FOREIGN RELATIONS
MAGDA WIERZYCKA: Russia sycophant Zuma denies Soviet past at SA’s peril
I have yet to see a country where Russia’s intervention or interference has been a positive for the economy or its people
Having grown up in Poland in the days when the monolithic USSR ruled Eastern Europe with an iron fist, the latest utterances by President Jacob Zuma about all those who do not support the nuclear project having been captured by the West, and his commitment to a partnership with Russia, should terrify every South African. Zuma praised Russia for its help in fighting apartheid, conveniently omitting the role played by trade, military and sports sanctions imposed by western nations, the boycotts by institutions around the world and the pressure brought to bear by activists. I guess this does not work so well alongside the "white monopoly capital" slogan. As far as Russia is concerned, my childhood memory is one of Russia intervening in governing Poland, stripping the country of its natural resources and exercising an almost military control over the entire population of a country that was not even formally part of the USSR. Eventually, the system of exploitation bankrupted Poland, lead...
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