12 Comments
Sep 1, 2022Liked by Diane Francis

Dianne

Once again you nailed it

Great column

By the way…would be great if you wrote on Alberta’s 14 billion surplus and how none of it should go to that Woke Trudeau

Trevor Wilson

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Sep 1, 2022Liked by Diane Francis

Your using the term “troika” called to mind the political philosopher Vlad Vexler. His talk on Golgol’s Dead Souls got me started on deeper analysis of Russian history, politics and culture. There is a famous passage in this book in which Russia is compared to a troika moving at top speed, but to an unknown destination.

https://youtu.be/V6UiEXrVrvg

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Russian You Tubers will soon learn of about 10,000 Kherson area POW.

Give the POW smart phones and free unlimited use –

Imagine how fast dreamers, drunks, and rulers can quickly be run out of town today-

How good will the replacement be?

ps Babe quality picture of you

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Just another one of your great articles. Enjoy them all and learn a lot from each one. Keep up the excellent reporting.

Barry - Calgary

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author

Wow. Thanks

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I was too busy trying to raise a family, pay mortgage debt borrowed at 20%, run my business to pay extra attention to Russia in the 80s and 90s. Your article caused me to study Gorbachev a bit more. Very bright. Like wise leaders do, they study successful models and incorporate them to improve their own countries. Spending time on a Northern Wheat farm in Alberta (likely Ukrainian owners given large population of Ukrainians in Alberta), he was impressed with huge production. Made sure those farming methods wrr

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Improved their production (aka more money for Putin)

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putin is josef stalin reincarnated .....he has been behind the death of many journalists in the past year....let alone his invasion of ukraine , chechnya , etc etc ....i was in russia too with my wife .....the potential for tourism is there .....but on the riverboat tor we did there were several KGB agents ....i guess paranoia is the russian national sport ..plus que ca change ......

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Dear Diane, Once again incredible coverage and writing on the tri tip of leadership in Russia. The slippery slope of politics on such enmasse. And then Gorbachev finds his way down the street here in the presidio of SF. A room with a view “ across the Bay”.

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Excellent newsletter Diane.

I’d like to read a newsletter on how Russia converted from a totalitarian regime to market economy in the 1990s. Obviously a difficult task and not handled well by Yeltsin. I read somewhere that Stalin had really 2 economies; one, a real economy with inflation, deficit spending, debts etc and a 2nd internal, artificial economy where apparatchiks could accumulate Soviet dollars and be rewarded. These apparatchiks then used their points/dollars to purchase large amounts of shares in the dissolved Soviet, nationalized, state corporations and became instantly rich. This is like the origin of the oligarchs.

I didn’t do the explanation justice here but you could. I’m fascinated by this transition because the West has been blamed for not assisting Russia enough. And it was the one opportunity where Russians had a chance to have a functioning, moral democracy. Such a waste.

I’m guessing you’ve written about this before and maybe I’ve forgotten. Sorry if that’s the case but if you could do a recap analysis again of that period that would be great.

Or provide a link to where I could read about it. Thanks.

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author

They merely became an oligopoly first and foremost and there is a small business sector. Remember the biggest player became the "mafia", not just politicians but organized crime

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Right.

I forgot about organized crime. Any semblance of “fair play” was thrown out the window.

The mob never left. That explains it.

Thanks.

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