I (Stephen Moss of the Guardian) ask Kasparov whether he thinks chess really can reach inner-city areas.
“In America it already is,” he says. “Look at the national schools championship. Kids arrive in buses from downtown Detroit or Chicago, and others are flown by their parents in the family jet. Chess is probably the only game that goes beyond social status, race, education and physical ability. Chess is bringing kids from the streets to a more civilised environment; it channels their aggression.”
Source: The Guardian
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Garry is better as a chess person than politician.
I would be more extreme..
Garry is brilliant (possibly the best ever) chess player, BUT he is a horrible politician (ok, not the worse ever:)).
The family jet??
Chess did not channelled Kaspy’s aggression, did it?
But he is a much better politician than Putin and Bush. Poor world.
family jet = 10 year old mini van
Thankyou so much for this post! I run a charity which hosted this event. Please see many more pictures of Kasparov and our young people at http://hardcoreismorethanmusic.com/projects.php
many thanks
Nendie Pinto-Duschinsky
Kasparov is a hypocrite,
from a great chess player
he degenerated into a pawn on the
geopolitical chess board.
He may be popular in the West,
but in Russia nobody is waiting for
him to become the leader of our country.
He may turn out worse than Yeltsin:
chaos and new break-up of the country, just as he split the chess
world.
Although, the size of his ego is comparable to the size of Russia.
Who inspired and fed him : Soros,
meddling think tanks, Brzezinski,
all kinds of shady networks,…
Garry, you’re not even a russian by birth, you’re an americanized snob, so stay in your NY apartment,
people obviously adore you over there, the inhabitants of the free world will lick your ass and boots forever !
Nicolai
Nicolai,
I have a Ph.D. ih history…specialized in 20th century Soviet/Russian history. I can speak fluent Russian, traveled there many times to conduct research, and believe that your opinion is that of what many historians call “traditionalists.”
Russia has, historically, always had a “strongman,” (call that person a Czar, “Chairman,” or whatever…collectively, Russia’s population has never grasp the nature of “democracry” or of what even what John Locke spoke of when describing “natural rights.”
Kasparov may be many things. Both good and bad. He is humaan. Just like you and I. He has a right, or as in the great Thomas Jefferson’s words, has (literally) his life “fortune and sacred honor” to stand up for what he believes.
Say what you want about America, Kasparov and his “NY apartment,” but the U.S.A. never had a Stalin that murdered what…at least 20 million of his “own people?” Wait now…your “great STalin” was NOT “Russian” either…he was Georgian…from Tbilisi. So, shut up with your “Kasparov is an Americanized….” whatever.
America is not perfect by any means. Yet, we do not have the bloody, murderous, history that Russia does. We had no Stalin, No “Ivan the Terrible,” and regardless of what you learned in “Pioneer Camp” as a child…
your country is no longer an empire. It is no longer a superpower and the only thing that makes the world even acknowledge the existence of your “mother russia” is that you still have tons of nuclear weapons…mostly for sale on the black market to terrorists.
Kasparov is not “Russian by birth.” Yet, his homeland was dominated by “mother Russia” and they weren’t asked “is it OK if we come in and allow old stinky fat men, called the “politburo,” rule your country?”
You can hate America and GM Kasparov…keep on loving your Putin and those in power. Russian women by the hundreds do whatever possible to leave your “great land” because of its horrible condition.
Your opinion DOES NOT represent that of the vast majority of Russian citizens.
Since you miss a dictator so much, why not move to North Korea?
There isn’t a single person in Russia’s long history that is worthy to have even shined the shoes of such great Americans as Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Franklin Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, George Washington.
Your entire message drips with jealosy. You only fantasize about this existential entity called “Russia” that is not a reality. It’s a nation. A large one. But is an embarrassment to even be a part of Europe.
So, if you don’t like Kasparov, then don’t vote for him…oh, I forgot…”voting” is just a word there…
Hate America all you want. Live your simple, poor little insignificant life in a country that has terrorized its neighbors (dare I even mention Stalin’s treatment of the Ukrainians during the “great starvation” period of 1930-1933!
What a sad and tragic picture for humanity the 20th century represents when we consider the mass killings of the Armenian people or the long lines of Jews and Gypsies escorted by the Nazis to the execution places. Holocaust is not just history, it is a tragedy which forever should remain a part of our consciousness-it is part of me since I witnessed it. Equally tragic was the genocide perpetrated against the Ukrainian people by means of artificial famine of 1932-33 in which anywhere from 7 to 10 million people perished.
The immediate origins of the tragedy could be found in Stalin’s program of “Socialism in one country”, which called for economic transformation of the country, particularly of the countryside. What Stalin inaugurated was, in effect, a war on the Ukrainian villages by introducing a policy of collective agriculture, which was to replace individual farming.
So, shut up about Kasparov. Just move to North Korea…they’ll be happy to have a “good commie” in their army.
“Seneca”
Just to bring a little balance.
There is no doubt that Stalin was a tyrant. However the rosey picture painted of the USA by Seneca needs some balance.
As for the USA not having been involved in any murderous actvities:
1. The slaughter of native american indians.
2. An estimated 200,000 civilians (including a large number of children) were killed during the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Note that USA rejected bombing a purely military target because they wanted the bombing to have a pyscological impact on the Japanese (sounds like terrorism to me).
I am sure you can find many others, I dont think you will find a super power that hasn’t been involved in some kind of atrocities.
Also as for Thomas Jefferson DNA evidence sugests with an extremely high probability that he fathered the a child with his 14 year old slave, whilst he was a middle-aged man (if true that would make him a pedophile).
I believe there is a saying that people in glass houses should not throw stones, that goes for both Nicolai and Seneca. And myself of course but I couldn’t resist 😉
Seneca,
I may be a traditionalist, but you’re certainly a fantasist.
Where did I mention Stalin in my message ?
In fact, i had in mind the chaos of the post-soviet nineties (economic downfall; civil wars in Chechnya,Karabakh,Tajikistan,Transdniestr,…; xenophobia both in Russia against foreigners as in certain former SU-republics against ethnic Russians; looting of the country’s riches by a few
smart-asses, most of them Yeltsin’s
friends by the way,…which led to an incredible gap between 1% and the other 99%,…), all of which consequences of the thoughtless and
abrupt break-up and transmission of the economic system.
So in fact i was comparing Yeltsin with Gorbachov and also, further away in history, Stolypin ; alas, both of them failed in their reforms which led in both cases to the break-up of the country.
The problem with you is that you’re throwing the whole Russian history on a pile, on which it is very comfortable for you to spit and urinate, driven by your incredible contempt for anything Russian.
I do not have an obsession with Stalin, but you certainly have !
Stalin certainly was not Russian, which indicates it is historically wrong to blame only Russia for the crimes of the Soviet-Union, as it
is done very easily in the West nowadays.
Re. Ivan the Terrible : Do France and Britain have no murderous kings in their long history ??
and are they obliged to spit on their own history and cultural inheritance because of that ??
Sure, American history is much shorter, but already well filled with crimes : genocide of American Indians and stealing of their land, stealing of California and Hawaii, colonizing the Philippines, Vietnam, meddling in
Latin America (overthrowing governments, instigating guerilla war, supporting dictators), overthrowing Mossadegh in Iran, invading countries based upon lies, installing embargos with hundreds of thousands death people as a consequence, and so on…
As for now, the russian meddling in other’s people affairs is nearly insignificant compared to the American efforts worldwide, “the sky is the limit” !
Your country is still an empire, and quite an agressive one.
What’s that crap about “only acknowledging Mother Russia because of it’s nuclear arsenal,
which is sold to terrorists (fairy tale from Hollywood)…
What’s that crap about Russia being an embarrassment to be a part of Europe ?!
Russia represents +/- 40% of European territory, the relation with the EU is difficult and complex, but Russian defends its own interest, it has no tradition of bowing to the wishes of foreign
geopolitical puppeteers.
Do you speak in the same disdainful way about Russia when you travel here ?
I bet you don’t ; i bet you’re very friendly here, you spare your contempt for when you’re back in your home country : typical American hypocrisy.
True: provoked famine in Ukraine is one of the great crimes/tragedies of the 20th century, but also millions of Russians perished in the hands of Stalin, he killed people because of (perceived) disobedience, not because they were Ukrainian or Russian.
How dare you, you prejudiced parrot, speak about my “poor insignificant life”, how dare you
to tell me who i am, did you already stay in my house or sleep
with my wife maybe ?
No, my message doesn’t drip with jealousy, there’s certainly some mockery and dislike in it, but not jealousy.
Obviously this distinction is too
difficult for your “analytical” brain.
Some Russian (and also Ukrainian,Polish,…) women are leaving their country because of economic or demographic reasons (more women than men), not because they hate their horrible country,
they’re just seeking a better life.
Sure Russia has big problems, I never denied this, and very few russians will, this doesn’t mean they hate their own country and roots.
Your most stupid remark is that “there’s not a single person in Russia’s history to shine the shoes of blablabla…”.
Are those your heroes, some American presidents ? Politicians ?!?
You seem to overestimate your knowledge of Russian history.
I think people in the cultural sphere, artists, are by far more interesting and superior to politicians ! Never came to this conclusion ? Politics is for the greedy, the mediocre, the “swines”
battling for influence an power,
just listen to their empty talks…
but of course somebody needs to run the country.
But if i have to make a choice between Putin and Kasparov, i choose the first because at least he’s trying to serve the interest
of our country, whereas Kasparov i’m not sure who’s interest he is serving, he’s more of a selfish agent.
So stupido : Dostoevsky, Tolstoy,
Lermontov,…,…,…,… are not worthy to shine the shoes of some American presidents ?!
I think YOU are not worthy to bear the name of the famous roman Philospher and Playwright.
My last bet M. Ph.D. Seneca,
is that i’ll never hear again from you,
Nicolai
Nicolai,
No. I’m happy to reply. In fact, I’m perfectly willing to admit that I said things that were said out of emotion and not logic. I admit that I should not have done this and I also admit that my post can be perceived as being many things.
So, I apologize for sending such an emotionally driven message. It was wrong and does not reflect the training I received in graduate school while working on my historical studies.
I could have been much more professional. So, again, I admit that I chose the wrong words and should have waited a while to reply to your post since I obviously wanted to make a point. Alas, humans are emotional creatures and often act irrationally. I did and, again, my apologies.
However, you stated that Kasparov is an: “an americanized snob, so stay in your NY apartment,
people obviously adore you over there…”
An “Americanized snob?” I believe that both you and I might hold some misinformed opionions (not supported by logic nor factual evidence) about each other’s country.
First, “Americanized snob.” To an American…a land of great diversity…how is this to be interpreted? I have often heard both Russians and other Europeans use the phrase “typical American.” Such phrases are prejudiced (and I admit that I have said things about Europeans that are similar…so I’m not saying that I’m not guilty of this, too).
Yet, the Russian mindset of what a “typical American” is…is not correct. Hollywood and our politicians do not reflect the attitude of a nation of 300 million people. It’s this irrational generalization “americanized snob” “typical” American, that shows a certain level of misunderstanding out the USA.
Now, regarding America’s history…no, we are not at all “sin-free.” We have many stains in our history as do most large nations.
I would argue, regarding American Indians, that if the Spanish (that first colonized south america and what is now the modern American southwest, ALSO committed genocide in the sense that smallpox was introduced to a population of people that they KNEW (and it’s in the historical records…there are documents to reflect this attitude)
it would spread and kill many or most of them.
So, the Spanish committed genocide in North America, too, toward the Native Americans. The English, another European country, often treated treated Native Americans with contempt and were quite inhumane to them. This was before the “United States” existed but was part of the British Empire.
I believe that if the USA had never existed, then this land would have been conquered and the American Indians subjugated by a stronger power whether or not it would’ve been Spain, France, England, or whomever…if the Americans had LOST the American Revolution and remained part of the British Empire….do you really think that the British (and other Europeans would NEVER have committed further “genocide” toward the Native Americans? After all, as I said, the Spanish had already done so.
Yet, I’m not saying that what the U.S. did to them was right. It was not. However, the American southwest, if it had never been colonized by Americans, would not have remained free of European intrusion. Some European power would’ve controlled it and eliminated the Native American culture. So, I’m not saying that the US policy toward American Indians was “good” NO it was very BAD. But, if it had not been the U.S., I believe similar events would’ve happened anyway…just by another country.
In the other post it was mentioned about our use of the Atomic Bomb in WWII being “genocide.” I’m not even going there….the Japanese had already proven they could kill hundres of thousands as they had invaded Manchuria in 1933.
And you are correct about the many great Russian’s that imparted to posterity achievements within the cultural sphere. There are many and I know this.
But, I do stick by my belief that Russia does not (due to it’s unique history) have a concept of what “democracy” is. Russia’s is different than both England (which made the U.S.A. possible to even come into existence due to their colonization of the NEw world) and the U.S.
Putin supposed to not be allowed to run for a third term. yet, if he dissolves the Duma and installs himself for a third term, this would be against Russia’s Constitution.
Such a situation would be highly improbably in America. Any person that serves as president (after Franklin Roosevelt) can only serve two terms. Period. in January, 2009 President Bush will no longer be president. And there is now way ,even if he wanted to, for him to remain for a third term.
It just wouldn’t happen.
It is far more likely in Russia. hence, my belief that Russian’s can’t have true “democracy” just yet….maybe in another two generations.
Also, our founders, Madison, Jefferson, WAshington, franklin…were great men. They did what few people in history have been able to do: take the ideas of the great European philosophers (Locke, Rousseau, Hobbes, etc) and put those political ideals down on paper and at least, TRY, to make it work.
We still have the oldest written constitution on Earth.
I think both you and I should stop and reflect on some things.
Plus, my wife is Ukrainian. If I hated Eastern Europe so much, then I wouldn’t have married one.
So, my apologies for my last post….but as far as POLITICAL leaders go, I believe that our founders far outshine any of Russia’s. In the Cultural sphere…well, you might have us there but it’s all subjective and opinion.
Sincerely,
“Seneca”
I also wanted to add that the name I chose “Seneca” was chosen due the fact that he is, other than Epictetus, the personification of the philosophy Stoicism.
I am the first to admit that I was NOT a Stoic in my response.
Yet, of the three “big” revolutions in modern history: The American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Russian Revolution…which was the less violent?
The American Revolution. I do not say this because I do not enjoy Russian history. I’ve spent years studying both your history, language, and tons of money visiting.
You know what I think this conversation reveals? I think it doesn’t reveal “historical truth” in any sense of the word “truth.”
I think it reveals, rather, that people are more influenced than we ever wish to imagine by our local (be in Russia or America) media, books (no matter how flawed), and so willing to accept it.
Who is right? Actually, I would say that we’re both wrong factually but “feel right” only in that our emotions and logic have been corrupted by the media and a ton of other sources in both our nations.
This happens and we often don’t even realize it.
It gives one a lot to reflect upon…abotu human nature and what is “truth.”
I hope you respond as I would like to know what you think of my subsequent posts.
I’m not perfect. Neither are you. I think, fundamentally, we’ve both been influenced by a lifetime of heresay.
Seneca wouldn’t have liked either of our posts. I commend you for reminding me of the connection.
Though I love America, its founders, and believe that President Lincoln was right when he said in the Gettysburg Address that America (if there is any hope for the future of humanity) is, in his words, “The last BEST HOPE FOR THE EARTH.”
I believe this. I mean no disrespect to you nor your country. So, don’t get offended by what I just said. It’s OK to “agree to disagree.”
If it were not for America and our sacrifices in WWII for the sake of Europe’s future, the history of the world would have been different post-WWII. Russia, no offense, did not defeat Hitler (the stupidity of Hitler, his complete ignorance of Russia’s will, stopped the German invasion of the Soviet Union during your “Great Patriotic War.”
But, if America would have never entered the war, would have never (with the aid of the allies), invaded France on June 6, 1944 to retake it from the Nazis (where were the Russians?)…European and Russian history would have been completely different.
People in Russia and Eastern Europe can dislike our current politicians, they can not like us, but no matter what is going on today, the fact remains that it was the United STates of America that turned the tide of the second world war and defeated Hitler.
Without us, Britain would not have made it. France just gave up without hardly a fight…It was left to England, Russia, and the U.S. to bring down Hitler.
Russia paid a big price. What? 20 million dead or wounded? But America won the war for the allies in Europe.
And what is so bad, in my opinion, is that so many Europeans, due to what’s happening today, just cannot accept the fact that it was the United States’ entrance into WWII that brought victory to the allies.
So, though America has never been nor is not now perfect in any way…we made a positive difference.
I know Russia enough, I have a Ukrainian wife, I am almost 74 years old and remember and served in WWII. I was there. So, before lecturing me on what I don’t know…I do know what “sacrifice” means, I know what I witnessed, the death, the destruction, the awful misery.
You’re a young man that I bet has only read about these things in books. Well, I’ve read of them and lived them. So, I might be a bit more emotional but I earned it. AS did many of your WWII veterans.
YOu see, young man, I LIVED during a time of war, death, and dread, that you, my friend have only read about.
I might be wrong…but I fought for my country in a war that meant something. I left my family and asw many a friend killed in order to bring something called “freedom” to Europe.
Am I wrong? No. If it were not for the military might of the United States of America, then Western Europe would have fell to the Nazis.
Russia’s subsequent attempt (or not “Russia” but rather…Stalin’s) to spread NOT Marxism but his verson of it…”Stalinism” to East Germany and the poor nations that were so cruelly subjected to his rule during the post WWII era, is and will always be a stain upon Russia and it doesn’t matter whether or not Stalin himself was not a “real Russian.”
When it comes to having to choose which nation, the USA or Russia that brought more harm or good to the world (and particularly Europe) in the 20th century few would say Russia…Most would say (or they’d know deep in their heart) that it was the USA.
So, no…we’re not perfect, we’ve done some horrible things…but we’ve done a great deal of good to make the world a better place and I’m not talking about what’s going on right now in 2007.
Maybe because I was there, I fought in Italy, in France, and I’ll probably not live many more years to tell stories….again,
I LIVED through a time of war and dread that you, my friend, have only read about.
Think of me as you will. I believe I earned it. I have the scars both emotionally and physically to prove it.
Don’t say that I fought in vein.
I fought for freedom. I fought for something this generation of Americans have not a clue about.
And it mattered.
And I think Seneca the Stoic philosopher would understand. maybe not agree with either of us…but the USA is the greatest nation on Earth. I don’t mean offense by saying this…
but, I’ll send you some photos of the scars I carry each day and I think I have a good right to say that I earned my belief that what I went through was something that meant something good…
The USA is politically a greater nation than Russia. We’re far from perfect but our imperfections are so different that they pale in comparison to Russia’s.
You can say I’m a liar and didn’t live through what I did…that’s fine. but, I’ll go to my grave knowing that I fought for freedom, my buddies that died in Europe fought for freedom….what did Russia’s leaders fight for?
Domination of Western and Eastern Europe. We did not.
And, this, my friend, is the difference between Russia and America. Neither are perfect. But we spilled our blood to save your continent in WWII.
And don’t spout any bullshit about “Iraq” and what’s going on today. I’m talking about the past…the 20th century.
Plus, we had Morphy and Fischer.
Sorry…just had to say that.
“Seneca”
Seneca,
For someone who obviously hate Russia & Russians so much.. I just can figure why you would devote your career to learning about Russia!!
Seneca,
Of course i didn’t mean it when i called you stupid, i was just a little bit angry and wanted to hit back. Sorry about that.
Your vivid passion for history proves you’re an intelligent man.
I respect your knowledge of life
(I myself am only 32 years old),
your efforts and bravery on the battlefield.
It is true : from a moral point of view, America liberated Europe much more than the Soviet Union.
I know hundreds and hundreds of thousands Americans perished in Europe.
But look at that enormous figure :
somewhere between 20 and 30 million
Soviets (civilians and soldiers) died as a consequence of “operation Barbarossa”.
Let’s take 25.000.000 : that means
during +/- four years (1460 days),
every day roughly 17.000 people died on an average ! Belarus lost 50 % of its entire population during those four years !
Of course Hitler underestimated the Soviet Army (“Untermenschen”),
but i consider it as a fact that
the peoples of the Soviet Union, from a military point of view, did
defeat the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.
The battles of Leningrad, Moscow, Stalingrad,Sebastopol, Minsk, Kursk,Cherkassy, to name but a few, are some of the bloodiest battles in the history of mankind. Your question “where were the russians (i prefer peoples of the SU) when America invaded France ?”, can be answered quite easily : they were fighting all over northern and eastern europe, pushing back the Germans.
I believe the German army bled to death on Soviet ground.
Again, no disrespect, your personal experience is of high emotional and historical value, but i believe that without the bleeding to death of the German army in Russia, the American task of liberating western and southern europe would have been even more difficult than it already was, and much more Americans would have died.
Please do not forget Hitler had an obsession with Russia (Lebensraum), for him the invasion of western europe was more of a (compulsory) preparation for that enormous invasion eastwards.
I certainly do not want to lecture
you, i just try to stick to the facts.
True : Russia has no tradition whatsoever of democracy, but i think Russia doesn’t need another
abrupt foreign sponsored regime change/coloured revoltion, it needs very gradual/organic reform, and for now avoiding another break-up or downfall is more important than anything else.
Re. Russian history : don’t forget Russia itself has also been dominated for centuries by another nation, i’m talking of the downfall of the first russian (Kiev) empire, the Tatar Yoke, domination by the the Mongols.
This may (partly) explain the rough
russian politics/expansionism the centuries after overthrowing the Mongols.
I do not trust Kasparov : he’s a narcissistic agitator, by any means i judge him incapable of running this country.
He has been very busy lately attacking and sneering at all sorts of politicians loyal to Putin
(members of parliament, regional leaders,…) and all of a sudden he would have to work together with
them ? I fear this can only trigger
chaos, rather than relief (for the russian people).
Calling him an “Americanized snob”
was sneering at Kasparov, not at the American people or way of life.
I agree with your analysis of the conquest of the American continent;
i have to admit more or less the same thing happened in Siberia : forced russification, decimating resistant native peoples,…
If we wouldn’t have done it, the Chinese would have grabbed it.
In fact, we even grabbed almost the whole of eastern Siberia from
the then weak chinese empire, who had grabbed it before us.
Last remark : I have no problems with the US as such, but I do have a huge problem with the current American foreign policy, doesn’t it make you wonder that the US is more hated nowadays throughout the world, more than Russia or any other country ?
American democracy (voting) is limited to American citizens, whereas some negative consequences of American (foreign) policy are very much felt here and there in
the world, which proves democracy in it’s actual form is a very relative, i would even say an abstract idea.
Or is this a sophism ?
Regards,
Nicolai
Nicolai,
I agree. “Democracy” is a much overused word. It is an abstract idea, as you say. Even in ancient Greece, the birthplace of “democracy,” it was a concept and not a reality (at least in the way the word is defined today. So, it’s not sophistry…I think it’s an abstract idea that can never be a reality due to the growing population of the world. Can you even imagine what it would be like to try to get 300 million people to vote on every single issue? It’s impossible.
In reality, America is nor ever was a true “democracy.” It is, in political science terms, a “republic,” which is different. But people here use the words as if they mean the same. They don’t.
I also strongly believe that our founders, if they could see what this nation has become (politically, culturally, socially, etc) probably would have settled their differences with the British Parliament in the 1760’s early 1770’s and remained a part of the British Empire! I’ll also say with complete confidence, that America only won the war for independence due to the help of France. When France entered the War on our side…suddenly (at least to the British) it was no longer a mere “problem with the colonies” but it became a world war in the sense that they’d have to fight the French in India, Africa, and even the Caribbean sugar islands.
Even with this fact, I don’t think Britain “lost” the revolution. I think they simply chose to not continue it because, since they now had to fight France and Spain, they didn’t see the American colonies as being worth the expense any longer.
Regarding our foreign policy today, well, I know a lot of people in the world doesn’t agree with the course we’ve taken. I can’t agree with it either. However, I don’t have any control (any more than writing my congressman or senator) over what choices are made.
It is sad that what politicians do end up making us all “look bad.”
There are a lot of good people here…lot of bad ones too. I guess that’s anywhere.
Actually, “the people” here could do something. They could’ve voted differently in the recent Congressional election to bring enough people from the other party into power to make a real difference but it takes more here than a simaple majority but rather 2/3 of the Senate to ever override a president’s veto/decisions. Regardless, as of January, 2009 we’ll have a new president. Maybe within the next few years Europe and America can be closer.
You know what else is sad? I bet that most Americans don’t even know enough about history (or what goes on outside their local neighborhood) to even make an informed decision. I have to admit, many Americans are quite ignorant of their own history…not to even speak of world history. So many here, if asked, probably wouldn even know what countries fought in WWII.
What struck me most about Russians is that many knew more about American history (i.e. names, dates, important events) than my own students! I saw this, too, in Ukraine and in western Europe.
I believe, collectively, Europeans have a greater knowledge of history and, though our interpretation might be different, it really impressed me.
I could go on about the many impressive aspects of Europe (both eastern and western) that I respect, admire, and consider myself fortunate enough to be visiting, probably for the last time…not getting any younger, Russia and the Czech Republic this year.
Finally, I agree with your statement:
“i think Russia doesn’t need another
abrupt foreign sponsored regime change/coloured revoltion, it needs very gradual/organic reform, and for now avoiding another break-up or downfall is more important than anything else.”
Gradual reform is usually always better and safer than a sudden abrupt change that many of the people might not agree with or be used to.
Personally, I think Kasparov should play chess. I don’t think he has even a remote chance of winning the Russian presidency. I think he has a right to run for the office…if he wants to waste a lot of money. He has no political experience, never been elected or appointed to a political office that I know of. This, in and of itself, lack of experience, makes me think he should stay out of politics…or at least try to run for some local office and not for President!
So, again, I agree that someone with no political experience such as Kasparov would be the best successor to Pres. Putin. There are many others with the experience and knowledge that would be better suited.
So, again, my apologies for the spiteful words I used in my first post. We have different views on the world, history, and it’s interesting. After all, if everyone on Earth though alike, held the same opinions, don’t you think it would be a rather boring world?
Thanks for the discussion and I’ll check back here for a response.
“Seneca”
Nicholai,
I cannot speak from your perspective as I have not lived (for very long) nor am a Russian citizen. However, consider the following quote from our President Jefferson:
“Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe.”
–Thomas Jefferson
Again, I’m not attacking you or your opinions…I just seek pure intellectual discourse. Nothing wrong with “agreeing to disagree.”
But, hasn’t Putin pretty much shut down what the west refers to as the “free press?” How much of the media is now state controlled?
Is this a good thing, in your opinion, to have state controlled media, newspapers, and such?
I see one major difference that makes, in my opinion, Russia different than America (and, again, I mean no offense, just an opinion said in polite terms).
NO matter what, I and other americans know that we can speak our mind in public…we can demonstrate in front of the White House, we can criticize the government (rightly or wrongly) in any newspaper, and not fear being “shut down” or having the government limit this ability to speak our mind….as stupid as many of these opinions might be…and trust me, many are stupid…but the point is that all people have a right to express themselves in the media, newspapers, whatever without being afraid of the president’s reaction.
How many newspapers, how many television stations are now 100% free of ANY government control in Russia? Is control of the media good in your opinion? or, do you believe in freedm of speech, regardless of how stupid it is…that is, as long as it doesn’t advocate violence to others?
President Putin has suppressed the media in Russia. I do not think Russia will ever become nor have a solid concept of “freedom” as defined by your own European philosphers (Locke, Hobbes, Rousseeau, Burke, etc) until all those that grew up under the rule of the “Soviet Union” pass away.
so this means, in my opinion, that the future of Russia depends largely upon those born, raised, and educated after 1991.
But, this also means that it will be several decades before these people will be old enough and have the experience enough to be good political leaders.
Our President James Madison once caid that,
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
I like this quote because it means that all humans are flawed and capable of bad things. hence, government…of some type (what is the “best type”…well, that’s up for debate) is necessary to control the irrational impulses of human nature.
My point: Our founders were wise men. They were not by any means “angels” nor flawless. But, they did what no other “founders” of superpower nations have done….
Bring to life ideas that, though never truly implemented into reality, put their lives on the line by rebelling against the British government for nothing more than an “Idea.” That is, the idea that there exists something, maybe it’s abstract, but something called “Natural Rights” and/or “human rights.”
No. We’ve not been the best example of implementing these ideas. but the point is that that our founders did something that no founders of an empire ever did (notRome’s founders, not Russia’s, not the Soviet Union’s….by any stretch of the imagination…”human rights” and “natural rights” were NOt in any way within the mind of those that fueled the Russian Revolution. Let’s see…Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky….did any of them, deep in your heart, really believe in somthing called “human rights?” Natural rights of all people?
Lenin spoke merely of, for lack of a better phrase, “class warfare” and why the poor should overtake the “rich”. Trotsky…well, Stalin had him killed in Mexico with an ice pick through his skull…but he wasn’t any better.
So, I say: compare the names of Washington, Madison, Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander hamilton, and…later, Abraham Lincoln with such leaders of the Russian Revolution as Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky…
Of those names…whose writings, whose lives (though flawed), show at least a small but true belief in freedom, natural human rights, and the right of every individual to live as they see fit…as long as they don’t harm others, break the law, or do bad things.
Historians, both American and european will say that our founders , though flawed and were not perfect, were (if compared) far superior to the likes of Lenin, Marx, Engels, Stalin, and every Russian leader up to this very day…April 12, 2007.
That’s the truth and you know it.
America is the greatest nation on Earth.
But, again, I guess Roman soldiers thought the same when they faced Cartaginians…
Patriotism is something that’s difficult to overcome and I don’t believe that one should try. I’ve done my part. I’m sure you’d do your part or will in the future if needed for Russia.
In the end…we all have but one life to live…just try to be happy and, don’t hate, and let the past be the past.
It’s the future that now matters.
And the future transcends any single person alive today….because in 1000 years, it’s not going to matter what you or I think on this day. It’s not going to matter how rich we are, how poor we are, or what type of house we live in.
Just live and forgive. It brings peace of mind and less nightmares while sleeping.
“Seneca”
For both Nicolai and Seneca.
I believe a true Patriot does not love his country for what it is, but he sees a vision of how it might be improved in the future and strives to achieve this.
Both of you would be better served looking for the errors in your own nation’s ways and how these migth be improved upon, rather than pointing out the faults in other nations. Now that would be Patriotic.
Seneca,
A couple of things crossed my minds while reading your posts.
After his reelection in 2004, Putin
was heavily criticized by the West (OSCE) because of the “heavily biased media coverage in his favour”.
This may be true, but strangely enough there was no (or much less)
such criticism in 1996 when Yeltsin,
considered as a democrat in the West, was reelected, although he was really not popular in Russia at that time, with the financial
support of his friends “the oligarchs” and ALSO thanks to biased coverage in the state and oligarch controlled media.
I’m referring to Abramovich and especially Berezovski, who is now calling from London for a regime change through violence in Russia.
I don’t like Kasparov, but have to admit that as a chess genius he brought great honour to our country, and compared to Berezovski
Kasparov is an angel.
Berezovski supported Putin in the beginning, but Putin smelled a rat and the two fell out.
Putin, not being a drunk, scatterbrain, not being a sick man, on the contrary being able to
think and speak for himself, was really not inclined to let him being manipulated as was the case with Yeltsin.
I prefer a president who manipulates himself instead of a president who is being manipulated by dark forces or a hidden hand (suddenly G.W. Bush crosses my mind).
If Putin would have tolerated Berezovski, the latter would still be “in power” in Russia and would be defending and supporting Putin.
Intriguing, lying, stealing, cheating, hypocrisy, greediness are terms that don’t even suffice
to describe the evilness of this Berezovsky guy.
The fact that in some western media he is described as a “dissident” makes me want to vomit.
Remember : there has never been
(as you suggested yourself)
western-style democracy in Russia,
not under Putin but neither under
Yeltsin, unless you want to describe chaos, economic downfall, loss of (geopolitical) prestige and self-respect, disintegration, increased poverty, massive looting by a few of the country’s riches,… as “democratic”.
RE. your phrase “without being afraid of the president’s reaction”. There is something, a “phenomenom” typical for Russia that is less known in the West.
Under the traditional “strongman”,
as you called it, there have always been quite a few very active
and also powerful servants (generals, princes in tsarist times, bureaucrats, local leaders,
members of parliament,…) who are constantly busy trying to surpass
each other in being loyal to The Leader.
Actions against for instance newspapers or some journalists are
often on the initiative of those people.
For Putin, not being an ardent democrat himself, it is difficult to resist actions undertaken which are aimed at helping him and even polishing his shoes and overall image (in Russia).
It’s a mistake to think, as is often suggested by western journalists, that those “questionable” actions or initiatives you hear about Russia are always commanded and directed by Putin himself.
I do think Lenin believed in a rough,primitive way in more rights for people.
For instance he called tsarist Russia a “prison for peoples”, referring to individuals but also to non-russian peoples living on that enormous landmass.
Sadly enough Stalin turned the imperfect tsarist empire into a “Gulag Archipelago”.
Better and quicker reforms could and should have been made to prevent the Revolution.
Yes I feel nostalgia when i refer to pre-communist Russia; in the 18 and 19th century, Russia (together with Britain), was the most powerful nation on earth.
It was also culturally thriving.
Re. lack of freedom of speech in present-day Russia : yes the mass media are state-controlled, but we have acces to internet (provided you can afford it) without limitations ,Western books and movies are available in the big cities, even books very critical of Putin altough certainly not in every shop…
but i admit : there’s still a lot of work and progress to be done.
My knowledge of American history is rather limited but it does interest me and i intend to learn and read more about it.
I wish you all the best and a good trip,
Nicolai.