in the soviet bloc block, and that undermined the external part of the soviet system .. and created a real crisis. the crisis got worse because the economics of the soviet union was in a mess and couldn't respond to the challenge that it was facing within the soviet bloc. it couldn't give freedom to the blockbuster and could, bloc and couldn't bribe it with economic assistance so that made things much worse and gorbachev was beating his head against an existing system, exrimenting a lot, doing wonderful things, in some respects, as we look at it, but in otherays, doing odd thgs like for example trying to prevent the russians from drinking alcohol. which created enorms disruption, both economicall and in terms of social behavior. andemoralized the party while they, whi an example of the bloc is disintegrating for national reasons began to effect the nonrussian pele d they began to demanmore and more autonomy and that began to raise to crescendo. >> first to decentralize the soviet union and then to dismantle it so we had a very dynamic and cplicated process here that unfo

and nonrussians within the soviet union. staggering statistic, and this is the kind of century we lived through and yet he nostalgically talks amount that not only being the worst century of the 20th century but tries to create an economic, a commonwealth und moscow's control, whic really is moss stall i didn't a, one of the splits between him and med jeff that he, medvedev was rejecting that nostalgia and identifying himself with it .. and he therefore has difficult very subsequent, difficult strerjd russia from the course that may have been open, namely progressive modernization, increasing democratization, and greater ties with the west and so forth. >> rose: is there more individual freedom today in china or in russia? >> rusa. russia. >> russia is a traditional autocracy, it is not a totalitarian state. in the press it is relatively op and if you go to russia and read newspapers in russia these days, they really give you a diversity of views and a lot of real news from the outside world. second, television is really an

the soviet life is still going strong. in the world northernmost. presides over a ghost town where the soviet heritage has become a tourist site for those overcome by the cold war in the style of. the close up special edition. more news today violence is once again flared up. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. today. wealthy british. markets. find out what's really happening to the global economy with. no holds barred look at the global financial headlines. this is from moscow good have you with us in a passionate address palestinian president mahmoud abbas is vowed to seek full state recognition at the u.n. security council next week and that's in despite of a u.s. promise to veto any such move it also deals a blow to israel to which may now have to give up the territories occupied for decades some said was accuse the israeli government indeed of using them as poor as in a land dispute. with details. wanted to meet us here in one of israel's bustling cities he wants to talk but not in his own city home and wh

the soviet union. also for you.and us a couple i found guilty involuntary manslaughter of their adopted son from russia. and the latest developments in the investigation of the tragic plane crash that took the lives of one of the russia's a top ice hockey team lokomotiv jaroslav will find out more at r.t. dot com. is he used to. be. easy to. see. that wraps up our news in this hour but i'll be back in just a moment with a recap of the headlines and then it's must go out our weekend arts and leisure guide plus all the weekend sports ahead too that's how the next half hour looks here are put up. like millions of americans i've lost thousands of dollars in retirement funds and i haven't had as bad as many it's not just about the them it's about me too. me man brahma. said. need it. now. since this is i get the last word this financial crisis will not be like a light switch. we . flew to. just see. if. we. wealthy british scientists sign it's time to practice. markets why not. find out what's really happening to the glo

cold war it served as the useless arse westernmost outpost now it's one of the soviet union slask al fantic would preserve relics. is essentially a picture of what would have happened to the soviet union if it was cut off from the financial support for two decades it's a curious site for western tourists and i think it could be even more appealing for russian trains to keep its presence on spitsbergen russia still maintaining a coal mine here but in trance of profit it's far behind local seven year shops so between married bill it is a big hit the defunct arne curtain still helps keep the money flowing guys it's the russians when you're so what's your main rivals are on the. euros the local administration is increasingly under pressure to bring the infrastructure optimal than standards have these materialization efforts are not very popular with tourists operators if you come into a very authentic place like bond sport or think it should stay the way it is that would be my wish i mean that's the part of the a little you know authentic tradition here. i should not i would not like to

war when the soviets left the regime the communist regime and. others wanted to bring in former communists as long as they accepted the notions of you know had bush taken that offer there might be a stable afghanistan i think would be a very good chance there was no need for this war that's you know if this war our conversation with journalist edwards or it will continue or we come back just. really. ah. welcome back to conversations of great minds tonight i'm joined by journalist and author edward is your day is latest book killing the crane's chronicles his experiences as a journalist in afghanistan during three decades of conflict in that nation you actually expect saw the three decades. i got white hair. very dark. it's what one of the lessons from from that this thirty years that you've seen in afghanistan is that americans. and americans and europeans i mean you know we're all in this dance together it seems should know that we don't know or that we seem not to be whether it's a policy level or the average person rather should know to under

is sars westernmost outpost now it's one of the soviet union slask preserved relics . that is essentially a picture of what would have happened to the soviet union if it was cut off from a financial support for two decades it's a curious site for western tourists and i think it could be even more appealing for russians trying. to keep its presence on spitsbergen russia still maintaining a coal mine here but in trance of profit is far behind local souvenir shops. memorabilia is a big hit the defunct are in curtain still helps keep the money flowing guys it's the russians. the local administration is increasingly under pressure to bring the infrastructure up to more than standards these modernization efforts and not very popular with tourists. if you come into a very authentic place like non-sport should stay the way it is that would be my wish i mean that's the part of the you know authentic tradition here. i should not i would not like to have it in a shiny condition to be on the time to change even for the better is not always good for business something that even a l

a stoner was the first former soviet republic to join the eurozone. hung on but obama is president of the talon institute for economics and management he knows only too well the price the a stone in government how to pay for overcoming economic problems and meeting the terms required for joining your it was a. risky. everything was done to make it same that the budget had a very low deficit and prevent inflation low pensions expensive medical care growth and exercises in the like induce good that we became more attractive for investors to study but actually there are the poorer sections of the population had to pay for all that. a. member of parliament length agreed to take part in an experiment suggested by journalists on a popular internet site his task was to see how he would survive on a subsistence wage for a month. shopping was something of an ordeal for him a length he couldn't afford to spend even one cent above his budget because otherwise he would have ruined the experiment. the minimum a subsistence wage in a store nia was sixty four euros

past and its logically under soviet threat. this is the only place in the world where to an ancient fortress it stands so close to each other. in the middle ages russia's border run along the shore really cool the rover was here that even borders an old russian fortress was built opposite nanda a living human concept. in the mid twentieth century dystonia was part of the soviet union a friendship the two towns nava and even in a threat to single municipality with a common infrastructure and transport system a stone eons in russians lived here side by side when a stony achieved independence in one thousand nine hundred one the border along another over liver was reinstated the so-called friendship bridge became a checkpoint with flags of two different states once again flying over the old fortresses. before a stone you know won independence in one thousand nine hundred one the struggle for secession from the soviet union in this republic was exceptionally peaceful. and the country managed to avoid the bloodshed that was characte

where twenty years after the us was sars collapsed the soviet way of life is still going strong. for the world's northernmost statue of lenin presides over a ghost town where the sewage heritage has become a tourist site for those overcome by the cold war in the style of. the close up special edition on our. if. the motion would be soon which brightened. soon from funds to christians. from stunts on t.v. . wealthy british stock. prices. markets. find out what's really happening to the global economy for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines join in to cause a report. released just so. and a passionate address palestinian president mahmoud abbas has vowed to seek full state recognition at the u.n. security council next week in spite of a u.s. promise to veto any such bid but also there was a blow to israel which may now have to give up the territories it's occupied for decades from settlers now accused the israeli government of using them as pawns in a land dispute paula sleep has got the story. he was wanted to meet us here in one of israel's bustling cities he

back in the nineteen eighties there was a burgeoning mining community the soviet union was determined to maintain it a low cost to cheaply located halfway between north america and western europe spitzbergen archipelago is part of norway but a special status that allows other countries to set up industrial bases here in the mid. love the cold war it served as the use of stars westernmost outpost now it's one of the soviet union slask altham tickly preserved relics. it is essentially a picture of what would have happened to the soviet union if it was cut off from the financial support for two decades it's a curious thing for western tourists and i think it could be even more appealing for russian trains to keep its presence on screens bergan russia is still maintaining a coal mine here but and chance of profit is far behind local seven year shops between marriage bill it is a big hit that it front are in kirton still cults keep the money flowing guys it's a russian so you're sure you can't be rivals for on the ground also your. local administration is increasingly under pressure to bri

well there is one place where the soviet spirit is frozen in time and it's not even in russia it's the town of baron spurred in the arctic circle which lies on a norwegian archipelago called spitsbergen a vibrant soviet settlement there after mining rights were granted in the one nine hundred twenty s. but when communism collapsed so did the community in the third of her special reports on a boycott finds out how an old soviet dream still provides a means of survival and is helping preserve the past. it's the legacy no one should be proud of heaps of scrap metal littering pristine arctic landscape building stilton over their foundation pipes spewing black smoke over the snow covered peaks the traces of the soviet industrial activity on the spitzbergen archipelago don't make a pretty picture if the guiding principle here is the worse the better local life to tell the story about back in soviet times when norwegians were visiting barons were they also an express lane. and how prosperous the settlement was well times have obviously kenge where they saw it lags they still attracting the re

says i'm twenty seven years old so i don't have clear memories of the soviet union but i guess the sovietspirit is very well preserved here we have people here from you cream central asian and we all feel like citizens of one country ironically the attitude toward the mines perfectibility is also inherently soviet it's been a lost making venture for decades here increasing its efficiency is politically inconvenient. money is what allows russia to be a president's speech going to be profitable we need to mine three times as much calls we do now. find that we have to go. meanwhile russia has notably increased funding of scientific expeditions and spitzbergen in an effort to explore the archipelagos natural reaches. you get a bill thomas is a geologist who first arrived in baron's work in the early eighty's the collapse of the soviet union made him trade geology for business but the recent afternoon state funding allowed him to come back. to take graphically it's a place where the global weather is being. ground for science and nine in its oil gas and other minerals it's a place we simply ca

ceased to exist many there are still living on old soviet dream. a cluster of violence between the devil and the deep blue sea put the use aside the spitzbergen archipelago was a lot like puerto rico for the us not entirely its own not food for in a form pulls between north america and western europe and as many hope a future base for the russian advance in the arctic. just a few words about this monument to. their lives. yeah of course all of. the most western tourists this morning meant is a testament to the trail. the town of barons worked once a flourishing mining community is in a sewer stay. behind this peeling facade one can also see a freshly painted the writing on the wall the russians on a living in fact they're back. it's a russian birthright to be here. the second summer in a row that office banding launch busy bergen decorating this kindergarten good depiction of russia as a narc is not to project an image of an unshakable state emerging from dire straits of history in a town that still experiences difficulties with running water and e

collapsed the soviet way of life is still going strong. in the world some northernmost statue of lenin presides over a ghost town where the soviet heritage has become a tourist site for those overcome by the cold war in the style of. the close up special edition. please. please. just sleep is. the mum. mum. on. the. face. of the old song from fails to crash and so. please please don't talk t. don't come. down the road the official auntie up location. i pod touch from the. sludge all sheesh life on the city of london. i'll tease mine old costs an r.s.s. feeds now in the palm of your. on the dot com. in a passionate address palestinian president mahmoud abbas has vowed to sink full state recognition of the un security council next week but in spite of a u.s. promise to veto any such bid those deals blow of course to israel which may now have to give up the territories it's occupied for decades some settlers now accuse the israeli government of using them as pawns in a land dispute that is poor sleep picks up their story. wanted to meet us he

afghanistan which operated clandestinely during the soviet war. had a lot of afghans working for they really understood the on the ground situation and the big warnings in two thousand and two was don't throw money at afghanistan and recognize that it will take many years possibly twenty or thirty years to bring about real recovery to bring an end to this conflict don't get involved militarily that is disastrous and a lot of recommendations you know keep small focus on the rural areas where eighty percent of afghans live and yet this was ignored we brought in the warlords who brought in a lot of the discredited politicians resistance politicians from the one nine hundred eighty s. who were thoroughly corrupt i mean they pushed themselves alongside the pakistanis and we put them into power the american ambassador i think it was an egregious and state to put in an afghan and as the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan because every afghan knew the guys baggage he didn't understand afghanistan very well and they saw him with great admiration you know local

how it felt to live in the us is there's one place where the soviets are it's frozen in time and it's not even in russia we're talking about the town of balad spork in the arctic circle there is on the map it lies on a norwegian archipelago called spitsbergen a vibrant soviet settlement grew there after mining rights for granted in the one nine hundred twenty s. but when communism collapsed so did the community so in a third of a special report six hundred point zero finds out how an old soviet dream still provides a means of survival and is also helping preserve the past. it's a legacy no one should be proud of heaps of scrap metal littering pristine arctic landscape building still to know where their foundation pipes black smoke over the snow covered peaks the traces of the soviet industrial activity on the bergen our he calendar make a pretty picture if the guiding principle here is the worse the better walk of life the tell the story about back in soviet times when norwegians were visiting barons were they all want to. be and how prosperous this was well times. tracting original t

the soviet union. and us a couple i found guilty of involuntary manslaughter of their adopted son from russia . and the latest developments in the investigation of the tragic plane crash that took the wives of one of the russia's a top ice hockey team lokomotiv just wobble find out more of our team back on. is the. east coast. six. now wraps up our news this hour but i'll be back in just a moment with a recap of the headlines that's moscow out of our weekend arts and leisure guide plus all the weekend sports ahead too that's how the next half hour looks here on our blog. we. like millions of americans i've lost thousands of dollars in retirement funds and i haven't had as bad as many that's not just the delta there it's about needs to. mean i am probably beyond out. missing. and. needed. now. since this is my film i get the last word this financial crisis will not be for golf like a light sleep. we. please. just so. see. wealthy british scientists on. sometimes. markets why not come with us find out wh

tourists are flocking to a surprising relic of the soviet. miles from the north pole. on a trip to spitzbergen. where twenty years. of life is still going strong. in their worlds are. those. who sued. has become a tourist site for those over. the special edition. the palestinian president has vowed to seek full state recognition at the u.n. security council next week mahmoud abbas has also stressed that the move it was not meant to isolate or deal with real that's despite a u.s. promised to veto the bed meanwhile in israel settlers in the west bank say they would want to leave but the government keeps putting obstacles to prevent this from happening paula slayer has more. wanted to meet us here in one of israel's bustling cities he wants to talk but not. where he's seen as a troublemaker people are afraid to talk because of the talk there for. the for all of but beneath won't be shut up he says he's tired of being used as a pawn by the government fifty years ago the state made it easy for him to buy a house he didn't have the money so they offered him a cheap one the o

soviet union. our website of course was a chance to have your say and all the stories you see and want to take in these if you've not called them already today they are soft landing in a warm welcome home for a team of space travelers and returned to earth after six months into the international space station our cameras caught the moment they arrived back on terra firma also a landing that didn't go at all well very tragic story this in a show tragedy in the u.s. a seventy four year old stunt pilot crashed his vintage plane into the spectators there all four story details are com if you want to get the pictures as well online for you. you want your tea loving rage cue in central moscow my name's kevin and i would like to become pretty of the rest of the march this weekend but we're back in a moment with a recap of the latest news headlines from moscow then it being weekend this time for a week an arts and leisure guide moscow out plus the weekend sport coming up too in about twenty minutes kate's

a check of the world nor the most monument to lenin to receive flocking to a surprising relic of soviet past. decades back into. one thousand miles from the north pole. the iraqi t.v. is taking you on a trip to spitzbergen on capella go. where twenty years after the us was sars collapsed the suv between life is still going strong. and the world's northernmost statue of lenin presides over a ghost town in the suv it was huge has become a tourist site for those overcome by the cold war in the style of. the close up special edition. it's. the. line in the motion movie soon which writes and if you knew about song from feinstein freshens. he's from the stones hot seat don't come. to british style it's not on the title of. markets. find out what's really happening to the global economy for a no holds barred look at the global financial headline a student who caused the reports. on. the move is. just so. just so. smug. in a passionate address palestinian president mahmoud abbas has vowed to seek full state recognition at the u.n. security council next week that's in spite of a u.s. promise to

of the cold war it served as the use of stars westernmost outpost now it's one of the soviet union's last preserved relics. it is simply a picture of what would have happened to the serviette union if it was cut off from any financial support for two decades it's a curious site for western tourists and i think it could be even more appealing for russian travelers to keep its presence on spitsbergen russian film and t.v. in a coal mine here but and trance of profit is far behind local supernews shops. is a big hit that it banks are in kirton still helps keep the money flowing because it's a rushing through in your words you can't put in rubbles or on the ground euros the local administration is increasingly under pressure to bring the infrastructure optimal than standards these modernization efforts are not very popular with tourists operators coming to a very authentic place like. it should stay the way it is that would be my wish i mean that's the part of the let you know authentic tradition here at the center i should not i would not like to have it in a shiny condition to be hones

during the soviet occupation, the united states supplied and supported the anti-soviet mujahedin as they call themselves who waged a guerrilla war against the soviet army. in 1985 the united states launched something called operation cyclone which was a clandestine support program, which supplied the mumbai been with weapons and cash to the pakistani inter- services intelligence agencies. that united states really ramp up its participation at that point in time. once and so it's withdrew in 1989, they continued to support the afghan time is government under, the collapse of the soviet union in 1991. at that point in time, afghanistan really drops from the american radar, and especially under the clinton presidency there's very little interest in afghanistan. there's some residual interest from the refugees caused by the soviet war. there's also some kind of speculative strategic interest out of what are called pipeline politics, because the soviet, ex-soviet republics have huge natural gas resources so there was talk about a pipeline running through afghanistan into pakistan in order to

surprising relic of the soviet stone quite say. look back. one thousand miles from the north pole of. the ark each team is taking you on a trip to spitzbergen archipelago where twenty years after the sars coal miners to pursue life is still growing strong to clear the world's unknown most statue of lenin presides over and those who come in the summer it. has become a tourist site for those overcome by the cold more in the style. if the close up special edition and. more news today violence is once again flared up. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. corporations are today. wealthy british. market. the global economy. no holds barred look at the global financial headlines. this is a scene from moscow going to be with us in a passionate address palestinian president mahmoud abbas is vowed to seek full state recognition of the u.n. security council next week and that's it despite of eight u.s. promise to veto any such move it also deals a blow for israel to which may now have to give up the territories occu