My take is the following: it is more b.) and a little bit of c.).
I believe he did write the missive – though probably peppered up
a bit by a chosen ghost writer.
Khodorkovsky knows he has lost – almost everything. He is also
p*ssed off that the liberals didn’t rally around him in his hour
need. What is interesting is his interest in politics. Sure
sounds like he wants to join Putin’s politburo.
He also knows that he does have jail time ahead of him and that
his vast fortune will be cut down to size. The deal to be made
is how much time he will sit in the cooler and how much he will
have to pay.
I thought his missive was spot on (because I have been saying the
same thing for a long time).
I won’t say he feels remorse. He is probably introspective that
he was most success during all the chaos. He is also remembering
something about Russian history – the people who rule never
respect wealth (they respect only power). Khodorkovsky crossed
the line and has paid the price.
a.) a curious attempt to create a dis-information
campaign of sorts in which a ghost writer crafts the
character of a repentent oligarch (almost Dostoevskian
in nature)
b.) Khodorkovsky's an adaptable fellow who sees his
situation clearly and acts accordingly (when on top of
the world act like a big shot, when you're at the
bottom of the heap experience a necessary conversion)
c.) He really has re-thought the whole robber barron
project and feels genuine remorse for merely acquiring
wealth instead of 'creating wealth' for the greater
society.
Whichever story is true, it's a very interesting turn
of events.
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