing democracy and freedom to the peoples of Iraq, Libya, etc.).
Russian – Chinese relations are key to stability in the coming decades and centuries.
– Both countries are under attach by the Anglo Zionists (UK playing the good cop with China, US playing the bad copy both UK and US playing bad cops with Russia). In both counties Muslim populated regions represent the most vulnerable areas – hence common anti-terror / Western policies
– Russia has so far depended on the West for external financing – the West can cut the tap; China has so far been investing its trade surplus in US Treasuries (for FX stability reasons), however nothing stops the US from anulling those debts (after all the US doesn’t give a damn about intl law). Both countries could become closer ‘financing’ partners and Russia could borrow more from China, and China could place part of its surpluss in Russian infrastructure, etc…win-win situation which also undermines the USD
– Russia still generates c.25% of its export revenue from oil and gas; China is being slowly suffocated in Malaca Straight, Middle East, and most recently SCS. Why should Russia sell oil and gas to EU when it can sell to China. Win-Win
– Both countries are no longer dependent on the west for technological innovation. In fact they do not need the latest technologies to achieve a factor of productivity that supports healthy economic growth. Russia has an advantage in software, hardware (Military, Industrial) and China has an advantage in consumer goods, autos., etc. And if we talk about the latest discoveries in biotech, fin tech, etc- look at how many of those people are Anglo Saxon and how many are Chinese, Russian, Indian…knowledge is fluid and it finds its home where the money / commercialisation potential is greater
– Idealogically the two countries are very close, particularly when it comes to government ideology, bureaucracy – it’s much easier to work with Russians than with Americans.
– The internationalisation of the RMB will make it easier for Russia to conduct financing and trade operations in RMB and not in USD
I personally think that Putin has brought Russia to a good starting point, a good base for growth – what Russia needs now is a wave of infrastructure development in Siberia / East combined with strong investment in high-tech and import substitution manufacturing. Now, it’s time to focus on the Asian brethren and build together a common economic and military space from the Black Sea to the South China Sea, bringing together on fair terms Central and South Asian countries. A self-sufficient economic space with no reliance on Anglo-Zionist controlled natural resources or credit. Russia and China need each other more than any time before. Gong Chang Wan Sui
Tongzhi T.
Best ever analysis I have seen on the subject.
The economic data alone!!!
Thank you, “Saker”.
(No caps please. I changed it just this time, but next time I might not have the time to do that, and then I will either trash the comment or delete the sentences written in all caps.(Mod)
And I say with you:
“Taken together, all of this can in the foreseeable future make our country a recognized leader of the world resistance to corporatocracy, globalization, false tolerance and political correctness, turn it into the main defender of traditional spiritual, religious, moral, and historic values of all peoples on Earth against the West that lost all bearings.”
Long live the Russian spirit, long live Russia…
Pakistan certainly has nuclear warheads.
Every night since the drunk dancing bear Yeltsin disappeared the propaganda machine in the west is spewing venom on Russia. If my memory serves me right it started with the Sochi Olympics and the 5th columnists were active participants. Every world event Russian society is portrayed by the media in a negative light. RT has gone a long way to dispel some of the venom but they are relentless. Any Russian athlete is vilified a cheater as long as he or she remains loyal to Russia. Look at Sharapova just imagine her using drugs knowingly when she is at the top of her sport. For the last while we were inundated with How the Russian Hooligans are active in France but not a word about the British hooligans that destroyed downtown Marseilles for two days and then they met the Russians who beat the shit out of them and the propaganda machine went into action to tell the world its Putin’s fault.. They have been trying to destroy the BRICS and are doing it by killing thousand s of Libyans, Iraqis, Syrians now they are after the Brazilians. The Hydra’s heads are everywhere and Russia needs to be vigilant. .
The essential chart which this Grandmaster’s article about a Grandmaster has not shown:
Structure of Soviet Union’s/RF’s exports from 1985 to 2014:
http://f6.s.qip.ru/cd2qmeHs.jpg
In 1985 the overall exports were made up of 40.5 % Energy exports and a diverse remainder.
No Energy’s share of the exports has almost doubled to 75.3%.
Russia’s industry really produces nothing anymore? This chart looks like belonging to some african 3rd world nation.
I found it in the original article’s Russian comments section.
Interesting! So basically these numbers show that energy exports have “crowded out” the manufacturing goods…? Hmm.. not great…
While I am glad to see numbers like GDP on this blog, GDP includes consumption (usually fuelled by debt) so not always a relevant measure of a country’s wealth.
What is the % of Russia “grey economy” compared the declared GDP and has it remained the same over the years?
Damn my tiredness:
Correction:
*Now* Energy’s share of the exports has almost doubled to 75.3%.
The graphs with the economic data are very interesting (even though we have to be very careful with indicators such as GDP as it has many flaws, and does not count the quality of life and health of the people or the income distribution)
1) The soviet centrally planned economy continued to grow until 1989 (except the WW2 period). Therefore it was a huge success and not a failure as westerners like to say. No recessions and no unemployment, free public education and health services , very cheap public transport, almost free housing. In the present Western world there are no jobs, education is very expensive, real estate market is a bubble with loans that take more than a lifetime to get repaid ……..
[ Yes there were not as many consumer products but the reasons the Western countries have much more is that the production takes place at third world countries (with very low cost) and the quality is usually very bad with low durability. Yet the consumers pay 10-times to more than 100-times above the production costs for the final product. e.g a t shirt costs 5 cent at a Bangladeshi factory, but the multinational clothing companies sell them for $10 or even for $100 ]
2) After 1989 there was recession as the central planning mechanisms were abolished and eastern bloc Comecon was dissolved.
3) The adoption of the neoliberal capitalist system was a huge tragedy and imploded the Russian economy and industry. GDP shrank to very low levels. Other negative consequences are well known ( massive emigration, millions of abortions and very low birth rates, lowering of lifespan to 57 years for men, rise of an oligarchic class, alcoholism, disease, prostitution etc )
4) Russian GDP and GDP per capita only reached the 1989 soviet levels at early 2010s.
For many post soviet states and ex socialist eastern European countries (central Asian republics , Moldova , Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia etc ), the GDP levels are still well below the 1989 levels. After 25 years of capitalism , the results are very bad and unlikely to improve …..
5) Had soviet Union remained intact and continued to have a socialist economy, it’s safe to say that its economy would have continued to grow and its social indicators would have been better than the present Russian ones as the disaster of 1990s would have been avoided.
6) The Western analysts like to talk about the Brezhnev stagnation but there was no stagnation at all. The economy was still growing even if the growth levels had slowed down.
7) Some stability returned and the Russian economy grew during the Putin years because of increasing state intervention in the economy . Putin increased control in natural resources and the integration with the global economy slowed down
“””””4) Russian GDP and GDP per capita only reached the 1989 soviet levels at early 2010s.
For many post soviet states and ex socialist eastern European countries (central Asian republics , Moldova , Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia etc ), the GDP levels are still well below the 1989 levels. After 25 years of capitalism , the results are very bad and unlikely to improve …..”””””
Well, you don’t understand, that’s alllllllllllllllllll the fault of Communism, not of Capitalism, hahahaha
(sarc)
Btw: that’s of course why western MSM still label these countries “Post-communist republics” or “former Soviet occupied territories”.
To somehow throw more dirt on Communism.
They still call ex GDR “the new districts”. even though 26 years have passed.
Will continue like that for millions of years.
Genosse Martin, those countries will never reach their pre-democracy levels because core factors of production have been depleted (on purpose or as a second or third order consequence) and what they are left with is:
1) consumption of western goods
2) servicing western companies (outsourcing)
Very little manufacturing, infrastructure development, and almost no R&D. CZ is an exception but the Germans may decide to shut manufacturing down the moment they find cheaper alternatives…
In communist times those countries were a true model for the PRC, now they are a laughing stock.
It goes like this: we will give you credit (not investment) if you shut those and those industries, if you cut social spending, if you cut defence (so you are dependent on us), if you train call Center staff and not engineers and chemists…its goes on for ever.
Russia is free to choose and act. The post communist world is not.
Greetings from Beijing. Tongzhi T.
Towaish Tongzhi T,
China is also not a communist country anymore.
And “””””Russia is free to choose and act.”””””:
Who in Russia is free to choose and act?
And why doesn’t he do so?
Maybe you followed my recent posts about Starikov such as in http://thesaker.is/grandmaster-putin-grandiose-multi-step-operation-lasting-16-years/comment-page-1/#comment-250435
Neither China nor Russia still stand for any own/better/different ideology.
They are run by some Oligarchy elites who most of all care for their own money (somewhere on western bank accounts).
Greetings
Moral basis is strong…in Russia.
Armies can not fight without a strong moral foundation…as every general who has successfully fought a campaign will tell you.
America fails on the battlefield because it has no moral structure.
For the same reason the EU is failing.
The West is doomed by its fascination with sex, money and greed…nothing worth fighting for.
High moral worth is what armies fight for…decent moral structure gives strength…every perversion provides weakness.
The West is every perversion imaginable.
just remember, some of us zionists support putin and would like to see a more multipolar world, not ww3.
i like this blog, i wish it wasn’t always so anti-zionist, but i do see the u.k. connection. perhaps one day we’ll see a world where there is less cogitation for overt conflict……..
one can hope.
putin certainly is a master speaker and perhaps one of the most capable leaders in the world given the trying circumstances he faces in putting humpty dumpty back together again while the atlantic alliance tries pushing an already faltering europe and middle east , into the ditch.
Granted shortcomings of propaganda, bounded exacly by the mirror of its origin, deeming authoritarian unable to grasp the underlying authoritative character instead much less convey it, framing as popularity actual shared unity in ambitions and hopes much less imagine it extends far beyond Russian borders or identity.
Thought I would post this – The anti – Russian propaganda has reached a new level !
https://www.sott.net/article/320564-Jaw-dropping-anti-Russian-propaganda-in-Interactive-Brokers-TV-commercial-VIDEO
A beautiful short history of current affairs, wonderfully composed (like music)
and a clever explanation of why we are now in this chaotic dilemma today.
Thank you very, very much.
The following graph shows the significant reduction of industrial production in post-soviet Russia
http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/images/201305_blog_illarionov11.jpg
It is from an article by AndreiI Illarionov (who was the chief economic adviser of Russian President Vladimir Putin from 2000 to December 2005 )
http://www.cato.org/blog/industrial-catastrophe-post-soviet-russia
According to the article,
1) .. “the current level of Russian industrial output is still almost a quarter lower than it was in the time of the Soviet Union.”
2) ” The only major sector that was able to increase its output over the last 23 years is the gas industry (by 17.1%). ”
3)…. ” light industry essentially ceased to exist ”
From 1990 to 2013,
– Light industry output was reduced by 84.6%,
– Whole Industry output was reduced by 22.5%,
– Machine building output was reduced by 16.4%,
– Chemical industry output was reduced by 50.3%,
– Food Industry output was reduced by 12.4%
Even though Illarionov admits that there could be reasonable arguments such as “the necessity to reduce the production of unnecessary, uncompetitive products manufactured en masse in the former USSR; the inevitable changes in the structure of domestic and international demand since the opening of the Russian economy to the world market; or the tough competition from fast-growing emerging economies like China.”
Illarionov ‘s main argument is that the “the main cause of Russia’s “Great Depression” has been its extensive interventionist and often arbitrary policies” because ” those conditions were also faced by other post-Soviet countries, some of which managed to grow and increase industrial output over the past two decades. ”
But his argument is false.
No country of the former Eastern Bloc has managed to retain or increase its industrial production. Eastern European states (including Eastern Germany) and Baltic States have all adopted neoliberalism and joined EU-EUROZONE and the result is a
massive de-industrialisation accompanied with significant long term unemployment, depopulation, mass emigration, poverty and high income inequality etc. Their GDP growth is based on tourism, services, real estate and financial speculation.
Only a few German Industries have been established into Eastern Europe just to take advantage from the cheap labour costs. But foreign multinational corporations come and go as conditions change.
Most of the local industries have either gone bankrupt, or have been bought over by their foreign competitors and there is downsizing of operations.
Oops chess?….probably can’t wait for our Russian friends. I’m thinking that Vlad&Lav are already finding in their first ventures into foreign ‘co-operation’ that there’s more money in poker than chess….Nice concept though. But in Phil the Greek’s great game of here today gone tomorrow you lose, too bad.
Funny that its always “the anglo-saxons” when its actually a different tribe.So how come jews,comprising 2% of the total population of the US controll nearly 100% of the media,60-80% of the neocons and liberal hawks and still not getting mentioned at all ?
Who is paying for these NGOs ? Again the same tribe.Clinton even wrote in her emails that Syria is all about Israel.Again, it makes no sense for “the anglo saxons” , it only makes sense if you are a hostile tribe inside a nation steering it to your own end.
I wish I were born a Russian, or that there was an Islamic World leader like Putin. Unite Islam under one banner and the Unite with the Eastern Orthodox Church and brush aside the Global Troublemakers once and for all.
The strategies of Russia and China can be understood if one is familiar with the predictable arrogance of the U.S. and its banking/corporate masters. As Putin said, “They want us to submit.” They being the central banking/warfare power players who have never disguised their goal of world domination. Working together, and with other nations who share their determination to be free of the American yoke, Russia and China have a long view in which they can foresee the usual moves by their “western partners” and the hypocrisy they live by. Putin, the chess player, anticipated American boldness and intrigue, and allowed his enemy to fall on his face. As this pattern unfolds, the world witnesses and is encouraged by the taking of the moral high ground by Russia and the obvious benefits EurAsia is to receive as the Silk Road becomes a reality and the energy resources of Russia become a secure lifeblood for China and others. The idea of war is ludicrous, and the fear mongering by the Americans and their satellite states falls more and more on deaf ears. However, as the number one and number two sellers of armaments to the world, it is always in the best interests of the U.S. and Russia to keep the tensions high. Its just good business for both. This is realpolitik. Let’s be good enemies. However, the long term outcome is becoming clear. In time, Europe and Russia and China will become closer partners in prosperity and the U.S. will be unable to stop it. Britain will find much of its future, too, enhanced by its ties with the emerging East. With war becoming an exhausted tool and its double game in the Middle East checkmated and exposed, the West will have no choice but to learn from its arrogance and go into a period of deep internal examination and reassessment. If it does not, it faces its own revolution, unless the election of a President Trump can bring in the deep corrections so needed to provide for the American family and the hopes of the young. In the meantime, China continues to buy up more and more of the U.S. and create infrastructure around the world, winning friends.
I enjoyed RoSsiBaRBeRa’s “Grandmaster Putin” (and thank you Eugenia) for all the topics it addressed and many it referred to in passing. It inspired me to offer the following comments.
Russian/Soviet GDP history
GDP comparisons are fraught with problems because GDP is a kitchen sink of data that fails to properly distinguish its constituent elements according to their genuine wealth-generating or use values. Anatoly Karlin addressed this subject in his June 22, 2012 article (http://akarlin.com/2012/06/the-soviet-economy-charting-failure/) with regard to the Soviet economy. Alexander Mercouris’s comments following Karlin’s article added great value to the discussion regarding, among other things, the need to assign value to Soviet-era social benefits such as housing, medical care and education in order to make meaningful comparisons with western economies. In the US all bank bailouts and bank fraud are included in calculating GDP.
With the decade long rise in oil prices beginning in 1999 (http://www.macrotrends.net/1369/crude-oil-price-history-chart) the Russian energy industry provided critical support to the federal budget that allowed Putin et al to finance and stabilize the Russian state. Thane Gustafson’s “Wheel of Fortune: The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia” identifies several essential factors that made it possible for a significant renationalization of the energy industry, among which was the enforcement of the underlying state title to energy resources which had only been leased to various oligarchs. Gustafson asserts that Gorbachev had dismembered the party-apparatchik glue that held together the non-vertically integrated energy industry, which ungluing led to a race to the export markets while mostly private entities vertically integrated the industry. The export profits accrued to the oligarchic entities until the state reasserted its title and control. The revenue to the state then increased by a factor of about 10. The overreach for power and control by Khodorkovsky et al, after having been warned to desist, provided Putin with the opportunity to reassert the national interest.
The resurrection of the Russian military
Clearly there existed a legacy of Soviet-era resources and talent that could be called upon once leadership was restored following the Yeltsin debacle, with the fiscal ability to support key programs. The conflicts in Chechnya and Georgia demonstrated the will and the ability to respond effectively to challenges. Both conflicts exposed deficiencies in military capacity, with at least one disaster in Chechnya (http://saradzhyan.livejournal.com/28394.html) and failures to coordinate air with ground forces in Georgia (http://www.cast.ru/eng/?id=328). Western analysts (http://www.sras.org/military_learning_between_the_chechen_wars) provide valuable insights regarding Chechnya, but ultimately have underestimated the ability of the Russian military to overcome its deficiencies.
NATO began moving east during Clinton’s second term beginning 1996.
The Russian Ministry of Defense is closely supervising military operations, exemplified by the recent suspension of the Baltic fleet commander and some of his command staff. (http://www.fontanka.ru/2016/06/29/192/)
Russian military doctrine 101
Reduced to the most simple formula for non-experts like me, the Russians historically rely on surprise (http://russia-insider.com/en/two-centuries-russian-surprises-why-are-we-surprised/ri10917) and the exploitation of breakthroughs (http://russia-insider.com/en/history/nato-would-probably-lose-war-against-russia/ri1596). The formulation of redlines (http://johnhelmer.net/?p=15646#more-15646) is also said to be crucial. The real significance of the latter is that some may believe Russia would tolerate another invasion rather than strike first following a violation of a “red line.” This belief may not be well founded.
The two recent campaigns in Crimea and Syria present instances where these principles appear to have been applied. Some western observers have contended in recent memory that Russia is a paper tiger (http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/not-so-scary-why-russias-military-paper-tiger-14136). NATO officials have a different take: “Anti-access/area denial, or A2/AD, is a growing problem.” (http://breakingdefense.com/2015/09/russians-in-syria-building-a2ad-bubble-over-region-breedlove/)
The events in Crimea appear especially to exemplify the employment of surprise. The Russian deployment of air assets in Syria and the intensive use of same appear to have caught the US et al completely by surprise in speed of deployment and effectiveness.
While the Russians seem to have been themselves surprised in several cases, these events reflect what arguably amounts to be misplaced confidence in agreements with adversaries rather than military failures per se. In the Ukraine in February 2014, the French, German and Polish on-site signatory witnesses to the 2-21-14 agreement (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/21/agreement-on-the-settlement-of-crisis-in-ukraine-full-text) regarding an organized “constitutional” process to replace the elected government walked away within days from the agreement they brokered. The Turkish shoot down of the Russian jet it claimed had violated its territory appears to have been an ambush (https://theaviationist.com/2015/11/27/turkish-air-force-f-16s-ambushed-the-su-24-fencer-heres-russias-version-of-the-controversial-shootdown/) orchestrated by the US when the US disclosed to the Turks the flight information provided by Russia to the US (http://www.voltairenet.org/article189447.html) in a Russian effort to coordinate air activity over Syria.
Time may be Russia’s (and China’s) most strategic advantage in what now amounts to WW3: western economic weakness will likely be fatal to western interests
The US now lives off the theft of domestic and foreign resources, not the wealth generated by economic growth (see “Deflation in the Casino”: http://breskin.com/Inquiramus/2016/06/15/deflation-in-the-casino-central-banks-play-their-last-chips-to-no-avail/). Post WW2 theft of Axis booty used to finance intelligence agencies (see Seagrave: “Gold Warriors: America’s Secret Recovery of Yamashita’s Gold”) and the transfer of control over the Asian heroin trade (see: McCoy: “The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade”) has been used to finance off-budget operations of intelligence agencies worldwide. The western deep state’s object is to capture the resources of eurasia and prevent a geopolitical alignment of Russia and Germany, formulated by MacKinder: “The Geographical Pivot of History” (http://www.thinkorbebeaten.com/Library/M/MacKinder%27s%20Heartland%20Theory.pdf) and the modern exponents of western hegemony, such as George Friedman (http://stateofthenation2012.com/?p=22223) and Brzezinski, of course. With regard to Russia, didn’t we seen a version of this movie in 1918? (http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/bcaplan/museum/ruscivil.jpg) Massive US federal deficits, drug cartel money-laundering by the too-big-to-fail-too-big-to-jail banks, banks whose survival depends on borrowing at zero-interest rate and collecting interest on their reserves at US Federal Reserve, corporations borrowing to repurchase their own stock (details in “Deflation” above) and negative interest rates in Europe (http://wolfstreet.com/2016/06/29/nirp-negative-interest-rate-absurdity-11-7-trillion-after-brexit/)(and coming to the US?) that doom the insurance industry and pension funds (http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/16/rich-countries-have-a-78-trillion-pension-problem.html) (see California’s projected shortfall: http://www.pensiontracker.org/) militate in favor of a joint Russia-Chinese economic “hold the barbarians off at the gate” strategy and the avoidance whenever possible of shooting wars.
If Russia and China play for time and build genuine wealth through economic development while modernizing their defence industries, then the economically flailing hegemon is going to become increasingly desperate and belligerent and of course, ironically, this strategy may well accelerate the very shooting wars Russia and China seek to avoid. For this reason, I suspect electronic warfare may play a very big role, what with NATO missile bases being established in Romania and Poland. Shutting these bases down electronically and rendering them useless would be the most desireable outcome, all things considered. CERN isn’t the only very high tech physics project being tested as we speak. The history of advanced weapons development goes back to the German Nazis deeply secret weapons programs. See Nick Cook’s “The Hunt for Zero Point: Inside the Classified World of Antigravity Technology.”
Still, there are facts on the ground in Syria and the Ukraine that need to be addressed: ceasefires undermined (http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/06/russian-un-rep-ukrainian-advance-in.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+FortRuss+(Fort+Russ)&m=1), Plan Bs (http://www.activistpost.com/2016/02/kerrys-plan-b-for-syria-equals-brookings-brzezinski-plan-a.html), Iranian treaty non-compliance by the US (https://consortiumnews.com/2016/06/21/us-game-playing-means-hot-syrian-summer/) and possible Georgian safe-havens (http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/06/georgia-transit-corridor-for-isis.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FortRuss+%28Fort+Russ%29) should Islamic militants be forced to retreat from Syria. July 2016 could well be a month to remember.
And speaking of surprises, Sibel Edmonds (http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2016/07/01/spotlight-with-sibel-spiro-istanbul-airport-terror-glaring-unasked-unanswered-questions/) has predicted that the airport attacks in Paris, Brussels and now Istanbul presage a possible “October surprise” in the UK or the US that will be used as an excuse to commit substantial US ground troops to Syria.
Russian domestic politics
The story of the 2012 Presidential election, following the Duma election in December 2011 remains to be told in some detail. The suggestion that the 5th column’s activities and plans were anticipated and effectively countered deserves a stand-alone treatment in the context of color-revolution phenomena.
The 2016 Duma election doesn’t attract very much comment. Neither does the on-going effort in Syria to conclude agreements with local communities and armed contingents (http://rbth.com/news/2016/06/23/159-populated-areas-engaged-in-syria-truce-russian-defense-ministry_605725). It’s understandably more fun to play armchair general and speculate on geopolitical machinations than to engage on getting agreement on the ground. But at the end of the day these efforts build the foundation for political solutions.
The run up to the Duma election this year includes corruption investigations in Vladivostok (https://crimerussia.com/en/corruption/a-criminal-case-against-mayor-of-vladivostok-has-been-initiated/) and Kirov (https://www.rt.com/politics/348289-kirov-governor-bribe-detained/). Perhaps of more interest is the on-the-ground political work of the parties to build their slates of candidates with a focus on developing a consensus to adopt federal legislation they support and for some to address what they perceive to be the 5th column establishment in government agencies, including the Russian Central Bank.
Now comes the eye-glazing stuff. The Russian Constitution (http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-01.htm), Chapter 3, Article 75, establishes that the Central Bank shall fulfill its responsibilities independent of other state authorities. Chapter 9, Article 136 establishes that amendments to Chapters 3 and 6 require approval of legislative bodies that represent two-thirds of the subjects of the Russian Federation after adoption as a “federal constitutional law” (Chapter 5, Article 108) by three-fourths of the Council of the Federation (members defined: Chapter 5, Article 95 (2)) and two-thirds of the members of the State Duma (members defined: Chapter 5, Article 95 (3)). Got that? This is constitutional stuff and making it happen requires real day-to-day consensus building.
There are many people who object to the way that the Russian Central Bank has conducted itself during the sanctions regime imposed on Russia and who want a central bank that is more responsive to the president of the Russian Federation and his executive team. Those who advocate subordination of the Russian Central Bank to and all Russian economic policy formally under the office of the president ( see: Engdahl: “Russia’s Achilles Heel – Reflections from St. Petersburg”: http://journal-neo.org/2016/07/02/russia-s-achilles-heel-reflections-from-st-petersburg/ ) rather than under the prime minister (the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation (Chapter 6, Articles 111 & 112)) face the need to amend the Russian Federal Constitution. That requires concerted political action at the local and regional levels to ensure that candidates sympathetic to such changes get elected to the Duma.
There are other views of this election. See: 2.0 RESTRUCTURING BEGAN (http://worldcrisis.ru/crisis/2382212)
The Putin team and the politics of virtue
The political establishment in the United States has long claimed the US is the “exceptional” nation and is therefore entitled to operate beyond its shores without respecting other nations and their cultures and indeed without adhering to international agreements it signed. There are eras in Russian history when Russians believed the Russian nation to have a special destiny. Some may believe that now.
Political cynicism runs rampant today and many of us believe some version of the following:
All politicians are the same:
They are all untrustworthy.
They are all crooks stealing whatever they can.
They are all conniving with the money power everywhere.
I am persuaded that Vladimir Putin and his closest allies in power in Russia are citizens of character with values based on a variety of religious and spiritual beliefs. Perhaps this means I am naive, but at every turn I see Putin et al promoting what I understand to be some modern version of Westphalian (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Westphalia#Tenets) principles, including respect for exclusive national sovereignty, meaning the right to conduct domestic affairs without outside interference, taking responsibility for acts of the state’s agents abroad and respect for the choice of religion within a state accompanied by recognition of the right of religious minorities within a state to practice their beliefs without interference.
While members of the Russian leadership now directing foreign policy and national security concerns may be people of this or that “book,” at the end of the day they fully honor their agreements with all parties to these agreements in spite of any possible personal objection to the beliefs of the other parties. It appears this team has occasionally extended trust to parties who couldn’t be trusted and has paid the price for that.
I call what I have described above the politics of virtue. It’s inconceiveable to me that this could become routine any time soon for the majority of the current members of the western political class. What’s more, given the present cynicism about politicians in general, leaders acting virtuously may render their acts beyond the imagination and therefore beyond the understanding of their opponents.
Being dependent on a leader, one of its effect is being reliant on a leader. Should anything happen to a leader such as Putin, he should be easily replaced and Russians must certainly know it is the interest of Russia I believe Putin is working so should other upcoming leaders. This has been a challenge to other nations too, unable to bring good leaders that come once in a life time.