Guardian on Putin's speech

[Alina Israeli]

On Feb 24, 2007, at 7:17 PM, Elena Gapova wrote:

>  but there is a
> reason why so many people in Russia do support him (and they really  
> do, and
> "brainwashing" does not seem to be the reason).

No, it's not brainwashing. Rulers in Russia are treated more or less  
like royalty in the old sense, almost fairy tale sense, and people  
expect that if something is bad, it's the one up above (dobryj car')  
will take care of it. And indeed, when elections are abolished and  
courts serve to please the ruler, who else can one rely upon?

> There was as much freedom as there could be, and it
> was called democracy - but that time and regime was shavefully,  
> enormously,
> unbelievably inhuman - and for this very reason, undemocratic.

As much freedom as could be? In general or by Russian standards? What  
does it mean "inhuman regime"? A regime is inhuman if it butchers its  
own citizens, we had a few examples of it in the 20th century, and  
unfortunately a couple in the 21st. In what way was the regime inhuman?

Life became hard, very hard economically. The state robbed people a  
number of times, in Gorbachev's time, in Eltsyn's time. Wiping out  
savings was one of the worst possible p.r. action. The top bankers  
said that the government could not pay. Quite possible, it was a  
bankrupt state. It should have given out I.O.U.'s, government bonds,  
30 year bonds, 100 year bonds, but make sure that people do not loose  
trust. Economy cannot survive without trust, trust between partners  
and trust in the institutions. And the state continues to be non- 
trustworthy in the economic areas.


> That's what
> is ususally meant when people say, that they have been fed up with
> "democracy". This phrase has a very concrete meaning. It does not  
> mean that
> the Russian people do not want to be the masters of their own  
> destinies, but
> rather that for millions (really, millions) that was the time of  
> losing, not
> gaining, control over their own lives.

Like I said, people confuse democracy with economics and trust. And  
besides, democracy has been eroding. So the only real gain is  
personal freedom, which is actually not that bad, except that one  
should eat three square meals a day.

> It seems that with Putin things are becoming a tiny bit better,

Putin enjoyed the rise of oil price. When he came a barrel was about  
$30, and last year it was $70. And even though it dropped some  
($55-60) it's still almost double from when he came to power.

> and that he
> has been trying to change that huge machine of theft and crime that  
> was
> created during Eltsyn, slowly, but steadily.

It all depends on how one counts. The corruption is rampant. It used  
to be that only people talked about it, now even the government is  
talking about it. Isn't that crime? Theft is alive and well. Some  
personalities may have changed, but it's there.


> All this is probably about - well, not deepening, but at least  
> starting - a
> democratic order. An important part of democracy is how money is  
> spent and
> that no one is hungry.

We know that the legislative powers make sure they've got the perks.  
Meanwhile millions are still not payed their salaries: http:// 
www.gks.ru/bgd/free/B04_03/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d020/i020480r_01.htm. As  
for no one is hungry: http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/2006/ 
b06_11/07-11.htm 50% of the population earn 6,000 rubles a month, 25%  
under 3,500, which is about $140 a month. Prices are comparable with  
those in the West, it's not India.

What has changed is that statistics is no longer top secret.


Alina Israeli
LFS, American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington DC. 20016
(202) 885-2387 	
fax (202) 885-1076
aisrael at american.edu




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