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Article: Will the distant past of empires become the near future? Since the era of de-colonisation, many of the world's poorest countries have proven unable to govern themselves and manage their economies. For their sake, and for the stability of the world, it may be time to reconsider the benefits of neo-colonialism, argues a leading Russian political scientist.(Economic aspects of Soviet Union)
- Article from:
- European Business Forum
- Article date:
- January 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Caspian Publishing Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In 1991 the Soviet Union abruptly fell to Earth, and the events that followed amount to perhaps the most shameful end of a great empire in the annals of history. Some 25 million ethnic Russians were abandoned in the former Soviet republics, a collection of new states that were rapidly turning autocratic. Even the French and the Dutch treated their nationals and supporters better when they decided to retreat to Europe some 50 years ago. But today the Russians in the 'near-abroad' lands, their former territories, are left to fend for themselves in often hostile conditions.
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Not surprisingly, the crash of the Soviet empire left ...