Glossing the failed socialist dream

Aside from being banal and unnecessary (is every child of racial intermarriage news on the BBC?), this article about a half-African Ukrainian singer seeking his father contains a classic pravdaesque description of Soviet foreign policy:

According to the BBC, 'During the Cold War, the Soviet Union was anxious to promote its friendly "internationalist" image, and free higher education was offered to students from developing countries.'

Now, despite the double-quoting (showing they know the description is controversial) you'd have to know more than most GCSE history courses cover to understand that 'internationalism' was the rather sinister Soviet foreign policy designed to promote communism, as this account makes clear, which we can thank for many of Africa's problems in adjusting to fresh responsibilities over the last forty years:

'Two components of the "internationalist duty" of the Soviet armed forces emerged: "socialist internationalism," the defense of socialist countries allied to the Soviet Union; and "proletarian internationalism," the assistance given to "wars of national liberation" in the Third World.'

The programmes under which people like this Ukrainian's father came to the Soviet Union were allied to these strategic goals. I personally have met some of the Somali graduates of such schemes (there are plenty)- and we all know how well Somalia is getting on. But anyway, BBC, carry on glossing- it seems to be all you're good at.

Meanwhile, if it appears that one is putting the wrong sort of gloss, things like this happen.