#Imperialism

every time I say something about how Russia does something, in my opinion, negative, like censorship, limiting freedom of speech, some people react by defending it, they say that USA is no better. Like It’s okay to do that if USA does that too.

No, it’s not okay! It’s the same as saying that if Peter have stolen, it does give a right to Vasia to steal. No, it does not. Nobody should steal.

And yes, I believe, USA and Europe are in much better situation. And people have more control over the government. And corruption is incomparably weaker. And courts are incomparably more independent. And yes, Russian imperialism and obscurantism affects me, because it affects my country. It’s like American imperialism affects people somewhere let’s say in the middle east.

I would like to add something for my Russian friends. I love your country, I love your language, I love your culture. I really love them. You are amazing. I just wish you be free from tyranny and become a well developed modern nation. With cool technologies. To become a real player, to signify. Not by selling oil. By creating technologies, by science. You can do that. That’s your government’s fault that you’re going back in time now. I wish you to be able to change it.

#russia #usa #imperialism #people #government #freedom

բնօրինակ սփիւռքում(եւ մեկնաբանութիւննե՞ր)

I had to enter that building, which is called “Dom Moskvy”, exactly like that, there is no translation to Armenian or English, so it does not call “House of Moscow” or something like that. Whatever, I had to enter it. I have entered it, and there are several doors, transparent doors. all of them - locked. I was waiting for some of them to open. No electronics, of course. It is called “Moscow”! Okay, how do I enter this? And then I notice the piece of paper with inscription - “ВХОД”. Just a piece of paper. It means “Entrance” in Russian. Okay, I was thinking where to push, eventually just pushed glass and entered the building.

After I had my conversation at reception I told them:

— you know, it was kinda hard to understand where to go at the entrance.

— there is an inscription - “Vkhod” - she told me.

— yes, but first it’s necessary to notice that, and secondly - I don’t read Russian.

Now yes, I read Russian. I know it perfectly. And I like that I know it perfectly. (: But almost all of my friends - don’t, since they were raised or even born in Syria, Iran, Netherlands, USA, etcetera. And I know how they suffer from the assumptions that each and every Armenian has to know Russian. This is one of those situations - it’s a trifle, but you don’t feel comfortable because of that trifle. Same is at the train station. Since Russia got our railways, they don’t write the list of races in Armenian. Only in Russian. When I asked at the cashier’s desk - they told me - “you can ask us, if you are illiterate, and we can explain you”. Okay, what if I don’t want to ask, can you print it in Armenian as well? “No”, - they said. “We won’t”.

So I told her I don’t know Russian. Can they print the same paper in Armenian, indicating that it’s an entrance?

— No - she answered. It’s a Russian building.

And that’s not a good thing to tell if you want someone just to leave. What does it mean it’s a Russian building? It means you expect only people who knows Russian? You have hell of offices in this buildings, are you sure no other person can come?

— It’s located in Yerevan, Republic of Armenia - I said. We have the law regarding the language.

She didn’t even want to talk about it. “It’s a Russian building” - she said. - “That’s all. We won’t add another inscription”.

That’s it.

I don’t feel happy because of similar stories. I don’t feel happy at all.

#russian #armenian #armenia #language #imperialism #expansion

բնօրինակ սփիւռքում(եւ մեկնաբանութիւննե՞ր)

the journalist hardly resists to not laugh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoDc9bwdQWk

@{ Ճաշող Փիլիսոփայ ; norayr@spyurk.am} ^{12.02.2015, 12:34:34}

հաւէս հարցազրոյց՝ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoDc9bwdQWk

լրագրողն էլ հազիւ է զսպում իրեն որ չծիծաղի։

#հարցազրոյց #իմպերիալիզմ #ուղղափառ #ռուսերէն #լրագրող #փողոց #ռուսաստան #պուտին #ցար #կայսր #տեսանիւթ

#russia #interview #street #putin #imperialism #religion #orthodoxy #православие #самодержавие #путин #россия #интервью #империализм

բնօրինակ սփիւռքում(եւ մեկնաբանութիւննե՞ր)

True: we made mistakes. We tried too hard to pander to Russia in the Yeltsin era, ignoring the growth of corruption, authoritarianism and revanchism. We overlooked Russians’ resentment as their country drifted from the European mainstream and our vulnerability to the steps they could take in response. We neglected Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and the countries of the Caucasus. The Blair government was bewitched by the Putin regime’s offer of cooperation against Islamist terrorism in 2001. We have been frequently dazzled by the spurious commercial prospects offered by Russia – in particular BP’s decision to form an alliance with Rosneft, the main Russian oil company, was a shameful example of greed and short-sightedness.

very good paper by Edward Lucas

#edward-lucas #russia #putin #oil #gas #caucasus #blair #ukraine #moldova #belarus #rosneft #russian #bp #vulnerability #authoritarianism #corruption #revanchism #europe #politics #world #war #peace #regime #challenge #soviet #ussr #empire #imperialism #freedom

բնօրինակ սփիւռքում(եւ մեկնաբանութիւննե՞ր)

Russia is a revisionist power

Russia wants to rewrite the rules in three ways. First, it does not believe that its neighbours should make their own decisions about their geopolitical future. Russia’s security, in short, depends on these countries’ insecurity. Russia particularly begrudges the former captive nations of the Soviet empire their freedom, their prosperity, and their independence. These pose an existential challenge to the stagnant and autocratic model of government pioneered by the Putin regime.

very good paper by Edward Lucas

#edward-lucas #russia #putin #europe #politics #world #war #peace #regime #challenge #soviet #ussr #empire #imperialism #freedom

բնօրինակ սփիւռքում(եւ մեկնաբանութիւննե՞ր)

Putin went on to praise the philosophy of the “Eurasian idea” and to assert that Kazakhs endorse it and see benefits to “remaining in the space of the larger Russian world.”

Solzhenitsyn’s Greater Russian, Orthodox-driven nationalism, Elder notes, “once had him appear sorely out of touch, but today [is] increasingly fashionable.”

http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-putin-solzhenitsyn-1990-essay/26561244.html

Apparently it’s good that we don’t have Russians in Armenia. Otherwise Putin would “protect” them, and we would have bloody events like in Ukraine. But stop! Putin will protect us from ourselves! The paper we signed with Russia, CSTO paper, contains a point that Russia may “help” our authorities in case of inner, not only outer threat. It means they’ll “save” us from having democratic elections, and change corrupted government. They need this corrupted and puppet government to dictate to us. Otherwise, if we try, they’ll protect us from ourselves.

Also, they’ll protect people of Artsakh. They desperately need their forces there. Once they enter, they’ll never get out.

#eurasian-union #russian-world #russia #imperialism #CSTO #Armenia #freedom.

բնօրինակ սփիւռքում(եւ մեկնաբանութիւննե՞ր)

My country is sick with aggressive ignorance, nationalism and imperialistic megalomania.

Civilization reached dead end. Science, education, cognition, art did not succeed in taming human aggression. Formerly it seemed that culture is able to overcome these self-destructive aspirations, but I’m afraid human race has almost no time left.

In German: https://magazin.spiegel.de/digital/index_SP.html#SP/2014/34/128743771
In Russian: http://www.inopressa.ru/article/18Aug2014/spiegel/ulitskaya.html

#deutsch #german #russian #ulitskaya #russia #aggression #imperialism #civilization #culture #art

բնօրինակ սփիւռքում(եւ մեկնաբանութիւննե՞ր)