Comments on: All departments of state are the same, I guess http://www.likelihoodofsuccess.com/2007/03/25/all-departments-of-state-are-the-same-i-guess/ Ron Coleman’s retired general topic blog Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:32:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: FIAR http://www.likelihoodofsuccess.com/2007/03/25/all-departments-of-state-are-the-same-i-guess/comment-page-1/#comment-385 FIAR Mon, 26 Mar 2007 23:39:56 +0000 http://likelihoodofsuccess.com/2007/03/25/all-departments-of-state-are-the-same-i-guess/#comment-385 <i>The USSR collapsed under the weight of a cumbersome and corrupt bureaucracy and its inability to deal with social and economic change</i> It's called "Communism." Related to Ron's actual post: Somewhere, Jimmy Carter is feeling vindicated... For now. The USSR collapsed under the weight of a cumbersome and corrupt bureaucracy and its inability to deal with social and economic change

It’s called “Communism.”

Related to Ron’s actual post: Somewhere, Jimmy Carter is feeling vindicated… For now.

]]> By: Roy Greenwell http://www.likelihoodofsuccess.com/2007/03/25/all-departments-of-state-are-the-same-i-guess/comment-page-1/#comment-387 Roy Greenwell Mon, 26 Mar 2007 23:03:38 +0000 http://likelihoodofsuccess.com/2007/03/25/all-departments-of-state-are-the-same-i-guess/#comment-387 Well Jane, it would be helpful if you cracked a history book before you comment on.... History. Yuri Andropov became the Soviet Premier upon the death of Leonid Brezhnev in November 1982, *not* "...during the 1970s". Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President of the US on Jan 20 1981 and therefore was nearly halfway through his first term when Andropov assumed power. Well Jane, it would be helpful if you cracked a history book before you comment on…. History.

Yuri Andropov became the Soviet Premier upon the death of Leonid Brezhnev in November 1982, *not* “…during the 1970s”. Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President of the US on Jan 20 1981 and therefore was nearly halfway through his first term when Andropov assumed power.

]]> By: Ron Coleman http://www.likelihoodofsuccess.com/2007/03/25/all-departments-of-state-are-the-same-i-guess/comment-page-1/#comment-386 Ron Coleman Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:16:17 +0000 http://likelihoodofsuccess.com/2007/03/25/all-departments-of-state-are-the-same-i-guess/#comment-386 Jane, I've always been aware of the school of thought your comments represent, but the conventional wisdom -- while lacking in subtlety -- is not to be dismissed so readily. It is simply a matter of dispute among historians and politicians, and usually breaks out along partisan lines. Your point is also really beside the point of my posting, fundamentally. Jane, I’ve always been aware of the school of thought your comments represent, but the conventional wisdom — while lacking in subtlety — is not to be dismissed so readily. It is simply a matter of dispute among historians and politicians, and usually breaks out along partisan lines. Your point is also really beside the point of my posting, fundamentally.

]]> By: Jane http://www.likelihoodofsuccess.com/2007/03/25/all-departments-of-state-are-the-same-i-guess/comment-page-1/#comment-384 Jane Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:04:05 +0000 http://likelihoodofsuccess.com/2007/03/25/all-departments-of-state-are-the-same-i-guess/#comment-384 Anyone with a passing knowledge of Russian history knows Ronald Reagan did not win the Cold War. The conventional wisdom that the arms race is what did in the USSR is just false. Soviet defense budgets had been declining since Andropov was in power (during the 1970s), and they continued to decline throughout the Reagan years. The USSR collapsed under the weight of a cumbersome and corrupt bureaucracy and its inability to deal with social and economic change, and these things would have happened no matter what Reagan or any other U.S. President did. Reagan deserves to be commended for signing the IMF treaty in the face of great opposition from his own party, but he did not win the Cold War. It should also be mentioned that during the Cold War the U.S. hardly distinguished itself as a beacon of democracy, morality or even decency. Being the lesser of two evils is nothing for us to crow about. There is a lot that can be said about the current situation, but framing it in a historical context that is false is not the way to understand it. Anyone with a passing knowledge of Russian history knows Ronald Reagan did not win the Cold War. The conventional wisdom that the arms race is what did in the USSR is just false. Soviet defense budgets had been declining since Andropov was in power (during the 1970s), and they continued to decline throughout the Reagan years. The USSR collapsed under the weight of a cumbersome and corrupt bureaucracy and its inability to deal with social and economic change, and these things would have happened no matter what Reagan or any other U.S. President did.

Reagan deserves to be commended for signing the IMF treaty in the face of great opposition from his own party, but he did not win the Cold War.

It should also be mentioned that during the Cold War the U.S. hardly distinguished itself as a beacon of democracy, morality or even decency. Being the lesser of two evils is nothing for us to crow about.

There is a lot that can be said about the current situation, but framing it in a historical context that is false is not the way to understand it.

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