OT – Russia

[admin]

Russia has been in the news a lot lately.

I listened to some Russian music this morning. Seems like a great country in many ways. but I think of Russia mostly as a frozen country of drunkards.

Will Russia ever be a prosperous free country of happy people?

[spdrun]

Sure, but then it won’t be populated by Russians 🙂

[CA renter]

🙂

[mixxalot]

As an American who speaks Russian and has friends from FSU and so forth, it annoys me that the corporate state run mainstream media hates Russia so much and wants major war with them.

[mixxalot]

Da!

[FlyerInHi]

Man, $130k for a 2/1 apartment in a third tier city in Russia. Expensive! $12 for an automatic car wash back in 2013, I think before sanctions.

This guy is funny.

[Escoguy]

I lived in 5 former USSR republics for 15 years plus 5 years in the former GDR.

First trip to Moscow was in ’86 as a student.

I married a lady from the region, a child of mine was born there and have investments there. A genius surgeon operated on one of my children and did things that US doctors were unable or unwilling to do.

Needless to say, there is much positive about Russia which gets overlooked.

If you go through life easliy believing only the good or the bad about any particular place or culture, you put on blinders and that can severely limit your ability to see opportunity or put things in perspective.

The Russian economy is very dependent on oil, but there are many very intelligent people over there. A fair number are content with the “fair to very good” opportunities they have. Yes many would like to immigrate but that can also be very disruptive if not done at the right time in life.

Alcohol and drug abuse are major problems, but one can live a normal life over there without that getting in the way.

State control of the media is pervasive, but free information is available online for those who want more sources.

Many Russians of mid-upper economic status travel abroad and are quite aware of their relative status in the world.

The period from 2003-2007 was good one, the past few years have been rough but not nearly as much as the 1990s when many basic items were in short supply or the final days of Communism when there were regular lines for food. (which I personally saw in Moscow in 1986).

For a person who wanted to learn the language and deal with some hardship, places like Chekassy, Bishkek, Chisinau, Odintsovo, Kazan, Baku and Moscow were a great way to gather a wide range of experiences and earn enough to come back to the US and have a good degree of economic freedom.

Of course, the Russian intervention in Ukraine and Syria are not helpful and many innocents have died, but no side in any of these messes is perfect. The US should more carefully consider potential outcomes when arming even “moderate” groups.

Russia will likely muddle along if not seriously provoked. Albeit, their media can’t seem to let up on the anti US propaganda. This is one potential silver lining of a Trump presidency in that the Russian leadership may well realize that focusing more on their internal development is needed to fully modernize the economy, but that will still take decades in spite of the progress that has already been made.

Their current president will likely stay on as long as his health will allow which could be at least eight more years.

I could go on, while the war in Ukraine did cause some sleepless nights, and Aleppo was tough to watch. I’d like to think that Russia may lose some of it’s appetite for adventurism (or using force to protect it’s vital interest) depending on your perspective.

In some ways, the US-Russian relationship is like a dysfunctional family which somehow wants mutual respect but can’t agree on certain things. As long as the occasional tussle doesn’t become suicidal, we’re ok but we’ll always need to stay vigilant.

The West in general could have done more in the 1990s to lessen the hardship in the region but the political leadership wasn’t there. Perhaps going forward, we can learn to engage in a manner which fosters some degree of real trust.

It hasn’t been helpful that the current administration has been learning on the job the past eight years.

[Escoguy]

Flyer

Biggest drag for Russian was the drop in oil prices. Sanctions were more of an add on later. Like an 80/20 split. If the Russian leadership had foreseen the drop in oil prices, they might have passed on Crimea.

Russian real estate prices in USD are down significantly since 2013 then but have recovered some this year with the rise in the price of oil.

Guys like this are the best chance for Russia and normal relations with the US.

We can only wish him and those like him well.

Prices even in 3rd third cities will always be higher than the US for many reasons.
Key problem is the inability to produce large amounts of housing in a cost effective manner (partly due to corruption/lack of infrastructure/lack of financing).

The list of reasons is fairly long and isn’t easy to resolve.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Escoguy]In some ways, the US-Russian relationship is like a dysfunctional family which somehow wants mutual respect but can’t agree on certain things. As long as the occasional tussle doesn’t become suicidal, we’re ok but we’ll always need to stay vigilant.[/quote]

The US is the younger brother who dropped out of college, started a successful business, and lives in a mansion with his trophy wife.

Russia is the older brother with multiple college degrees, a drinking problem, barely gets by with a government job, and has to listen to his kids say how they want to be like uncle America when they grow up.

[Escoguy]

harvey

Perhaps if you had any exposure to that country/region, please share this with us.

Simple case in point, most Russians don’t have a mortgage and are never at risk of losing their home. Employers tend to take a more flexible approach to financial crises and don’t lay everyone off blindly and then scramble to find workers for the next upswing.

If you want grim reading on Russia, look up “dying too young”.

http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/825591468294635066/Summary

The reality is that discussing Russia can be a fascinating topic but only if real substance is offered. If there’s anything you’d like to know, I’d be happy to share in a serious discussion.

Respectfully,

[Anonymous]

You went down the path of defining the relationship between the US and Russia with a simple metaphor. I was simply playing along.

I’ve done some business in Russia, we set up a trading office in Moscow but abandoned it after a less than a year because the Russian markets were just too corrupt and broken. I made a few business trips during that time, but never lived outside of a western-owned hotel. I’ve worked with quite a few Russians here in the US.

One of my children is adopted from Russia. My wife and I spent a little over a month there going through the process. So I have Russian citizen living in my home which gives me a fondness for the country. As a result I’ve read quite a bit on Russian history and follow current events there more closely. But of course my child has no firsthand experience with Russian culture.

I’ve done too many vodka shots on Aeroflot even though I don’t like to drink on planes. It’s hard to say no under the circumstances.

I’ve had a little more exposure to Russian culture than most Americans but not enough to have any deep personal insights. Nevertheless I think I “get” Russia well enough to have an informed opinion on US foreign relations.

True, most Russians don’t have a mortgage as there are no financial infrastructure that could successfully manage long-term-risks on ordinary people. Of course most Russians don’t own houses either, or even have consistent hot running water or other utilities.

Americans like to bash our financial institutions – the Fed, Freddie/Fannie etc. but they have no clue what it would mean if these things didn’t exist.

Thanks for the book recommendation but I’ve had my fill of grim reading on Russia.

[scaredyclassic]

all i know is what i read in anna karenina and that those bastards chased my great grandfather till he fled all the way to nyc. so im glad i guess that they wanted to kill the tiny old guy. worked out for us.

[mixxalot]

My favorite Russian book was Brothers Karamozov by Dostoyevsky.

[bababooey]

Hungry duck was nice, don’t think I want to live there.

OUT.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=Escoguy]
It hasn’t been helpful that the current administration has been learning on the job the past eight years.[/quote]

Honestly, I don’t see how the next administration can improve relations with Russia with everything going on in the Middle East. I don’t think that Russia responds nicely to tough policies because tough is what Russia is made off. They are ready to make greater sacrifices than we are. Russia is a great power and wants to be treated as a peer despite the wealth gap.

My cousin married a Russian and we all love him. They go visit the in laws every couple years and I hope to tag along the next time to see the real Russia.

I just feel sorry for the Russian people. The country has always been backwards and for centuries the people have had to sacrifice their own well being for the greatness of the nation. No wonder they drink.

The plane crash that killed a big portion of the red army choir was tragic. I’ve been listening to their music. Sounds great on my stereo. Very stirring although I don’t understand a lick.

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