Australians and New Zealanders never even fought each other.
Have you never seen an ANZAC Rugby League game or an ANZAC Rugby game?
Australians and New Zealanders never even fought each other.
Why should they accept provincial status in Russia?
flamming_python wrote:I don't like...
flamming_python wrote:I don't like Russia's approach
It's all about making money, maintaining leverage and trying to balance power in a sensitive area. Which is fair enough.
But Russia can't treat it's allies like shit, like it's doing with Armenia, even if it's not turning their back on them.
Now Russia is shitting a brick over Lukashenko flirting with the West, even though it likes to pretend it isn't. But what's the surprise here. Lukashenko offered full integration, with opportunities for Russian defense industry contracts for Belarussian companies. Russia didn't like that, it insisted that Kamaz must own MZKT and so on.
Then Lukashenko proposed equal energy prices for Russia and Belarus. Again it's a fair proposal, if both countries want to form some sort of confederation. But Russia looked to maximize profit and avoid handouts. Under Putin, who has been stating publically that Lenin's division of the Russian Empire into seperate union republics and autonomous republics within larger ones - was a mistake - Russia seems to be insisting that the only way Belarus can get such conditions is that if it becomes part of Russia. But that's completely unreasonable; they're their own large sovereign people with their own country. Why should they accept provincial status in Russia?
This is also the reason Russia lost the Ukraine. It didn't even pay any attention to it, until the EU started to make a move. It had 20 years to deepen ties with the Ukraine, pursue integration projects, rather than constantly squabbling with the Ukraine over gas prices and offering to buy the Slava cruiser for $0. Completely ridiculous.
Russia with this attitude will lose Belarus, and it will lose Armenia. It acts like these countries have no other options; but that's true only for the time being.
calripson wrote:Lukashenko was against the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991. He had nostalgia for the USSR and when integration was first proposed in 1999 he saw himself as a successor to Yeltsin. Putin saw him as a threat as did the oligarchs and liberals who rejected any kind of faux USSR. On a personal level, there has never been good chemistry between Putin and Lukashenko. Fast forward 20 years and an entire generation has come of age in Belarus with no particular affinity to Russia other than language. It is too late for integration. Post Lukashenko Belarus will drift to the West.
People see how anti-Russian Ukraine is today, but 50 years ago Kiev and Kharkov were almost 100% Russian speaking and politically pretty neutral. Much like Belarus today.
calripson wrote:Lukashenko was against the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991. He had nostalgia for the USSR and when integration was first proposed in 1999 he saw himself as a successor to Yeltsin. Putin saw him as a threat as did the oligarchs and liberals who rejected any kind of faux USSR. On a personal level, there has never been good chemistry between Putin and Lukashenko.
Fast forward 20 years and an entire generation has come of age in Belarus with no particular affinity to Russia other than language. It is too late for integration. Post Lukashenko Belarus will drift to the West.
Vann7 wrote:calripson wrote:Lukashenko was against the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991. He had nostalgia for the USSR and when integration was first proposed in 1999 he saw himself as a successor to Yeltsin. Putin saw him as a threat as did the oligarchs and liberals who rejected any kind of faux USSR. On a personal level, there has never been good chemistry between Putin and Lukashenko.
Fast forward 20 years and an entire generation has come of age in Belarus with no particular affinity to Russia other than language. It is too late for integration. Post Lukashenko Belarus will drift to the West.
Russia #1 problem , is Russia poor influence over its former soviet republics.. the culture of russia ends
at russian borders. and american and european culture start after that.. in fact even inside russia
in most major cities.. a big part of the population is also influenced heavily by american culture..
by american music , american movies , american entertainment and video games. american iphones
american computers, american internet ,american space exploration program , american this and that..
and this is all about US total domination of their ,modern era business vs soviet era russian business..
Putin development of Russia ,how he invest and develop russia economy , is to blame for this.. he have
spend his entire political carreer and energies.. in trying to turn russia into a gas station , a saudi arabia of asia..
that is a complete lazy economy.. that takes very little risk.. and allows Russia enemies to dominate and lead in the world in most popular business..
so Russia don't influence belarus or ukrainians.. because of how mediocre is putin.. he don't see the connection
of his outdated vision of russia development ,with the lack of influence of russia vs us..
So Putin and his sport and religion and attachment for soviet old days , will have to go ,in order for russia
to expand and grow and develop a new identity and a modern culture too.. without abandoning
family values..and public order.
young generations feel more attracted in russia for american culture ,than russian one..
and this happens when a country government focus in the past so much , on their good old days..
instead of reinventing Russia in a new way ,in a more future looking business economy .
https://www.rt.com/news/212527-eye-sauron-moscow-scyscraper/
in ukraine they removed russian heroes statues of world war 2 ..and replaced them with
american movies film characters.. so putin in my opinion have done more harm ,to russia ,that the good.
russia needs a young generation leadership in charge of russia.. that looks to the future . and not to the past
as putin does all the time.
what american culture promote.. is liked by all russians..
Comic Con Russia
what Putin's Russia promote.. the "great" old russian traditions.
is not wonder the image of russia is of the like of a third world nation in terms of identity and culture..
with cheap gas and nukes.. and why russia not taken seriously by the west and disrespected so much..
only rejected nations like iran ,north korea , and those in middle east that depends
on russia for its existence , follow russia.
What the moron Putin don't understand is that traditions = forms of entertainment
that society use to not die of boringness.. and all that entertainment is limited by the
business development of the country..
because putin's vision of russia is not focused in innovative modern business.. but instead in the old
low risk ,bananas and food exports republic with cheap gas station..sports and tanks.. then russian business don't inspire much the russian culture at all.. so young generations ,need to look either elsewhere ,for the west ,for entertainment, or look at the mediocre past... had russia economy was based on innovative business..
in high tech and space exploration.. and not on third world nation style economies , in africa ,that depends on mining and oil..most of their economy.. had russia was a leader in world development and innovation.. then things will have been completely different in russia.. and ukraine and belarus will be doing protest.. not to split from russia.. but to re-join it.. again.. So effectively Putin's mediocre development of russia economy and business ,hold back the potential of russia to become a very influential nation.. among the most developed nations.
Rodion_Romanovic wrote:
Anyway, I agree that Russia has not yet developed the same soft power and influence as USA, but they are slowly moving in the right direction.
Concerning their influence on other nation, I would not use the DC and Marvel comic as a great example of culture. Yes people watch them, and they probably are useful in their propaganda, (as other Hollywood productions where the military might of the USA shines and it's perfect).
However I would call it being totally detached from reality.
A big chunk of the western adult population is composed by immature men and women that have no concept of responsibility, respect and consequences for their own actions. And this phenomenon has expanded also to other nations. Sooner or later there will be a (very painful) wake call.
And about American culture... in the last year of the soviet union, even in Moscow many people were loving everything American, because they really believed and wanted to believe in all the american propaganda, hoping that emulating the american would bring them to a better life and with a western style democracy they would be all rich.
GarryB wrote: We were no longer useful to them and stood in the way of them joining an economic union that would make them more money so they dropped us like a hot rock.
GarryB wrote:Most people in cities in Aussie look to the US for leadership, but I can tell you that their farmers and their miners are looking more to China because that is where their income is coming from.
GarryB wrote:
Werner Von Braun was a Nazi War Criminal... who looked after him and gave him a nice house and a very good paying job and all the resources he needed and brought all his mates over to the US too?
jhelb wrote:GarryB wrote:
Werner Von Braun was a Nazi War Criminal... who looked after him and gave him a nice house and a very good paying job and all the resources he needed and brought all his mates over to the US too?
Majority of Jews killed by Nazis during WW-II were jews of color. Not White Jews.
PapaDragon wrote:
Wut?
Jews of what color? Light beige?
GTFOH
jhelb wrote:https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-why-north-african-jews-are-missing-from-the-holocaust-narrative-1.5629410PapaDragon wrote:
Wut?
Jews of what color? Light beige?
GTFOH
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews_outside_Europe_under_Axis_occupation
jhelb wrote:GarryB wrote:
Werner Von Braun was a Nazi War Criminal... who looked after him and gave him a nice house and a very good paying job and all the resources he needed and brought all his mates over to the US too?
Majority of Jews killed by Nazis during WW-II were jews of color. Not White Jews.
auslander wrote:Kindly provide one image of a 'Jew of colour'.
jhelb wrote:auslander wrote:Kindly provide one image of a 'Jew of colour'.
Already provided the links in my previous post