open Democracy News Analysis - russia & eurasia - Comments

Shrapnel on "Russia’s drugs problem: blame the West"

Shrapnel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:43:46 +0000

Stupid authoritarian Russian officials just don't get it. Their insistence on criminalizing normal human activity is utterly counter-productive, just like the nonsensical prohibition in the rest of the world. There can be no control until all drugs are re-legalized, and addiction is treated as a public health matter.

This is blindingly obvious to anyone who looks at this subject with an open mind. To the goons who run the police forces every problem looks like a nail, because only hammer wielders are allowed to influence the response. And, of course, all that drug money flowing into the back pockets of the chief moralizers makes it impossible for them to be honest about this matter - even to themselves.

Were it not for the untold misery created by the drug war, this farce would be hilarious.

Michael. on "1989: moment, legacy, future "

Michael. — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:08:57 +0000

How sad it is reading sophist rhetoric of the events of 1989.

The truth is, all that happened was a rotten-to-the-core totalitarian system inevitably failed in the manner forecast by many in the decade after the Bolshevik Revolution - prime amongst them, Leon Trotsky.

Now that system is gone the eternal dispute is still there. No amount of Western capitalist propaganda can change it. Capitalism is also a rotten-to-the-core system that will inevitably fail. How many more depressions and slumps are required before the zeitgeist reaches a mature understanding of this reality?

The only question is whether the minority perpetrators of capitalism will stand aside peacefully as history catches up with them too.

BыДpA on "Following the cross: a journey with Russian pilgrims"

BыДpA — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:51:16 +0000

Ого! Благодарю! Теперь на день есть работа! :)

Muir1848 on "Crisis in Ukraine’s economy"

Muir1848 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:24:46 +0000

"Ukrainian engineering is of little use to anyone...."

Apart from the arms dealers currently supplying millions of dollars worth of arms - bought in and supplied by Ukraine - defying interntaional sanctions and selling them to Guinea - for a thread on the story

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/02/guinea-imports-arms-despite-embargo

part of their problem was they believed the lies and promises of the 'benefits of capitalism' peddled by the west - namely US and UK - and look where it has got them - a state that now lacks internal consistency - a stupid and naive attempt to involve US when it decided to attack the USSR - and a corrupt political oligarchy - getting fat on the proceeds of the forced privatisation of public services and utilities.

Babeouf Junior on "Crisis in Ukraine’s economy"

Babeouf Junior — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:40:32 +0000

To paraphrase Lenin "The law of Capitalism is the Law of uneven development". The two decades or so since the collapse of the USSR have given time for integration into the broad Capitalist economic system. The outcome for the Ukrainian people has been the result of initial resource endowments, political/state strategy and the vagaries of
world capitalism. Staying within the bounds of the idiots delight, Capitalism, only the political/State strategy's are
determinable within Ukraine. These will doubtless favor the current business elites. Resulting in a long period of impoverishment for the many.

Not logged in on " Astrakhan’s election drama – the bloggers’ view "

Not logged in — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:02:49 +0000

The situation in Astrakhan has not changed a bit: people still gather to express the disaproval, we do hope that the international opinion will help us . Shein is our Mayor, people voted for him. The victory was stolen.
www.olegshein.ru

Not logged in tsandr on "St. Petersburg’s ‘gas-scraper’ saga: culture turns political "

Not logged in tsandr — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:03:24 +0000

St.Petersburg to SkyPenisburg... someone's dream is coming true?

CATAHИCT on "Following the cross: a journey with Russian pilgrims"

CATAHИCT — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:38:31 +0000

Я никогда не сомневался в Вашем интеллектуальном уровне, но поймите, не все такие как Вы. :)

Babeouf Junior on "The state and the body: a chemical-weapons test "

Babeouf Junior — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:10:26 +0000

Class societies and national states are Heritage forms of social organization. Theses forms will certainly encourage the development of every sort of technology that increases the amount of actual social control available at the top of the pyramid. You cannot keep the Heritage and stop its productions. Transcendence or oblivion. We all live in such exciting times.

S.M. Stirling on "The state and the body: a chemical-weapons test "

S.M. Stirling — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:22:50 +0000

Weapons are -supposed- to hurt people. And new weapons are always being developed. I really don't see the point of this article.

Better riot-control and knockout materials are greatly to be desired.

The "horrors" of the Russian siege mentioned are the result of the actions of the terrorists.

That the terrorists were killed is of course an excellent thing; that some of the hostages were hurt is a pity, but you can't let yourself be deterred by that. The hostage-takers and they alone are responsible for all losses on both sides.

H.D. Bradell on "St. Petersburg’s ‘gas-scraper’ saga: culture turns political "

H.D. Bradell — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:50:07 +0000

Fascinating article. Surprised that the proof readers didn't catch the classic Slavic error of translating 'sociolog' as sociologist.

It is, of course, psephologist or, more journalistically, pollster not sociologist.

Babeouf junior on "St. Petersburg’s ‘gas-scraper’ saga: culture turns political "

Babeouf junior — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:21:56 +0000

Over a year into the latest crisis of Capitalism. Where on Western television does the following program appear.
"Capitalism at the beginning of its Apocalypse; A Marxist analysis" . Nowhere though such a program would be simple to make. The Western monopoly of power uses a different route to the same end. There are only the market sanctioned critiques that allow for slight modifications in the public descriptions of market phenomena. Nothing that touches on the actual functioning of social processes
ever appears. At least until they can be filed as 'Historical'.
In the East some people will mobilize to save a sky line.
In the West some will mobilize to save a 'brother' animal.
Only in the last moments of delirium as heaven shows its phantom face are they likely to mobilize to save themselves. That of course will be much to late. As it was for Faust.

Sanne on "Romanticising Stalinism"

Sanne — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:37:49 +0000

It's funny that the western world supporting Stalin's illegal borders for Georgia (Stalin's homeland). Western leaders and Stalin hand to hand.

Hermit King on "Romanticising Stalinism"

Hermit King — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:57:37 +0000

Whether the Stalin's era was really a "darkness at noon" kind of period or not - that itself is controversial. Khrushchev manufactured a lot of lies and propaganda against the Stalinist regime.

I remember Gorbachev later saying that we should re-evaluate the post-Stalin evaluations of Stalin and his era, as they were just manufactured and not realities.

The Russians as a race were not disciplined at all - and the regimentation during Stalin's regime helped them creating discipline in thoughts and actions, and also the new men and women.

USSR became a stronger nation both industrially and politically during his regime and at least in the WWII it was Stalin and his comrades who saved the world :-)

Also - to note that the current leadership is quite pragmatic. Don't forget that the soviet high command during the cold war era had reserved a huge chunk of money in the Swiss banks so that later counter-revolution could be resisted. And that money helped today building the new Russia after the pathetic leadership of that corrupt and inefficient monkey Yeltsin.

Babeouf Junior on "Romanticising Stalinism"

Babeouf Junior — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:14:30 +0000

"Stalinism" .. "the totality of specific political practices of the political Leadership" . Hey what do you know circularity. What was Stalin-ism? What the Stalinist did.
Tyranny in the USSR was real Socialism was illusory.
Now that the curtain has been raised millions across Russia know the truth of what they previously classified as propaganda. Western democracy is entirely bogus.
It does not constitute a self governing society rather it is a varnish on the rule of Capitalism. A system so perverse it is actually in the process of eradicating its host species.
The re branding of Stalin ism is a reaction to the new political economy of Russia, authoritarian capitalism. All of
the freedoms of Liberal Capitalism may be derived from the fullest development of the Commodity form. The annihilation of both its supporters and opponents
will follow from the application of this form to every technology. If you want to suck on a humbug try Eternal Verities.