Is it just coincidence or we are seeing the “late effects” of the soviet Ideological Subversion?

The science backing this up is summarized in Daron Acemoglu’s “Why Nations Fail”. The book is not about geopolitics per se, but it has a huge following because of how wide-reaching the implications are. Acemoglu himself is a superstar in his field, and deservingly so.

The examples he has taken are those of nations of with weak institutions, the fact that it did not happen as he predicted US, Canada and EU is because nations of these regions have strong institutions created and maintained precisely to defend exactly against these scenarios. Even today these regions have far lower corruption rates than other parts of the world and much better maintained institutions. That’s not to say corruption is inexistent there, it’s simply impossible for corruption to not exist at all, but that other parts of the world are so much worse they tend to stumble or collapse in face of these adversities, while these regions are more likely to correct course when they face issues like this.

Soviet Union was extremely corrupt, so it collapsed. Authoritarian countries *on average* tend to be far more corrupt than democracies. Latin American countries are more corrupt than EU or US or Canada, so they have long-term issues with poverty. There are countries that are even more corrupt than Latin American ones, like the Sahel region, which is currently extremely unstable and so on.

So, the phases he describes might be real as far as observations go, but not every country goes through them, because not all countries have weak institutions. And US, Canada, EU certainly do not.

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Below is a summary of the interview by ChatGPT for the users who are not able to view the video for whatever reason:

### [Soviet Subversion of the West – Yuri Bezmenov Interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fx1BYwCwCI)

#### Introduction
– **Speaker**: Yuri Alexandrovich Bezmenov, a former KGB agent.
– **Background**: Born in 1939 near Moscow, son of a Soviet Army officer, educated in elite Soviet schools, expert in Indian culture and languages, worked for the Soviet press agency Novosti which was a front for the KGB.
– **Defection**: Escaped to the West in 1970 due to his disillusionment with the Soviet system, risking his life.

#### Ideological Subversion
– **Definition**: Ideological subversion or active measures (psychological warfare) is a process aimed at changing the perception of reality in a target country to such an extent that despite abundant information, people cannot make sensible decisions to defend themselves.
– **Objective**: To brainwash the population over a prolonged period.

#### Stages of Subversion
1. **Demoralization**:
– **Duration**: Takes 15-20 years, the time needed to educate a generation.
– **Method**: Infiltrate the enemy’s education system with Marxist-Leninist ideology.
– **Current State**: Bezmenov claims the U.S. is already demoralized, with American values significantly eroded.

2. **Destabilization**:
– **Duration**: 2-5 years.
– **Focus**: Economic, foreign relations, and defense systems.
– **Result**: Nation becomes vulnerable in critical areas.

3. **Crisis**:
– **Duration**: 6 weeks to bring a country to the verge of crisis.
– **Example**: Central America.
– **Outcome**: Violent change of power and economic structure.

4. **Normalization**:
– **Definition**: The aftermath where the new regime stabilizes and consolidates power.
– **Context**: Term used cynically by the Soviets after crushing the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia in 1968.

#### Consequences of Subversion
– **Internal Factors**: Americans demoralizing their own society through the erosion of moral standards and values.
– **Information Irrelevance**: A demoralized person cannot process true information, regardless of the evidence presented.
– **Future Threats**: Potential for civil rights defenders and leftist academics to be purged once their utility in the subversion process is exhausted.

#### Historical Examples
– **Nicaragua**: Marxist leaders turning against each other.
– **Grenada**: Execution of Maurice Bishop by more radical Marxists.
– **Afghanistan**: Series of assassinations among Marxist leaders.
– **Bangladesh**: Assassination of Mujibur Rahman by his Marxist comrades.

#### Final Warning
– **Urgency**: The process is ongoing, and the U.S. is approaching disaster without a means of escape as Bezmenov did.

#### Conclusion
– **Takeaway**: Understanding and recognizing the stages of ideological subversion is crucial to defending national values and integrity against covert psychological warfare.