David Hannaford on "Putin says Russia is a failed state - didn't he?"

David Hannaford — Tue, 23 May 2006 02:46:06 +0000

No mention of the Putin plan to fast-track the convertibility of the ruble and to sell oil and gas for rubles? The significance of this plan is that Russian natural resources back the Russian currency and international credit, and eliminates the need to hold $US No need for $US = no need for US Clever, no?

Putin says Russia is a failed state - didn't he?,

DGWall27@aol.com — Fri, 19 May 2006 15:37:05 +0000

Have you read President Vladimir Putin's 2006 State of the Nation message yet? The one he gave last week? No? I think you should. You may have seen some references to it in the press. A lot was made of his statements that the cold war is continuing and also that what the Russian Federation needs is love. Good media stuff that. But actually, when you read the whole thing (only 18 pages) it is difficult not to come to the conclusion that this is the testament of a failed state. Yes, that is not a typo, I said failed state. Let me tell you why I reach that conclusion. But first let me pull back a bit and ask you to do some of the work. Sit at your computer and type "Russian women" into Google. OK? Now, when you see the result what do you make of the information that hundreds of thousands of Russian women are trafficking themselves abroad - in addition to the million or so who have been trafficked abroad against their will. Now type in "Russian orphans". OK? You can broaden this one by typing in "Russian babies" as well. In addition to the loss of babies overseas Putin is also concerned about the fact that two third of Russian babies are born unhealthy. Russia has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. In his speech Putin complained that not only do too few children live long enough to become conscripts into the army, he also complained that of those that do, "A huge number...suffer from chronic diseases and have problems with drinking, smoking and sometimes drugs as well." To improve the army he wants these problems addressed by introducing "pre-conscription military training and military sports". That will surely get the men off the bottle and needle - a bit late for the more than million who already have aids. Yes, Russia's population is decreasing by 700,000 a year. Women want out, babies are sold abroad and men are drinking, drugging and smoking themselves to death at an alarming and increasing rate. Many of the Russians I meet tell me about their plans to move abroad and not go back. They talk with pride about how their children have "escaped" and about their plans to join them. Are you beginning to get a feeling as to why Putin describes the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest catastrophe of the twentieth century? His speech brings to my mind images of a cock on a dung hill, crowing while the heap slowly collapses under him. It is sad that the greatest hope that the "leaders" of Russia can come up with, also set out in the State of the Nation speech, is for the millions of Russians who were forced by Stalin into the outer empire, Central Asia and the Caucasus, to come back to the fatherland. Or is that motherland? Most of the exiles who had power or connections or money went back a long time ago. Those who remain are in a very sad situation. They are regarded with contempt by the locals. Go and hear the opera in Tashkent in Uzbekistan - the best singers and musicians are all Russians, working for chicken feed, unable to move anywhere. They have no money, no connections and would not be able to cope with Russian bureaucracy. So they are forced to provide cheap, but superb, music for the expatriates of Tashkent. It is not unusual to hear a string quartet played to international standards at private dinner parties by these unfortunate children of Stalin's victims. Yet these are the people that Putin and his cronies hope will help rebuild Russia! However, not in Moscow, you know! Oh no, not there. Just as Putin's main concern is that Russian women produce more babies and that more of them survive healthily in order to strengthen Russia's armed forces, so do they want the exiles to come home and provide a buttress against the Chinese. What's that, you say, "against" the Chinese? How come? You thought that the Chinese and Russians were now the best of friends, ganging up against the west. Confusing I know, but that is the leaders of the two countries, not the peoples. Sorry to bore you, but try typing "Chinese women" and "Chinese babies" into Google too. See what I mean? You could define countries as failed states where so many women are trying to get out and where so many babies are sold abroad. Putin admits in his State of the Nation speech that he does not expect sufficient numbers of "compatriots" to come back, he admits that Russia will have to "encourage [other] educated and law-abiding people" to migrate into the country. Big test, those criteria! If so many law-abiding and educated Russians are doing all they can to get out of Russia why should foreigners with those qualities want to get in? Why should they want to subject themselves to the increasingly violent anti-immigrant skinheads who roam Russian cities freely? No I haven

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David Hannaford on "Putin says Russia is a failed state - didn't he?"

Putin says Russia is a failed state - didn't he?,