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Originally Posted by twicesh
Yes, I don't want to offend some other people from this forum, but the answer "First choise off course" is not very interesting, because the problem lies some more deeply, I think.
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I guess I don't understand your point here.
Why is a liberal (meaning rule of law) democracy not very interesting? It is the only rational system suitable for free human beings. It has its faults, but it is less odious than any other known system of governance.
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Originally Posted by twicesh
Apparently yes, but 'Atlantic' is rather an empty word than a capacious notion I think. There is some problem anyone can exactly define, what 'Atlantic' means... What do you mean by it?
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I used the word 'Atlantic' to denote a distinction in the West between consensus-driven proportional systems used mostly in Continental Europe and the competitive-driven 'first-past-the-post' system used by Britain, Canada and USA (which are often called the 'Atlantic' alliance).
I consider the former to be inherently prone to political stagnation, the latter, more dynamic (and thus more suited to a large geographic area such as Russia).
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Originally Posted by twicesh
Is it "it is impossible to win a nation who eat an ice cream in winter"?
Funnily, when I was a little I ate ice cream in 10 degrees of frost. It is truth. But now it would be too strange for me  |
No, that is not Churchill's famous epigram about Russia.
"Russia is a mystery, hidden inside a riddle and wrapped up in an enigma". (off my memory, wording may not be exact, but is very close).
It is not a joke. It is an epigram (a clever saying) - much like a proverb.
It is a reminder to non-Russians that Russia is very complex and difficult to understand for non-Russians. I certainly don't claim to understand Russia or Russians, only some passing knowledge of, and interest in, the topic.
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Originally Posted by twicesh
There is a funny proverb in Russia: "what is good for Russians, that is death for Germans". (I think you can't understand it as well as I can't understand British humour)
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I admitted that I developed a passionate interest in Russia long ago. I may not share the Russian outlook (I am very Western), but I do have some understanding of it. And I can see the nature of the Russian humour here. It does strike me as a very
Russian saying (with the stereotypical Russian fatalism).
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Originally Posted by twicesh
I am absolutely agree with you about a problem of middle-class. But the situation in a royal Russia was very awful, worse than soviet Russia (except stalins period). If there were very happy, there wouldn't have any dethronements.
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I'll agree but only up to a point. If Royal Russia was so awful for middle-class, one wouldn't have existed. Fact is, there was a middle class under Nicholas II (and it was about 10-15 percent as you noted). Lenin and Stalin mostly eliminated that class through various techniques. There was no Russian middle-class of any substantive form existing under Soviet rule.
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Originally Posted by twicesh
Sorry, but it is your stereotype of Russia only, I think.
Some west ideas about Russia look in a funny manner for me.
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If I thought you'd take my views about Russia as just a source of your own amusement, I wouldn't have bothered to reply.
Fact is, I'm a longtime student of history, economics, philosophy and political theory - particularly European - and I have given long consideration and discussion of your opening question. I may not be correct and knowing in all things (I'm certainly not) but I offered you my best consideration upon the question and I'm more than willing to offer a full defense and justification of any word I post at this forum. But you choose to dismiss my opinion and mock me. So be it.
Further discussion with you would not serve any civil purpose for me.