open Democracy News Analysis - openRussia - Comments

Shrapnel on "Russia’s drugs problem: blame the West"

Shrapnel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:43:46 +0000

Stupid authoritarian Russian officials just don't get it. Their insistence on criminalizing normal human activity is utterly counter-productive, just like the nonsensical prohibition in the rest of the world. There can be no control until all drugs are re-legalized, and addiction is treated as a public health matter.

This is blindingly obvious to anyone who looks at this subject with an open mind. To the goons who run the police forces every problem looks like a nail, because only hammer wielders are allowed to influence the response. And, of course, all that drug money flowing into the back pockets of the chief moralizers makes it impossible for them to be honest about this matter - even to themselves.

Were it not for the untold misery created by the drug war, this farce would be hilarious.

BыДpA on "Following the cross: a journey with Russian pilgrims"

BыДpA — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:51:16 +0000

Ого! Благодарю! Теперь на день есть работа! :)

Muir1848 on "Crisis in Ukraine’s economy"

Muir1848 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:24:46 +0000

"Ukrainian engineering is of little use to anyone...."

Apart from the arms dealers currently supplying millions of dollars worth of arms - bought in and supplied by Ukraine - defying interntaional sanctions and selling them to Guinea - for a thread on the story

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/02/guinea-imports-arms-despite-embargo

part of their problem was they believed the lies and promises of the 'benefits of capitalism' peddled by the west - namely US and UK - and look where it has got them - a state that now lacks internal consistency - a stupid and naive attempt to involve US when it decided to attack the USSR - and a corrupt political oligarchy - getting fat on the proceeds of the forced privatisation of public services and utilities.

Babeouf Junior on "Crisis in Ukraine’s economy"

Babeouf Junior — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:40:32 +0000

To paraphrase Lenin "The law of Capitalism is the Law of uneven development". The two decades or so since the collapse of the USSR have given time for integration into the broad Capitalist economic system. The outcome for the Ukrainian people has been the result of initial resource endowments, political/state strategy and the vagaries of
world capitalism. Staying within the bounds of the idiots delight, Capitalism, only the political/State strategy's are
determinable within Ukraine. These will doubtless favor the current business elites. Resulting in a long period of impoverishment for the many.

Not logged in on " Astrakhan’s election drama – the bloggers’ view "

Not logged in — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:02:49 +0000

The situation in Astrakhan has not changed a bit: people still gather to express the disaproval, we do hope that the international opinion will help us . Shein is our Mayor, people voted for him. The victory was stolen.
www.olegshein.ru

Not logged in tsandr on "St. Petersburg’s ‘gas-scraper’ saga: culture turns political "

Not logged in tsandr — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:03:24 +0000

St.Petersburg to SkyPenisburg... someone's dream is coming true?

CATAHИCT on "Following the cross: a journey with Russian pilgrims"

CATAHИCT — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:38:31 +0000

Я никогда не сомневался в Вашем интеллектуальном уровне, но поймите, не все такие как Вы. :)

H.D. Bradell on "St. Petersburg’s ‘gas-scraper’ saga: culture turns political "

H.D. Bradell — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:50:07 +0000

Fascinating article. Surprised that the proof readers didn't catch the classic Slavic error of translating 'sociolog' as sociologist.

It is, of course, psephologist or, more journalistically, pollster not sociologist.

Babeouf junior on "St. Petersburg’s ‘gas-scraper’ saga: culture turns political "

Babeouf junior — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:21:56 +0000

Over a year into the latest crisis of Capitalism. Where on Western television does the following program appear.
"Capitalism at the beginning of its Apocalypse; A Marxist analysis" . Nowhere though such a program would be simple to make. The Western monopoly of power uses a different route to the same end. There are only the market sanctioned critiques that allow for slight modifications in the public descriptions of market phenomena. Nothing that touches on the actual functioning of social processes
ever appears. At least until they can be filed as 'Historical'.
In the East some people will mobilize to save a sky line.
In the West some will mobilize to save a 'brother' animal.
Only in the last moments of delirium as heaven shows its phantom face are they likely to mobilize to save themselves. That of course will be much to late. As it was for Faust.

Sanne on "Romanticising Stalinism"

Sanne — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:37:49 +0000

It's funny that the western world supporting Stalin's illegal borders for Georgia (Stalin's homeland). Western leaders and Stalin hand to hand.

Hermit King on "Romanticising Stalinism"

Hermit King — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:57:37 +0000

Whether the Stalin's era was really a "darkness at noon" kind of period or not - that itself is controversial. Khrushchev manufactured a lot of lies and propaganda against the Stalinist regime.

I remember Gorbachev later saying that we should re-evaluate the post-Stalin evaluations of Stalin and his era, as they were just manufactured and not realities.

The Russians as a race were not disciplined at all - and the regimentation during Stalin's regime helped them creating discipline in thoughts and actions, and also the new men and women.

USSR became a stronger nation both industrially and politically during his regime and at least in the WWII it was Stalin and his comrades who saved the world :-)

Also - to note that the current leadership is quite pragmatic. Don't forget that the soviet high command during the cold war era had reserved a huge chunk of money in the Swiss banks so that later counter-revolution could be resisted. And that money helped today building the new Russia after the pathetic leadership of that corrupt and inefficient monkey Yeltsin.

Babeouf Junior on "Romanticising Stalinism"

Babeouf Junior — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:14:30 +0000

"Stalinism" .. "the totality of specific political practices of the political Leadership" . Hey what do you know circularity. What was Stalin-ism? What the Stalinist did.
Tyranny in the USSR was real Socialism was illusory.
Now that the curtain has been raised millions across Russia know the truth of what they previously classified as propaganda. Western democracy is entirely bogus.
It does not constitute a self governing society rather it is a varnish on the rule of Capitalism. A system so perverse it is actually in the process of eradicating its host species.
The re branding of Stalin ism is a reaction to the new political economy of Russia, authoritarian capitalism. All of
the freedoms of Liberal Capitalism may be derived from the fullest development of the Commodity form. The annihilation of both its supporters and opponents
will follow from the application of this form to every technology. If you want to suck on a humbug try Eternal Verities.

Sossie Kasbarian on "The Armenia-Turkey process: don’t stop now "

Sossie Kasbarian — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:01:56 +0000

Thanks for a balanced and thoughtful article, Kerem.

Although many Armenian diasporans are positive about the protocols, in terms of opening the borders, improving relations, improving the economy etc, the real stumbling block is the idea of the 'historical commission' which most diasporans, regardless of political affiliation, scholars and non-scholars alike, find unacceptable, for many reasons, as eloquently expressed by some here:

http://www.hairenik.com/weekly/2009/10/19/leave-it-to-the-historians-scholars-from-the-armenian-diaspora-reflect-on-sub-commission-on-the-historical-dimension/

For many diasporans this stipulation puts a dark cloud over the whole 'improving relations' discourse and makes them worry about the real agenda being pursued (aggressively by the US and others) and where a tiny developing state with no strategic importance or natural resources will fit in to that. The diaspora's reactions (and yes mobilised by the ARF but not confined to it) is also one of worry - if the Armenian state can agree to a 'historical commission' after more than 20 countries and credible genocide scholars attest to the genocide, then what else will it (be forced to) compromise?

The other sad aspect of this whole business is that it has contributed to an increasing chasm between state and diaspora. The fact that the diaspora was not made a part of this process in a meaningful way has been felt very deeply. In political terms perhaps they don't have a say but in terms of the (internal dynamics of the) Armenian 'nation(s)', this chasm has serious implications about the future of the relations between the diaspora and the state, the future of western Armenianness, issues of leadership and legitimacy etc. The AGBU and others are presenting themselves as the voices of 'reason' and ‘balance’ in a diasporan discourse which is being played out in nationalist terms by the ARF, but it is important to recognise that the leadership of a diasporan institution does not necessarily reflect the views of many of its ‘constituency’. The reactions to the protocols demonstrates yet again the complexities about legitimacy, authority and representation in the diaspora. The question of 'who speaks' for the diaspora is as ever, a highly pertinent one.

Vladimir Rasvan on "The posthumous victory of socialist realism"

Vladimir Rasvan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:05:33 +0000

This state of the Russian literature is just a consequence of the general state of the post-Soviet era. And who else, but the writers , like in my country Romania, contributed more to this ? As a professor of mine said in september 1989: You are protesting against some arbitrary hierarchy issued by a Party administration (Kadrovyi otdel) and you are not aware the the worst and most unbearable hierarchy is that of the triumphant money. You have now what you mostly wanted and fought for !

Uni-korn on "The posthumous victory of socialist realism"

Uni-korn — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:30:41 +0000

The sad and astute cultural observations enshrined in this writing seem very similar to the current lack of inspired creative art across the entire human landscape. It seems more honestly attributable to a global lack of inspired leadership and its mindless linear focus on superficial political isms of many descriptions; be it socialism, capitalism, or religionism, in any of their various, and most times inept, iterations.

The idea that human artistic expression suffers when its parameters are defined by political and religious ideology is not, by any historical measure, a recent discovery; but it is an important reminder that we, as human beings, seem to have a reoccuring penchant for condoning the destruction of that part of civilized culture upon which our very survival depends.

The cultural oppression and psuedo-intellectualism of these governing isms has produced generations of individuals who have come to fear that their creative impulses are antithetical to a successful and happy existence. The result is a bland, complacent, and indifferent approach to the human experience, a virtual herd that seeks no message in its reading, no melody in its music, and no inspiration in its images.

The purveyors of the isms have done their work well, our progeny is their evidence.