Maybe I was a little thick until now, or maybe I'm mistaken, but I begin to notice an interesting undercurrent in this conversation - namely, that the anti-Communist revolution in Russia should have been supported.
People forget that Russia always had strong pro-Western cultural and political movements. They, historically, feel that Russia is primarily a European nation, and "should" begin to act like a "normal" European nation. Those forces had their best chance right after the collapse of the USSR.
Instead, the West treated Russia as a failed third world sh*thole. That's exactly what they were at the time -- but what else could one expect from a nation which is undergoing a full collapse - and a restructuring - of their entire social system and their economy? They went from a hard form of socialism, with almost zero private property, directly to capitalism. Naturally, the ride was rocky.
Anyway, they were treated by the US and by the West in a way that convinced them that the West does not give a rat's a$$ about any of their interests. The nail in the coffin, IMO, was the bombing of Serbia by NATO, against their strongest objections.
Net result is that, predictably, Russia recovered and stabilized, and is once again becoming a world player -- but with relatively anti-Western, "russophile" forces firmly in control. |
