[guard-of-terra]

I fail to see how it is off-topic, since Stalin's heirs were the first (widely known) nomenclature children to skip Russia, but far from last.

If we're not counting the White Emigration, of course, since it's obvious that Tzar's heirs and kin live in the West too. Some took the Eastern route, of course, via China, but end up in civilized world.

[SamReidHughes]

I see you couldn't pass up an opportunity to make a drive-by insult to the Chinese, either.

[overflowall]

Don't be that political correctness, dude.

[guard-of-terra]

China has history almost as tragic as Russia does.

First their country was divided, then it was partially conquered by Japanese, then it was struck by civil war, lost some territories (Mongolia, Tyva), divided again (Taiwan), suffered under Mao and then lived in poverty and lack of human rights (one child policy) while building its economy.

I doubt anyone will argue that this was the place to go at the time.

[SamReidHughes]

Your justifications for your classification of what counts as civilization are irrelevant. You don't have to litigate the question in the first place. Nor did the question of what countries are worth living in need to be raised in order to discuss the fun little games of international diplomacy, or Russia in general.

[dang]

No, SamReidHughes is right: you insulted China by excluding it from what you called the "civilized world" and then backtracked by pretending you said something else. This is a pattern, and it's a poisonous one on this site. Please stop.