Started reading 'A History of Russia',
Read about the start of Rus kingdoms. What follows is perhaps my imperfect comprehension of what I read but serves my point.
The Indo-Europeans came to Europe 3000 thousand years ago and the last branch to form was the Slavs and they settled in what is Eastern Europe and Western Russia. They mingled with another people also in that area the Finnish-Ugruic people. They were farmers and gathered resources from the forest. Then came the Vikings who at first were there middlemen but later became their masters and collected tribute from them. Now the Viking had iron weapons and were technologically superior and so able to assert control. Later they adopted the Slavic language and consolidated their rule into the Rus kingdom. It was divided among princes but in the end it was concolidated into a kingdom that became the percusor of Russia.
Interesting no? What struck me was how the strong has always bully the weak: exacting taxes, making them work their fields without pay, doing all the hardwork of collecting pelt so their masters can sell it and keep all the profits for themselves. Another example would be the Spartans who conquered the Messenians and made them owrk their fields and do all their chores so they will have time to concentrate on military training and remain in control.
We this going on today. Middlemen who are virtually oligarchs as they shortchange peasants. Think of the petai middle man. How much he gets and how much the Orang Asli fella get?
Anyway as far as I can recall I have never come across a nation that puts the interest of other nations as much as their won. Sort of like a national way of following Jesus' command of loving your neighbours as yourself.
In one of my earlier blogs I have envisioned Malaysia as a missionary sending nation or at least alluded to it. Now I am dreaming of nation that is also humanitarian but then again paradigms must shift. Like its medical schools will no longer produce workers for the private sectors but all gradutes will be channeled to the rural areas and and after which they will spend a few years in one of our not so well off neighbours helping shore up their almost non-exitent healtcare system. If they don't want to do it then choose another field. There are plenty of people out there who are willing to do this. What is the army doing? I guess Indonesia wouldn't might help putting out forest fires or assisatance in the case of floods and disasters would they? More than 2% of the GDP spent in this kind of assistance to our neighbours? Great! Why is it that we must only use the GDP to improve ourselves( infrastructure,economy)..see this as long-term investments! An unstable Indonesia and millions of refugees can't be too good.