How the Cold War Ended and How Fear Controls Us: Jeremy Scahill and Tom Engelhardt (2012)
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The Cold War period of 1985--1991 began with the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev as leader of the Soviet Union. About the book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608461548/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1608461548&linkCode=as2&tag=tra0c7-20&linkId=9d28aa926eb9c4ec5583e8b315aa852a Gorbachev was a revolutionary leader for the USSR, as he was the first to promote liberalization of the political landscape (Glasnost) and capitalist elements into the economy (Perestroika); prior to this, the USSR had been strictly prohibiting liberal reform and maintained an inefficient centralized economy. The USSR, facing massive economic difficulties, was also greatly interested in reducing the costly arms race with the U.S. President Ronald Reagan, although peaceful confrontation and arms buildups throughout much of his term prevented the USSR from cutting back its military spending as much as it might have liked. Regardless, the USSR began to crumble as liberal reforms proved difficult to handle and capitalist changes to the centralized economy were badly transitioned and caused major problems. After a series of revolutions in Soviet Bloc states, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Russia and the other Soviet successor states have faced a chaotic and harsh transition from a command economy to free market capitalism following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. A large percentage of the population currently lives in poverty. GDP growth also declined, and life expectancy dropped sharply. Living conditions have also declined in other parts of the former 'Eastern bloc'. In addition, the poverty and desperation of the Russians, Ukrainians and allies of post--Cold War have led to the sale of many advanced Cold War-developed weapons systems, especially very capable modern upgraded versions, around the globe. World-class tanks (T-80/T-84), jet fighters (MiG-29 and Su-27/30/33), surface-to-air missile systems (S-300P, S-300V, 9K332 and Igla) and others have been placed on the market in order to obtain some much-needed cash. This poses a possible problem for western powers in coming decades as they increasingly find hostile countries equipped with weapons which were designed by the Soviets to defeat them. The post--Cold War era saw a period of unprecedented prosperity in the West, especially in the United States, and a wave of democratization throughout Latin America, Africa, and Central, South-East and Eastern Europe. Sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein expresses a less triumphalist view, arguing that the end of the Cold War is a prelude to the breakdown of Pax Americana. In his essay "Pax Americana is Over," Wallerstein argues, "The collapse of communism in effect signified the collapse of liberalism, removing the only ideological justification behind US hegemony, a justification tacitly supported by liberalism's ostensible ideological opponent."[5] The space exploration has petered out in both the United States and Russia without the competitive pressure of the space race. Military decorations have become more common, as they were created, and bestowed, by the major powers during the near 50 years of undeclared hostilities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_cold_war
Comments
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"When was the last time you were in Iraq?"
My answer would be, "When was the last time you sat in on a McDonnell/Douglas board meeting?"
and then I would say, "The difference between those two things is that I can get reports from Iraq about what is going on there, from many different sources who have a far better understanding of what I would be looking at, then if I was there." The only people who can know what goes on at a McDonnell/Douglas meeting, where policies that effect the entire world are discussed, is to be a board member, or be somebody they do business with, just as secretive, like the Pentagon. -
Saddam: "he was a megalomaniacal monster" "The American Mirror on the wall, which shows us ourselves in such beautiful Disney-esck detail, has a few cracks in it, it looks fragile,..." The mirror on the wall reflects the picture of Dorian Grey. Madeline Albright admitted, confessed to millions of Americans, that she was a participant in a conspiracy that murdered 500,000 children, because they thought Saddam was a wicked dictator. Apparently he wasn't nearly wicked enough, for the wickeder democratizers. The problem America faces, is that the citizenry doesn't face its problems. The greater monsters are right here in America, and in plain sight. America sows death, destruction and chaos under the guise of democratization, and under the guise of democracy America will reap the death, destruction, and chaos of a dying, and soon to be dead empire. Americans can't face or prevent their impending destruction any more, or better than their past, or present ability to acknowledge and confront their own home grown megalomaniacal monsters in nice suits. The most ethical and moral among them that hold the publics eye, confine themselves to only recognizing the monstrosities, and facilitate a Labyrinth of Complexity in which to get lost, where everyone can hide from facing the monsters that arose from their own and collective apathy, greed, gluttony, avarice, and depraved indifference for the welfare of others. Acting in the Labyrinth is just acting. What is the value of a cause that has no effect?
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for those who 've fought for it, life has a meaning the protected never know. ...
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Wow. Could have done without that douche at the beginning yammering for 6 minutes like a crack head.
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You tube says I publicly Voted up this Jeremy Scahill Page ....jeeeez I'm so scared the NSA will read this . I really do not care any more .
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I want to work for Scahill..... I'll walk his dog, clean his dishes... don't care... just want to be where he is and I want to know what he knows.
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@jedaaa, i trust you've already found the answer to your question but, just in case you haven't, it's tomdispatch dot com. This new YT format is driving me crazy. I don't think I ever got the old one down but, this is worse. i can't respond to a question in the usual way. -
Eire loves you Jeremy!.. <3 You will always have a friend in Ireland.. But not the Irish elite.. They love getting American(USA) and English dick up their arse..
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Well for a start for the first time since long before world war 2 Gorbachev's perestroika reforms were the first time owners/managers in companies were granted autonomy over how they conducted their own businesses! so it in effect centralized Russia's economic and social power base and the KGB stopped coming round knocking on your door telling you what you could read, make, sell, who'm to sell to and a whole host of other things. i fail to see what you don't find revolutionary about that..
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i missed it at the beginning .. can someone provide a link to what Jeremy says he subscribes to by Tom (dispatch) . thanks :)
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"a match made in rebellion" -Jeremy Scahill right the fuck on.
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There's only one real revolutionary in Russian history, and his name is Makhol.
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without even seeing this yet, one can stipulate Gorbachev was indeed "revolutionary" as he oversaw the implosion of the USSR. just my humble opine
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how can you call Gorbachev a revolutionary?
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