No society can do without social inequality, because it must foster the useful knowledge and skills of its citizens in order to survive in the competition among nations. If it were to defy this imperative—as Mao did during the Cultural Revolution and as Vladimir Putin has done since the attack on Ukraine, through which he lost his best minds to foreign countries—then a country slides into the abyss because it falls behind technologically. If, on the other hand—as in turbo-capitalism—it is a state’s declared goal to reward useful knowledge and skills beyond measure, then it risks an uprising by the disadvantaged segment of the population and thus destroys social stability. Nothing is as dangerous to a state’s cohesion as the resentment of segments of the population who were respected citizens just yesterday but suddenly count for nothing. When millions of Germans lost their jobs in the wake of the Great Depression of 1929 and were forced to beg at public soup kitchens to feed their families, they turned to a man who, until 1928, had been nothing more to the overwhelming majority than a political clown: they turned to Adolf Hitler.
Putin and Trump – Resentment and its Bloody Legacy weiterlesen
Schlagwort: Vladimir Putin
Where does Klaus von Dohnanyi want to lead Germany?
(I sent this essay to some of the authors quoted by Dohnanyi in his book “Nationale Interessen” (National Interests).
The following thoughts are the result of reading two books by a very clever, well-informed and experienced German politician, the former mayor of Hamburg and later Federal Minister of Education and Science Klaus von Dohnanyi, who, despite his immense reading, despite a generally remarkably balanced judgment, nevertheless found a late political home with the “Alliance Sarah Wagenknecht” (BSW) – a party that, being more than just US-critical, treats Putin and his regime with kid gloves. How can a clever man go so astray?
Where does Klaus von Dohnanyi want to lead Germany? weiterlesenCan we still be saved?
Confronted with such a question, the critical reader will think of several counter-questions. Who is meant by „we“? From “what” are we meant to be saved? And “who” dares to ask such a curious question? Can we still be saved? weiterlesen
FALTER, SPIEGEL and Nord Stream 2 – what about the quality of Western “quality media”?
Up to the present day, no authority exists that we could call upon to define once and for all the quality of quality media. It is possible, however, to make comparisons among existing media. FALTER, SPIEGEL and Nord Stream 2 – what about the quality of Western “quality media”? weiterlesen
Will peace come to Ukraine during the G 20 summit in November?
I allow myself to believe in a miracle or rather in the force of reason that urges Russia and the US to end the war in Ukraine. But for those who do not believe in political reason, let me add that elementary interests are at play. Vladimir Putin must have realized that he can no longer win his war against the „Ukrainian brothers“, because contrary to what he thought at the beginning, the Ukrainians have by now turned into Russia’s bitter enemies though once they were among its best friends. Will peace come to Ukraine during the G 20 summit in November? weiterlesen
Sabotage, reasons of state, and the ordinary citizen
Nordstream 1 and 2 were rendered unusable for years on two consecutive days with the help of powerful explosive devices. According to a usually well-informed expert from CCTV-4 (the Chinese state television), the force released on this occasion was equivalent to at least two tons of TNT. The explosion was so powerful that it caused seismographs in Denmark and Sweden to tremble. Sabotage, reasons of state, and the ordinary citizen weiterlesen
Europe on Probation
The war was prepared long in advance. At the latest since 2005, when Vladimir Putin described the disintegration of the Soviet Union as the „greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century,“ he was anxious to reverse what he saw as a disastrous development. Europe on Probation weiterlesen
The fuse is fizzling. It will not get extinguished, even if the world survives the war in Ukraine and the threat to Taiwan
Nancy Pelosi did not have to visit Taiwan. By doing so, she has put the American president in a difficult position. The fuse is fizzling. It will not get extinguished, even if the world survives the war in Ukraine and the threat to Taiwan weiterlesen
Garry Kasparov – the honest dissident
Along with murdered dissident and former Russian deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny, now presumably locked away for life, Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion, is one of the most influential members of the Russian opposition against Vladimir Putin. Garry Kasparov – the honest dissident weiterlesen
Volodymyr Zelensky: The dismantling of a Hero
Public opinion – it is a bloodthirsty beast. It purrs and cajoles when a hero is born, it mercilessly rips him apart as soon as he stumbles or even begins to fall. The Ukrainian comedian was a nonexistent entity before he assumed his country’s presidency; he was a shining light to the West and beyond as he stood up to injustice on behalf of an invaded nation.
Volodymyr Zelensky: The dismantling of a Hero weiterlesenRights and Duties – Lessons from War
Between the two poles of rights and duties – the demands of the individual on society and, conversely, the demands of society on the individual – history has moved since human communities exist. Rights and Duties – Lessons from War weiterlesen
Wrong: Checkmate! Ukraine will capitulate and Europe is brought to its knees
Self-correction two days after publication. The demand for payment in rubles could have led to a halt in gas supplies and the destructive economic and social effects mentioned below. However, Putin left himself a loophole (see footnote *0* below). Nevertheless, I am not deleting the article because it shows Europe’s fatal dependence on foreign resources and its possible consequences.
Wrong: Checkmate! Ukraine will capitulate and Europe is brought to its knees weiterlesen