I refuse to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternate narrative that the Ukrainian government is a U.S. adversary, and that Ukraine - not Russia - attacked us in 2016.
Everybody used to talk about Chechnya as a place, in the Russian imperial and Soviet periods, that was essentially governed by extended family and regional networks that substituted for older clan structures. But those networks have been destroyed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how family and community networks were crucial in Chechnya's history but have been disrupted over time.
Fiona Hill's quote highlights the significance of extended families and regional networks in Chechnya's governance throughout the Russian imperial and Soviet eras. These networks acted as informal systems of support and leadership, replacing traditional clan structures. However, she points out that such networks have been weakened or destroyed, suggesting a loss of community cohesion and support that once played a vital role in the region's social fabric.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the social structures in post-Soviet states, one could use this quote to illustrate the impact of familial networks.
More from Fiona Hill
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I grew up poor with a very distinctive working-class accent. In England in the 1980s and 1990s this would have impeded my professional advancement. This background has never set me back in America.
Because the more you engage with someone who is spreading untruths, the more validity you give to those untruths.
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Part of the puzzle, surely, lies in the disconnect between official rhetoric and lived realities. Americans are constantly extolling “traditions”; litanies to family values are at the center of every politician’s discourse. And yet the culture of America is extremely corrosive of family life, indeed of all traditions except those redefined as “identities” that fit in the larger patterns of distinctiveness, cooperation, and openness to innovation.
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The labor movement is people. Our unions have brought millions of men and women together, made them members one of another, and given them common tools for common goals. Their goals are goals for all America - and their enemies are the enemies for progress. The two cannot be separated.
The bonds that unite us to another human being are sanctified when he or she adopts the same point of view as ourselves in judging one of our imperfections.
Introverted feeling types have a wealth of warmth and enthusiasm, but they may not show it until they know someone well. They wear their warm side inside, like a fur-lined coat.
Relationship and connectedness are the pre-condition for change. Every meeting, every process, every training program has to get people connected first. Otherwise the content falls on deaf ears. So small groups are an essential building block to any future you want to create.