Whether the world, or the republics of the FSU, are better off with or
without the USSR is not an issue between Charles and myself--at least not
here. What we differ about is whether the foreign policy of the USSR was
self-interest, great power, and nationalistic, as I say, or was
internationalist, as Charles claims; the question is whether the USSR could
be counted on to put the interests of the internatioanl working class before
its own where these conflicted. This does not bear on the question of
whether it is OK to repress people's freedom in order to satisfy their
material needs, at least not so as I can see. --jks
>
>For all practical reasons, now may be worst than then
>for ex-soviets and third-worlders simply because this
>is a uni-polar world where there is no shelter from
>those who practice the art of imperialism. Also,
>Social welfare measurement that are based in some
>measure on the Russell's paradox "at which level of
>famine do you give a man sack of wheat or the right to
>vote" can tell you this. Of course if social welfare
>is measured in abstract freedom with an empty stomach,
>then now is better than then. Whatever that was, i.e.
>soviet international relations, is no more, and there
>were many mistakes in it as any practical activity
>would; the structural shift in international
>relations, left many "iron bowl of rice" (this by the
>way allegorical) regimes uncovered. The cold war was a
>war that is also very frigid. At zero Kelvin hell may
>be a better place. And as a reminder of some
>statistics of the long forgotten central Asian
>republics see the UNICEF MONEE database for an
>eye-opener of how long the transition will take or has
>any one ever transited out of the quagmire of
>underdevelopment without putting the politics of
>national autonomy + equality of condition first.
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