Chris,
I had no idea what your earlier response to my response to Doug’s questions was to suppose to mean – the reason I didn’t reply. (Pls don’t cite the Moscow Times to me as an “authoritative source”). However, yes, our Sasha is an important barometer on many things related to his Russia.
Sasha’s spirit and hopes are in the right place. However, he pin-points a dilemma for Russia without probably realizing it. Who manages Russia better – the government or oligarchs? Sadly, neither does. That was the point I trying to make in my reply to Doug.
Clearly a class interpretation can be made for Russia – but who is representing the lower/working class? The Communists? The leadership of the Communist Party has decried Khordorkovsky’s arrest! You and I have both agreed in this forum to the point of bothering everyone else that Russia does not have meaningful left.
Sasha’s gut feelings are in the right place, but resolving “who owns Russia” most probably should not be his call for “re-nationalization”. A group for ex-KGB thugs can run Russia better?
Congrats on the new visa! Your good friend,
Peter
Chris Doss <itschris13 at hotmail.com> wrote:Peter, actually, upon reflection (hic -- damn is beer strong in Lithuania) I think that your reading of the Affaire Khodorkovsky could be cast readily in Marxist terms: The rentier class (the bureaucracy) vs. the productive big bourgeousie.
BTW if anybody is interested in an everyday Russian take on this issue, I asked Sasha, a mutual friend of Peter's and mine, what he thinks. He has appeared here before, most recently in an anti-Semitism exchangs. Sasha is kind of my barometer of middle-aged, educated, successful, middle-class Muscovite opinion. Vot:
Chris, you know I hate all the oligarchs. Khodorkovsky is probably not the worst one, but he is a thief all right. His personal fortune currently equals $7 billion and this is not his money, but the nation's. Another matter is that during Yeltsin time not a single law was observed in this part of the world. My opinion is that the government should re-nationalize oil, gas and metals (the profits should be used for resolving such pressing problems as epidemics, environment, unpaid wages and pensions, etc), and the oligarchs should be tried, convicted and amnestied from prison terms, but the money should be confiscated from them. -----Original Message----- From: Chris Doss To: Date: 27 ÏËÔÑÂÒÑ 2003 Ç. 18:44 Subject: Re: Poka!
>
>What do you think about what's happening to Khodorkovsky? Good?
Bad? Both?
>Doesn't matter?
>I got my visa and will be back in a couple of days.
>
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