There are 144 million Russians. They are the rightful owners of natural resources that rival any other region of the earth. We see articles about the daily lives of the average American or Brit or Finn or what have you. We don't see much about the average Russian. I'm reminded, by saying that, that as a schoolboy I used to receive a copy of the Soviet equivalent of Life Magazine on a monthly basis because I wrote to the Soviet Embassy in Washington and asked for some information. I wonder what the FBI made of that? I wonder what the Soviets made of that come to think of it. Hell, I wonder what our mailman thought of that. My parents just thought I was a tad strange. I just figured I needed more information. They were used to it.
I didn't imagine I got much real information about the average Russian. Now, we still don't but it's different. Our current ignorance is based on disinterest. We're looking at trouble just because we aren't much interested.
The first British envoy to the Moscovy Court was appalled to discover they were usually drunk to a man, all the time. In modern times both Gorbachev and Putin have complained about pervasive drunkenness thru out Russian society. Another thing that has been constantly observed is the governments responsible for managing Russia's resources have been uniformly dishonest, incompetent and brutal. That means the Russian people have been uniformly subjected to dishonesty, incompetence and brutality from their representatives. Now, rather than being a perennial Russian problem it's becoming a problem for the rest of the World.
The malefactors of great wealth in Russia make our malefactors look like Boy Scouts. Putin, though he has amassed great wealth is more motivated by power. He doesn't want to see the glory of the Soviets restored. He wants the previous glory of Mother Russia restored. He wants the hegemony of Imperial Russia restored. What can I say? The heart wants what the heart wants.
The oligarchs have a different problem. They have stolen pretty much everything that isn't nailed down but their ill-gotten gains are in rubles which are essentially useless outside Russia.
Putin wants international power for the sake of power itself and he uses the means that are familiar to him as a result of his career with the KGB. This meshes with the oligarchs who want international power to further the greatest money laundering scheme in history. Unfortunately, some of our malefactors are disposed to help.
I think it's an undeniable fact that either Nixon or Reagan could have easily been bought. It just never occurred to anyone until the Bush family became a willing subsidiary of the Saudi Royal Family. When that happened the gloves were off.
Is there a solution to this assault? I see two things that need done. International financial transactions need to be more extensively monitored and misbehavior much more severely punished. We were starting to do this until the current administration backed away. International and extra-national access to the internet needs to be curtailed for any regime that continues to digitally assault other nations. Well, how do we do that? We created, control and own most of the internet. Act like it. That will take political will beyond the corruption we currently see.
In the end, the Russian people need and deserve a break. Bringing them more fully into their patrimony will benefit all of us. Maybe we should be doing to the Russian State what they are doing to us. I dunno.
We should discuss it.
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