Latvia Is A Success Story, If By 'Success Story' You Mean 'Disaster'

[sevruk]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2013/01/03/latvia-is-a-success-story-if-by-success-story-you-mean-disaster/

[SkyBurn]

Latvian Jokes (http://www.sadanduseless.com/2012/12/latvian-jokes/)

[Absinthe]

Latvia is a great little country. Go visit to find out. The economy might not be good yet but the people are tough and they do the best they can. Riga is a beautiful city with the potential to attract tourists from all over since it's quite inexpensive as well.
Latvians are but a handful of people so I don't get how the world expects so much from them and criticizes them if they haven't become an economic superpower.

[Hochmeister]

I don't get how the world expects so much from them and criticizes them if they haven't become an economic superpower.

Latvia used to have very important industries there in the Soviet Union, like fish, electronics, high-precision mechanics, furs and leather et cetera and so on.
But in our days Latvia has lost everything. There is no job, Latvians emigrate westward. And it is their fault that this has happened. The main reason - is their pathetic rusophobia.

[Meow]

Latvia used to have very important industries there in the Soviet Union, like fish, electronics, high-precision mechanics, furs and leather et cetera and so on.
But in our days Latvia has lost everything. There is no job, Latvians emigrate westward. And it is their fault that this has happened. The main reason - is their pathetic rusophobia.

Couldn't agree more with your post. Who needs Dirty Russians when you've got freedom of speech and joys of Western Democracy.

[sevruk]

Latvia is a great little country. Go visit to find out. The economy might not be good yet but the people are tough and they do the best they can. Riga is a beautiful city with the potential to attract tourists from all over since it's quite inexpensive as well.
Latvians are but a handful of people so I don't get how the world expects so much from them and criticizes them if they haven't become an economic superpower.

Riga - is not all of Latvia

[Absinthe]

Riga - is not all of Latvia
Well it is at least half of it, judging from the population distribution. :)

[Incal]

Never been to Latvia, the few things I know from Latvia were through member Dridiksson. Even when not uber rich I'm pretty sure they are doing better than most of the world (Africa, Asia, etc).

[Humanophage]

Latvia seems to be performing pretty well, albeit less so than the other two Baltic economies. Since 2000, Estonia's and Lithuania's GDP per capita growth has been larger than Russia's, for all the lack of oil. Latvia and Russia used to have the same GDP per capita in 2000, now Russia's is slightly larger. Similarly oil-reliant countries like Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan grew at an even more impressive rate. However, in terms of GNI per capita, Russia is still behind all three (http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD/countries/EE-RU-LV-LT-BY-UA?display=graph) by a considerable margin.

As for Latvian demographic problems, I wouldn't call them exceptionally drastic. Neighbouring core Russian and Finno-Ugric regions face an even more dramatic decline:
http://i50.tinypic.com/1o21om.gif

For comparison, Dagestan's parameters are 134% for 2000 and 160% for 2010. Granted, unlike Latvians who migrate to EU, Russians mainly migrate to Moscow, but the regions are being depleted of population at an alarming rate. While Russia grew by about 300 000 people between 2006 and 2012, this growth comes overwhelmingly from the Caucasus. Dagestan alone grew by 290 000 people in the same period, Chechnya by 140 000, Karachaevo-Cherkessia by 50 000, etc.

[Albion]

Why do people have to keep raining on the Baltic parade? Can't Russians just be happy for them instead of constantly trying to pull them down?

[sevruk]

As for Latvian demographic problems, I wouldn't call them exceptionally drastic. Neighbouring core Russian and Finno-Ugric regions face an even more dramatic decline:
http://i50.tinypic.com/1o21om.gif


lol, all Latvians demographics at one level worst regions of Russia in terms of demographics

actually, Latvian nationalists were disappointed modern Latvia
http://rus.delfi.lv/news/daily/versions/imant-kalninsh-strana-bez-buduschego-za-eto-li-my-borolis.d?id=42983576

[Styggnacke]

Humanophage: Since you're a very intelligent guy, could you explain why retarded nationalists like sevruk are so anti-Baltic countries? Why do they have this obsession with them?

[sevruk]

Humanophage: Since you're a very intelligent guy, could you explain why retarded nationalists like sevruk are so anti-Baltic countries? Why do they have this obsession with them?

I'm not anti-Baltic countries, the European Union is anti-Baltic countries

[Styggnacke]

I'm not anti-Baltic countries, the European Union is anti-Baltic countries
Why? Because it doesn't recognize the supposed "oppression of Russians"?

[sevruk]

Why? Because it doesn't recognize the supposed "oppression of Russians"?

No, just in the EU Latvia has no perspective

[Hochmeister]

No, just in the EU Latvia has no perspective

:thumb001:

I have just agreed with Sevruk, for the first time in my life :eek:

As for me, I respect the free will of the Balts.

[Styggnacke]

No, just in the EU Latvia has no perspective
What will be the "perspective" in your new Russian Empire/Soviet Union? What makes you think that Latvians will like this "perspective" better than the last two times?

[sevruk]

What will be the "perspective" in your new Russian Empire/Soviet Union? What makes you think that Latvians will like this "perspective" better than the last two times?

I wrote something about that Latvia should become part of the Russian Empire / Soviet Union? No.
Let now EU feeds them, no Russia

[Albion]

Let now EU feeds them, no Russia

Okay. :thumb001:

[Hochmeister]

It's better to feed Latvia, than to feed Chechnya.

[Albion]

Leave Latvia to choose its own path, if it fails then it may join Russia in the future.

[sevruk]

it may join Russia in the future.
I would not want this

[RussiaPrussia]

Humanophage: Since you're a very intelligent guy, could you explain why retarded nationalists like sevruk are so anti-Baltic countries? Why do they have this obsession with them?

its because they are racist to russians.

[RussiaPrussia]

Latvia seems to be performing pretty well, albeit less so than the other two Baltic economies. Since 2000, Estonia's and Lithuania's GDP per capita growth has been larger than Russia's, for all the lack of oil. Latvia and Russia used to have the same GDP per capita in 2000, now Russia's is slightly larger. Similarly oil-reliant countries like Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan grew at an even more impressive rate. However, in terms of GNI per capita, Russia is still behind all three (http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD/countries/EE-RU-LV-LT-BY-UA?display=graph) by a considerable margin.

As for Latvian demographic problems, I wouldn't call them exceptionally drastic. Neighbouring core Russian and Finno-Ugric regions face an even more dramatic decline:
http://i50.tinypic.com/1o21om.gif

For comparison, Dagestan's parameters are 134% for 2000 and 160% for 2010. Granted, unlike Latvians who migrate to EU, Russians mainly migrate to Moscow, but the regions are being depleted of population at an alarming rate. While Russia grew by about 300 000 people between 2006 and 2012, this growth comes overwhelmingly from the Caucasus. Dagestan alone grew by 290 000 people in the same period, Chechnya by 140 000, Karachaevo-Cherkessia by 50 000, etc.

yet percentage of russians increased from 80.6 to 80.9%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Russia#Historical_perspective.5B59 .5D

because many other ethnicities like ukrainians, bashkirs and tatarians are decreasing faster. Russians also profit from russians who come back from the baltics or central asia.

[Styggnacke]

its because they are racist to russians.
It's not racist to require people to speak the language of the majority (that is if they even want to become citizens, there certainly are some perks of being stateless).

[RussiaPrussia]

It's not racist to require people to speak the language of the majority (that is if they even want to become citizens, there certainly are some perks of being stateless).

in belgium there is just a small minority of germans yet belgium did of respect to germans german as an official language. Stop treating russians like they are muslims or any other immigrants.

Fact is russians lived there 100s of years and they have no right to citizenship and their language is not official. Youre just russophobic and maybe even racist.

[Styggnacke]

in belgium there is just a small minority of germans yet belgium did of respect to germans german as an official language. Stop treating russians like they are muslims or any other immigrants.
Russians who came to Latvia after WWII are immigrants just as much as Africans in Western Europe, like it or not.

Fact is russians lived there 100s of years and they have no right to citizenship
Bullshit. Russians who lived or had ancestors who lived in Estonia or Latvia before 1940 had equal rights to citizenship as ethnic Estonians and Latvians after the fall of the Soviet Union. Why are you lying?

and their language is not official.
No, because people with citizenship in Latvia voted against it in a referendum as late as in 2012.

Youre just russophobic and maybe even racist.
No, I'm not.

[sevruk]

Russians who came to Latvia after WWII are immigrants just as much as Africans in Western Europe, like it or not.


No, they are not immigrants. Immigrants - people moving from one country to another. Russian move within a country:thumb001:

[Äike]

Why do people have to keep raining on the Baltic parade? Can't Russians just be happy for them instead of constantly trying to pull them down?

Well, Latvia is in a miserable state. Out of the 2 Baltic countries, Lithuania is in a OK-state, while both of them aren't comparable to their Northern neighbor.


No, they are not immigrants. Immigrants - people moving from one country to another. Russian move within a country:thumb001:

The Soviet Union was like the EU, with different states inside it. Estonia was the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (ESSR), while Russia was the RSSR, etc. The ESSR had more independence that modern-day Scotland has. Also, people couldn't just move here from a different SSR, they needed living permits. Immigration to rich "Western-like" areas like Estonia was high.

[sevruk]

The Soviet Union was like the EU, with different states inside it.

so modern Estonia also occupied EU?:D


Estonia was the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (ESSR), while Russia was the RSSR, etc. The ESSR had more independence that modern-day Scotland has.

Oh yes, this is the "bloody" Soviet occupation and Russification


Also, people couldn't just move here from a different SSR, they needed living permits.
Lol. In modern Russia, should also have "living permits" at a crossing for permanent residence from one region to another

[Il Principe]

its because they are racist to russians.
How does "having to speak the language of the native people" even pertain to "racism" at all?

[Äike]

How does "having to speak the language of the native people" even pertain to "racism" at all?

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/29632974.jpg

[Pure ja]

Estonia was the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (ESSR), while Russia was the RSSR, etc. The ESSR had more independence that modern-day Scotland has. Also, people couldn't just move here from a different SSR, they needed living permits. Immigration to rich "Western-like" areas like Estonia was high.

While living permits may have been mandatory, it was apparently rather easy for soviet colonists to get one.
Annually about 25 000 colonists came to Estonia, about 17 000 left soon elsewhere, while about 8 000 stayed.

[Graham]

The ESSR had more independence that modern-day Scotland has.

To be fair. American States & Canadian Provinces also had more Independence than us. Might well, still do. Not sure.