03-12-2017, 04:40 AM
(03-12-2017, 04:33 AM)Kinser79 Wrote:(03-12-2017, 04:20 AM)Galen Wrote: I suspect they understand the concept of a flag waiving idiot but probably have trouble taking the whole notion seriously. An attitude that I have considerable sympathy for. It also means they are far more focused on territorial integrity than the west and this confuses most people from the west.
Oh indeed. Much like the issue with Crimea confuses most westerners (well those who haven't bothered to study Russian history at all). The Crimea has been part of Russian Territory since the mid-18th century and is largely populated by ethnic Russians with a smattering of ethnic Germans and Tatars for flavor. It also used to have Jews but Hitler took care of that.
The idea that Crimea should be administered by Ukraine instead was started in the 1960s with Khrushchev, and in the Soviet context made sense--Kiev is closer to Odessa than Moscow is and the USSR was a federation. Outside of that particular context though, the idea that Crimea should be long to a state other than Russia (and for all intents and purposes they view Ukraine the same way we'd view Texas--yeah they might be their own 'country but they really aren't') is as repugnant to them as say turning over South Florida to Cuba would be. In fact more so--at least South Florida is dominated by Ethnic Cubans.
This sums up why I have always said that Putin's response to the Ukraine crisis was in fact remarkably mild.
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard. -- H.L. Mencken
If one rejects laissez faire on account of man's fallibility and moral weakness, one must for the same reason also reject every kind of government action. -- Ludwig von Mises
If one rejects laissez faire on account of man's fallibility and moral weakness, one must for the same reason also reject every kind of government action. -- Ludwig von Mises