DrZoidberg
Contributor
There's more on the Jewish angle. Media reporting on this is that it's only Israeli and extreme-right wing news outlets that at all mention that most of the Russian oligarchs are Jews. Russia isn't Jew friendly. It's a very anti-semitic place. These guys still rose to power. Their Jewishness is of course part of the explanation. Unless Putin protects them, the people would eat them alive. They came to positions of power because of their connections with the Russian (largely Jewish) mafia. Putin needs the support of the mafia to stay in power. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Here's an Israeli article on the Rusisan oligarchs:
I can highly recommend Origins of Totalitarianism by (the Jewish philosopher) Hannah Arendt
It's today a classic. A book that is written to explain why Jews were so hated by the Nazi regime. But the same principles apply to Russia today. It explains why some Jews in Europe were stinking rich, in spite of a pretty compact anti-semitism across the Christian world. The same principles apply to Russia today. Essentially, Jews needed the protection of the princes and lords. The princes and lords knew they were very replaceable. Whoever they gave power under them could use that power to rise up and replace their lord. So they distributed fancy sounding offices to gentiles while giving a few elevated Jews informal power. This was risk free for them because there's no way the (anti-semitic) people would allow Jews to rule over them in an official capacity. Putin is just doing the same thing.
Amazon product ASIN 0156701537
It's a fascinating topic. What allowed the holocaust to happen is industrialism. When the aristocracy lost their privileges Jews lost both their protectors as well as the informal power that had enriched them. The way Jews had been used by the aristocracy to maintain control of the people had of course only made anti-semitism worse over the centuries. And it was very unfair to the Jews in general. Because most Jews of course benefitted nothing from some of them being elevated in this fashion. It's exactly the same for Jews in Russia today. Today Russian Jews both occupy positions of great power and wealth if they're connected to the oligarchs, and also great power and wealth by leading the mafia, all the while, most Jews being marginalized, targeted by anti-semitism and struggling to get by. It's a fascinating sociological artefact of history. Not to mention that Russian Jews have every reason to fear Putin losing power.
Western media find this story too complicated. Since they like simplistic fairy tale stories of cartoon villains being mean to Jews for no reason, that is what we get.
Here's an Israeli article on the Rusisan oligarchs:
The Fate of Jewish Russian Oligarchs
Jewish Russian oligarchs who have donated to Jewish causes are finding that these organizations don't want their dirty money.
www.tabletmag.com
I can highly recommend Origins of Totalitarianism by (the Jewish philosopher) Hannah Arendt
It's today a classic. A book that is written to explain why Jews were so hated by the Nazi regime. But the same principles apply to Russia today. It explains why some Jews in Europe were stinking rich, in spite of a pretty compact anti-semitism across the Christian world. The same principles apply to Russia today. Essentially, Jews needed the protection of the princes and lords. The princes and lords knew they were very replaceable. Whoever they gave power under them could use that power to rise up and replace their lord. So they distributed fancy sounding offices to gentiles while giving a few elevated Jews informal power. This was risk free for them because there's no way the (anti-semitic) people would allow Jews to rule over them in an official capacity. Putin is just doing the same thing.
Amazon product ASIN 0156701537
It's a fascinating topic. What allowed the holocaust to happen is industrialism. When the aristocracy lost their privileges Jews lost both their protectors as well as the informal power that had enriched them. The way Jews had been used by the aristocracy to maintain control of the people had of course only made anti-semitism worse over the centuries. And it was very unfair to the Jews in general. Because most Jews of course benefitted nothing from some of them being elevated in this fashion. It's exactly the same for Jews in Russia today. Today Russian Jews both occupy positions of great power and wealth if they're connected to the oligarchs, and also great power and wealth by leading the mafia, all the while, most Jews being marginalized, targeted by anti-semitism and struggling to get by. It's a fascinating sociological artefact of history. Not to mention that Russian Jews have every reason to fear Putin losing power.
Western media find this story too complicated. Since they like simplistic fairy tale stories of cartoon villains being mean to Jews for no reason, that is what we get.