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GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST - What are your hopes and fears for Russia in 2008?

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nikodem February 26, 2008, 07:51: Britain, France and Italy have long experience in giving away what is not theirs to appease their Masters. In 1938 they dismembered Czechoslovakia and gave to Germany. American blackmailed France to scarify Czechoslovakia. Polish scavengers took part in fist with a small piece Czechoslovakia for themselves.

These countries wanted Germany to dismember Russia for them but Germany had its own project and took over most of Europe. In 2008 after 60 years Britain, France, Italy, Germany is giving away what is not theirs again to appease America. Do they really think that America will dismember Russia for them? But America has its own project that will surprise many. Kosovo is just prelude to what west really want.

Their greedy drive to east will end with millions killed and their countries destroyed. They already tried to dismember Russia many times. French, Brits, Germans died in Russia in big numbers for their glorious commanders in shit. West always dreamed of Russia riches, but they were killed in big numbers. Western masses are going to be sacrifices for the big project of eastern expansion to Russia land. They will use democracy as cover to grab land and resources. Many Russians will be killed but Europe will become a graveyard for their citizens and will glow.

West all the times talks about values and human rights, it is really laughable.
They values and disregard for human life are on display in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Lately west come up with a golden thought that colonialism was not so bad after all. Westerners are killing hundred thousands with ease in the name of better life for them victims. West will get what they deserve just continue spreading democracy with bullets and your racist/fascists policies. If Hitler would run elections in occupied countries, he could be the greatest democrat ever but empire of darkness has no match so far.
Roger The Dodger February 21, 2008, 16:08: Privet !
As a Brit who has been to Novisibirsk in 1998 , my interest in Russia has always been great. I currently study the language and welcome contact with likeminded persons. As for hopes and fears ?
Well I certainly hope that the less wealthy people in Russia will see brighter times, after all there is no shortage of money now !!
I personally would like to see this antiquated and extremely frustrating Visa system removed, Russia can only benefit in terms of tourism.
I do hope to that Russian culture will not be overwhelmed by the likes of McDonalds etc, that would be a tragedy indeed.
As for Politics and Politicians, I think the Ukrainian Police Chief's gesture sums it up in one :)
Poxa
Rog
Sevodnya_Net February 14, 2008, 19:16: "false prophets like Solzhenitsyn (who in his narrow-mindedness never forgave the injustice he and many like him suffered in the Soviet Union's mortal combat against fascism), "

Russ F in Berlin, I've read some extraordinary stuff in my time but your last post equals the best of it, especially the above sentence.
When I read opinions like yours I am reminded of the Orwellian worlds of Animal Farm and 1984.
The Soviet Union fought a heroic and mortal combat against the invading Nazi army, with massive suffering endured by its people. But before the 1941 invasion the Soviet Union's "mortal combat against fascism" didn't prevent its leader signing a pact with Adolf Hitler, thus proving Stalin's naivete as well as his incompetence and cruelty.

It is absolutely right that Russia should forge an independent path in the world but it should do so with the best interests of its own people at heart, not in the interests of protecting power for its own rulers (to all intents and purposes unelected) - and certainly not for the purposes of simply cocking a snook at the West on the basis of the same shallow interpretation of world affairs promoted by chattering bloggers (choggers? blatterers? :-) :-) sipping cocktails in Western European capitals while ordinary Russian citizens continue to be impoverished and lied to by their leaders.
There, you see you've made me quite cross now and I will have to lie down in a darkened room :-)
Russ from Berlin February 13, 2008, 20:07: My hopes for Russia are that, in her foreign policy, she will continue the Soviet Union's pre-Brezhnev efforts of promoting peace and understanding among the nations of the world, and that she will keep her defence spending at a minimum level -- just enough to maintain a credible deterrent in order to keep those at bay who are eyeing Russia as the next possible target for their "democratisation crusade". For reasonable people know that wasting resources on weapons of mass destruction is the worst way of giving the people education, housing, health care, etc., and the best way of keeping the world's nations divided and afraid and suspicious of each other. For the military-industrial complex and for large parts of the world's mass media, keeping the world in a permanent stat of fear and thus on the edge of an abyss is profitable, for the rest of us it's destructive.
So I hope Russia does not follow the American way. Also because it is only a question of time before some religious lunatic sitting on the nuclear button will hear "god's voice" telling him to press it. And he will, just as surely as Mr Bush followed god's advice and attacked Iraq.
I also hope Russia won't adopt America's ideology of unrestrained consumerism, which is a dead-end street, or its stratification of society, where the top less than 1% live in obscene luxury, while the bottom 20% don't know where their next meal is coming from.
So basically, I hope that Russia will do her own thing, rather than be dazzled by the Anglo-Saxons' propensity to worshipping the golden calf and displaying material wealth (and to hiding their poverty), for reasonable people know that such wealth is not one of the prerequisites of happiness. I also hope that Russia will learn from both her own mistakes (like attacking Afghanistan or adopting Milton Friedman's system of unrestrained market economy, misnamed "free market economy") and other nations' lessons.
One of Russia's great strengths is her almost innate spirituality not yet hopelessly corrupted by western influences. This strength can enable Russia to provide humanity with an alternative to a Darwinist society for which the world has been heading since the counterrevolution, but it can just as easily prove a fatal flaw, because this spirituality is almost defenceless against abuse by false prophets like Solzhenitsyn (who in his narrow-mindedness never forgave the injustice he and many like him suffered in the Soviet Union's mortal combat against fascism), Jeffrey Sachs (drunkard Yeltsin's top economics adviser -- "privatize, matketize and monetize"), Gaida and Chubais, to mention just a few of those who brought Russia to her knees, and not to mention those who are waiting in the wings for a chance to tear apart what's left of her (the oligarchs in cahoots with the Orthodox church, the Scientologists and the raft of other unholy sects whose sole objective is personal gain).
Cheburashka February 13, 2008, 00:50: 1) dont hold your breath for any appologies. it will only make things worse by giving the West yet another reason to call Russia "evil" AND it will give estonians and poland an excuse to start another "incident"

2) Stalin wasnt "just born" in georgia (as someone mentioned earlier). his family was georgian, he spoke perfect georgian and he received his education in georgia. stalin was GEORGIAN both BIOLOGICALLY and CULTURALLY. he became a cold-blooded criminal because his father often beat him.

now, taking in the account that he was a DICTATOR, you cant say that Russians (real russians from Russia, not Soviets) just suddenly desided to invade estonia and poland. it was STALIN who ordederd it.

so if SOME people NEED an appology so much, they would have to have EVERY member country of USSR to issue one STARTING FROM GEORGIAand not Russia, since it was a georgian who issued ALL the orders!

you cant just single out the Russians.

3) there was NO word "CHAIN" in the anthemn of USSR.

i dont know what version marzipan was refering to but the words were...

The Union unbreakable of free republics,
Arose on the century great Rus'*

*the word Rus' is an ancient word that came from many centuries ago when Russian capital was KIEV and simply refers to the general geographic area of eastern europe that is known today as Belorus, Russia and Ukraine.

-----------------------------------------

i say again...

NO ONE needs to (or will) issue any appologies! there were wars even before humans became humans. there were slavery, injustice and pretty much anything else you can think of and it all depends on

HOW FAR BACK IN HISTORY YOU WANT TO GO!

so let it go

4) my HOPES: are that Russia will continue a steady economic, military and political development regardless of its enemies' efforts to derail it.

my FEARS: the West will continue to smear, push and provoke Russia towards an open confrontation because some day it may get out ot control very fast and then we will all be lucky to live through it.
SrpskiCrnogorac February 10, 2008, 16:15: I also hope for full military assistance to Serbia, while giving the north atlantic terror organization a lesson, otherwise I fear that in 2008 the criminals could implement the strategy they used in Kosovo (founding and training of KLA) also in North Caucasus, as recently indicated by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza.
fred February 10, 2008, 15:18: venichka , i agree ...

but at the time the celts came to france , frenchs as such didn't even exist ...! ;-))

the point you make is VERY valid ..

let's forgive all mistakes from yesterday , to take a lesson from it and make a better future TOGETHER ....
venichka February 9, 2008, 08:00: bla bla bla, and mongolia should apologize for being in russia, england, france and spain apologize to native americans, apaches say sorry to hopi and navaho, tlingit ti haida, cherokee to baklazhanee, zulu to mior tribes, croatioans apologize to serbs, serbs to bosnians, french to the celts, etc ad nauseum
lenjin February 9, 2008, 04:54: My hopes in 2008 is That Russia will help Serbia and Republika Srpska especially .
Serb from Republika Srpska
Lenjin

Spasiba
barney February 8, 2008, 19:49: may i first congratulate mr putin on his presidency of your country,i think he has done a great job. also good luck to the new encumbent. i dont think russia has anyhing to fear with europe expanding its borders to russia. in the soviet era after all russia via the warsaw pact came to germany. i share the concrens of russia that america should not be putting missles on your door step. the money would be far better spent on health and education for both coutries rather than very expensive nuclear weapons that can only serve to wipe out mankind. i hope your new leader can work well with the new american leader and europeans. after all you and us here in europe are/should all be europeans and good neighbours to that extent. heres to a hopeful future to us all.
Marzipan6 January 26, 2008, 03:24: Sam, in regard to your reply to Sevodnya_Net, could you please explain whether Austria needed to apologise to the world for Hitler’s actions, or Germany – and why? And on the basis of that, then tell us who do you think carries moral responsibility to atone for Stalin’s actions, Russia or Georgia – and why?

It would be interesting if you also told us what your idea is of the pecking order between Russia on the one hand, and Georgia and all the other “republics” on the other, in the Soviet Union. You seem to think that the place was what Moscow’s propaganda painted it to be – a friendly little family group of co-equals.
Marzipan6 January 26, 2008, 03:15: Sam, I am sorry if my comments were offensive to you. I, too, am a descendant of slaves, even if of a different colour, and I can understand the feeling of outrage which any kind of justification of such crimes can cause.

The point I was making, though probably not well enough, was that the world of the 1700s and 1800s was socially not as evolved as the world of the 1900s. Slavery, though offensive to many people even then, and always devastating to its victims, was not frowned on by the establishment. The social norms of the day were cruder, and had not yet developed enough to clearly and unambiguously brand slavery for the evil that it was. Slave traders of the time, sadly enough, did not stand altogether outside of the “civilized values” of the day. I contrasted this with the quite different world cultural and moral environment in which the Soviet crimes of the 1900s happened. Those outrages clearly flew in the face of accepted standards law and morality which the world had struggled to achieve by that time. Thus, according to the standards of their time, Soviet crimes were probably more enormous than the crimes of the slavers of previous centuries.

However, this does not have much to do with the need for post-Soviet Russia to apologise. Even if the slave trade had never happened, even if there never had been an England or a United States or an Outer Mongolia or a South Pole, if today’s Russia wants a better relationship with its neighbours, it needs to bring closure to yesterday’s Soviet Russian crimes.
sam January 25, 2008, 15:45: Sevodnya_Net, Carol wants an apology from Russia for Stalin,I was simply directing her were to go for one if she so much needs one as i do not see why Russia should be the one addressing that issue in anyway.
You say-Russia could recognise and be more open about some of the crimes committed by the old Soviet Union beyond its borders without necessarily taking the blame for them
Well I do not see Georgia doing that.
After all they were part of the USSR and their man did the crimes.
As for Russia in this case their only sin is being a part of the USSR and not for the Man.
As I pointed out,if apology is to be issue it should be collective as all nationals took part in the government of the USSR not just Russians.In fact the more noctorious ones were not even Russian.
sam January 25, 2008, 15:10: Marsipan6 you kidding me!!!
"Thirdly, the slave trade, while horrific, was not all that much out of step with accepted norms of its day, existing as it did in a cruder and more primitive time in history"
It was never the norm as long as some white people(and there were lots) did not see it as norm.The Black Slaves did see it as wrong for sure or do you think they were too " primitive" to understand?
I for one, as a descendant of these slaves find your statement very offensive and racist.
I an truely sad that RT did not see it fit to edit that statement.As for you Marzipan6 I see no reason to further read racist remarks from the likes of you.
Sevodnya_Net January 25, 2008, 12:25: Asking Georgia to apologise for the crimes of Stalin is a bit like asking a future independent Scotland to apologise for the Iraq War on the grounds that Tony Blair was born there ...
You can't on one hand - rightly - claim that Russia and the Soviet Union weren't one and the same and yet also suggest that Georgia, a part of the Soviet Union at the time, was a foreign power who sent Stalin and Beria out of the blue to persecute the (Russian? Soviet? Georgian?) people.
Personally speaking I don't believe that "apologies" like this do any good. What one does ask for though is at least a recognition that certain events took place. For example, Russia could recognise and be more open about some of the crimes committed by the old Soviet Union beyond its borders without necessarily taking the blame for them. I think that would be perfectly reasonable.