In article
<edae48a8-9853-4e22-9fb4-5c4aa3f183c6@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>, vello
<vellokala@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
<deletions>
> Martin, Putin don't needs the post of president. Say, Stalin rules
> without keeping ANY official position.
I would disagree with you, Vello.
Putin and Medvedev are both intelligent enough to realize that Russia
cannot be taken seriously as a major country if it doesnt get its act
together with respect to rule of law and a system of government closer to
a western democracy than is now the case.
The country is now prosperous enough to concentrate on thee details, but
it is still "Russian/Soviet" enough for them to be somewhat alien and not
yet fully trusted.
Putin made a major effort to pull off a first in Russian history: a
completely peaceful transfer of power. His assumption of the prime
minister****p can be interpreted as a cynical power play, but it can also
be understood providing a set of training wheels for the young and
relatively inexperienced Mr. Medvedev. Given the Amrican practice of
having a Bush dynasty and possibly a Clinton dynasty, this is far from the
most cynical game on the block.
The Russian political elite has learned that in the 21st century power
does not come from the barrel of a gun, but from ability to exert pressure
and trow big money around. Unfortunately, thei mentor i this regard is the
United States. The two protracted wars that the United States has been
waging in Afghanistan and Iraq have produced nothing tangible, and they
have resulted in the erosion of the dollar as well as in America's
prestige and clout in the world. One thing that Putin, Medvedev, and just
about everyone else has learned is that the manner in which the United
States has been asserting its power and "leader****p" in the world is the
best way to deconstruct any pretentions to superpower status.
On a somewhat different theme, I read in the International Herald Tribune
yesterday that Americans are earning on the average $800/week, that is to
say $41,600/year. Due to the sharp drop in the international value of the
dollar, this is 26,624 euros/year or 2219 euros/month. Draw your own
conclusions.
Regards,
Eugene Holman
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