What President Putin Should Really Fear

The breakup of The Ukraine into two separate states should be a warning to President Putin about the long-term consequences of fostering ultra-nationalism and racism within Russia itself.

For a century Russia has treated it's so called autonomous regions or Republics in much the same way as Rome treated it's Barbarian colonies. They existed to provide raw materials and slave labor and little else beyond this.

Should they arrive in Rome, their work status, movements and domicile were strictly regulated to ensure their presence did not offend Romans. Naturalization (as a Roman citizen) was very difficult (next to impossible) for all but the exceptionally fortunate (or those who had become exceptionally wealthy.)

The Empire existed to benefit Rome Rule and power, nothing else.

There are of course very exceptional differences between ancient Rome, it's Empire and Russia today.

The most important difference is that Rome cultivated and nurtured it's interests throughout the Empire, conscious of the need to preserve alliances - military,social,economic and cultural. All were of course orientated toward the personification of Rome and it's values throughout the Empire. However Rome had values and systems which some Tribal Barbarian rulers thought worth adopting (in their comfort interests) throughout Barbarian Europe and Asia. The most important of which were,at the more basic level, facilities we all take for granted today - aqueducts carrying water over vast distances,the common toilet with sanitary piping, underfloor heating (central heating), the public baths and saunas (still common in many parts of the world today.)

The Russian Empire has little to offer the developing world today which cannot be offered even by other technologically developing countries such as India,Malaysia and South Africa,   So Russia does not have any head start when competing for global economic, military and political influence in today's world. It's abysmal failure to even retain client states from beyond the era of the colonial struggles - especially in Africa - is indicative of inherent weaknesses within the Russian expansionist models to 'capitalize' on what should have been it's enormous opportunities for expansionism.

Most of Africa,India, Indo-China, Central and South America should today be exemplary models of Russian expansionism.

Other than a paltry smattering – Cuba and Venezuela - with virtually no presence of any significance on the African continent - Russia today consists of the country itself with a loose federation of former Soviet Republics-most of which have absolutely nothing in common with Russia proper-other than being a source of cheap labor, raw materials and a mercantilist trade system – which most would readily abandon if offered a Western alternative.

All of these former(slave) Soviet states are basically dysfunctional- in much the same way as Apartheid in South Africa over two centuries has created a dysfunctional society which will take hundreds of years (or at least 50) to re-orientate.

In the case of South Africa the problems are recognized and even as I write are being worked on. Whereas in the case of the new Russian federation of independent States most (with the exception of The Ukraine) do not even recognize they are dysfunctional societies caused by over a century of Soviet slavery with an inability to see the world beyond Moscow at the center of their universe for sustenance, development and social acceptability.

Many of the Muslim Republics have separatist movements which want to replace Moscow Rule with fundamentalist Islam and whose independence movements grew more out of a desire to break free from subservience to Moscow and Russian values rather than strict adherence to Islam.   Fundamentalist Islamic preachers and scholars were quick to recognize and seize the opportunity to turn what were movements for separation into 'Holy' quests to defeat 'the infidel'.   Imperial,'Holy' and Ultra-Nationalist quests, history has taught, can last for centuries and, like Afghanistan (first, in recent history and excluding the Roman Empire and the quests of Alexander of Macedon, for the British, then the Russians,now the Americans) lead absolutely nowhere-except to the graveyard.

Over 12 years ago I said to a serving Officer in Afghanistan that the (U.S.) withdrawal would be like the Roman Legions quietly leaving Britannia at the dead of night to protect the Empire (Rome) from the Barbarian hordes.  It would be a humiliating withdrawal with little accomplished – not even the inherent security of the United States.

About 6 years ago I repeated the same to J M...z.     Both probably thought I was either crazy or just misguided.   The greatest tragedy for myself is the loss of innocent lives and military personnel for nothing tangible - at least for nothing which could have been accomplished by means other than war.

To this day, historians and academics debate how and why the Roman Empire collapsed.   All have their own theories.

It is the potential for the internal collapse and implosion of the Russian Empire which President Putin (and the world) should be focused on as a matter of critical urgency rather than attempting to commit (for decades,maybe even centuries) military resources in a hopeless quest against Ukrainian ultra-nationalists-who inherited and cultivated their inspiration for racism, ultra-nationalism and separatism, from examples set at the heart of the Empire itself.

Patrick Emek