Putin, Russia and the West

[Citizen52]

In my opinion it was heavilly biased with the West in mind. It showed Putin in a bad light. This is the man who turned his country from economic decline into a fairly wealthy nation with an archaic economic policy. He also takes no sh*t of anyone in the international summits or domestically*

The high price of Oil and other raw materials is what has turned Russia around, nothing to do with him or his cronies, if Oil tanks Russia tanks with it

Who dya think put the oligarchs in their places and made them pay taxes? He held meetings with them often. Also he created stablilty in Russia, you can't change from a one party state into a democracy overnight, it takes time and you have to reset people's mindsets (esp those who grew up in the Soviet Union). His policy regarding the surrounding countries such as Georgia and Ukraine was needed for the Russian security, he had to hold the framework of all the ex Soviet states together. Or he could have let the Americans help the other Ex- Soviet states but this is Putin and that was never going to happen.

You're right there - a million miles from it. Democracy? Just ask Litvinenko or Politkovskaya. The latter being probably the prominent reporter on events in Chechnya, not to justify it but it does make one wonder about the type of things that went on to cause the theatre siege and Beslan.

I think Medvedev would be better for Russia now and maybe all of the protesters in Moscow do but it will be interesting to see what happens.

 

[jordinho09]

The high price of Oil and other raw materials is what has turned Russia around, nothing to do with him or his cronies, if Oil tanks Russia tanks with it

Who dya think put the oligarchs in their places and made them pay taxes? He held meetings with them often. Also he created stablilty in Russia, you can't change from a one party state into a democracy overnight, it takes time and you have to reset people's mindsets (esp those who grew up in the Soviet Union). His policy regarding the surrounding countries such as Georgia and Ukraine was needed for the Russian security, he had to hold the framework of all the ex Soviet states together. Or he could have let the Americans help the other Ex- Soviet states but this is Putin and that was never going to happen.

You're right there - a million miles from it. Democracy? Just ask Litvinenko or Politkovskaya. The latter being probably the prominent reporter on events in Chechnya, not to justify it but it does make one wonder about the type of things that went on to cause the theatre siege and Beslan.

I think Medvedev would be better for Russia now and maybe all of the protesters in Moscow do but it will be interesting to see what happens.

Putins getting back into power in May.

 

[Ducado]

In my opinion it was heavilly biased with the West in mind. It showed Putin in a bad light. This is the man who turned his country from economic decline into a fairly wealthy nation with an archaic economic policy. He also takes no sh*t of anyone in the international summits or domestically*

The high price of Oil and other raw materials is what has turned Russia around, nothing to do with him or his cronies, if Oil tanks Russia tanks with it

Who dya think put the oligarchs in their places and made them pay taxes? He held meetings with them often. Also he created stablilty in Russia, you can't change from a one party state into a democracy overnight, it takes time and you have to reset people's mindsets (esp those who grew up in the Soviet Union). His policy regarding the surrounding countries such as Georgia and Ukraine was needed for the Russian security, he had to hold the framework of all the ex Soviet states together. Or he could have let the Americans help the other Ex- Soviet states but this is Putin and that was never going to happen.

Is that you Vlad?

Russia has always been a mess, pre soviet times, Soviet Times and will be a mess in a few years, it's the way they roll never really been a true democracy, always been corrupt, shame really a country with so much potential and rich in resources and an intelligent population

 

[jordinho09]

The high price of Oil and other raw materials is what has turned Russia around, nothing to do with him or his cronies, if Oil tanks Russia tanks with it

Who dya think put the oligarchs in their places and made them pay taxes? He held meetings with them often. Also he created stablilty in Russia, you can't change from a one party state into a democracy overnight, it takes time and you have to reset people's mindsets (esp those who grew up in the Soviet Union). His policy regarding the surrounding countries such as Georgia and Ukraine was needed for the Russian security, he had to hold the framework of all the ex Soviet states together. Or he could have let the Americans help the other Ex- Soviet states but this is Putin and that was never going to happen.

Is that you Vlad?

Russia has always been a mess, pre soviet times, Soviet Times and will be a mess in a few years, it's the way they roll never really been a true democracy, always been corrupt, shame really a country with so much potential and rich in resources and an intelligent population

Nyet ;)

 

[ali benarbia's studs]

i love to ride a big donkey across the motherland..... even a train will do.

still not crazy on russians..... caviar sucks

 

[Halfpenny]

Russia won't become a genuine democracy until the last of the Soviets have gone. For all intents and purposes it remains a single party system: United Russia. There is next to no meaningful opposition, and as another poster said old habits die hard. It's the same mentality as pre-1990, a similar power system. That will only really change when people born into the post-communist Russia are handed the reins of power; people who haven't grown up with the Communist Party, but one where they are free to participate in political activity. We've started to see this recently with the anti-Putin protests, which is a good sign for the future.

 

[Skashion]

Some ignorance on here, there really is. Russia is not a democracy because of the typical western reaction to not getting who they wanted. In 1996 it was looking like the Communists would win the election so Clinton gave Yeltsin $10 billion to go around bribing everyone who needed to be bribed. Russia was more democratic under Communism than that piece of bollocks. No, you couldn't have influence on political policy in any way but at least they had genuine control over the elected officials who acted as 'ombudsmen' who genuinely would sort out local problems. I think most people in most countries would prefer that actually. This new Russia is less democratic, more corrupt, more plagued by crime and is a dying nation (people won't have children in Russia now because it's too hard to predict what will happen to them) and it has precisely fuck all to do with the old Communists and everything to do with the west and its interference in domestic matters of yet another country.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Some ignorance on here, there really is. Russia is not a democracy because of the typical western reaction to not getting who they wanted. In 1996 it was looking like the Communists would win the election so Clinton gave Yeltsin $10 billion to go around bribing everyone who needed to be bribed. Russia was more democratic under Communism than that piece of bollocks. No, you couldn't have influence on political policy in any way but at least they had genuine control over the elected officials who acted as 'ombudsmen' who genuinely would sort out local problems. I think most people in most countries would prefer that actually. This new Russia is less democratic, more corrupt, more plagued by crime and is a dying nation (people won't have children in Russia now because it's too hard to predict what will happen to them) and it has precisely fuck all to do with the old Communists and everything to do with the west and its interference in domestic matters of yet another country.

Apart from basic human needs: food, shelter etc.. the most important thing a person can have is freedom of speech. That was so conspicuous by its absence in Soviet Russia as to render any substantive justification of that system as defending the indefensible in my eyes.

I realise that journalists that make the current regime feel uncomfortable have disappeared etc.. but 30 years ago people were scared of saying anything bad about the ruling elite for fear of being taken away in the middle of the night for 're-education', never to be seen again. You, of all people on here, should be able to see how appalling that must have been to live through.

 

[Skashion]

Apart from basic human needs: food, shelter etc.. the most important thing a person can have is freedom of speech. That was so conspicuous by its absence in Soviet Russia as to render any substantive justification of that system as defending the indefensible in my eyes.

I realise that journalists that make the current regime feel uncomfortable have disappeared etc.. but 30 years ago people were scared of saying anything bad about the ruling elite for fear of being taken away in the middle of the night for 're-education', never to be seen again. You, of all people on here, should be able to see how appalling that must have been to live through.

You are comparing the Communism of the Soviet Union in its De-Stalinisation period to the Soviet Union that ended in 1991/2. That's not right. Khrushchev's Soviet Union was freer than it is now. Nonetheless, the Russians chose to end it, and so be it, and it may well have been replaced by something better, but the west interfered and now they have to deal with Putin, that's my point. It's nothing to do with Communism. Communism, after Khrushchev's reforms offered more freedom and fairness, and then competed fairly in the 1996 elections, which it would have won but were stolen because the west didn't like the idea of Communists winning a free and fair election and so it fixed it.

 

[BrianW]

Fancy a politician being corrupt! Who'd have thought it? Especially as ours in the dear UK are all paragons of virtue who basically do the job for the love of their country and its people. I mean, look at that nice Mr Blair. Money's nothing to him, he just enjoys the simple life with his family.

Plus, as has been said above, the West has only itself to blame for Putin.