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Russians Seem Interested in My Book About How Dictatorships End
21–30 of 104 posts
Re: Russians Seem Interested in My Book About How Dictatorships End
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
> especially the EU, which was mostly built on the basis of confrontation with Russia The EU was build to avoid another World War were Germany/UK/France start fighting. Once all European countries are tied economically for any of them to benefit of starting a war is very difficult. And, of course, there is also the idea that a bigger economic area will create more opportunities and make Europe more competitive. If an…
Russia did not see any important integration with Europe countries even before 2014. Yes there were hydrocarbon pipelines but that's that. Amenities such as visa waiver travel, student exchange programmes, cultural exchange and economic integration were practically nonexistent. It does sound strange if you claim to want to avoid a new war in Europe but systemically exclude the largest country in Europe from that equa…
> sphere of influence
That phrase is a relic of a long ago era. The EU would be more effective if it had more influence on its member states, but it reached a level where it does appear to dramatically reduce the chance of war, but from there, further integration has asymptoted.
I can’t say that colonialism is completely obsolete but influence has become so diffuse and information spread so widespread that even an analysis from that stance is no longer useful.
Re: Russians Seem Interested in My Book About How Dictatorships End
#23I'm not sure that transition of power is a 'taboo': Yekaterina Shulman have been discussing this topic for a few years for a wide popular audience. It's just that there was never any satisfactory answer to that one. With regards to dictators of Spain, Portugal and Greece. These countries could get rid of autocrats and fall back to Europe's safety net. But in case of Russia it is not an option, as nobody wants Russia…
> especially the EU, which was mostly built on the basis of confrontation with Russia
I think you have the EU and NATO confused. The two overlap a lot but they are far from coextensional.
Re: Russians Seem Interested in My Book About How Dictatorships End
#24Russians don't need a book, they need Molotov cocktails. They are much more effective when thrown at the regime's oppressive forces.
Who would win: An unarmed populace vs one of the best equipped militaries in the world?
Unless you get a bunch of Russian generals to defect, the people don’t stand a chance.
Re: Russians Seem Interested in My Book About How Dictatorships End
#25I'm not sure that transition of power is a 'taboo': Yekaterina Shulman have been discussing this topic for a few years for a wide popular audience. It's just that there was never any satisfactory answer to that one. With regards to dictators of Spain, Portugal and Greece. These countries could get rid of autocrats and fall back to Europe's safety net. But in case of Russia it is not an option, as nobody wants Russia…
> especially the EU, which was mostly built on the basis of confrontation with Russia The EU was build to avoid another World War were Germany/UK/France start fighting. Once all European countries are tied economically for any of them to benefit of starting a war is very difficult. And, of course, there is also the idea that a bigger economic area will create more opportunities and make Europe more competitive. If an…
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Re: Russians Seem Interested in My Book About How Dictatorships End
#26If this is true, it suggests many Russians actually want their country to become a democracy: > Objectively — though it’s awkward to say — the book has become a bit of a phenomenon. But the book, “The End of the Regime: How Three European Dictatorships Ended”, is not about Russia or Vladimir Putin. It’s about three dictatorships — those of Francisco Franco in Spain, Antonio Salazar in Portugal and the colonels in Gre…
Of course there are many Russians that want an end to the regime. At least, every Russian I know. Why wouldn't they?
Russians do indeed want to have some different regime eventually, but usually not at cost of losing the war, having their economy destroyed or getting their country torn apart, etc.
Only the young 'children of summer' generation who did not witness 1991 fallout would root for immediate uncontrolled regime change via revolution. Hence it is not a very popular point, and many of its adherents have fleed the country.
Re: Russians Seem Interested in My Book About How Dictatorships End
#27I'm not sure that transition of power is a 'taboo': Yekaterina Shulman have been discussing this topic for a few years for a wide popular audience. It's just that there was never any satisfactory answer to that one. With regards to dictators of Spain, Portugal and Greece. These countries could get rid of autocrats and fall back to Europe's safety net. But in case of Russia it is not an option, as nobody wants Russia…
> especially the EU, which was mostly built on the basis of confrontation with Russia I think you have the EU and NATO confused. The two overlap a lot but they are far from coextensional.
The EU is primarily a trade bloc, and it is in natural competition with the Eurasian Economic Union: countries can have tariff-free trade with either one bloc or the other, but not both at the same time. The current scramble over Ukraine is primarily motivated by the EU and the EAEU economically benefiting from the country being in their respective trade zone.
Re: Russians Seem Interested in My Book About How Dictatorships End
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
> especially the EU, which was mostly built on the basis of confrontation with Russia The EU was build to avoid another World War were Germany/UK/France start fighting. Once all European countries are tied economically for any of them to benefit of starting a war is very difficult. And, of course, there is also the idea that a bigger economic area will create more opportunities and make Europe more competitive. If an…
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I think Russia has done a wonderful job of that itself. Why would Germany ever want to depend on Russian gas again, if it's just another lever for extortion?
Re: Russians Seem Interested in My Book About How Dictatorships End
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
Russia did not see any important integration with Europe countries even before 2014. Yes there were hydrocarbon pipelines but that's that. Amenities such as visa waiver travel, student exchange programmes, cultural exchange and economic integration were practically nonexistent. It does sound strange if you claim to want to avoid a new war in Europe but systemically exclude the largest country in Europe from that equa…
Did Russia ever attempt to apply to join the EU? The real countries in reduce war equation were Germany and France, not Russia.
Actually, during the Medvedev presidency, there were serious efforts to negotiate visa-free travel and reduced tariffs (which is the essence of what everybody wants, not full integration). If these things were granted, the revolution / civil war in Ukraine, primarily motivated by one part of the country mostly trading with Russia and the other with the EU, probably wouldn't have happened.
Re: Russians Seem Interested in My Book About How Dictatorships End
#30Russians don't need a book, they need Molotov cocktails. They are much more effective when thrown at the regime's oppressive forces.
Who would win: An unarmed populace vs one of the best equipped militaries in the world? Unless you get a bunch of Russian generals to defect, the people don’t stand a chance.
Have you seen their military?