RUSSIA WATCH
After some surprising comments from Russia President Vladimir Putin that the fall of the Soviet Union was a regrettable act and the sudden disappearance of his main rival for the presidency, I have been keeping an eye Russia.
Today’s news is chilling:
“President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia dismissed the prime minister and his entire cabinet today, saying he wanted a new team to be in place to set new policies after next month’s presidential elections.”
More to come…I’m sure.
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by Dawn Summers on Tuesday, February 24th, 2004 at 12:19 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.
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February 24th, 2004 at 6:46 pm
Yes, we seem to be seeing a slow drift back to the Soviet Union…without the label Soviet Union….and a communist state…without the label communist state. It’s happening in slow but very steady increments…
February 24th, 2004 at 6:46 pm
Yes, we seem to be seeing a slow drift back to the Soviet Union…without the label Soviet Union….and a communist state…without the label communist state. It’s happening in slow but very steady increments…
February 24th, 2004 at 6:46 pm
Yes, we seem to be seeing a slow drift back to the Soviet Union…without the label Soviet Union….and a communist state…without the label communist state. It’s happening in slow but very steady increments…
February 24th, 2004 at 7:07 pm
Not so much communist as totalitarian!
February 24th, 2004 at 7:07 pm
Not so much communist as totalitarian!
February 24th, 2004 at 7:07 pm
Not so much communist as totalitarian!
February 24th, 2004 at 8:40 pm
The disappearance isn’t really unprecedented.
Dave, you’re wrong. Russia has no inclinations toward communism right now. Dawn is right that Putin is making more and more authoritarian moves and there is certainly no challenge to that from civil society, if one even exists.
But it’s a far cry from communism, in either popular or actual definition, and the situation in Chechnya actually suggests that Russia’s federation may be in some situations even less cohesive and likely to stick together than the Soviet Union. And while Putin wants greater influence over the nations of the CIS, there is no way that the former Soviet Republics are going to be rejoining (esp. with the accession of many to the EU in May). So I think that’s an alarmist claim, even if it is an admittedly common perception of Russia and its power by Americans.
February 24th, 2004 at 8:40 pm
The disappearance isn’t really unprecedented.
Dave, you’re wrong. Russia has no inclinations toward communism right now. Dawn is right that Putin is making more and more authoritarian moves and there is certainly no challenge to that from civil society, if one even exists.
But it’s a far cry from communism, in either popular or actual definition, and the situation in Chechnya actually suggests that Russia’s federation may be in some situations even less cohesive and likely to stick together than the Soviet Union. And while Putin wants greater influence over the nations of the CIS, there is no way that the former Soviet Republics are going to be rejoining (esp. with the accession of many to the EU in May). So I think that’s an alarmist claim, even if it is an admittedly common perception of Russia and its power by Americans.
February 24th, 2004 at 8:40 pm
The disappearance isn’t really unprecedented.
Dave, you’re wrong. Russia has no inclinations toward communism right now. Dawn is right that Putin is making more and more authoritarian moves and there is certainly no challenge to that from civil society, if one even exists.
But it’s a far cry from communism, in either popular or actual definition, and the situation in Chechnya actually suggests that Russia’s federation may be in some situations even less cohesive and likely to stick together than the Soviet Union. And while Putin wants greater influence over the nations of the CIS, there is no way that the former Soviet Republics are going to be rejoining (esp. with the accession of many to the EU in May). So I think that’s an alarmist claim, even if it is an admittedly common perception of Russia and its power by Americans.
February 25th, 2004 at 8:14 am
The thing is, Putin has pretty favorable approval ratings. He provided an effective counter to soft, pudgy Boris Yeltsin, who allowed a handful of oligarchs to rob much of the country’s wealth and then somehow was re-elected in 1996 despite the fact that his health was in such decline that he couldn’t even sign his own name. Today’s action (dismissal of the cabinet and specifically the prime minister) will probably only garner Putin more popular support. Remember, only the very youngest Russians living in Russia today didn’t grow up in the Soviet Union. All of the rest are used to strong dictators. Many of them see Putin’s actions as displays of strength and view them favorably (again, especially in counterpoint to Yeltsin).
Russia won’t go back to communism any time soon, though. The “free market”, or at least Putin’s interpretation of it, is too entrenched at this point to be undone with a wave of the hand. Democracy and the rule of law, however, are still up for g
February 25th, 2004 at 8:14 am
The thing is, Putin has pretty favorable approval ratings. He provided an effective counter to soft, pudgy Boris Yeltsin, who allowed a handful of oligarchs to rob much of the country’s wealth and then somehow was re-elected in 1996 despite the fact that his health was in such decline that he couldn’t even sign his own name. Today’s action (dismissal of the cabinet and specifically the prime minister) will probably only garner Putin more popular support. Remember, only the very youngest Russians living in Russia today didn’t grow up in the Soviet Union. All of the rest are used to strong dictators. Many of them see Putin’s actions as displays of strength and view them favorably (again, especially in counterpoint to Yeltsin).
Russia won’t go back to communism any time soon, though. The “free market”, or at least Putin’s interpretation of it, is too entrenched at this point to be undone with a wave of the hand. Democracy and the rule of law, however, are still up for g
February 25th, 2004 at 8:14 am
The thing is, Putin has pretty favorable approval ratings. He provided an effective counter to soft, pudgy Boris Yeltsin, who allowed a handful of oligarchs to rob much of the country’s wealth and then somehow was re-elected in 1996 despite the fact that his health was in such decline that he couldn’t even sign his own name. Today’s action (dismissal of the cabinet and specifically the prime minister) will probably only garner Putin more popular support. Remember, only the very youngest Russians living in Russia today didn’t grow up in the Soviet Union. All of the rest are used to strong dictators. Many of them see Putin’s actions as displays of strength and view them favorably (again, especially in counterpoint to Yeltsin).
Russia won’t go back to communism any time soon, though. The “free market”, or at least Putin’s interpretation of it, is too entrenched at this point to be undone with a wave of the hand. Democracy and the rule of law, however, are still up for g
February 25th, 2004 at 8:16 am
grabs. (damn character limit)
February 25th, 2004 at 8:16 am
grabs. (damn character limit)
February 25th, 2004 at 8:16 am
grabs. (damn character limit)
February 25th, 2004 at 8:23 am
Oh, and point of fact, the presidential candidate who disappeared, Ivan Rybkin, turned up in Kiev five days later and had apparently been there the whole time.
February 25th, 2004 at 8:23 am
Oh, and point of fact, the presidential candidate who disappeared, Ivan Rybkin, turned up in Kiev five days later and had apparently been there the whole time.
February 25th, 2004 at 8:23 am
Oh, and point of fact, the presidential candidate who disappeared, Ivan Rybkin, turned up in Kiev five days later and had apparently been there the whole time.
February 25th, 2004 at 2:18 pm
Yeah, but Rybkin says he was drugged and kipnapped. He is now hiding out the rest of the campaign in London… not very comforting.
February 25th, 2004 at 2:18 pm
Yeah, but Rybkin says he was drugged and kipnapped. He is now hiding out the rest of the campaign in London… not very comforting.
February 25th, 2004 at 2:18 pm
Yeah, but Rybkin says he was drugged and kipnapped. He is now hiding out the rest of the campaign in London… not very comforting.
February 25th, 2004 at 5:57 pm
yeah, asphnxma, good comments, but there’s really not much question about what happened to Rybkin. you don’t suddenly leave your wife and kids in the middle of the night and just decide not to tell them.
at least some countries in the world still offer refuge to political dissidents of that kind!
February 25th, 2004 at 5:57 pm
yeah, asphnxma, good comments, but there’s really not much question about what happened to Rybkin. you don’t suddenly leave your wife and kids in the middle of the night and just decide not to tell them.
at least some countries in the world still offer refuge to political dissidents of that kind!
February 25th, 2004 at 5:57 pm
yeah, asphnxma, good comments, but there’s really not much question about what happened to Rybkin. you don’t suddenly leave your wife and kids in the middle of the night and just decide not to tell them.
at least some countries in the world still offer refuge to political dissidents of that kind!