printNEW COLUMN, now on WorldNetDaily, The Unz Review, and the New American, is “Bleeding Russia Dry And Then Next Color Revolution,” wherein a distinction is made between a “justification” for war and a “reason” for war, I ponder whether Putin’s avid patriotism is matched by that of a younger Russian generation, and dole out some love for Tsarist Russia and Tchaikovsky.
Excerpt:
… A trickier question for those of us on the Old Right is this: Putin is a Russian patriot. This, in-depth interviews with the Russian president amply evince. He adores and is deeply acquainted with the nation’s “ancient faith,” its history and traditions. But could it be that we of the Old Russell Kirk Right, nostalgic for the very same things absent in our own societies, are romanticizing the Russian people? This writer shares Dr. Cathey’s love of Tsarist Russia’s great culture before communism. (Boyd says Rachmaninov; I say Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique,” his Symphony No. 6 is a singularly intense and sublime expression of the agonies of the individual, caught between salvation, sin and love of Mother Russia.)
But is this same sensibility present in younger Russians? No doubt, Putin is steeped in Russian culture. But do younger Russians share his traditionalism? True, very many hate communism, but that hatred is devoid of a civilizational dimension. I fear younger Russians are already in the market for a Western life filled with sexual titillation and consumerism. …
… The Rest of “Bleeding Russia Dry And Then Next Color Revolution” is on WorldNetDaily, The Unz Review, and the New American.