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2008-03-06 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

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Posted by 3dc 2008-03-06 02:02|| || Front Page|| [8 views ] Top

#1 Mostly nonsense.

Russia's total and inflexible support for Serbia in 1914 that started World War I

Nah. It was the first and second Balkan wars that weakened the players and drew in the empires.

Posted by Phil_B 2008-03-06 07:12|| 2008-03-06 07:12|| Front Page Top

#2 I personally abide by the record that reflects the terrorist action instigated by the Serbian Black Hand and the Serbian military to shoot the Archduke all in the name of greater Serbian nationalism was the critical factor. When all the apologist for the Serbs get around to that act which in final tally cost Europe and most of the world several hundred million lives and a situation which we are still cleaning up after nearly a hundred years, let understand, there are no good guys in the Balkans. Its one of the reasons our forefathers unassed from that continent in the first place to get away from 'historical' animosities and their consequences.

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-03-06 08:15|| 2008-03-06 08:15|| Front Page Top

#3 Russia's total and inflexible support for Serbia in 1914 that started World War I

Hum. After the muder of Austrain's heir to the throne the Austrians required threatened invasion if the Serbs didn't let their cops investigate connexions into Serbia and arrest suspects in it ie Autrian cops would have not been observers or in collaboration with the Serb authorities but with powers more akin to those of the Gestapo in occupied France.

I would tell that it was more case of Germany's inflexible support to Austria who started WWI.

Did I mention that the Kronprinz was slavic-friendly and that made him the target both from nationalistic Serbs (who feared his concessions to Slavs in teh Autrian empire will make harder to convince them to join Serbia) but also of the Austrian and Hungarian supremacists in his own country?

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-03-06 09:03|| 2008-03-06 09:03|| Front Page Top

#4 There is an old German expression that "Russia is Russia". Having studied Russian history, I have to say that Putin is behaving true to form, and better than most Russian leaders.

To expect him to behave like a westerner, or an American, is to neglect some of the truths of his situation.

To begin with, his popularity is based on doing what the Russian people both expect him to do, and what they want him to do. By the standards of Russia, he is seen as almost too liberal--trendy.

Putin must contend with the schizophrenic culture of Russia, which vacillates between wanting to be westernized and wanting to be Asian. Every movement to the West must be balanced with one to the East. It is demanded of him.

Like Americans, they demand law and order, and are fairly open-ended on how to achieve it. And their criminal class are extremely dangerous, and the public know it.

Putin is more than aware that his country is still debilitated from the Soviet years, and in many regards it is much like a new nation. So his priorities are first, to keep it together as a nation, second, to restore its strength in the world.

Then third, to set up a stable government of whatever kind, as liberal as the people want it to be. Whether they will tolerate a two-party state is a good question.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-03-06 09:18|| 2008-03-06 09:18|| Front Page Top

#5 His problem is the birth rate and the death rate. And there's really not a lot he can do about either. Pooty is just sustaining a parent in the hospice.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-06 09:47|| 2008-03-06 09:47|| Front Page Top

#6 Indeed, today in Russia the number of abortions exceeds the number of births.

This has to be the saddest statistic of all.

Posted by Abu Uluque (aka Ebbang Uluque6305) 2008-03-06 15:33|| 2008-03-06 15:33|| Front Page Top

#7 KOMMERSANT > Dimitry Medvedev has all but officially declared [Moscow-supported] all-out ECONOMIC WAR AGZ THE WEST, admonishing Russ entrepeneurs, companies, and individ investors to DO EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING NECESSARY AGZ US-WEST TO MAKE RUSSIA MODERN, WEALTHY, AND POWERFUL.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-03-06 21:49|| 2008-03-06 21:49|| Front Page Top

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