remembered old Soviet joke:
Young French girl comes to Soviet Union, walks in Moscow, and falls in to the open hatch, gets injuries. When she comes back to her senses at the hospital, says:
— why wasn’t it marked with a red flag? you could at least mark it!
And hears the answer:
— when you were crossing the border, did you see the big red flag?
#ussr #soviet #joke #flag #cccp
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
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
It makes me pretty sad when I see Western liberals/leftists defend post-Soviet authoritarian leaders. I mean come on, you are defending people with golden toilet seats and Swiss bank accounts, people who plunder their own countries to buy yachts and football clubs in London, people who send their kids to the most expensive Western colleges and buy American passports for them. Even those Western leftists who idealized Stalin the 1930s made more sense: Stalin was a mass murderer, but at least he was trying to build a socialist economy, rather than trying to steal enough money to buy a mansion in Miami, FLA.
Mikayel Zolian
#puting #russia #ukraine #soviet #cccp #ссср #2014 #authoritarianism #zolian #invasion #customs-union #eurasian-union #maidan #freedom #путин #янукович #cccp #ссср #украина #россия #майдан #империализм #политика #свобода #евразэс #тс #таможенный-союз #евразийский-союз #деспотизм #авторитаризм #права-человека #Евромайдан #євромайдан #вільність #վլադիմիր֊նադեին #ուկրայինա #ռուսաստան #իմպերիալիզմ #մաքսային֊միութիւն #եւրասիական֊միութիւն #մարդու֊իրաւունքներ #ազատութիւն #սովետ #պուտին #յանուկովիչ #խսհմ #քաղաքականութիւն
#Mikael-Zolyan spoke to #CivilNet about his #generation, which was born in the #Soviet era but has grown up with #independence; the difficulties and challenges they face and what are the factors that will keep them engaged with #Armenia.
http://civilnet.am/2013/09/26/reality-check-independence-at-22/
დიმიტრი შევარდნაძე
მხატვარი
ხელოვნების მუზეუმის დამაარსებელი
დახვრეტილია 1937 ნელს
Dimitri Shevardnadze
artist, founder of Georgian Art Museum.
shot in 1937
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitri_Shevardnadze
#USSR #CCCP #СССР #ԽՍՀՄ #1937 #Georgia #Dimitri-Shevardnadze #artist #georgian-painters #georgian #Tbilisi #photo #photos #history #dog #art #Beriya #Stalin #Soviet #communism #socialism #repressions #freedom #დიმიტრი-შევარდნაძე #ფოტო #თბილისი #საქართველოს #ხელოვნების #ძაღლი #ისტორიის #სტალინი #თავისუფლების #լուսանկարներ #Դիմիտրի֊Շեվարդնաձե #նկարիչ #արվեստագէտ #արվեստ #վրացի֊նկարիչներ #Թբիլիսի #պատմություն #լուսանկարներ #ֆոտո #շուն #Ստալին #Բերիա #կոմունիզմ #սոցիալիզմ #Վրաստան #ազատություն
տեսեք է, Թբիլիսիյում դեռ սովետի ժամանակ որտեղից էլ ճարել են սենց ավտո էին քշում։ Բա էն դեղին շորիկով աղջիկը որ լրիվ սովետից չէ։ Թբիլիսցիները միշտ սծիլնի էին, վերջն են։
Look, even during Soviet era Tbilisians managed to find such a stylish car. And that girl in a red dress - she does not look like soviet girl, they did not have anything colourful to wear. Tbilisians were always stylish, always different.
Գիտեք, Թբիլիսիի սլոգալը՝ Թբիլիսի լավզ յու, իսկ քանի որ անպատասխան սէր չի լինում, ես էլ եմ սիրում Թբիլիսին, այն անհնար է չսիրել։
If you don’t know, the slogan of Tbilisi is “Tbilisi loves you”. And because there is no unrequited love, I love Tbilisi in return. It is just impossible to not love it.
ֆոտոն այստեղից via @{Գեղամ ; gegham@spyurk.am}
#Tbilisi #Georgia #car #girl #street #city #love #Soviet #history #photo #style #taste #Թբիլիսի #Վրաստան #մեքենա #աղջիկ #Թիֆլիս #Տպղիս #փողոց #քաղաք #սէր #սովետ #պատմություն #լուսանկարներ #ֆոտո #լուսանկար #ոճ #սծիլ #ճաշակ #თბილისი #საქართველოს #მანქანის #გოგონა #ქუჩის #ქუცა #ქალაქის #მიყვარს #ისტორიის #სტილი #გემოვნების
