Nevertheless in 1939-41 the USSR took enormous advantage of Ribbentropp-Molotov pact and occupied swaths of Central and northern Europe. Would the USSR then turn on Germany itself is an open question, — possibly it would, but the history of the Second World War shows that USSR lacked any constancy in its foreign policy. There is no reason, given that history, to think that Putin or Chinese leadership today would not do what is in their mutual interest because of some disagreements over 60-year-old dogmas that both countries now discarded.
Modern Russia is run by the transformed communist ruling class. They are the same people who adapted their ideology to the fact that with the old ideology they lost the Cold War. They are transitional-era apparatchiks like Putin himself and their children, who are rebuilding and strengthening their rule. The nominal KPRF (Communist Party) is they only significant opposition in Duma as it is; but the true heir to the ruling class of the USSR is not them but Putin’s nashists: bureaucratic, chameleon-like, unprincipled and corrupt.
>>>Nevertheless in 1939-41 the USSR took enormous advantage of Ribbentropp-Molotov pact and occupied swaths of Central and northern Europe. Would the USSR then turn on Germany itself is an open question, — possibly it would, but the history of the Second World War shows that USSR lacked any constancy in its foreign policy. There is no reason, given that history, to think that Putin or Chinese leadership today would not do what is in their mutual interest because of some disagreements over 60-year-old dogmas that both countries now discarded.<<<
Their policies makes perfect sense all the time. Remember what Churchill said about forecasting Russian intentions and actions. It was true a century ago and still true today.
>>>Modern Russia is run by the transformed communist ruling class. They are the same people who adapted their ideology to the fact that with the old ideology they lost the Cold War. They are transitional-era apparatchiks like Putin himself and their children, who are rebuilding and strengthening their rule. The nominal KPRF (Communist Party) is they only significant opposition in Duma as it is; but the true heir to the ruling class of the USSR is not them but Putin’s nashists: bureaucratic, chameleon-like, unprincipled and corrupt.<<<
You sound a little bit Muslim. For Al-Qaeda terrorists both Iranian Ahmadinejad and Bashar al-Assad are Jews. Actually everyone they don’t like considered Jews for one reason or another. For you it seems like commies are that same bogey and you label every unpleasant person as such. Putin and his clique might be corrupt apparatchics but they are as commie as former Iranian president is a Jew:-)