THE FINAL CURTAIN : Reflections : ‘Fear, Force, Fanaticism’
“This is not a surprise to me. The place has been falling apart for the past five years.
“I think the label ‘evil empire’ was fully justified. It was an accurate historical description. It was an empire, since it’s breaking up now along national lines. It was evil in that it produced more deaths than any other country, through purges, exile, mass deportation, genocide--it was an institutionalized holocaust. There’s no reason to mourn its disappearance.
“What kept it together so long? Fear, force and fanaticism.
“The Commonwealth (of Independent States) is merely a cover for the emergence of genuine national diversity. There will be cooperation but also conflict and confusion. It’ll be some time before it settles down. It could take close to a generation. There is a lot of latent frustration and hostility.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
