[2013] Cultural Exchange and the Cold War: How the West Won

Cultural Exchange and the Cold War: How the West Won (archived)

There are many theories of why Soviet communism collapsed and the Cold War ended. Here are a few of them to consider:

That is a claim also made by a former Hungarian ambassador to Washington, Andras Simonyi*, who led a rock band in Budapest during the Cold War. In a talk titled “How Rock Music Helped Bring Down the Iron Curtain,” delivered at the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Simonyi said, ”Rock ‘n roll, culturally speaking, was a decisive element in loosening up communist societies and bring them closer to the world of freedom.”

Related:

*Wikipedia-András Simonyi:

He plays guitar in the rock band, The Coalition of the Willing (est.2003) with top rated U.S. guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers) which has Secretary of State Tony Blinken (guitar, vocals) as a regular guest.

Blinken picks up guitar for new US music diplomacy push

Hiroshima, Nagasaki Bombings Were Needless, Said World War II’s Top US Military Leaders

“Three-year old Shinichi Tetsutani, burned as he was riding this tricycle when the atomic bomb hit Hiroshima, died a painful death that night (Hiroki Kobayashi/National Geographic)”

The anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki present an opportunity to demolish a cornerstone myth of American history — that those twin acts of mass civilian slaughter were necessary to bring about Japan’s surrender, and spare a half-million US soldiers who’d have otherwise died in a military conquest of the empire’s home islands.

Hiroshima, Nagasaki Bombings Were Needless, Said World War II’s Top US Military Leaders

Key points of Putin’s address to nation over PMC Wagner coup attempt [Kornilov Affair]

Key points of Putin’s address to nation over PMC Wagner coup attempt

Putin reminded Russians that a similar scenario played out in the country in 1917, when it was in the middle of World War I. He recounted how “intrigues, bickering, politicking behind the army’s and the people’s back” led to the “collapse of the state,” and the “tragedy of the Civil War.

Russians were killing Russians, brothers were killing brothers, while various political adventurers and foreign powers were capitalizing on it,” the president said.

Putin vowed to prevent this from happening as well as to defend Russia and its people, “including from internal mutiny.

Related:

Full Address to citizens of Russia

Wagner boss Prigozhin’s insurrection: 21st century Russia’s Kornilov Affair?

So, the closest to the ongoing ‘Prizoghin Affair’ was the Kornilov Affair of August/September 1917, amid the tumult of World War I.

So, Prigozhin Decided To Go For It.

Wagner took control of government buildings in Rostov-On-Don and Prigozhin himself materialized in the Staff of Southern Military District and demands now Shoigu and Gerasimov (in Russian). So, it is a Kornilov Mutiny, of sorts, and now a lot becomes clear about Prigozhin and Wagner. This is getting serious and those people from Wagner who participate in this are now official traitors. I also want to point out Ostashko’s description of General Alexeev.

Red Scared: Revising history at the Victims of Communism Museum

“THERE IS NO WAY he is a victim of communism,” my partner quips, pointing to a photo of the late Pope John Paul II. We are near the end of our visit to the new Victims of Communism Museum, standing in an elevator-size lobby with photographs of “victims” screen-printed all over the walls. Among the many victims and honorees: Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, the Dalai Lama, Romanian writer Herta Müller, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, and Hungarian neofascist Viktor Orbán.

Red Scared: Revising history at the Victims of Communism Museum (archived)

The Color of Foreign Influence

There is a distressing and familiar sight in the nation-state of Georgia. Young protestors have taken over a central area and are chanting anti-Russia slogans, often obscene and in English, as they wave Ukraine and EU flags and clash with the police.

The Color of Foreign Influence

Related:

YouTube: 3/10/23 Daniel McAdams on the Uprisings in Georgia

Georgia Protests: US Seeks to Open 2nd Front Against Russia

70 Years Ago: The Death of Joseph Stalin

Soviet leader Joseph #Stalin died on March 5, 1953 — 70 years ago this week.

Stalin’s body was put on display at the Hall of Columns in the House of the Unions, remaining there for three days, while more than five million mourners came to pay their respects. (By contrast, about 250,000 Americans passed by the coffin of President John F. Kennedy after his assassination a decade later.)

70 Years Ago: The Death of Joseph Stalin

Related:

Joseph Stalin & the USSR

The Red Scare 2.0: Russophobia in America Today

Source.

I have been wrestling with the issue of Russophobia in the United States for some time now. As someone who cut his academic teeth studying Russian history in college, and who, at an early stage in my development as an adult had the opportunity to live and work in Russia during the Soviet era, I have a deep, yet admittedly incomplete, appreciation for Russian culture, language and history. This appreciation has empowered me to make informed judgments about Russia, its political leadership, and its people, especially when assessing the interactions between Russia and the United States today.

The Red Scare 2.0: Russophobia in America Today

Related:

Russophobia as a malignant tumor in the United States