Comments on: RUSSIA WATCH http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/ Nutz Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:29:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: candace http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-956 candace Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:57:49 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-956 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! 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!

]]> By: candace http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-2955 candace Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:57:49 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-2955 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! 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!

]]> By: candace http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-4954 candace Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:57:49 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-4954 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! 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!

]]> By: Dawn Summers http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-957 Dawn Summers Wed, 25 Feb 2004 19:18:09 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-957 Yeah, but Rybkin says he was drugged and kipnapped. He is now hiding out the rest of the campaign in London... not very comforting. Yeah, but Rybkin says he was drugged and kipnapped. He is now hiding out the rest of the campaign in London… not very comforting.

]]> By: Dawn Summers http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-2956 Dawn Summers Wed, 25 Feb 2004 19:18:09 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-2956 Yeah, but Rybkin says he was drugged and kipnapped. He is now hiding out the rest of the campaign in London... not very comforting. Yeah, but Rybkin says he was drugged and kipnapped. He is now hiding out the rest of the campaign in London… not very comforting.

]]> By: Dawn Summers http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-4955 Dawn Summers Wed, 25 Feb 2004 19:18:09 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-4955 Yeah, but Rybkin says he was drugged and kipnapped. He is now hiding out the rest of the campaign in London... not very comforting. Yeah, but Rybkin says he was drugged and kipnapped. He is now hiding out the rest of the campaign in London… not very comforting.

]]> By: asphnxma http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-953 asphnxma Wed, 25 Feb 2004 13:23:42 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-953 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. 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.

]]> By: asphnxma http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-2952 asphnxma Wed, 25 Feb 2004 13:23:42 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-2952 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. 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.

]]> By: asphnxma http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-4951 asphnxma Wed, 25 Feb 2004 13:23:42 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-4951 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. 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.

]]> By: asphnxma http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-951 asphnxma Wed, 25 Feb 2004 13:16:13 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-951 grabs. (damn character limit) grabs. (damn character limit)

]]> By: asphnxma http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-2950 asphnxma Wed, 25 Feb 2004 13:16:13 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-2950 grabs. (damn character limit) grabs. (damn character limit)

]]> By: asphnxma http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-4949 asphnxma Wed, 25 Feb 2004 13:16:13 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-4949 grabs. (damn character limit) grabs. (damn character limit)

]]> By: asphnxma http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-955 asphnxma Wed, 25 Feb 2004 13:14:56 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-955 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 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

]]> By: asphnxma http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-2954 asphnxma Wed, 25 Feb 2004 13:14:56 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-2954 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 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

]]> By: asphnxma http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-4953 asphnxma Wed, 25 Feb 2004 13:14:56 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-4953 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 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

]]> By: candace http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-954 candace Wed, 25 Feb 2004 01:40:36 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-954 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. 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.

]]> By: candace http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-2953 candace Wed, 25 Feb 2004 01:40:36 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-2953 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. 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.

]]> By: candace http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-4952 candace Wed, 25 Feb 2004 01:40:36 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-4952 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. 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.

]]> By: Dawn Summers http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-952 Dawn Summers Wed, 25 Feb 2004 00:07:39 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-952 Not so much communist as totalitarian! Not so much communist as totalitarian!

]]> By: Dawn Summers http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-2951 Dawn Summers Wed, 25 Feb 2004 00:07:39 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-2951 Not so much communist as totalitarian! Not so much communist as totalitarian!

]]> By: Dawn Summers http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-4950 Dawn Summers Wed, 25 Feb 2004 00:07:39 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-4950 Not so much communist as totalitarian! Not so much communist as totalitarian!

]]> By: Joe Gandelman http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-958 Joe Gandelman Tue, 24 Feb 2004 23:46:21 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-958 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... 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…

]]> By: Joe Gandelman http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-2957 Joe Gandelman Tue, 24 Feb 2004 23:46:21 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-2957 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... 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…

]]> By: Joe Gandelman http://www.clareified.com/2004/02/24/russia-watch/#comment-4956 Joe Gandelman Tue, 24 Feb 2004 23:46:21 +0000 http://www.clareified.com/wp/?p=364#comment-4956 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... 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…

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