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 doesn't 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 these 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
ministership can be interpreted as a cynical power play, but it can also
be understood as providing a set of training wheels for the young and
relatively inexperienced Mr. Medvedev. Given the recent American practice
of
having a Bush dynasty and possibly a Clinton dynasty, this is far from the
most cynical game of restricting political power to an inner circle 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 rather from ability to exert
pressure and throw big money around. Unfortunately, their mentor in this
regard has been 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 precipitous erosion of both the
dollar and of 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 "leadership" 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. That is still a
great salary in Tallinn, but rather modest in Helsinki, Stockholm, or even
Moscow. Draw your own conclusions.
Regards,
Eugene Holman
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