Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2001 10:52:38 -0400 From: Wojtek Sokolowski <sokol at jhu.edu> Subject: Re:Boris Kagarlitsky
At 03:53 PM 6/6/01 -0700, you wrote:
>At 05:42 PM 06/06/2001 -0400, you wrote:
>>I ya otvechayu tak:
>>This is typical Putin playing-both-sides-against-the-other politicing.
That
>>gut is one amazing political strategist. His background in the KGB really
>>shows through.
>>
>>The way he's playing the oligarchs against each other is brilliant.
>>
>>Chris Doss
>>The Russia Journal
Whatever he is doing he better make Russia strong again asap. That will throw a wet blanket on the neoliberal privatize-everything crowd in this country. Methinks US liberals are still indebted to bat'uska Stalin, the Sputnik, and Fidel Castro for civil rights cum great society. Nothing makes the ruling class yield to the demands from below faster than a war or a prospect thereof.
wojtek
Me: He's certainly trying. What gets me is this vilification of Putin in the US after their long blowjob of Boris Yeltsin, who they portrayed as a democrat (!!!!!!!). If you tell a Russian Yeltsin was a democrat he or she will burst out laughing. Oh yeah, shelling the parliament was real democratic. Not to mention breaking up the USSR, enacting shock therapy, attacking Chechnya -- the will of the people speaks! Hardy har har.
The reason, of course, is that Putin is a Russian nationalist and a strong statist. I remember reading a bit of a Tenet speech in which he called Russia a threat because, and I paraphrase, "Putin seems to be establishing a strong state and a stable society." I'm not joking.
People on this list might all take heart from two things. 1) Russia has told the IMF to go fuck itself. Yippee! 2) Putin's economic adviser, Andrei Illarianov, recently told a group of American businessmen that Russia does not need and does not want foreign investment.
Chris Doss The Russia Journal