The Ghost of Khan

You can’t find where his corporeal body is buried. And it certainly isn’t buried in Russia.  He, personally, never stepped a foot in the Rus’ lands.

History is Baroque!
Will and Ariel Durant

But what about his Zeitgeist?

ghost_of_khan

Yesterday and Today?

If we curse the past, if we blank it out of our memory as my father did, nothing will get better.
Our history is both cursed and magnificent. Just like the history of any state or people.
It is fitting Russia, the tragedies;
these contradictory strands of history are woven so tightly together. 

Boris Yeltzin

Zeitgeist (Zeit –Time, geist –Ghost)

It’s a tale of Black Gold.

Ah, but what kind of Black Gold are we talking about?

The Black Gold of the Earth: that Good Earth: Land and Power of Mother Russia.


The Black Gold of the Earth: that Good Earth: Oil and Gold of Mother Russia.

On the Wealth of Nations.
Who owns the Rents — Economic and/or Political?

It’s an age old debate.  Economic Power versus Political Power.

It’s trade stupid: Money and Humans.  Slavery and Freedom. Russian Style

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Inspector Guardian,  (born 7 October 1952) essentially the Tzar of Russia, since he snuck into power in 1999.

During Putin’s first premiership and presidency (1999–2008), real incomes increased by a factor of 2.5, real wages more than tripled; unemployment and poverty more than halved, and the Russians’ self-assessed life satisfaction rose significantly. Putin’s first presidency was marked by high economic growth: the Russian economy grew for eight straight years, seeing GDP increase by 72% in PPP (sixfold in nominal). As Russia’s president, Putin and the Federal Assembly passed into law a flat income tax of 13%, a reduced profits tax, and new land and legal codes. As Prime Minister, Putin oversaw large scale military and police reform. His energy policy has affirmed Russia’s position as an energy superpower. Putin supported high-tech industries such as the nuclear and defence industries. A rise in foreign investment contributed to a boom in such sectors as the automotive industry. [Wikipedia, revised]

There have been some individuals that have died mysteriously, however.  And some have been put in the Russian Gulag.

History may not repeat itself, but it does Rhyme.

Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky, Fieldmarshal Rational, (born 26 June 1963) is a Russian businessman and former oligarch, as well as philanthropist, public figure and author.  In 2003 Khodorkovsky and Roman Abramovich were jointly named as Person of the Year by Expert. In 2004, Khodorkovsky was the wealthiest man in Russia (with a fortune of over $15 billion) and one of the richest people in the world, ranked 16th on Forbes list of billionaires. He had worked his way up the Communist apparatus during the Soviet years, and began several businesses during the era of glasnost and perestroika. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he accumulated wealth through the development of Siberian oil fields as the head of Yukos, one of the largest Russian companies to emerge from the privatization of state assets during the 1990s.

He was arrested on 25 October 2003, to appear before investigators as a witness, but within hours of being taken into custody he was charged with fraud. The government under Vladimir Putin then froze shares of Yukos shortly thereafter on tax charges. The state took further actions against Yukos, leading to a collapse of the company’s share price and the evaporation of much of Khodorkovsky’s wealth. He was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison in May 2005. [Wikipedia, revised]

“While some have suggested that the pardon may have been an attempt to improve Russia’s image abroad ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympics, Khodorkovsky said in a January interview that Putin was instead trying to reassert his authority among recalcitrant members of the Kremlin inner circle.”

AP reported the following on 23 December 2013 reflecting Khodorkovsky’s latest public comments just two days after his release, saying, “The 50-year-old appeared composed at his first public appearance since his release, saying he shouldn’t be viewed as a symbol that there are no more political prisoners in Russia. He added that he would do ‘all I can do’ to ensure the release of others.”

After his release Khodorkovsky soon applied for a Swiss visa, which would give him the possibility to travel to most European countries. This visa has since been approved by Swiss authorities, and Khodorkovsky arrived in Basel, Switzerland, on January 5, 2014.

Khodorkovsky vision is that Russia “will ultimately take the road of European civilization”. Khodorkovsky’s vision will take time – and may be realised in harsher ways than he hopes.

Only time will tell.  And it maybe it will take a long time gone.  The ghost of Khan seems to still be in the lands of the Rus.

ghost_of_khan

Genghis Khan (Temujin): Fieldmarshal Rational.
Ivan IV, (the Terrible): Inspector Guardian.
Peter I (the Great): Mastermind Rational
Yekaterina Alexeevna (Catherine the Great): Inventor Rational
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin): Teacher Idealist
Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jugashvili (Stalin): Supervisor Guardian
Mikhail Gorbachev: Teacher Idealist
Boris Yeltzin: Promoter Artisan
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin: Inspector Guardian
Mikhail Khodorkovsky: Fieldmarshal Rational

11 thoughts on “The Ghost of Khan”

  1. His judo career may make people think he is sensing rather than intuitive; however, just look at the way he make s his conclusions – he prefers to discuss them paying attention to lots of details but always leaving space for maneuvers; and he is capable of finding “all-national ideas”. He is very popular among Russians just because he realized the national idea: one nation, one country, one president (which means: no national quarrels, no separatism, no chaos), which makes him comparable to general Charles de Gaulle, another INTP.

    1. Charles de Gaulle – an Architect Rational!? Lol. (Sorry I have never used Lol before — I guess there is always a first time.)

  2. The blunt, candid onversations between Obama and Putin sound like conversations held between two INTx people. If Putin were an SJ, he would at least try to cooperate more in conversation.

    From
    http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/08/09/analysis-what-candid-and-blunt-obama-putin-conversations-really-mean/

    “President Barack Obama elaborated on his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday, telling reporters that he does not have a bad personal relationship with the Russian leader.

    “When we have conversations, they’re candid, they’re blunt, often times they’re constructive. I know the press likes to focus on body language, and he’s got that kind of slouch, looking like the bored kid in the back of the classroom. But the truth is, is that when we’re in conversations together, oftentimes it’s very productive,” said Obama.

    “Conversations that are ‘candid’ and ‘blunt’ – that’s diplomatic speech they use when a conversation doesn’t go well,” said CNN chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin.

  3. Dear Leader Putin has been busy banning http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/putin-bans-the-f-word-from-movies-and-plays/499530.html //Prominent Russian philosopher and linguist Vadim Rudnev believes that the government’s attempt to regulate language means that it increasingly resembles a criminal gang.

    “They want to designate their territory: this can be said and this cannot,” Rudnev, a member of the structuralist Tartu-Moscow Semiotic school said.//

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