Was Russia always destined to be hostile and 'different' to most of the West?

[Tooting Carmen]

This very good article discusses this very issue: https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/1...edy-of-russia/

[Jana]

No, I don't think so and no reason to think that.

[Cristiano viejo]

Yes.

But stop talking as if the West was something united, we are not. I prefer a Russian than an English.

[Cristiano viejo]

Yes.

But stop talking as if the West was something united, we are not. I prefer a Russian than an English.

[Tooting Carmen]

Yes.

But stop talking as if the West was something united, we are not. I prefer a Russian than an English.

I don't - in fact, on another thread I was arguing with a Romanian poster about the idea of a singular, homogeneous Western civilisation (and whether Russia belonged to it or not).

[Lemminkäinen]

Many forumites here don't like to hear the word democracy, but without intrinsic value it makes the difference. Is democracy even closely flawless. No, but people could ask is oligarchy better. Definitely not, because in oligarchy leaders don't need even play speaking true. People say in Russia that they can talk truths only in kitchen. Speaking about hostility there is no difference, but if oligarchy turns to dictatordhip, which is more possible than turning from democracy, absurd violence is inevitable.

[gixajo]

Not necessarily.

Although much of their value as a nation comes from the fact that they are a bridge between Europe and Asia, and they believe that getting too close to the West could move them from that point, it is difficult to think that things can change in that regard.

And it is understandable to some extent right now, seeing the political drift of the West.

[Victor]

Not necessarily.

Although much of their value as a nation comes from the fact that they are a bridge between Europe and Asia, and they believe that getting too close to the West could move them from that point, it is difficult to think that things can change in that regard.

And it is understandable to some extent right now, seeing the political drift of the West.

Good comment. By the way, lots of nations have this caution in their mentality, including Hungarians, Poles, like they're special, not West or East. Poles have this "Sarmatism" thing in their mentality while Hungarians are even not needed to explain. Reducing everything to some political and social issues is very limited and boring.

[Russki]

Was Russia always destined to be hostile and 'different' to most of the West?

Russia is a young nation that formed around 1500s.

[JamesBond007]

This very good article discusses this very issue: https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/1...edy-of-russia/

The trick is to have the Napaleons and Hitlers slaughter as many Russian Slavic untermenschen as they can while the Russians kill as many Frogs and Krauts as they can while we sit back and drink tea :

Only Anglo-Saxon countries can do democracy. The natural state of human society is despotism. If you tally up all the human lives that have ever been lived on this planet under organized systems of government, no more than five per cent were lived under consensual systems. Even to get up to five per cent, you have to include places like ancient Athens and Tudor England, which wouldn’t pass muster as “democratic” by modern standards. In the last couple of centuries, practically all consensual systems have been Anglo-Saxon. Other cultures can fake it for a few decades, as France, Germany, and Japan are currently doing, but their hearts aren’t really in it and they will swoon gratefully into the arms of a fascist dictator when one comes along

https://www.nationalreview.com/2002/...hn-derbyshire/