The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America

In this moment in which Donald Trump has made America into a literal police state, the most instructive & even more harrowing assessment is Timothy Snyder ~ The Road To Unfreedom.This is a work of history, not hysteria, as some of my Russia-blinkered friends would have it.Snyder's sober & unremittingly fact-based & comprehensive view stretches back to before the Russian Revolution & the writings of Ivan Ilyin. One doesn't need to argue about what acts Putin is responsible for, he and his regime have been for years resurrecting this pre-Fascist's diatribes, assigning positions in his government according to adherence to this image of Russia as the perpetually innocent victim of the West and eventual hegemony of Eurasia.Putin's ideology is on full display here, in his public addresses, written manifestoes, the mandate & mendacity of his government media. Snyder's copious citations of same are more revealing than any other works on Putin I've read.The Road To Unfreedom is far more instructive concerning Putin's attack on our democracy in Snyder's comprehensive chronicling of Putin's other incursions, most notably the invasion of Ukraine. Putin's hollow denials of the invasion are given the lie by the fact of his unceasing bombardment of Ukraine from behind Russia's borders. All reporting to the contrary was consistently blocked by Russian media. And like present-day Portland, OR, Ukraine was besieged by unidentifiable troops.As Russia realized their relative military impotence, they have, for far longer than the 2016 US election, instituted Active Measures, insinuating themselves through social media onslaughts into every potential EU defection they can muster: Brexit in the UK, media-engineered surge of support for Far Right candidates all over Europe reaching an unprecedented level in history. This is not some groundswell of dissatisfaction; it's a series of campaigns that's been part of the Putin playbook for a very long time.The inherent inequity of the US's electoral college process was merely a very big foot in the door for Putin. He works every & all advantages, including pressing the wounds of the US' most damaged, opioid-addicted counties.This is the most important book of our time. Snyder's over-arching concept of the politics of inevitability versus the politics of eternity frame our reality in this moment.I've dog-eared most of this book. I could cite any number of astonishing takes throughout (really the most beautiful non-fiction writing, ever), but I'll just leave Timothy Snyder's summation here:If it is true we are individuals, and if it is true that we live in a democracy, then each of us should have a single vote, not greater or lesser power in elections as a result of wealth or race or privilege or geography. It should be individual human beings who make the decisions, not the dead souls (as the Russians call cybervotes), not the internet robots, not the zombies of some tedious eternity. If a vote truly represents a citizen, then citizens can give time to their state, and the state can give time to citizens. That is the truth of succession.That no country stand alone is the truth of integration. Fascism is the falsehood that the enemy chosen by a leader must be the enemy for all. Politics then begins from emotion and falsehood. Peace becomes unthinkable, since enmity abroad is necessary for control at home. A fascist say 'the people' and means 'some people', those he favors at the moment. If citizens and residents are recognized by law, then other countries might also be recognized by law. Just as the state requires a principle of succession to exist over time, it needs some form of integration with others to exist in space.If there is no truth, there can be no trust, and nothing new appears in a human vacuum. Novelty arises within groups, be they entrepreneurs or artists, activists or musicians; and groups need trust. In conditions of distrust and isolation, creativity and energy veer towards paranoia and conspiracy, a feverish repetition of the oldest mistakes. We speak of freedom of association, but freedom IS association: without it we cannot renew ourselves or challenge our rulers.The embrace of equality and truth is close and tender. When inequality is too great, the truth is too much for the miserable, and too little for the privileged. Communication among citizens depends upon equality. At the same time, equality cannot be achieved without facts. An individual experience of inequality might be explained away by some story of inevitability or eternity, but the collective data of inequality demand policy. If we do now know just how unequal the distribution of the world's wealth is, or how much of it is hidden from the state by the wealthy, we cannot know where to begin.If we see history as it is, we see our places in it, what we might change, and how we might do better. We halt our thoughtless journey from inevitability to eternity, and exit the road to unfreedom. We begin a politics of responsibility.To take part in its creation is to see a world for a second time. Students of the virtues that history reveals, we become the makers of a renewal that no one can forsee.The only book I can think of reading at this point is one Snyder and many others wrtiing of this time have recommended unequivocally: Hannah Arendt ~ The Origins Of Totalitarianism.

Snyder's book, "The Road to Unfreedom" is daunting. It's jacket has the words "Russia, Europe, America," and that might lead you to believe it covers each country in succession. Instead it covers them in parallel with a lot of emphasis on Russia. You need to know that at the outset. Snyder has terms of his own construction such as the "politics of inevitability" and the "politics of eternity." Reread these very carefully on pages 8 and 9 and dog ear those pages. They are central to the rest of the book. Unfortunately, they are not intuitively clear, never well defined, and referred to often. This is the major flaw of the book.Snyder has a peculiarly insightful analysis of events. It can be both revealing and confusing at the same time. His prose ranges from clear and concise to intertwined and difficult. I had to double back often to track some thoughts (something I almost never have to do). The short ending epilogue is particularly obtuse.All that said, the man has done his homework remarkably well (with help from his grad students). His accumulation of specific facts and his tying them together make the book a compelling read and a punch to the gut. You get insights not found elsewhere. Just three examples...1. The influence of the political philosopher Ivan Ilyn on Putin and contemporary Russia, 2. The truth behind the war in Ukraine especially it's cyber and propaganda elements, 3. The links between Russian oligarchical and criminal money and Donald Trump's business ventures. Snyder makes a strong case that Trump is at best a Russian patsy if not much worse. Trump lovers will gag on the facts he lays out.If you want to get more on Trump and where America is headed, I recommend reading "Trumpocracy" and "Killing Democracy." You may also like Snyder's very short book "On Tyranny." If you get caught up in his idea of the "politics of eternity," you might find "The Fourth Turning" worth reading. It's a bit bizarre, but it espouses a cyclical form of history that complements Snyder's description. This last book has been deemed "Steve Bannon's Bible" by some. All thee books are on Amazon.(Spoiler alert - stop here unless you want to find out more about the content.) There are some inescapable conclusions from the book. Russian media is managed to present the story the government wants presented and bears absolutely no connection to the truth. It is the ultimate in "fake news." This is so blatant that Americans really cannot imagine the breadth and depth of its lies. Russia is actively workjng to destabilize America and Europe in order to bring them down to the economic and undemocratic level of Russia. Since Russia cannot improve due to its kleptocracy and oligarchy, it's only option is to ruin the West. The Russians have financed Trump to cover his failed businesses and massive debts putting him in their pocket. The ties between the government and the oligarchs enable Putin to use them as intermediaries so that support is not directly tied to the government. Hence, "no collusion." Russia back Trump because they realized how destructive his personality and illogical actions would be to U.S. government. Snyder lays out the fact that all of Russia's efforts were for Trump and against Clinton to make that point. America is in an information war for the truth in order to save it's democracy. Fox News and the far left are not helping as both get baited and ensnared by Russia misinformation.

Another must read for all Americans who believe in democracy