What I can't understand is how can country that has such a rich contribution to the arts and for that matter science, be so backward still?
Gregory,
It is very complicated. Many books have been and will be written about it. Some of the major contributing factors:
1) Very poor infrastructure.
2) Cultural history of 70 years of communal ownership.
3) Economic history of 50+ years of 5-year plans (i.e. a steel factory might produce 2 products: nails and sledgehammers with a quota of 'x' million items. If one is rewarded for meeting and exceeding production goals, which product gets produced?)
4) Economic history of 60+ years of state ownership of all property.
5) NO experience, except for the small individual garden plots, of entrepreneurship.
6) No experience of a work ethic, because none was required.
7) Epidemic size alcoholism problem.
8) 70 year history of black-market economy, where bribery and an extensive contact network is an accepted way (frequently the only way) to do business.
9) Extremely powerful criminal mafia
10) Powerful and very dissatisfied military.
11) Ecological problems you wouldn't believe.
12) Politically instilled distrust of everyone, including family members, which exhibits itself almost as a national paranoia.
13) A tremendously unstable political situation, where the criminal element exercises unbelievable influence.
14) A disparity of wealth distribution unknown even in the czar's day.
15) I could go on, but you get the drift...
Here's a very simple exercise to help you understand some of the ramifications of the situation:
In this country (Canada or U.S), what is required in terms of infrastructure and political stability to put a quart of homogenized, vitamin-D milk on your breakfast table? To enable you to order a DELL over the internet? To read this message?
It's a beautiful country! The people are wonderful: warm, friendly, and intelligent. They are the true victims, and my heart goes out to them. They have critically important choices to make in order to stand their economy up once more. It is difficult to make good choices when your family is starving, you haven't been paid for 6 months, and your last pay was in rubles.
Germany had the Marshall Plan, and it still took 15-20 years to rebuild a country and infrastructure, in a society with one of the strongest work ethics in the world.
regards. bachman |
