Re: [A-List] James Petras on Beslan - fire away

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

A long time ago, someone wrote:

Russia is in a transitional period, when "normal," "constitutional" life has
not yet been established and when the political crisis has not yet been
settled. Days of storm and "complications" are ahead. And this gives rise to
the movement, the present and the future movement, the aim of which is to
achieve complete democratization.
It is in connection with this movement that the national question must be
examined.

Thus the complete democratization of the country is the basis and condition
for the solution of the national question.

When seeking a solution of the question we must take into account not only
the situation at home but also the situation abroad. Russia is situated
between Europe and Asia, between Austria and China. The growth of democracy
in Asia is inevitable. The growth of imperialism in Europe is not
fortuitous. In Europe, capital is beginning to feel cramped, and it is
reaching out towards foreign countries in search of new markets, cheap
labour and new fields of investment. But this leads to external
complications and to war. No one can assert that the Balkan War is the end
and not the beginning of the complications.

http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1913/03.htm