Comrade Putin At It Again

[Pragmatopian]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused opposition politicians of scavenging like jackals for funds from foreign embassies.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7105467.stm

 

I accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of creating an environment where opposition politicians have no way of obtaining funding within Russia because anyone who questions Comrade Putin's policies or methods is clearly a threat to national security and must be subdued.

 

Those who fail to learn from history...

[bluemonday]

A very shrewd man. Plays a very close game.

because anyone who questions Comrade Putin's policies or methods is clearly a threat to national security and must be subdued.

Rather like those trying to read out the names of people killed in Iraq adjacent to the Houses of Parliament..........

[yummymummy]

Please don't berate me as this is only my opinion but judging by what this maniac has been saying and doing in recent times I have more fear of the danger he is to the world than Bin Laden etc.

[Gladys]

Mmm, I reserve my judgement on Mr P. Someone had to rein in after the free for all, but methinks the KGB, or whatever they are now called, are yet again the ruling 'party'. The economics may have changed, but the politics remain as they have for well over 150 years now.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I know what you mean. I don't think the political system is much better than that of the Soviet Union's. Same sort of people in power.

[Gladys]

Yes, not only in political power, but economic power (from what I have seen the KGB carved up most of Russia major assets) . BBC Four had a series of prgrammes on Russia this week, very interesting. Most interesting of all is noting that most Russians distrust their own above all else. It is hard to comprehend how ingrained that mistrust is and how it has fed the 'Russian Mafia' on the one hand and influenced, for better or worse, the legitimate, post-perestroika magnates on the other.

[Chinahand]

For me I find any leader who suddenly starts going on about foreign elements trying to destabilize a country deeply concerning. It taps into nationalism and paranoia.

 

With oil at $100 per barrel Putin will have the cash to do what he wants. The trouble is, in my mind, what he wants to do is throw his weight around. Its a tough call to say whether Russia is getting better or worse - the soviet collapse destroyed its economy, and Yeltsin allowed a mafia culture to almost become entrenched - that said he also allowed the reforms to stop the decline being even worse. For me the vested interests in the old system needed to be weakened, but Yeltsin's way almost lead to anarchy - Putin's reversing that trend with a vengence, but he's creating a securitat society.

 

Disent, debate and difference are surpressed. Not good.

 

But claiming its anything like what the USSR was like shows a lack of knowledge about how repressive the old regime was - Russia needs a flexible, economy and stable governance. That isn't autocracy. Putin seems to think it should be. Don't like it - but as Gladys says I'll reserve judgement for a while yet - if he becomes PM and reforms the electoral system it will be intesting - his succession will be the test of his metal. If he goes paranoid and clings to power it'll be a bad sign - oh heck that's what he's doing now!

[Gladys]

The problem with Russia, putting it simply, is the groundswell for liberalisation at the end of the 1980's at a time when the economy was faltering meant that whoever had the keys had, by default, the state assets. There was no mechanism for privatisation and possession really was nine tenths of the law. That was under Gorbachev, who actually could, if allowed or with the right apparatus behind him, have recovered the situation; he had the right mindset and intent to do it. But at that time, Moscow was having food aid delivered by Antonovs and Russia was not, understandably but arrogantly, prepared to allow itself to be classed as a developing nation. The upshot was that Russia stumbled into the global economy with immense natural wealth but little savvy of how best to preserve it to the advantage of all of its citizens.

 

When Yelstin came to power it was clear that order had to brought, but again no mechanisms or understanding of exactly how to do it so the highly contrived auctions were the route. It was economic anarchy and Yelstin was, I think, a puppet for interests that saw that the huge resources could quite easily be diverted.

 

Now we have Putin, again trying to put Russia back on the track and with all assets now in private hands, all he is able to do is to reintroduce the 'dissident', whether that is political or economic wrongdoer, as the collective source of all Russia's ills.

 

Russia is probably the case study in how not to change an economic model overnight; almost 20 years on they are still not there.

 

A crying shame really because there is so much wealth in natural resources, culture and intellect and yet the ordinary man on the street in Russia has so little benefit of the first that the other two are beyond his reach, but not beyond his ken.

[oldmanxfella]

Russia is probably the case study in how not to change an economic model overnight; almost 20 years on they are still not there.

 

Have you read Naomi Klein's - Shock Doctrine?

 

It includes one of the best assessments of what the west did wrong in helping liberalise Russia. You sort of understand why they need Putin having been stripped, raped and hung out to dry by its own government in collusion with Western Banks.

[Chinahand]

Have you read Naomi Klein's - Shock Doctrine?

Interesting - why not put a review in the Book section.

[oldmanxfella]

Have you read Naomi Klein's - Shock Doctrine?

Interesting - why not put a review in the Book section.

 

Can't be arsed - its been done already

 

http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2169201,00.html