[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by GhettoDogAllStars

I work with a guy who lived through the collapse of the Soviet Union. I have talked extensively with him about what it was like during those times, and apparently it was terrible -- total anarchy (hmmm, go figure).

Anyways, at the time of the collapse, the soviet government had LOTS of money. However, when the gov't collapses, who does the money go to? Well, the answer is whoever can get it first. So, the gov't collapses, and you have some people in the right place at the right time, who "cash in" on their opportunity to take the money that used to belong to the soviet gov't. The smart ones took that money, and bought the previously state-run businesses. So now you have some people who got lots of money, and are on their way to making a whole lot more through their newly purchased businesses.

Things were pretty good for these guys, until the gov't re-stabilized. Then, you have the new gov't who wants to control things. Well, some of these guys cooperate, and some don't. The guys who cooperate are still there, and still own their businesses. The guys who don't cooperate either flee the country or are arrested (remember Yukos?).

So, you have some people who had to flee, and are incredibly rich (many billions). These guys have personal vendettas against the Russian gov't (and Putin), and are living in other countries with political asylum. Presumably, these guys are always looking for ways to get even (they have been said to try to start revolutions, etc.).

Knowing these guys exist, it's hard to imagine that there's anything they CAN'T do with all that money. It is quite possible that some of these guys do things to de-stabilize the gov't and then even blame the gov't for doing them (double-whammy).

I just thought this was interesting, and wanted to share.

Very interesting. For those of us old enough to remember, wasn't the collapse of the Soviet Union one of the most incredible events in history? I mean when I was a kid it was all about the US vs. USSR, cold war, nuclear war, etc. Then suddenly the USSR doesn't even exist. I never thought such a thing was even possible.

On a much, much smaller scale it'd be like if one day we wake up and read that the Dallas Cowboys have folded. They were just no more all of a sudden.