12 April 2011.
An event took place fifty years ago, which is today celebrated all over the world, being declared by the UN “The International Day of Human Space Flight.” Google celebrated it too, by putting up the graphics of a space helmet with the letters “CCCP” (“USSR”) on it, and a rocket blasting into space, in the background.
Fifty years ago the USSR was the superpower of the Sputnik and the superpower of Gagarin, while America was the superpower of JFK’s cosmic vision, which would later triumph as Apollo, after the name of the god of light in Ancient Greece, the cradle of Western Civilization.
Then, twenty years ago, the USSR was declared non-existent, and with it the Soviet superpower was gone. I understand why America immediately started pretending that there was nothing “superpowerful” left in the geographical space vacated by the now defunct USSR, and I also understand why the Russians pretended that America was perfectly right to claim it. The temptation of calling oneself "the only remaining superpower" was too great for America, while the Russians, with their excellent nose for history were probably smelling a new “French Revolution” in the post-Soviet air, and had learned from Philippe Égalité that in such times it was wiser not to claim yourself as royalty, but to claim to be "one of the people." The poor French prince's mistake, for which he was guillotined all the same, was that he did not just renounce royalty, but effectively stopped being royalty, swimming with the current, but having no control over its course. Whereas the Russians were very much in control... and besides, there was no power in the world that could chop off their head.
…As we are looking at the world today, we see a certain nuclear superpower (which seems to have cornered the world’s nuclear market)… but, God forbid, not a superpower-superpower! A certain energy superpower (which has cornered the world’s energy market)… but, God forbid, not a superpower-superpower! A certain space superpower (which has monopolized the world’s space market, and starting this year becomes the one and only country capable of launching man into space)… but, God forbid, not a superpower-superpower!!!
On the other hand, the only remaining superpower-superpower, which was once ready to spend millions to be the first on the moon, today has to depend on her former rival’s good graces to continue her severely cut space exploration program, as it has been spending trillions on projects like Iraq and Afghanistan, and these days the Libyan rebels, none of whom can either lift her into outer space, or solve her down-to-earth energy problems, or at least elevate her international image and improve her geopolitical standing in the world.
The title of my entry is Gagarin, but I shall not be rehashing the all-too-well known facts about the first man in space. Gagarin in this case is a reminder, a codeword for a certain country, which is no longer counted as superpower royalty, but which, judged by what is being said, and not being said, about her in the American media, apparently still strikes so much fear in the hearts of her erstwhile adversaries that she has effectively become a ghost from the world beyond, a “She Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken.”
So, let us today, just for this one day, call her “Gagarin.”
An event took place fifty years ago, which is today celebrated all over the world, being declared by the UN “The International Day of Human Space Flight.” Google celebrated it too, by putting up the graphics of a space helmet with the letters “CCCP” (“USSR”) on it, and a rocket blasting into space, in the background.
Fifty years ago the USSR was the superpower of the Sputnik and the superpower of Gagarin, while America was the superpower of JFK’s cosmic vision, which would later triumph as Apollo, after the name of the god of light in Ancient Greece, the cradle of Western Civilization.
Then, twenty years ago, the USSR was declared non-existent, and with it the Soviet superpower was gone. I understand why America immediately started pretending that there was nothing “superpowerful” left in the geographical space vacated by the now defunct USSR, and I also understand why the Russians pretended that America was perfectly right to claim it. The temptation of calling oneself "the only remaining superpower" was too great for America, while the Russians, with their excellent nose for history were probably smelling a new “French Revolution” in the post-Soviet air, and had learned from Philippe Égalité that in such times it was wiser not to claim yourself as royalty, but to claim to be "one of the people." The poor French prince's mistake, for which he was guillotined all the same, was that he did not just renounce royalty, but effectively stopped being royalty, swimming with the current, but having no control over its course. Whereas the Russians were very much in control... and besides, there was no power in the world that could chop off their head.
…As we are looking at the world today, we see a certain nuclear superpower (which seems to have cornered the world’s nuclear market)… but, God forbid, not a superpower-superpower! A certain energy superpower (which has cornered the world’s energy market)… but, God forbid, not a superpower-superpower! A certain space superpower (which has monopolized the world’s space market, and starting this year becomes the one and only country capable of launching man into space)… but, God forbid, not a superpower-superpower!!!
On the other hand, the only remaining superpower-superpower, which was once ready to spend millions to be the first on the moon, today has to depend on her former rival’s good graces to continue her severely cut space exploration program, as it has been spending trillions on projects like Iraq and Afghanistan, and these days the Libyan rebels, none of whom can either lift her into outer space, or solve her down-to-earth energy problems, or at least elevate her international image and improve her geopolitical standing in the world.
The title of my entry is Gagarin, but I shall not be rehashing the all-too-well known facts about the first man in space. Gagarin in this case is a reminder, a codeword for a certain country, which is no longer counted as superpower royalty, but which, judged by what is being said, and not being said, about her in the American media, apparently still strikes so much fear in the hearts of her erstwhile adversaries that she has effectively become a ghost from the world beyond, a “She Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken.”
So, let us today, just for this one day, call her “Gagarin.”
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