Monday, May 26, 2014

Soros: "Russism," a new word to describe Putin's percption of Russian ethnic superiority and nationalism that threatens Europe

Sometimes, we have listen to those who have no political office to maintain to find out what kind of situation we might be facing. Such people, and I am specifically thinking of American businessman and philanthropist, George Soros, have access to information and to the microphones that disseminate such information that no politician would be ready to discuss. Soros has a considerable interest in the future of Europe, has established a foundation to assist in the development of open societies in countries such as Ukraine, and studies the situation from a much broader perspective even than those whose careers focus on the needs and instruments of foreign policy and diplomacy.
In his interview with Fareed Zakaria, on CNN's Global Public Square yesterday, Soros expressed some concerns that might, or should, interest a wide and deep audience. He suggested that Putin's activities in Ukraine ("he came out of the closet in Ukraine") and his (Putin's) perception of a dangerous genetic superiority of Russia and his overt attempt to destabilize the European Union through Russian nationalism, while not precisely "fascism," is quite dangerous, and here Soros used a new word, Russism, to describe a new ideology  based on Russian superiority. And linked to China through both trade and common interests, this new Russism, according to Soros, is a development to which the world needs to pay close attention.

Here is s portion of the interview Fareed Zakaria did with George Soros yesterday (May 25, 2014) on CNN's GPS
ZAKARIA:  You have been very pessimistic or - or gloomy about Europe. Um, do you think that in this Ukraine situation, you're seeing another aspect of the tragedy of Europe, the lack of collective action?
SOROS:  Unfortunately, Europe is very weak.  It's preoccupied with its internal problems, which are unresolved.  The euro - the euro crisis is no longer a financial crisis, is turning into a political crisis.  And you're going to see it in the elections.  And - and Putin...
ZAKARIA:  Explain what that means.
It's going to be - you're going to see it in the elections because you're going to see the rise of nationalist, anti-European forces?
SOROS:  Yes.  And interestingly, they are supported by Russia and pro-Russian.  So Russia has emerged as an alternative to the European Union.  Putin has sort of come out of the closet in - in Ukraine with an ideology that is Nationalist based on ethnic nationalism.  You could call it Russism...
ZAKARIA:  Right.
SOROS:  - that's a new word to describe it, because I don't want to call it Nazi, because it is very similar to what you had in the interwar period...fascism.  You know...
ZAKARIA:  Protecting your ethnic groups with military force, if necessary...
SOROS:  Well, it's more than that.  It's - as an ideology, a new sort of myth of Russian superiority.  If you - those who watch Putin's speeches, he actually has revealed this new myth of Russian genetic superiority.  You might have heard that previously from someone else.  It's a - a new ideology based on ethnic Russian superiority.
ZAKARIA:  And as you say, a lot of these nationalists who are we - who are doing well in European - these European-wide elections seem very pro-Russian...
SOROS:  Yes.
ZAKARIA:  - whether on the left or the right. Do you think this nationalism could break up the European Union?
SOROS:  Yes.  It's a real threat.  And - and Europe needs to recognize it.  And we need to recognize it, actually.  We need to have a bipartisan foreign policy.  We used to have that and we have lost it.  So we need to reestablish it, because there is a real threat.  It's a ret - it's a threat to America, also, because what's happening in - in Ukraine and in - in Europe is having repercussions in - in Asia.  You know, the - the Chinese drilling rig that is establishing facts on the ground...(in Vietnam)
So, if the west is too focused on the short-term crisis in Ukraine, if I read Soros correctly, there is a danger that we might miss the longer-term ambitions of Putin's perception of Russian ethnic superiority and the combination of both overt and covert moves he has, is and will continue to take to magnetize a vulnerable Europe as a counter-magnet to the west. And he could and likely will use China as support for his larger design.
The word "Asian Union" was allegedly used by Chinese Premier in ShiangHi in his speech this week, announcing that $400 billion energy purchase over thirty years from Russia, as compared with the normal phrase used by President Obama, the "Asian-Pacific Union" which would and does include the United States.
If China and Russia are proposing the development of an Asian Union that excludes the United States, and that threatens Europe's congruency and stability, then Ukraine could well be seen as a minor skirmish very quickly, inspite of the many lives already lost.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home