The Bear Raises it Ugly Head Again

The democratization process in Russia has been a thing of wonder to watch since the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Unfortunately, since the brave but alcohol challenged Boris Yeltsin left the scene in 2000, there has been little to smile about in Russian politics.  Vladmir Putin, former KGB and law studies graduate, has taken the country back to the totalitarian ways of the former Soviet Union.  It is easy to say “so what” as Russia is nearly a third world country with a gross domestic product approximately equal to California’s, but that would be a mistake.

Russia still has the world’s second largest nuclear stockpile, although it is not clear if they have full control of the nukes.  With Russia’s natural oil and gas resources, they are becoming a major economic player in the world despite their GDP.  They have a death grip on gas supplies to Europe and have threatened the European Union more than once with slow downs of gas delivery.  As normal, the Europeans reacted with fear rather than with some sort of positive reaction.  Further, the Russians are playing the oil card very well in the world geopolitical arena as well.  We can expect them to be a thorn in the side of the west for quite a while.  With Putin manipulating the electoral process to stay in power, becoming Prime Minister rather than President as the Presidents term is limited two four year periods, we can expect to see him in power indefinitely.  Apparently the Russians don’t think any more of their constitution than the American Congress thinks of ours.

Let’s see what has happened in the way of democracy under Putin. 

One of the first decrees he signed was that no former President of Russian (or his family) could be charged with corruption after leaving office.  While putatively to protect Yeltsin, I believe Putin will make full use of that decree for himself.  He then arranged to have the seven districts (think large states) of Russia to be led by people that he appointed and over whom he maintains hire and fire privileges.  Not much of a democratic process there.

He tossed Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who controlled Yukos, the largest oil company in Russia, in jail and sent him to Siberia (sounds like an old joke) for “fraud”.  The majority of experts believe that this was not fraud, but the fact that Khodorkovsky was an outspoken critic of Putin.  Most of the rest of Yukos’ leadership fled Russia in fear of arrest.  So much for private enterprise.

Putin (laughingly to me) refers to his form of government as a “sovereign democracy” which means one political party, United Russia, runs the country.  As United Russia is headed by Putin, this is not unlike the communist system from which Putin arose.  They are back.

While the previous comments are problematic, the situation in Georgia is what brings it to top of mind today.  Georgia is an independent country that used to be part of the Soviet Union, but with the Rose Revolution in 2003 installed a pro-western government and now has desires to join NATO.  Regardless of one’s views on the NATO issue (I happen to think it is wrong, but that may be a subject for another blog), Georgia is clearly an independent country with a glorious history (excepting the Soviet years) that has rightfully earned the respect of the west.  Unfortunately they have a problem within their country with two regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which want independence.  Now I don’t much care if they gain their independence or not, but Putin’s actions here concern me.

Over 250,000 Georgians have been “ethnically cleansed” from Abkhazia, by Abkhaz separatists supported by North Caucasian “volunteers,” read Russians.  Russia has openly posted about 1,000 troops (peace keepers) in the Abkhazia region, a total violation of any international law or agreement.  Putin has gone as far as recognizing both Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent legal entities.  The obvious threat of military confrontation between Georgia and Russia is real.

Why do we care?  The RealPolitik days are back.  Russia has returned to its totalitarian roots of the Stalin era and is attempting to bully their way back to a spot on the world stage.  They are using economic muscle (gas interruptions to Europe) and military intimidation (Georgia) as well as political means to attempt to force others to Putin’s will.    What will the West do if Russia sends actual forces into Georgia?  Surely Europe will say it is a Russian/Georgian problem to be solved between them.  What will the US do?  Does the US have the military might to do anything short of lobbing nukes if military action is required?  Where do the leftists in this country lean?  Does this impact the need for a strong President to succeed Bush?  Is Putin waiting for either Obama or Clinton to be elected knowing how they will react?  With our educational system, does anyone know or care that a Georgia exists outside of the Peach State down South? 

This is a real problem.

Comments

[Michael Motta]

As far as violating international law and agreements, as far as using economic muscle, as far as using military intimidation, as far as political means to force the hands of other nations . . .

Do we really have to look all the way over to Russia in order to find all that?

The United States has practiced all of those things for a long time, but lately it's more consolidated under the unitary/unified exectutive theory of Yoo et al. It's more authoritarian. No, it's not to Putin proportions yet, but it's there alright, along with arrogance.

The down-home moral to this story is "clean your own backyard first".

[Landser]

The bottom line is the typical Russian may find life has better education chances in Russia than a typical American has in the USA, Russia isn't cursed with PC thinking as the USA has, and Russia has less of a welfare class than the USA. Heck, the USA gives free health care to AIDS patients and free drugs - with a nominal co-pay to all elderly people.

Michael is like a lot of leftist Americans. He thinks oppression of thought and minute regulations of personal actions will bring out a better world. All it does is wreck freedom and hurt productivity in America.

Perhaps one day the coffee shop Michael wastes time in will go out of business and Michael will have to get a real job instead of wanting the USA to be a perfect nation and working very little in the process.

Lazy people should not be leaders nor make policy.

[Populista]

Okay, I'll bite, assuming that by "leftist" you mean someone like me.

I think that Putin really is a bad dude. I think if the US were in any position to take the moral high ground on any issue (which we are not), we would have to make some serious diplomatic overtures asking Putin "nicely" to calm himself down. Unfortunately, we are in neither a diplomatic or military position where we can tell Russia, therefore Putin, anything. It's not our fault that Putin is a power-hungry mini-Stalin, but it is our government's fault, that we are in NO position to do anything about it. Talk about squandering political capital; the "much-loved" Ronald Reagan is probably spinning in his grave at the fact that his own party allowed the Cold War to start again by making such poor military & foreign policy choices that we can't keep Russia in check anymore.

Oh, and Landser, I'm thinking that it's not the leftists who want to oppress thought and impose minute regulations on personal actions. Last I checked, it ain't the left who wants to tell me what medical procedures I can have or to tell me who I can or cannot marry or to tell me which books I can check out of the library.

[Landser]

Here are some facts you might not know, Populista.

1. Abortion is legal in your nation. Surprised? If the majority didn't want abortion the courts would still hold abortion legal. I guess that's what you call a democracy, right?

2. Your state blew gay rights out of the water on a popular vote. I guess you don't like democracy if it does not go your way, right? Your issue is you didn't convince a majority to support your view. Oh well, just go to the courts for democracy that you don't like.

3. If you want to read porn or how to make a bomb then go to various web sites, like Amazon.com, and buy the information. Why should the taxpayers have to pay for either your lust or sense of destruction? I guess lazy people want others to pay for their indulgements.

Anyway, Russia may have more freedom than America. That isn't hard. If a person said something "un-PC" in Russia (example: gay marrage may not be good for society in general) then that person would not be kicked out of college or accused of a hate crime. The courts in Russia work no worse than in Michigan where your state jailed the wrong man for mass murders and ignored the real killer. How many women were killed by that man? And your now letting the people who jailed the wrong want run the criminal trial of the accused?

Many highly trained individuals are finding out that Russia is a nice place to live. They have justice for criminals and don't let the lazy dictate the direction of society.

America is the land where the workers and taxpayers are really oppressed.

[Timo Kokko]

Landser,
I have no idea where your love affair with and opinions of Russia come from, but they certainly don't match either my experience or the surveys from International Living, which is supposed to be an impartial group dedicated to finding the best places in the world to live. In their most recent Quality of Life (QoL) Index Survey, which may or may not be accurate but is certainly more impartial and informed than some of the opinions I've seen, Russia is not ranked particularly highly. While the US is ranked as 5th best QoL, Russia comes in tied for 116th. They are tied with the well known paradises of Zambia and Swaziland, lower than the peoples paradise of Cuba. The concept that the average Russian has a better chance of a good education (which is not the American strong point) than the average American is ludicrous. The US is not perfect by any stretch, but comparing the quality of life in the US to that within Russia is absurd.

Your blogs prove that the 1st Amendment is alive and well in the US.

[Landser]

Timmo, an American may attend an approved Russian University for a nominal fee. The Russian schools are uncorrupted by the effects of PC thinking. Russia's star is rising. In Michigan you have corrupt politicians and lazy workers.

[Timo Kokko]

For the second time I agree with something Landser had to say. International Living just released the 2008 QoL survey and indeed Russia shot up 3 places to a tie for 113 from 116, while the US only improved 2 places to 3rd world wide. Russia is still behind some great places like Lesotho and Lebanon; however, they are ahead of North Korea, so their reestablished communist paradise is coming along.

[John J.]

The Russia of today is not heading to Communism. It is producing nowadays more millionaires and billionaires than anywhere else. If anything, it has more in common with the Mussolini style of Fascist/Capitalist alliance, or even the pre revolution Czarist autocracy.

Russia's biggest problem is a very severe population decline. It is estimated that Russia will soon have to start importing foreign laborers from China or India or even Moslems from the Mideast.