Re: Death of Zoya Krakhmalnikova, Russian Christian writer jailed by

On May 16, 8:01=A0pm, ++ <fri...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Marko Amnell wrote:
> >On 16 touko, 00:48, ++ <fri...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> >>Marko Amnell wrote:
>
> >[...]
>
> >>>I guess Shafarevich is a creature of the new Russia,
> >>>Putin's Russia (to borrow the title of the late Anna
> >>>Politkovskaya's book) where ultra-nationalism
> >>>and antisemitism are common.
>
> >>The new Russia is western and has a rising standard of living and is
> >>tolerant of other peoples and faiths, but sometimes has missteps on
the
> >>road back to their European roots. =A0You cannot so generalize, I
don't
> >>think.
>
> >Under Putin, Russia has taken a path that is taking the country
> >away from the West. Russia has roots in both the East and the
> >West. More Russians have been able to join the consumerist
> >lifestyle but the Russian economy is not in good shape. Much of
> >the new wealth is built on the rising price of oil, but other sectors
> >are underdeveloped, such as IT. There is too little investment in
> >education and infrastructure, inflation is very high, and pensions
> >and social security have deteriorated. Seventeen years after the
> >end of Communism, Moscow and St Petersburg still have no
> >hot running water in the summer, so people must heat water
> >on a stove in the kitchen. Even the military (recently showcased with
> >a Soviet-style Victory Day parade in Red Square including Topol-M
> >ICBMs) which has received more funding, is plagued by lack of
> >funds at the grassroots level. Russia lacks freedom of the press.
> >Democractic institutions exist but do not function as they should.
> >Corruption is rampant. Half of the price of a public contract goes
> >to kickbacks. It is simply wrong to say that Russia is a Western
> >country. Opinion polls show consistently that Russians see
> >themselves as part of a separate Orthodox Eastern civilization,
> >not as a part of Western civilization. The socio-political system
> >is not Western. It is best described as semi-democratic
> >state-controlled capitalism, and is similar to the Chinese model.
> >Despite Putin's failures and the rampant corruption, Putin
> >remains very popular among Russians. Yeltsin, who tried to
> >introduce true Western institutions, is reviled.
>
> You make some blanket statements here that far exceed the reality of the
> transitional and economic problems you suggest. =A0If you would like to
> continue discussion, you might want to attempt to back up your
> generalizations with reading links.

First reference:

"Revolution from Above: The truth about the latest Russian
Revolution", by Marko Amnell, in the magazine Nordi***, 1/1998.

In this article I review the book _Revolution from Above: The demise
of the Soviet System_ by David Kotz and Fred Weir, showing how
it is an accurate description of the chaotic and lawless way in which
the so-called oligarchs gained their possessions.

What you call my "blanket statements" are merely summaries
of the conventional analysis of the current condition of
Russian society under the Putin/Medvedev regime in the
Western press. Of course that is not how the regime describes
itself but that is not surprising, given its lack of sup****t for
freedom of the press. As a former journalist (correspondent
for Agence France-Presse) freedom of the press is something
I feel I have a stake in defending. I alluded earlier to
Anna Politkovskaya. She was an independent Russian
journalist who was persecuted, and eventually murdered,
because of her truthful coverage of issues such as the
Chechen war. She is not the only Russian journalist
who was murdered because of her work. There have been
many others.

Second reference:

http://eng.globalaffairs.ru/numbers/21/1148.html

This is a link to the article "A New Epoch of Confrontation"
by Sergei Karaganov, a Russian political scientist. He
correctly describes the new Russian socio-political system
as "authoritarian semi-democratic capitalism". My description
of the current Russian socio-political system is based
on his analysis. If you disagree with my description, may
I suggest that you read Karaganov's article and address
his ideas.