RIP Mikhail Gorbachev

The human race should forever be greatful for the work done by both Mikhail Gorbachev & Ronald Reagan in easing the threat for an all out thermonuclear war and the possible extinction of all life on earth!

Their work resulted in to the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union & United States & the west which were from unresolved events ater WWII. Over the years, there was a significant decrease in the number of nuclear weapons that both sides carried. The restoration of freedom & liberty to the Eastern European Countries (i.e Poland, Czechoslavakia, Hungary, Romania, East Germany & German-reunification, etc.). Gorbachev's perestroika was an attempt to improve the stagnatting Soviet Union's economy and to bring about more political openness & opportunities for the Russian people with the West and the world. Hail to both of those two peacemakers: Gorbachev & Reagan! RIP!

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The 1990s & 2000's seemed like a hopeful, peaceful period in time where anything was possible with a chance for more prosperity for all until certain events intervened: i.e 911(islamic terrorism)/Afghanistan/Iraq, etc. During that time, there was also greater cooperation between the US and Russia - the US bringing in Russia & China to the world trade fold and financial institutions.

But now as is typical in human history, newer problems & tensions arise in which this generation will have to deal with. For example, the economic rise of China (with the help of Western companies moving their manufactring bases there), has the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) becoming more bold & flexing its muscles while letting every know of its ultimate ambitions. Also, there is the war in Ukraine (which first began in 2014 with the Crimea annexation by Russia and the West looking the other way). This war could eventually result in getting out of control and involving more neighboring nations/NATO/US directly.

One could say that the reason for the Ukraine-Russia war is because of NATO's continuous expansion into former Soviet terrorities. When the nuclear-arms treaty began in the late 1980s, I doubt that the russians would have agreed to such a deal had they known about NATO expansion!

See all of the former Eastern-European countries that have joined NATO since after 1990:
Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, etc. and soon Finland/Sweden.
Nato Countries List 2022, Nato Map, How Powerful Is Nato?

 

I suppose your right. It's a tough pill to swallow but you are probably correct, that attitude would change, quickly, when those same supporters have the rug yanked out from under their ass and they are shown the hard face of reality, which of course, 98% of a population that supports a totalitarian are confronted with,.......... the "cheka" (VChK) showing up with truncheon, pistol to the back of the head and/or repossession order................

 

Well posted and I agree with everything you say, my one proviso to one of your comments is this -

"One could say that the reason for the Ukraine-Russia war is because of NATO's continuous expansion into former Soviet terrorities"

It is a fact that since the end of WW2 there has been an on-going and continuous power struggle for world domination between, roughly two "politic's" in the world - Western Democracies and Communist (totalitarian) forms of Gov'ts.

Consider your comment - Why did the former Soviet Union
"break apart" and whom was building "Walls"?

Despite all the faults of Western Democracies, and their are MANY, IMO most persons would choose to live in countries with that type of Gov't. And I bet you a dollar to a donut that a large majority of citizens of those "former" Soviet block nations would sure as hell NOT vote to rejoin the Russian Confederation.

Ukraine being a FINE EXAMPLE of a former Soviet Satellite that apparantly sure as hell DOES NOT want to go back!

Just my opinion of course.

 

Boris Yeltsin put the final nail in the coffin of the Soviet Union. Sadly his incompetence also let to the financial rape of Russia by the oligarchs and the rise of Putin.
How 'shock therapy' created Russian oligarchs and paved the path for Putin

 

Yep the soviet union was already corrupt as the day is long. That got on steroids after the collapse.

 

The oligarch leaders had help. Bill Clinton assigned some guy named George Soros to oversee the reconstruction of the Russian economy, and he mostly helped himself to Russia's wealth every chance he got. He already had a number of businesses in Russia. Russian mobsters caught on quickly to the program. Clinton should not have assigned someone with financial interests in Russia to oversee the reconstruction of the Russian economy.