class article...5 yaks....
"(5) The policies of Russia and the conduct of President Putin are growing
increasingly eccentric and seem to be motivated more by an angry
romanticism, than by a rational calculation of national interest....."
.....
"....As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice advised presciently some years
ago, a critical challenge for US policy will be "to manage the decline of
Soviet power." So far, we are not meeting this challenge."
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/254ctvvn.asp
"Regrettably, Putin and the former KGB officers who surround him, the
so-called "Siloviki," conducted an analysis of the preconditions of
democratic change, similar to the one I have just outlined, but reached a
radically different conclusion. Rather than support and encourage these
positive developments in post-conflict and post-Soviet states, President
Putin evidently resolved to destroy the foundations of democracy in Russia
and actively to discourage their development in countries neighboring
Russia and beyond. And this is precisely what he has done."
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/254ctvvn.asp?pg=2
"(6) Among the most alarming of recent developments, however, is the
return of the KGB to power in the Presidential Administration. According
to Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a leading Russian sociologist, former KGB
officers are regaining power at every level of government and now account
for 70% of regional government leaders. Other analysts state that the
number of former secret police in Putin's government is 300% greater than
the number in the Gorbachev government. In this situation, there is a high
probability that military and security services would be used to suppress
civil dissent and, indeed, are already being used to this effect.
If the conditions which supported democratic change and reform in Georgia
and Ukraine are any guide, President Putin has orchestrated a sustained
and methodical campaign to eliminate not only democratic forces in civil
and political life, but also the possibility of such forces arising again
in the future. I do not think that it is accurate to say that democracy is
in retreat in Russia. Democracy has been assassinated in Russia."
he also seems to have an inclination to meddle in the middle east
suggesting missiles to syria and nuclear technology to iran...
he also allowed russia to become implicated in oil-for-fraud
scam at the un.....
like old europe he seems foolishly to imagine rivalry with the usa
is more attractive than solidarity between advanced nations.
old europe made one of the worst possible diplomatic miscalculations
in opposing the removal of madsam in irak....a policy that clearly
emboldened putin's russia......as the article says....
"(4) President Putin's goal of a 21st century empire will cause him to
seize, extort or otherwise secure the oil and gas reserves of the Caspian
and Central Asia as a source of funds for state power. Indeed, the seizure
of Yukos and the network of pipelines were the first two steps in a larger
plan to control the resources of Central Asia. Setting aside the negative
impact these developments will have on world energy prices, our allies in
Europe will become increasingly dependent on an oil monopoly controlled by
the Russian security services for its growing energy needs. Without doubt,
this oil and gas will come with a political price."
he would be far better seeking accommodation with nato than
old time empire hubris....he has quite enuf problem on his southern
borders without seeking profitless enmity with elephant.....
regards....
--
web site at www.abelard.org - news and comment service, logic,
energy, education, politics, etc 1,150,913 document calls in year past
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all that is necessary for [] walk quietly and carry
the triumph of evil is that [] a big stick.
good people do nothing [] trust actions not words
only when it's funny -- roger rabbit
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