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What? The Russian people were consistently haemorrhaging per capita income throughout virtually all of the 1990s in a terrible depression. It wasn't until 2000 around the time of Putin's election that the overall standard of living and productivity began to improve. Whatever faults Putin has let's not pretend that somehow Russia was better off without him. Ask how many Russians feel that they should return to an era like the 1990s where their country was subject to economic exploitation by the West and the standard of living had dropped precipitously post-91. I doubt you'll find many who agree with you.
Actually true, that he did several things in his first administration: 1. poured money into infrastructure improvements and expansion (before you can have economic development, you need good infrastructure), 2. changed the tax structure, to encourage, rather than crush, business start-ups and growth of small businesses, and 3) began a process of upgrading, expanding, and modernizing colleges and universities around the country.
All true.
But it's a bit of a distortion to compare the Putin era with the years of collapse. Anyone would come out looking better than the years of ruin and despair. The question is: who is out there, who could do a better job of running the country after stabilization?
Seems it wouldn't be too difficult, at this point: no war, no massive losses of the male population, a more stable economy that might even have some hope at growth, diversification of the economy so it's not so dependent on natural resource extraction and sale, maybe even a stable and honest political process, dare citizens hope? Someday?? It's worth it to dream; without dreams, there's no hope of a brighter future.
But how to rein in the mafias, that's the real challenge. How to eliminate the thuggery.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 05-31-2023 at 05:33 PM..
"the enemy" ....well, we know what side you are rooting for, lol
You're Russian ....so no surprise...
Actually, I am not. I am born to the family of Ukrainian nationalists, who were persecuted in 1947 for saving not sure how many, Uniats, or Ukrainian Catholic priest(s). I was born in Irkutsk (Google it) and up until maybe 10 years ago, was win or die Ukrainian nationalist.
until I realized, who is real puppet masters and how they play any country in the world, to their low interests.
Now, I am neither Russian, Ukrainian or American or Burkina Faso. Both countries mentioned are misled victims of grand masters of the world control manipulations. Out of two, I'd rather side with Russia as, at least, it is trying to reconsolidate once united Slavs and I firmly believe, that Ukraine would have been better united with russians, then become peon to the west.
BTW, as you have noticed, text you quoted is translation from an article in Russian as, apparently, all the Russian gurus here don't, actually, speak the language and rely om hearsay as the holy grail of truth.
It depends, how you look at it.
Just like Crimea, donated to Ukraine in 1957, Ukraine ended with some navy vessels, stuck in Ukrainian ports after the USSR breakdown. Inheritance, so to speak. So, is it a Ukrainian navy? Well, I guess, as much, as Crimea is. Ukr never built a single meaningful military ship on its own. though, they have a very large shipyard in Mykolaiv (Nikolaev in Russian literation).
Actually true, that he did several things in his first administration: 1. poured money into infrastructure improvements and expansion (before you can have economic development, you need good infrastructure), 2. changed the tax structure, to encourage, rather than crush, business start-ups and growth of small businesses, and 3) began a process of upgrading, expanding, and modernizing colleges and universities around the country.
All true.
But it's a bit of a distortion to compare the Putin era with the years of collapse. Anyone would come out looking better than the years of ruin and despair. The question is: who is out there, who could do a better job of running the country after stabilization?
Seems it wouldn't be too difficult, at this point: no war, no massive losses of the male population, a more stable economy that might even have some hope at growth, diversification of the economy so it's not so dependent on natural resource extraction and sale, maybe even a stable and honest political process, dare citizens hope? Someday?? It's worth it to dream; without dreams, there's no hope of a brighter future.
But how to rein in the mafias, that's the real challenge. How to eliminate the thuggery.
The Russian economy was specifically reoriented towards more global markets in order to blunt the impact of economic sanctions post-2014. It's why you still have so much of the global market still partaking in trade with them while Europe goes through a roundabout process of acquiring Russian manufactured energy through third parties like China with considerable mark ups to the prices. Meanwhile you have this continued push by pertinent nations like Saudi Arabia and China to decouple themselves from the dollar in an atmosphere where not towing the political line as it concerns Russia can get you bombarded with threats of sanction as in the case of India by the United States.
Russia has a demographic crisis but not to the grandiose levels that Western media prefers to spin it as. You have the anti-war dissents, the conscientious objectors and the more pro-Western inclined who have left Russia to the tune of roughly 900,000 people. Having said that their demographic prospects are still better than a number of G7 nations like Japan or the Baltic states.
The Russian economy was specifically reoriented towards more global markets in order to blunt the impact of economic sanctions post-2014. It's why you still have so much of the global market still partaking in trade with them while Europe goes through a roundabout process of acquiring Russian manufactured energy through third parties like China with considerable mark ups to the prices. Meanwhile you have this continued push by pertinent nations like Saudi Arabia and China to decouple themselves from the dollar in an atmosphere where not towing the political line as it concerns Russia can get you bombarded with threats of sanction as in the case of India by the United States.
Russia has a demographic crisis but not to the grandiose levels that Western media prefers to spin it as. You have the anti-war dissents, the conscientious objectors and the more pro-Western inclined who have left Russia to the tune of roughly 900,000 people. Having said that their demographic prospects are still better than a number of G7 nations like Japan or the Baltic states.
OK, but it was still overly-dependent on resource extraction, not to mention--arms sales.
I gather from your response, that mafia and oligarch control of various levels of the economy, corruption, diversification of the economic base, and the need for free and fair elections aren't worth mentioning? Remember when Medvedev said he was going to stimulate light industry? Russia's economy in some ways still has a Soviet-era orientation.
The Russian military command has likely ordered Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov’s forces to begin offensive operations in Ukraine following the withdrawal of Wagner Group forces from Bakhmut. Kadyrov claimed on May 31 that Chechen forces received a new order and assumed responsibility over the Donetsk Oblast frontline. Kadyrov claimed that Chechen units need to start “active combat activities” and “liberate a series of settlements.” Kadyrov added that Chechen “Akhmat” Special Forces (Spetsnaz) and the “Sever-Akhmat” Special Purpose Regiment transferred to the Marinka direction southwest of Donetsk City. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) also claimed that assault detachments of the 5th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Army Corps and Akhmat Spetsnaz conducted offensive operations in the Marinka direction. Kadyrov noted that the Russian military command ordered Russian, Rosgvardia (Russian National Guard), and Chechen Akhmat forces to begin offensive actions along the frontline in Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts as well. Kadyrov claimed that these units have already begun tactical preparations for these offensive actions and claimed that “Akhmat” units’ offensive operations began before Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive. ISW has observed no indications of Chechen offensive operations in Zaporizhia or Kherson as of this writing.
OK, but it was still overly-dependent on resource extraction, not to mention--arms sales.
I gather from your response, that mafia and oligarch control of various levels of the economy, corruption, diversification of the economic base, and the need for free and fair elections aren't worth mentioning? Remember when Medvedev said he was going to stimulate light industry? Russia's economy in some ways still has a Soviet-era orientation.
The biggest favor West did to Russia was to try to bury it under sanctions. As the result, country turned away from the West and towards other regions. World is not only 54 countries, sanctioning Russia.
As the result, what they call "importozameshchenie" - import substitution - is flourishing and moving mile long steps. And the entire SMO is an excellent litmus paper to show, who's who in Russia and its government. Who's the fifth column.
And, please, be a smart poster. Before posting something sucked out of nowhere, do basic research:
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the United States remains the world's largest arms exporter responsible for 38.6 percent of international arms sales between 2017 and 2021, up from 32.2 percent between 2012 and 2016. During the most recent time span, the country supplied arms to more than 100 countries.
Russia remains in second position, but its share has been decreasing. Between 2017 and 2021, the country was responsible for 18.6 percent of global arms exports. Between 2012 and 2016, it had been 24.1 percent.
1. offense is the best defense
2. Rosgvardia is NOT National Guard in American understanding.. Americans have only one association with those words - American National Guard. The National Guard of the Russian Federation or Rosgvardiya is the internal military force of Russia, comprising an independent agency that reports directly to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin under his powers as Supreme Commander-in-Chief and Chairman of the Security Council. It is primarily formed out of the Ministry of Internal Affairs recruits. MIA is, basically, police. FSB, or, federal Security Service, is akin to the NSA.
The biggest favor West did to Russia was to try to bury it under sanctions. As the result, country ...........
Russia is being destroyed by sanctions and boycotts.
The outcome of the Ukraine war hardly matters at all. Russia will fall from being a world power to being a country that simply does not matter.
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