Kasparov and the Ukraine War

[Neville Twitchell]

Forumites may be interested to learn that I have just seen Kasparov interviewed on "Quest Means Business" on CNN. I only caught the tail-end of the discussion but he was evidently railing against what he saw as the insipidity ofthe western response to Russia's invasion and arguing for greater confrontation with Putin.

[JustinHorton]

I assume the questioning was as rigorous as ever

[Matt Mackenzie]

Forumites may be interested to learn that I have just seen Kasparov interviewed on "Quest Means Business" on CNN. I only caught the tail-end of the discussion but he was evidently railing against what he saw as the insipidity ofthe western response to Russia's invasion and arguing for greater confrontation with Putin.

Despite it being rather more rigorous than most people (himself doubtless included) were predicting just six weeks ago.

[Gerard Killoran]

He isn't against all invasions however...

https://conversationswithbillkristol.or ... ranscript/

And going back to George W. administration, it’s very popular to criticize Bush today, Bush 43. Especially for the Iraq invasion, and I’ve heard many voices, even within the Republican Party, it’s just floating with the popular trend.

First of all, I have to say as somebody who was born and raised in a Communist country, I cannot criticize any action that led to the destruction of dictatorship.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Haven't seen it mentioned on this forum, but Malcolm Pein's editorial in the April 2022 edition of CHESS is on this topic, and has some thoughts about Dvorkovich and what Kremlin 'attack dogs' have been saying about him.

[MJMcCready]

Does Kasparov portray himself as being Russian in these interviews?

[JustinHorton]

What's your point, caller

[NickFaulks]

Does Kasparov portray himself as being Russian in these interviews?

He is still RUS.

[MJMcCready]

Does Kasparov portray himself as being Russian in these interviews?

He is still RUS.

By what means? Because Russian is his first language?

[MJMcCready]

What's your point, caller

Some of us used to live in Baku and are fully aware of how that part of what was once the Soviet Union is looked upon. If you ask any Azeri you know, and you know well, he/she will tell you the Russians even have a special word they use to describe people from that region, although for the sake of sensitivity, I cannot reproduce it here.

[JustinHorton]

Does Kasparov portray himself as being Russian in these interviews?

He is still RUS.

By what means? Because Russian is his first language?

Because he identifies as Russian and because he was a Russian citizen for many years. What point are you trying to make?

[MJMcCready]

He did obviously play for Russia after the break up of the Soviet Union and yes he was a Russian citizen but if you've ever lived in the caucuses and/or spent time in other ex-Soviet states then you would surely know that the Russians are, er rather 'exclusionary' in terms of exactly who is Russian... I think that's the nicest way I can put it. You should also know that if you ever do go to Baku, Kasparov isn't held in particularly high regards there (mostly due to his mother's ethnicity and that he wouldn't play for Azerbaijan when it became an independent state). In fact if you ever do go there and ask them about Azeri players of the past, you will notice that his name is rarely -if ever- mentioned. I very much doubt whether the Russians consider him as one of their own, and suspect they think of him as something of an outsider, which you could argue he is. I think its only westerners who would actually think he is Russian, and if you've ever worked and lived amongst our old Soviet friends, I'm sure you would know why.

[Roger de Coverly]

He is still RUS.

On the FIDE rating list. Did he not become Croatian for other purposes?

[MJMcCready]

He was imprisoned and squeezed out of Russia, so he moved to Croatia. He will go back to prison if he tries to pull the same stunts again in Moscow, although most likely it will be for many years next time, assuming their political climate is broadly similar.

[JustinHorton]

I think its only westerners who would actually think he is Russian

He seems to think so himself, so once again, your point is elusive.