Religion, Nationalism, and “Ancestral Homelands.” By Shalom Goldman. Sacred Matters, April 16, 2014.
Transcript:
ZAKARIA:
You have been very pessimistic or gloomy about Europe. Um, do you think that in
this Ukraine situation, you're seeing another aspect of the tragedy of Europe,
the lack of collective action?
SOROS: Unfortunately,
Europe is very weak. It’s preoccupied with its internal problems, which are
unresolved. The euro crisis is no longer a financial crisis, is turning into a
political crisis. And you’re going to see it in the elections. And Putin . . .
ZAKARIA:
Explain what that means.
It’s
going to be – you’re going to see it in the elections because you’re going to
see the rise of nationalist, anti-European forces?
SOROS:
Yes. And interestingly, they are supported by Russia and pro-Russian. So Russia
has emerged as an alternative to the European Union. Putin has sort of come out
of the closet in Ukraine with an ideology that is Nationalist based on ethnic
nationalism. You could call it Russism . . .
ZAKARIA:
Right.
SOROS: –
that’s a new word to describe it, because I don't want to call it Nazi, because
it is very similar to what you had in the interwar period . . . fascism. You know . . .
ZAKARIA:
Protecting your ethnic groups with military force, if necessary . . .
SOROS: Well,
it’s more than that. It’s – as an ideology, a new sort of myth of Russian
superiority. If you – those who watch Putin’s speeches, he actually has
revealed this new myth of Russian genetic superiority. You might have heard
that previously from someone else. It’s a – a new ideology based on ethnic
Russian superiority.
ZAKARIA:
And as you say, a lot of these nationalists who are we – who are doing well in
European - these European-wide elections seem very pro-Russian . . .
SOROS: Yes.
ZAKARIA:
– whether on the left or the right.
