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talkpoliticsGreetings, fellow Dear-Leader-worshiping comrades freedom-loving citizens of the modern world! How about a short walk down memory lane, eh? See, for the first time I learned about Ukraine as a kid (it was the Ukrainian SSR back then). I was curious about cars and the car industry. And which young lad wasn't? Who hadn't heard of "Zaporozhets", or been driven in a ZAZ! Then we had Zhiguli (the old Lada), the majestic Volga and all the rest. I witnessed the whole procedure of obtaining a car, when my parents had to wait for months and deposit 10 monthly salaries to get one. First we got a Trabi. Then we inherited my grandpa's Lada. Old times! And then, there were the Moskvitches...
Granted, I had little notion of the purpose of those funny slippers that awaited most female drivers inside the car, as they were taking their first steps into their new Lada. Turned out there was a good reason for that measure - after all, who'd dare soil their brand-new precious car that they had been waiting forever?
I remember those black Volgas, big imposing beasts that sailed along the streets like the real yachts on wheels that they were. The grandpa of a pal of mine had one, and he was considered such a great person!
But then I saw FIAT 600, and I realized it was the exact same like ZAZ-965. And I was confused. Those damned Westerners, they must've stolen the Russian design!? WTF? Then there was FIAT 124, same as Zhuguli 2101. And the classical ZAZ that was so widespread around my place, looked suspiciously similar to the West German NSU Prinz 4 (my grandpa used to have a Prinz, but only thanks to his privileged status of being partially disabled - and even then he decided to substitute it for a Lada).
There was also Ford Mainline, and Chevrolet Bel Air, which was the same as the legendary Volga; and Crysler New Yorker, same as the Chaika GAZ-14, the car of the top elites. And Nissan Sunny, same as Lada 2101. I was convinced at least the ZIL monsters that featured on every parade of military power at the Red Square, were unique, irreplaceable, eternal. But those turned out a copy of Lincoln Continental!
Copy or not, the great Soviet machines, products, innovations and whatnot, did provide some kind of lifestyle to the citizens of the great Soviet fatherland, and their obedient socialist minions around the world (my country being one of the most obedient ones). What, you can't have a Crysler? No problem, here's a Volga for ya! Cheaper, durable, reliable. What the hell, take it! If you could wait on the line for 5 years, and pull some really huge connections, that is!
Of course, cars are just one small, albeit important example. Few would deny the qualifications and capabilities of the Soviet engineers, mechanics and inventors. Sure, it's very likely that many of those were better than their Western counterparts in many domains. But there's one domain where the Eastern comrades have always lagged behind - and that's the domain of ideas.
I'd posit that in a way, it's the lack of fresh ideas that ultimately brought the end of the USSR. And has defined most of what has happened in the post-Soviet space ever since - yes, up to the current bacchanalia in Ukraine. The lack of ideas compels you to turn your gaze and dream of places where ideas are abundant and thriving. That's how the world works. If you can't find good soil for growing ideas in the Soviet "sphere of influence", you seek for directions elsewhere.
The post-imperial nostalgy and the eternal craving of the Soviet (and neo-Soviet) citizens to constantly seek refuge in the West, is largely born out of the lack of ideas. And ideas are that part of life which changes the world, is responsible for progress, and creates the future. At a subconscious level, each one of us wants to be in a place where ideas thrive. And in an Eastern context, that place is located in a westward direction. Those resourceful comrades who saw FIAT 124 and then decided to create ZAZ-965, must have carved the memory of the Italian idea at the back of their skulls. They knew exactly what they were doing. Copy and paste. The Italian idea was engraved into their heads, and then transferred to their kids, and to the kids of those kids after that. Now those same grandkids of the comrades are dreaming of going on vacations in Italy, and driving a real FIAT. Or why not a Ferrari.
Sure, right now in Sevastopol, the Ukrainian Russians are hugging and French-kissing the Berkut special forces (the ones that the new Ukrainian government has decided to disband), and praising them as heroic saviors.But let's not fool ourselves. The citizens of Sevastopol (where the Russian Black Sea fleet is hosted), seemingly possessed by the great Russian idea of a post-Soviet hegemony, are actually also in the grip of the Western idea, no matter how much they'd deny it. All of them are trapped in the luring Western idea. Most of them dream of leaving, just like Vladimir Nabokov (not very liked in Ukraine) on that ship named "Nadezhda" (Hope), and moving west. Just like Nabokov, they crave of being in Berlin, Paris, Cambridge and Montreaux. Anywhere elsewhere, just please make it be in the West.
Russians seem to be living in a constant state of historic dysfunction, and that must be driving them crazy. As David Remnick writes, the number of Pravda sales has shifted from the millions to the thousands; there are places where the streets have new, modern names, while others have retained names like Lenin. The bulk of the Russians live in Soviet-time concrete blocks the size of the Giza pyramids, inhabiting flats the size of a pig barn, but in the meantime they watch Western commercials on TV. The new Russian upper middle class, the tasteles, posh, flashy, so-called nouveau-riche, have adopted the typical vulgar, brutal, Western-style consumerism lifestyle. And those who still wear the luxurious furs of various Siberian dead animals during the cold Russian winters, still believe that "morozhenoe" (ice-cream) is actually the greatest Soviet invention in human history, while secretly dreaming of emulating the nouveau-riche, and tasting gelato.
Even current Dear Leader who got his education in Leningrad, and worked for KGB in Dresden, looks kind of confused. Because what's happening in Kiev these days, could happen in Moscow tomorrow. Vladimir's grandpa, Spiridon Putin, was a personal cook to Lenin, Stalin and Nadya Krupskaya (Lenin's wife). He used to make Stalin's fave borscht for him, with lamb or mutton, onions, rice, garlic, parsley, tomatoes and potatoes. Those must've been good years indeed!
Putin also spent some nice years in Dresden: little work to do, beer to the tops, nice borscht, happy days. And though the evil Western ideas interrupted that fabulous life with the sudden collapse of the Berlin Wall, today that same Vladimir is seen spending 50 billion dollars to show to that same evil West that he, too, can do things the Western way just fine. Because he's possessed by the Western ideas, too. He watches Western movies, listens to Western music, and enjoys being driven in Western limos. No matter that he poses as a patriotic messiah in front of the cams.
Putin never really believed that Russia was destined to follow some sort of special path of development, which somehow diverged from the path that many Western societies have succeeded along. He might be lacking the imagination and creativity, but he ain't dumb. Paradoxically, it's Putin himself who realizes that Russia's only way forward is through being a tad closer to Europe and America, spiritually and culturally if not (geo)politically. His subtle and overt symbolic gestures toward restoring memories of the old Soviet order are more of a mask that's meant to appeal to the generation of his grandpa, Spiridon. But those times are fast slipping back into history, and he's aware of that.
Putin understands that Russia's influence in the world is waning, despite its constant muscle-flexing and foot-tapping, and its resource-boasting and dick-waving into the face of its former minions (like my country). And no, that's not because of money or something like that. No. Russia is simply losing the battle of ideas. And one of the ways to restore some of the wounded national pride is to play the imperial card. And Putin sure plays it quite skillfully, because it's his only hope, and the only thing he's good at. He visitsLeningrad St.Petersburg and tells people on the street that their city "shines with imperial glitter". He goes to the heart of Russia and talks with workers from the proletariat about the glorious imperial times of old. He quotes Pyotr Stolypin just like that, as an aside, to remind that the times of Emperor Nikolay II are not that far back in time.
But after those memorable encounters with Dear Leader, people in St.Petersburg, and those returning home from work, would always turn on their TVs to watch a Hollywood movie, and cook in their German ovens, and dream of drinking beer at the Oktoberfest, and buy Swedish furniture, and go skiing in the Alps and sunbathing in Provence. That's how things are, deal with it, comrades. In the battle for ideas, even the memory of imperial Russia cannot trump the dream for the latest Playstation, or a BigMac, or an autograph from Beyonce, or spending ninety minutes at the stadium, watching the superstars from Chelsea, or Bayern Munich, or Real Madrid.
It's for these, and a myriad of other reasons, that what's happening in Ukraine is hardly a surprise to Putin. He knows such a thing could happen in Moscow one day. He knows that no military might could possibly prevail in the battle of ideas. He may be trying to postpone defeat, but he knows full well that it's coming, sooner or later. Because even his most devout supporters write mails on Japanese laptops, asking their kids how they're doing in their Swiss colleges, and phoning them on their American iPhones.
On a side note, actually the IOC and FIFA might've been acting Russian-style lately, believing that money could defeat ideas - but that ain't gonna happen. They hand out Olympic games and football World Cups for money (Sochi in 2014; Russia World Cup in 2018, and Qatar World Cup in 2022). It's not a coincidence that there's a prevalent sentiment now that the last football World Cup that'll have any significance for the game, would be the one in Brazil later this year. All the frauds that FIFA and IOC have done to get more cash, all the new technologies and commercial tricks may succeed in turning events like Sochi'14, Russia'18 and Qatar'22 into moneylaundries machines, but not into worthwhile sports events. Where there's football passion flowing in the veins of the Brazilians, in places like Qatar there's neither passion, nor football. And there'll never be.
For the same reason, even if 50 Eastern Ukraines secede, at some point they'll turn their gaze to the West eventually. Because the battle of ideas, for good or for bad, has been won by the West a long time ago. Even before the Iron Curtain fell, insight of what life was "across", was beginning to ooze through. And people were not happy at all.
Even if the likes of Russia, China and India may seem to be "emerging", that's mostly happening on paper, in some Excel spreadsheets, in the writings of some experts writing charts full of numbers, global indexes and ratings that have little to do with life on the ground, and even less significance in the long run - even despite all the cash that's been filling the pockets of the emerging middle class in the East. If you go to any meeting of the elites in Russia, China or India, you'd see that the so called local "elite" always sends their kids to Western schools. The elites go on vacations in Western resorts. They read Western literature, watch Western movies and play Western games, and crave for Western furniture, Western clothes, cars, food, and music.
Today, despite all its flaws, ups and downs, booms and busts, the West is stronger than ever - on the battlefield of ideas. Because there's little on offer at the other side. A single visit by a Western celeb in these countries would draw thousands of people on the street - in any case, much more than a rally called by Dear Leader in support of their policies. The articles about Madonna's gig in Moscow would draw audiences surpassing those reporting on Putin's exploits with the cranes in the sky by multiple orders of magnitude. In today's leading Asian newspapers the front pages are occupied by stories about Facebook, the Oscars, Louis Vuitton, or Disney's new movie, while the stories of local importance are relegated somewhere to the back pages. In the rankings of the best universities in the world, you'd hardly even find a single education institution that's not in the West (Japan and South Korea included therein) - at least nowhere near the top 50. But let me curtsy to those among the readers who happen to be a product of the Moscow universities a little bit here: the best Russian university on that chart is somewhere around 80th place. Well done, comrades!
In the long term, cultural influence tends to be much more powerful and lasting than sheer economic levers of influence, and the events in Ukraine are evidence of that. Putin may make natural gas free for Ukraine if it complies with his plans for a Greater Russia, but that won't stop the Ukrainians gazing in a westward direction. Because, ironically, opening the post-Soviet space toward the world somewhat, has only increased their appetite for everything Western. And when we combine music, books, fashion, celebrity hype, education and entertainment with free expression, the thirst for a more Western manner of living becomes so powerful, it can no longer be quenched, even if you rain all the oil and gas in the world from the sky for free. India, Qatar, Russia and China could join forces to make the most gargantuan and all-powerful Al Jazeera or RT on steroids in the world, but it still won't be able to drown the influence of the West on the hearts and minds of people around these latitudes. That's how things are, comrades, and we better deal with it.
Putin made the most expensive Winter Olympics in the world, only to show the West that he could do things the Western way better than them. Unlike comrade Brezhnev, who reportedly sent a letter to Chernenko regarding the Moscow Olympics in 1980, telling him that "This event will cost colossal amounts of money. Perhaps we should reconsider the idea and decline to hold the Olympics". Well, Putin was firmly determined to show that he could do it. And he probably succeeded in convincing everybody. The Games did happen, and they were as fabulous as he had desired. People will soon forget of the lulz around Twitter about all those #SochiProblems, as they'll probably forget that these were the most expensive Winter Games in the history of the Olympic movement. Because most residents of Sochi, or Kiev, or any other current or former Soviet city, have been gazing in another direction all this time.
On one side, Ukraine is too divided about the direction it should take. But on the other hand, the West continues to be a mighty attractive force. And on the third hand(!?), the older generations may be cherishing the memory of a carefree Soviet life - but that's already passing. The power of ideas will eventually catch up there, too. And as a consequence, Moscow could become the new Kiev. Unless it becomes the new New York, first.
In all fairness, Putin deserves some defense here, because, having realized their superiority in terms of ideas and economy, the West has practically put Ukraine at a crossroads: either choose Russia, or the West. Putin, pragmatic as ever, came up with a different offer, which, curiously, didn't get much coverage neither in the West, nor in Russia itself. If we roll back the tape a little bit, we'll find out that Putin's offer was of a trilateral agreement. Now, it's hard to assess which proposal was the better solution for Ukraine for the time being - whether aid from the West, which would elegantly draw it toward NATO, or the "rescue" offer from Putin the savior.
All the while, Ukraine remains the biggest country in Europe - bigger than France or Spain, or Italy, or Britain, or Sweden, etc. That's how things are. Only Russia is bigger than Ukraine in the European context, whatever that's supposed to mean for Ukraine. But even bigger than all of these, are the ideas. And, as of now, the West is where these are born, and thrive, and evolve. For good or for bad.
Granted, I had little notion of the purpose of those funny slippers that awaited most female drivers inside the car, as they were taking their first steps into their new Lada. Turned out there was a good reason for that measure - after all, who'd dare soil their brand-new precious car that they had been waiting forever?
I remember those black Volgas, big imposing beasts that sailed along the streets like the real yachts on wheels that they were. The grandpa of a pal of mine had one, and he was considered such a great person!
But then I saw FIAT 600, and I realized it was the exact same like ZAZ-965. And I was confused. Those damned Westerners, they must've stolen the Russian design!? WTF? Then there was FIAT 124, same as Zhuguli 2101. And the classical ZAZ that was so widespread around my place, looked suspiciously similar to the West German NSU Prinz 4 (my grandpa used to have a Prinz, but only thanks to his privileged status of being partially disabled - and even then he decided to substitute it for a Lada).
There was also Ford Mainline, and Chevrolet Bel Air, which was the same as the legendary Volga; and Crysler New Yorker, same as the Chaika GAZ-14, the car of the top elites. And Nissan Sunny, same as Lada 2101. I was convinced at least the ZIL monsters that featured on every parade of military power at the Red Square, were unique, irreplaceable, eternal. But those turned out a copy of Lincoln Continental!
Copy or not, the great Soviet machines, products, innovations and whatnot, did provide some kind of lifestyle to the citizens of the great Soviet fatherland, and their obedient socialist minions around the world (my country being one of the most obedient ones). What, you can't have a Crysler? No problem, here's a Volga for ya! Cheaper, durable, reliable. What the hell, take it! If you could wait on the line for 5 years, and pull some really huge connections, that is!
Of course, cars are just one small, albeit important example. Few would deny the qualifications and capabilities of the Soviet engineers, mechanics and inventors. Sure, it's very likely that many of those were better than their Western counterparts in many domains. But there's one domain where the Eastern comrades have always lagged behind - and that's the domain of ideas.
I'd posit that in a way, it's the lack of fresh ideas that ultimately brought the end of the USSR. And has defined most of what has happened in the post-Soviet space ever since - yes, up to the current bacchanalia in Ukraine. The lack of ideas compels you to turn your gaze and dream of places where ideas are abundant and thriving. That's how the world works. If you can't find good soil for growing ideas in the Soviet "sphere of influence", you seek for directions elsewhere.
The post-imperial nostalgy and the eternal craving of the Soviet (and neo-Soviet) citizens to constantly seek refuge in the West, is largely born out of the lack of ideas. And ideas are that part of life which changes the world, is responsible for progress, and creates the future. At a subconscious level, each one of us wants to be in a place where ideas thrive. And in an Eastern context, that place is located in a westward direction. Those resourceful comrades who saw FIAT 124 and then decided to create ZAZ-965, must have carved the memory of the Italian idea at the back of their skulls. They knew exactly what they were doing. Copy and paste. The Italian idea was engraved into their heads, and then transferred to their kids, and to the kids of those kids after that. Now those same grandkids of the comrades are dreaming of going on vacations in Italy, and driving a real FIAT. Or why not a Ferrari.
Sure, right now in Sevastopol, the Ukrainian Russians are hugging and French-kissing the Berkut special forces (the ones that the new Ukrainian government has decided to disband), and praising them as heroic saviors.But let's not fool ourselves. The citizens of Sevastopol (where the Russian Black Sea fleet is hosted), seemingly possessed by the great Russian idea of a post-Soviet hegemony, are actually also in the grip of the Western idea, no matter how much they'd deny it. All of them are trapped in the luring Western idea. Most of them dream of leaving, just like Vladimir Nabokov (not very liked in Ukraine) on that ship named "Nadezhda" (Hope), and moving west. Just like Nabokov, they crave of being in Berlin, Paris, Cambridge and Montreaux. Anywhere elsewhere, just please make it be in the West.
Russians seem to be living in a constant state of historic dysfunction, and that must be driving them crazy. As David Remnick writes, the number of Pravda sales has shifted from the millions to the thousands; there are places where the streets have new, modern names, while others have retained names like Lenin. The bulk of the Russians live in Soviet-time concrete blocks the size of the Giza pyramids, inhabiting flats the size of a pig barn, but in the meantime they watch Western commercials on TV. The new Russian upper middle class, the tasteles, posh, flashy, so-called nouveau-riche, have adopted the typical vulgar, brutal, Western-style consumerism lifestyle. And those who still wear the luxurious furs of various Siberian dead animals during the cold Russian winters, still believe that "morozhenoe" (ice-cream) is actually the greatest Soviet invention in human history, while secretly dreaming of emulating the nouveau-riche, and tasting gelato.
Even current Dear Leader who got his education in Leningrad, and worked for KGB in Dresden, looks kind of confused. Because what's happening in Kiev these days, could happen in Moscow tomorrow. Vladimir's grandpa, Spiridon Putin, was a personal cook to Lenin, Stalin and Nadya Krupskaya (Lenin's wife). He used to make Stalin's fave borscht for him, with lamb or mutton, onions, rice, garlic, parsley, tomatoes and potatoes. Those must've been good years indeed!
Putin also spent some nice years in Dresden: little work to do, beer to the tops, nice borscht, happy days. And though the evil Western ideas interrupted that fabulous life with the sudden collapse of the Berlin Wall, today that same Vladimir is seen spending 50 billion dollars to show to that same evil West that he, too, can do things the Western way just fine. Because he's possessed by the Western ideas, too. He watches Western movies, listens to Western music, and enjoys being driven in Western limos. No matter that he poses as a patriotic messiah in front of the cams.
Putin never really believed that Russia was destined to follow some sort of special path of development, which somehow diverged from the path that many Western societies have succeeded along. He might be lacking the imagination and creativity, but he ain't dumb. Paradoxically, it's Putin himself who realizes that Russia's only way forward is through being a tad closer to Europe and America, spiritually and culturally if not (geo)politically. His subtle and overt symbolic gestures toward restoring memories of the old Soviet order are more of a mask that's meant to appeal to the generation of his grandpa, Spiridon. But those times are fast slipping back into history, and he's aware of that.
Putin understands that Russia's influence in the world is waning, despite its constant muscle-flexing and foot-tapping, and its resource-boasting and dick-waving into the face of its former minions (like my country). And no, that's not because of money or something like that. No. Russia is simply losing the battle of ideas. And one of the ways to restore some of the wounded national pride is to play the imperial card. And Putin sure plays it quite skillfully, because it's his only hope, and the only thing he's good at. He visits
But after those memorable encounters with Dear Leader, people in St.Petersburg, and those returning home from work, would always turn on their TVs to watch a Hollywood movie, and cook in their German ovens, and dream of drinking beer at the Oktoberfest, and buy Swedish furniture, and go skiing in the Alps and sunbathing in Provence. That's how things are, deal with it, comrades. In the battle for ideas, even the memory of imperial Russia cannot trump the dream for the latest Playstation, or a BigMac, or an autograph from Beyonce, or spending ninety minutes at the stadium, watching the superstars from Chelsea, or Bayern Munich, or Real Madrid.
It's for these, and a myriad of other reasons, that what's happening in Ukraine is hardly a surprise to Putin. He knows such a thing could happen in Moscow one day. He knows that no military might could possibly prevail in the battle of ideas. He may be trying to postpone defeat, but he knows full well that it's coming, sooner or later. Because even his most devout supporters write mails on Japanese laptops, asking their kids how they're doing in their Swiss colleges, and phoning them on their American iPhones.
On a side note, actually the IOC and FIFA might've been acting Russian-style lately, believing that money could defeat ideas - but that ain't gonna happen. They hand out Olympic games and football World Cups for money (Sochi in 2014; Russia World Cup in 2018, and Qatar World Cup in 2022). It's not a coincidence that there's a prevalent sentiment now that the last football World Cup that'll have any significance for the game, would be the one in Brazil later this year. All the frauds that FIFA and IOC have done to get more cash, all the new technologies and commercial tricks may succeed in turning events like Sochi'14, Russia'18 and Qatar'22 into money
For the same reason, even if 50 Eastern Ukraines secede, at some point they'll turn their gaze to the West eventually. Because the battle of ideas, for good or for bad, has been won by the West a long time ago. Even before the Iron Curtain fell, insight of what life was "across", was beginning to ooze through. And people were not happy at all.
Even if the likes of Russia, China and India may seem to be "emerging", that's mostly happening on paper, in some Excel spreadsheets, in the writings of some experts writing charts full of numbers, global indexes and ratings that have little to do with life on the ground, and even less significance in the long run - even despite all the cash that's been filling the pockets of the emerging middle class in the East. If you go to any meeting of the elites in Russia, China or India, you'd see that the so called local "elite" always sends their kids to Western schools. The elites go on vacations in Western resorts. They read Western literature, watch Western movies and play Western games, and crave for Western furniture, Western clothes, cars, food, and music.
Today, despite all its flaws, ups and downs, booms and busts, the West is stronger than ever - on the battlefield of ideas. Because there's little on offer at the other side. A single visit by a Western celeb in these countries would draw thousands of people on the street - in any case, much more than a rally called by Dear Leader in support of their policies. The articles about Madonna's gig in Moscow would draw audiences surpassing those reporting on Putin's exploits with the cranes in the sky by multiple orders of magnitude. In today's leading Asian newspapers the front pages are occupied by stories about Facebook, the Oscars, Louis Vuitton, or Disney's new movie, while the stories of local importance are relegated somewhere to the back pages. In the rankings of the best universities in the world, you'd hardly even find a single education institution that's not in the West (Japan and South Korea included therein) - at least nowhere near the top 50. But let me curtsy to those among the readers who happen to be a product of the Moscow universities a little bit here: the best Russian university on that chart is somewhere around 80th place. Well done, comrades!
In the long term, cultural influence tends to be much more powerful and lasting than sheer economic levers of influence, and the events in Ukraine are evidence of that. Putin may make natural gas free for Ukraine if it complies with his plans for a Greater Russia, but that won't stop the Ukrainians gazing in a westward direction. Because, ironically, opening the post-Soviet space toward the world somewhat, has only increased their appetite for everything Western. And when we combine music, books, fashion, celebrity hype, education and entertainment with free expression, the thirst for a more Western manner of living becomes so powerful, it can no longer be quenched, even if you rain all the oil and gas in the world from the sky for free. India, Qatar, Russia and China could join forces to make the most gargantuan and all-powerful Al Jazeera or RT on steroids in the world, but it still won't be able to drown the influence of the West on the hearts and minds of people around these latitudes. That's how things are, comrades, and we better deal with it.
Putin made the most expensive Winter Olympics in the world, only to show the West that he could do things the Western way better than them. Unlike comrade Brezhnev, who reportedly sent a letter to Chernenko regarding the Moscow Olympics in 1980, telling him that "This event will cost colossal amounts of money. Perhaps we should reconsider the idea and decline to hold the Olympics". Well, Putin was firmly determined to show that he could do it. And he probably succeeded in convincing everybody. The Games did happen, and they were as fabulous as he had desired. People will soon forget of the lulz around Twitter about all those #SochiProblems, as they'll probably forget that these were the most expensive Winter Games in the history of the Olympic movement. Because most residents of Sochi, or Kiev, or any other current or former Soviet city, have been gazing in another direction all this time.
On one side, Ukraine is too divided about the direction it should take. But on the other hand, the West continues to be a mighty attractive force. And on the third hand(!?), the older generations may be cherishing the memory of a carefree Soviet life - but that's already passing. The power of ideas will eventually catch up there, too. And as a consequence, Moscow could become the new Kiev. Unless it becomes the new New York, first.
In all fairness, Putin deserves some defense here, because, having realized their superiority in terms of ideas and economy, the West has practically put Ukraine at a crossroads: either choose Russia, or the West. Putin, pragmatic as ever, came up with a different offer, which, curiously, didn't get much coverage neither in the West, nor in Russia itself. If we roll back the tape a little bit, we'll find out that Putin's offer was of a trilateral agreement. Now, it's hard to assess which proposal was the better solution for Ukraine for the time being - whether aid from the West, which would elegantly draw it toward NATO, or the "rescue" offer from Putin the savior.
All the while, Ukraine remains the biggest country in Europe - bigger than France or Spain, or Italy, or Britain, or Sweden, etc. That's how things are. Only Russia is bigger than Ukraine in the European context, whatever that's supposed to mean for Ukraine. But even bigger than all of these, are the ideas. And, as of now, the West is where these are born, and thrive, and evolve. For good or for bad.
(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 13:24 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 13:53 (UTC)Malaxa had an air-cooled 3-cylinder rear radial engine, rear wheel drive (RR layout), and was capable of developing 30 bhp. The top speed was 120 km/h. Malaxa offered a high level of comfort, and could carry six persons in all.
The production was stopped when the Soviets decided to move the production line in the Soviet Union, allegedly after a high ranking official from Moscow had a ride with the car in Sofia, Bulgaria.
My grandfather had a large black Volga-like auto that I remember as a small child going on vacation in, most likely at excruciating low speeds through the countryside. My other grandpa had an Alfa Romeo 2-seat fiberglass Spider that you practically never ever could see in the eastern bloc, which made it impossible to get spare parts for.
People who had good salaries during communist times could afford at best the Dacia 1300 at about 2-3 years of income, made in partnership with Renault, the precursor of the modern Dacia automobiles which have been one of the best eastern auto brands in the last 10 years, along with Skoda and possibly Lada. Also other eastern brands at the time could be had for a little more money, like Moskvich, Lada or Trabant.
(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 14:14 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 14:38 (UTC)Here's some Trabant-nostalgia:
(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 15:04 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 14:34 (UTC)That's a special kind of talent, that is. The West should have known the Soviets were doomed the first time one of those rolled off the production line.
(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 17:22 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 18:36 (UTC)Sounds like copying to me. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 18:48 (UTC)Don't know in what.
(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 18:57 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 19:07 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 19:31 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 20:05 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 20:08 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 17:20 (UTC)BTW, was there not a significant level of support in the Ukraine for the German National Socialists during a prior century?
BBTW, queuing up for an automobile reminds me of the way that Americans queue up for soup kitchens.
(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 17:54 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 28/2/14 16:10 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 28/2/14 16:14 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 27/2/14 18:04 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 28/2/14 16:13 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 28/2/14 16:08 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 28/2/14 03:30 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 28/2/14 07:10 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 28/2/14 17:51 (UTC)I mean, compare the new Priora to the new Chevy Cruze. Or even the new Ford Fusion. Or for that matter the Kia Optima...