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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?

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.

Jacob Schweitzer on "Russia’s economic crisis – no cue for ‘Perestroika 2.0’"

Jacob Schweitzer — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:25:35 +0000

Business in Russia is still a work in progress but Putin did make a number of improvements to the law for entrepreneurs such as making the registration process for business simpler. However, a big problem lies in the fact that services simply are not on par with their western counterparts and many Russians don't care. If it barely works, it still gets the job done - check out the Lada for example.

Pavel F. on "Russia’s economic crisis – no cue for ‘Perestroika 2.0’"

Pavel F. — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:15:59 +0000

Is this also the author of the book 'Virtual Politics'?

dayaraj subedi on "Forward, Mr President!"

dayaraj subedi — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:54:31 +0000

This is quiet important thing to repair relationship between Russia and west. West believes, if two giants during pre 1990s able to join hand together, then we can lead the world long decades. This is urgent for them to cope the challenges posed by booming economy of China and India, growing international military casualties and demand of military officers to increase numbers in the Afghanistan threats American startegy "war on terror" and Obama remarks on Iraq.
The Afghanistan and Iraq lessoned US to initiate the building relationship with its former counterparts against growing threats of Muslim countries like Iran. Us and west quiet feel relax towards the booming economy of Asia since historical cold relationship between two economic giants of Asia China and India. Still west fear from the asian elites repeated lobbying for the Pan-Asia strategy between asian leaders.
It is quiet interesting to see how far Obama achieve his strategy in near future.

Laurie Melville on "Forward, Mr President!"

Laurie Melville — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:22:40 +0000

well said
the standard demonising in our daily press of Medvedev as Putin's lackey, the standard demonising of Putin, and thence the painting Russia an an ungovernable land of thugs and victims - this gets us nowhere.

The horrors are real enough; the imperial brutality (as in Chechnyia) patently obvious; all at least as awful as the excesses of the United States.

But carefully phrased encouragement like this, we need more of.

Alyssa Moxley on "Freedom for Sale"

Alyssa Moxley — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:59:25 +0000

Freedom allows creativity, which is a destabilizing as well as generative force. The changes brought with introducing freedom are not guaranteed - one's access to the necessities of life are not guaranteed.

Any business relationship is a bargain - perhaps those without established access to resources have only their freedom to trade. If the only work available is for a criminal, do you starve or obey?

On another note, I don't think freedom of expression is only expressed in the form of criticism of the government - it is evident in the diverse forms of social creativity - forms that are considered subversive and threatening to established hiearchies of power. That "small cabal of politicians and their business associates" that "systematically curb public freedoms" do so by injecting fear and paranoia, and thus dull creativity in all genres, not just pointed political critiques.

Bryllars on "Freedom for Sale"

Bryllars — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:43:00 +0000

Why are the middle classes so easily bought off?

The answer is fairly simple. They live in a world where for the most part if they lose the position they have which provides their livelyhood then nobody is going to offer them another. It is Be Safe - or have no way to survive at all.

psor on "Russia’s economic crisis – no cue for ‘Perestroika 2.0’"

psor — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:39:38 +0000

In Dubai, job goers bought expensive houses, lost their jobs and now can't pay mortgage

Anthony Swain on "The wheels have come off the Putin model"

Anthony Swain — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:21:26 +0000

I don't think you understand what the author is saying..

There is no way out that does not involve complete collapse.

The next stage will involve the government and those in control of the economy using direct violence against the citizenry in an attempt to maintain their wealth and power...

From some of the authors statements this has already started.

Until the citizenry decides fighting and possibly dying for their right to a better life is better than slavery or the economic realities bring a total collapse and removal of those currently in control..nothing will change for the better....

You need to go read Atlas Shrugged...

While melodramatic it will definitely spell it out for you...

Gary Crethers on "The wheels have come off the Putin model"

Gary Crethers — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:09:24 +0000

While this analysis of the situation in Russia is pretty depressing, what exactly is the author suggesting? Is he recommending western style democratic reforms? That seems to have been tried under Yeltsin. Even in the capitalist west such free market reforms are now looked upon as having failed to produce anything better than a cycle of boom and bust.
What Russia under Putin lacks is a moral and ideological basis to justify his restoration of some of the state institutions that existed under the Soviet Union.
The previous state with its communist rhetoric at least had a theoretical basis and a goal. What does Putin offer the Russian people other than more cynical manipulation of institutions that have no real value in a society that is increasingly coming under strong man rule.
Either the Russian people will insist upon the rule of law and elect leaders who will obey the rule of law or we will increasingly see rulers like Putin in Russia and the former American President Bush who are more concerned with getting things done their own way regardless of what is legal.
This 'damn the torpedoes'(named after an American naval officer who ordered an attack during the American civil war despite enemy mines in the harbor) approach to government is probably preferable in times of crisis, such as when Hitler was knocking on the doors of Moscow or under conditions of War Communism. But in times of relative normalcy there is no excuse for resorting to these abrogations.
Just as one incident of terrorism in the US on 9-11 was used as a justification for invading two countries and the imprisoning of tens of thousands of persons around the world in CIA and defense department secret prisons. A rationale that would hardly seem justified in the overall scheme of things. The same can be said of the actions of Putin and his cronies that play havoc with the Russian economy.
Personally I think a reformed and democratic socialism led by an honest communist party might lead to the type of nation that the Russian people deserve. Perhaps if there was some driving force besides nostalgia and an urge to power on the part of Putin, Russia might become again the beacon of hope that it once was for idealists and revolutionaries around the world.
But I don't see that happening. So you probably had best settle for a western style democracy if you can attain it, or a bureaucratic state with a semi-benign dictator if that is all you can manage where at the very least the laws of the land are followed by those who make them. Good Luck Russia.

Auadkhara on "Russian public opinion and the Georgia war"

Auadkhara — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:02:50 +0000

Maybe you will send the protocols of the interrogations of Okruashvili , or the sister of Emzar Kvitsiani and other poitical prisoners of Georgia as well ?
Maybe you will say the number of killed , beaten Svans in July 2006 and expelling them from their own houses to deploy Saakashvili so called 'spetsnaz" , which knew very well how to save their lives in August 2008 ?

avaliani on "Russian public opinion and the Georgia war"

avaliani — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:10:58 +0000

Wow, Really ? Dear Me2009, In Isreal there are 300 000 Russian citizen bombed by Palestinians every day, in fact with Russian RPG 7s and Mortars. Why don't they go defend Russian citizen there ?

And even better, how about Chechnya ? Weren't chechen Russian citizen. For the SAME REASON, for "declaring independence" Putin and Eltsin killed more then 100 000 peeople.

I guess what is permitted to Zeus is not permitted to the bull.

Get your standards straight.

Would you like a copy of Kulakhmetov's (general russian peacekeeping force) report on the nights before the full scale war started ? I will send it to you with pleasure. You will see how big the bombing of georgian villages were. I will also send you the road paper distributed to Russian troops a year before the war started: It says: Russian Soldier, Know your future Ennemy - and makes description of details of Georgian Army. Russia prepared this war long ago. The main reason is to have military presence on South Caucasus.

Zdravia Jelaiu