Re: Death of Zoya Krakhmalnikova, Russian Christian writer jailed by

On 21 touko, 09:42, Steve Hayes <hayesm...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Tue, 20 May 2008 21:41:41 -0700 (PDT), Marko Amnell
>
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> <marko_amn...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >On May 21, 7:18=A0am, Steve Hayes <hayesm...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> On Mon, 19 May 2008 23:42:38 -0700 (PDT), Marko Amnell
>
> >> <marko_amn...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> >Let's get back to my initial disagreement with you.
> >> >You said that Russia is a Western country. That
> >> >is what I disagreed with. The high level of corruption
> >> >is just one indication that Russia is not a Western
> >> >country. It's not even the most fundamental reason.
> >> >The fundamental reason is that Russia has
> >> >developed a new model of economic development.
> >> >This is an interesting turn of events in world
> >> >history. Among other things, it disproves Francis
> >> >Fukuyama's thesis about "the end of history."
> >> >The most interesting theorist of this new model
> >> >of economic development is Sergei Karaganov.
>
> >> Levels of corruption as an indicator of "Westernness" seems a very
odd
> >> indicator indeed. I suppose it depends how you define "Westernness".
I =
think
> >> Huntington's model makes more sense than Fujuyama's.
>
> >Well, when certain Eastern European countries apply for
> >member****p of the EU, for example, they are
> >sometimes criticized for their high levels of corruption
> >which are seen to exclude them from this particular
> >Western club. Certain legal standards (and the
> >enforcement of those standards) seem to be a part
> >of the idea of the civilized West.
>
> "The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or
> values or religion (to which few members of other
> civilizations were converted) but rather by its superiority in
> applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this
> fact; non-Westerners never do" (Huntington 1998:51).

"Whatever happens, we have got
the Maxim gun and they have not."

 -- Hilaire Belloc, The Modern Traveller (1898)