Comments on: The other Axis of Evil http://siberianlight.net/the-other-axis-of-evil/ The Russia Blog Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:05:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Alexei http://siberianlight.net/the-other-axis-of-evil/comment-page-1/#comment-5444 Alexei Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 http://65.124.18.226/~siberian/?p=312#comment-5444 It is not that silly, nor does the headline "scream." Kommersant never screams. In the Russian version, it's "??? ???" in quotation marks, which underscores the source of the quote: President Bush. To the Russian ear, Bush's "axis of evil" is whoever is standing in the United States' way, messing with their strategic interests. Well, so is Ukraine, with Russia's interests. No ethical assessment is implied. It is not that silly, nor does the headline “scream.” Kommersant never screams. In the Russian version, it’s “??? ???” in quotation marks, which underscores the source of the quote: President Bush. To the Russian ear, Bush’s “axis of evil” is whoever is standing in the United States’ way, messing with their strategic interests. Well, so is Ukraine, with Russia’s interests. No ethical assessment is implied.

]]> By: Brian H http://siberianlight.net/the-other-axis-of-evil/comment-page-1/#comment-5445 Brian H Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 http://65.124.18.226/~siberian/?p=312#comment-5445 And just what do "right minds" have to do with Russia? There haven't been any seen there for decades. And just what do “right minds” have to do with Russia? There haven’t been any seen there for decades.

]]> By: Brian H http://siberianlight.net/the-other-axis-of-evil/comment-page-1/#comment-5446 Brian H Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 http://65.124.18.226/~siberian/?p=312#comment-5446 Or maybe millennia. :-) Or maybe millennia. :-)

]]> By: Brian H http://siberianlight.net/the-other-axis-of-evil/comment-page-1/#comment-5447 Brian H Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 http://65.124.18.226/~siberian/?p=312#comment-5447 The "sanitary cordon" (i.e., <i>cordon sanitaire</i>, a buffer zone) around Russia is not unlike the ones developing around Iraq, Syria, North Korea, China, etc., etc. It's actually just an artifact of the accumulating freed and free states popping up where puppet regimes used to sit. It's interesting that Russia does not count itself among the free states; that old-time Big Man's Boma mentality just won't go away. Hamlet had Putin's number: "One may smile, and smile / And be a villain." The “sanitary cordon” (i.e., cordon sanitaire, a buffer zone) around Russia is not unlike the ones developing around Iraq, Syria, North Korea, China, etc., etc. It’s actually just an artifact of the accumulating freed and free states popping up where puppet regimes used to sit. It’s interesting that Russia does not count itself among the free states; that old-time Big Man’s Boma mentality just won’t go away.

Hamlet had Putin’s number: “One may smile, and smile / And be a villain.”

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