Why is Russia not the Ottoman Empire?

Modern Russia in some ways resembles the Ottoman Empire, which was taking its last breaths. It is backward in the sense of civilization, a huge territory on several continents, made up of very different peoples and cultures. And all this was held on conventional administrative verticals centred in distant Istanbul. As now, in distant Moscow.

"For the sake of salvation and development, it was necessary to give up the vast possessions of the empire. Turkey was to become a nation state. This was the only chance to save her."

Turkey survived only thanks to a generation of young soldiers and bureaucrats trained by Western standards. Educated and ambitious Turkish youth understood that in order to protect their homeland, its territory must be reduced to the limits inhabited by the absolute majority of Turks. For the sake of salvation and development, it was necessary to give up the vast possessions of the empire. Turkey was to become a nation state. This was the only chance to save her.

Although today's Russia resembles the frail Ottoman Empire, there is one nuance. There is no generation of young educated officers in Russia who graduated from Western military academies and who would finally understand that in order to preserve at least something, it is worth squeezing into Moscow region and several neighbouring regions. Therefore, there will be no one to save them, because they do not have their own Young Turks.

Source

About the author: Mykhailo Basarab, political scientist.

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