janw@inmet.UUCP (10/17/85)
[gjk@talcott] > Military history is not the reason for Soviet paranoia of the West. The > reason is ideology. By their religion, we are the devil, the "bad guys". It > is as impossible for them to trust us as it is for any Christian to trust > Satan himself. This may be more or less true of the propagandized populace. But people don't matter in Russia. As for the leaders, my recon- struction of their motives (for what it's worth) is somewhat dif- ferent. It is not so much paranoia (they keep themselves well in- formed of Western intentions and decisions) as that their whole cultural background and their unconscious, deep-seated philosoph- ical attitude requires *eliminating the opposition*. "Comprom- ise" has, in modern Soviet Russian usage, only pejorative conno- tations, it's a bad word. So is competition. In their internal political struggles, one side always ends up on top and elim- inates the other (not physically any more, they've mellowed somewhat). A continuous, unending competition is abnormal to them, is felt as a mess, a dangerous disorder, inherently un- stable. Normally, *someone has got to be the boss*, and of course they prefer themselves for this position. So any comprom- ise, any live-and-let-live arrangement is, to them, temporary; it is something bad that they have to do now but will justify themselves by rescinding it later; or simply a war ruse. They are reasonable, cautious people; if they feel opposition to be stronger they don't push on rashly; but then they try again; they just can't stop trying. Their religion that gjk speaks about (and I think it's a well-chosen word for Communism) gives form and direction to this drive. Jan Wasilewsky