I am very happy to hear that. I have always maintianed that as long as Russia is dependent on the IMF/WB, then they cannot monut any serious opposition to US hegemony of the world. Maybe that will change if Russia gets back on the road of economic growth and financial health. The less unipolar the world becomes, the more chances there are for LDC to play one pole against the other and prevent disasters like the Gulf War.
Naji
----- Original Message ----- From: "ChrisD(RJ)" <chrisd at russiajournal.com> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2002 11:22 PM Subject: RE: Russia says it will work with WB
>
>
>
> Doug wrote:
>
> ChrisD(RJ) wrote:
>
> >Actually, the important thing here IMO is Russia continuing its Putin-era
> >policy of refusing WB/IMF loans.
>
> Interesting - why? Don't need the money? Don't want the conditionality?
>
> Doug
> ---------------
> I write:
>
> Both. Russia is even planning to make some debt payments ahead of
schedule.
> And Russia's experience with the WB/IMF has not been a pretty one.
>
> For me, the moment when I decided "Putin is really not a Yeltsin 2" was
when
> Russia told the IMF to fuck off last year. "We do not want any more
loans."
> Me, slack-jawed in astonishment: "Wh--aat? You mean you don't what to just
> take out loans and steal them?" During the Yeltsin era, IMF loans would
wind
> up in oligarchs' pockets practically before they entered the country.
>
> Chris Doss
> The Russia Journal