Not to be outdone.....
And notes on Putin
Ichi wants you to know he has talent. Please buy him a coffee.
I had intended to post tonight. But computer problems had me off line — and I just finished fixing them.
This post was supposed to be a result of my research into Putin’s policies since the year 2000 which, while gradualist are progressive, looking forward, looking for opportunities to realize long term goals. I have had to cut it short so I can get some sleep tonight.
Since 2000 Putin has sought to restore Russian autonomy as a nation out of the chaos and anarchy that came with the dissolution of the USSR.
In 2001, Putin began reforming agriculture in Russia so the nation was able to leverage sanctions to become a net exporter of food stuffs from having been an net importer. The key year was 2015—just after the Western Ukrainian invasion of Eastern Ukraine. .
The West ‘s sanctions effectively locked itself out of the Russian market opening up opportunities for Russian entrepreneurs which were fully supported. Why? Because Russia is not the US of A!
The basic problem with oligopolistic capitalism is that the rewards go to elites nd competition is stifled rather the benefits of investment generating productivity —as is the case in “managed’ capitalism — in Russia and China, each with unique national approaches. Russia is coming from a different place with different social and economic antecedent— and moving forward differently, too.
Western sanctions opened up opportunities. Putin’s government had done the ground work restructuring the economy step by step, allowing it to take advantage of the openings that appeared — hence its rapid progress in all areas of the economy and its impressive progress.
It reflects also a difference of values. Americans think “greed is good”. Russians think “achievement is good”. There is a difference. The Americans’ attitude is that of Robber Barons. The Russians? Adam Smith.
But Russia could not have made these advances without the West’s attempts to destroy it, militarily and economically and through subversion. And, of course, Russia couldn’t have done it without Putin.
When Putin surrendered leadership to Medvedev the “Modernist”, modernization did progress —but Medvedev was geopolitically naive. Putin is more politically ambidextrous.
Hence, Putin’s return in 2012.
"It reflects also a difference of values. Americans think “greed is good”. Russians think “achievement is good”. There is a difference. The Americans’ attitude is that of Robber Barons. The Russians? Adam Smith."
I agree with your point with contemporary American society but it was not always thus: in 1908 Henry Ford offered his workers in his factory $5 a day where his competitors in Detroit like McCormick who made agriculture harvesters was dismayed as he only paid his workers $2 a day and so complained to Ford:
Ford replied: "I pay my workers handsomely so they can buy my cars".
America was not always in the rut that you so eloquently describe.
I think no one in their right mind would want to compete with Boeing in commercial jets…...
That sentiment changed in a heartbeat with sanctions, now Russian commercial aviation has a protected domestic market for the forseeable future and a viable export market to BRICS et al.
The Russian jets only need to be about as good as the Boeing jets which seems to be getting easier as Boeing focuses on maximizing shareholder value and executive compensation.