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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 12-Aug-2012
12-Aug-12 World View -- Russia warns of Chinese occupation of Siberia and Far East

Web Log - August, 2012

12-Aug-12 World View -- Russia warns of Chinese occupation of Siberia and Far East

The renaissance of Tsarist Russia

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

Russia celebrates 100th anniversary of its air force with expansion announcement
Russia's PM Medvedev warns of Chinese occupation of Siberia and Far East
Russia's Medvedev blames 'slacker attitude' for rocket failure
The 'Pussy Riot' trial in Russia becomes a defining political event
The renaissance of Tsarist Russia
Putin/Medvedev split confirms that 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia was preplanned

Russia celebrates 100th anniversary of its air force with expansion announcement

Poland's Sparks aerobatic team performs during Russia's air show on Saturday (Xinhua)

Poland's Sparks aerobatic team performs during Russia's air show on Saturday (Xinhua)

Russia's president Vladimir Putin led a three day air show outside Moscow in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Air Force. Putin commented on the heroism of the pilots during World War II and announced a major expansion:

"The history of the Russian Air Force knows the examples of real bravery and self-sacrifice, hard work and outstanding technical achievements. Military aviation has always been of great importance in our country. And now when we are implementing large-scale modernization of the army and the fleet, the future of the air force is definitely among the priorities. The Russian Air Force is going to play a great part in ensuring the national security. Our air bases are now busy implementing new training schemes, with strategic jets carrying out regular flights and multi-purpose aviation groups being formed. The army will receive over 600 new planes and 1,000 helicopters by the year 2020."

Voice of Russia

Russia's PM Medvedev warns of Chinese occupation of Siberia and Far East

Russia's prime minister Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday issued a warning that a huge influx of immigrants from China into Siberia and Far East threatened Russia's control of the region and its rich resources. This is not the first time that Medvedev has raised these concerns. (See "22-Mar-11 News -- Russian offer of Japanese resettlement in Siberia raises xenophobic tensions" from last year, following Japan's earthquake and tsunami.) However, his recent comments have been the strongest yet. He announced that two new nuclear submarines would be sent to the Pacific fleet, and added that it was "important not to allow negative manifestations ... including the formation of enclaves made up of foreign citizens." He added that "More than eight million foreign citizens came to Russia in the first six months of 2012 alone." Russia's Far East suffered rapid depopulation since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. During the 1990s, there was enormous poverty and no support from the chaotic Moscow government. As a result, population fell by as much as 50% in the region, as millions migrated east, mostly to the European part of Russia. Reuters and Ria Novosti

Russia's Medvedev blames 'slacker attitude' for rocket failure

Russia's botched launch of two telecom satellites, one Russian and one Indonesian, earlier this week has drawn a furious response from prime minister Dmitry Medvedev:

"I don't know the reason why the satellites perished, be it the booster, a mechanical defect, a slacker attitude or all of it combined and multiplied by the traditional slacker attitude. But it's simply impossible to tolerate this any longer. We are losing our authority and billions of rubles."

The satellites cumulatively cost $100 million to $150 million. Moscow Times

The 'Pussy Riot' trial in Russia becomes a defining political event

Nadia (22), Masha (24) and Katya (29) of Pussy Riot (AFP)

Nadia (22), Masha (24) and Katya (29) of Pussy Riot (AFP)

A brief protest by three girls in Russia has turned into a major political event that's embarrassing president Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church. In February, the three girls charged up to the front of Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour during a service and sang a song criticizing Putin. They were ejected from the Church, and the whole thing might have been forgotten, except that the girls put the whole performance up on YouTube. Putin is particularly vain and thin-skinned about any sort of criticism and, along with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, demanded harsh punishment for the performance. The trial started last week. The prosecutors said that they were possessed by the devil, having "twitched and jumped satanically, throwing their legs up, rolling their heads and calling out very insulting and blasphemous words." The trial is so absurd and ludicrous, even by Russian standards, that it's drawn international protests. While performing in Moscow on Tuesday, Madonna said, "I know there are many sides to every story and I mean no disrespect to the church or the government, but I think these girls ... have done something courageous and they have paid the price for this act and I pray for their freedom. They deserve the right to be free." A verdict is to be announced on August 17. A light sentence will be considered a major political humiliation for Putin and the Church, while a harsh verdict will be embarrassing to Putin and the Church. Spiegel (Germany) and Mail&Guardian (S. Africa)

The renaissance of Tsarist Russia

From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, the Pussy Riot trial is part of the rejection of an atheist Soviet Russia, and a return to the days of Tsarist Russia, when the government and the Church were inextricably linked. Putin appears to consider himself something of a new Tsar anyway. In 1922, Nicolai Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov) wrote this memo to the Politburo on the destruction of the Russian Orthodox Church in order to harvest the Church's wealth:

"We must pursue the removal of church property by any means necessary in order to secure for ourselves a fund of several hundred million gold rubles (do not forget the immense wealth of some monasteries and lauras). Without this fund any government work in general, any economic build-up in particular, and any upholding of soviet principles in Genoa especially is completely unthinkable. In order to get our hands on this fund of several hundred million gold rubles (and perhaps even several hundred billion), we must do whatever is necessary. But to do this successfully is possible only now. All considerations indicate that later on we will fail to do this, for no other time, besides that of desperate famine, will give us such a mood among the general mass of peasants that would ensure us the sympathy of this group, or, at least, would ensure us the neutralization of this group in the sense that victory in the struggle for the removal of church property unquestionably and completely will be on our side."

The Church was virtually destroyed by the Bolshevik Revolution, with buildings destroyed and clerics jailed and murdered. World War II was a generational Awakening era war for the Soviet Union, and the Church began to revive at that time simply because Josef Stalin needed its help to defeat the Nazis. Russia is theoretically a secular state, but now Russia is in a new generational Crisis era, and under Putin the relationship between the government and the Church has been growing constantly. A similar transition is occurring in Russia's historic enemy, Turkey. Turkey became a secular state under Attaturk in 1924, after the collapse of Ottoman Empire. But now, in this new Crisis era, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is restoring some of the conservative religious links of the Ottoman era. From the point of view of generational theory, this parallel religious path being followed by these two historic enemies is quite remarkable.

Putin/Medvedev split confirms that 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia was preplanned

A serious political split between Russia's president Vladimir Putin and prime minister Dmitry Medvedev has been opened over a revelation that Putin preplanned the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia and went behind Medvedev's back. At the time of the invasion, Putin and Medvedev were playing a little game. Putin had been President for two terms, and could not run for a third consecutive term, according to the Constitution. And so, Putin arranged for Medvedev to become President for one term, while Putin became Prime Minister, and lied about the arrangement to the public. It now turns out that they lied to the public as well over the August, 2008, invasion of Georgia. Putin had already pre-planned the invasion when Medvedev took over as President. Medvedev wanted to negotiate the crisis, but it's now been revealed that Putin illegally went around him and launched the invasion, which resulted in Russia annexing two Georgia provinces, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia's parliamentary election in December, followed by the presidential election that returned Putin to the presidency, were both so obviously fraudulent that most Russians now believe that Putin's entire presidency is fraudulent. The new revelation opens a split between Putin and Medvedev that may expose more fraud. Jamestown

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 12-Aug-12 World View -- Russia warns of Chinese occupation of Siberia and Far East thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (12-Aug-2012) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 12-Aug-2012 12-Aug-12 World View -- Russia warns of Chinese occupation of Siberia and Far East

Russia celebrates 100th anniversary of its air force with expansion announcement

Russia's PM Medvedev warns of Chinese occupation of Siberia and Far East

Russia's Medvedev blames 'slacker attitude' for rocket failure

The 'Pussy Riot' trial in Russia becomes a defining political event

The renaissance of Tsarist Russia

Putin/Medvedev split confirms that 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia was preplanned

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 12-Aug-2012
12-Aug-12 World View -- Russia warns of Chinese occupation of Siberia and Far East