Monk

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MOSCOW, Dec. 10 — A day after President Vladimir V. Putin endorsed a loyal protégé, Dmitri A. Medvedev, as his successor, Mr. Medvedev went before the nation today and declared that he in turn would name Mr. Putin as his prime minister.

-- Clifford J. Levy

Well, at least life is going according to plan in Russia.

No word yet from Putin about LiveJournal, heh. Though, my entries containing criticism of the leader have somehow gotten lost on my journal. Just kidding, I hope.

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“This is the first time in post-Soviet history when only the Kremlin decides who can participate and who can’t,” Mr. Ryzhkov said. “The Kremlin decides which party can exist and which party cannot. For the first time in post-Soviet history, a wide specter of political forces cannot participate in this election. I call it selection before election.”

-- Clifford J. Levy for The New York Times

Putin enjoys continued success in ruling Russia under his hand and in returning the country to one-party rule. An optimist can hope that this is still just an arguably beneficial transition until Russia can better handle multi-party democracy, and that Putin is Russia's providential overseer in these tough times. The rest of us can marvel over how much things stay the same in this old world.

And you know Dick Cheney is envious.


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But if you really wish to understand the Putin regime in depth, I can recommend some reading. No Karl Marx or Adam Smith. Nothing by Montesquieu or Machiavelli, although the author you are looking for is of Italian descent. But skip Mussolini's "The Doctrine of Fascism," for now, and the entire political science section. Instead, go directly to the fiction department and take home everything you can find by Mario Puzo. If you are in a real hurry to become an expert on the Russian government, you may prefer the DVD section, where you can find Mr. Puzo's works on film. "The Godfather" trilogy is a good place to start, but do not leave out "The Last Don," "Omerta" and "The Sicilian."

-- Garry Kasparov, "Don Putin" in The Wall Street Journal

It has been a while since I've put anything down on Russia. Garry Kasparove, the chess grandmaster and former world champion, has some choice words on the subject.

I think I remember a news report from some time ago about him being arrested in Russia. If so, it is good to see his celebrity status got him out again. It's probably a good idea for him to stay away from Russia. And be careful what you eat, Garry!

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I see things are still the same with good old Vladimier Putin:

Since becoming president in 2000, fourteen investigative journalists have died in Russia—some murdered outright, others perishing in mysterious circumstances—under Vladimir Putin’s watch. This is one area where there has not been significant improvement since the Yeltsin Administration.

The latest case is that of Ivan Safronov, a former Space Forces colonel who became a military-affairs reporter for the newspaper Kommersant, whose body was found last Friday and who was buried today.

Safronov is reported to have been working on an article about the sale of advanced weaponry to Iran and Syria as well as the means by which third parties would be used to transship the weapons, giving Moscow “plausible deniability” if pressed by the United States or Israel on this issue. Some have also speculated that Safronov had obtained information on how these sales might also generate profits for specific individuals.

We really need rebukes and lectures from him on good governance and the rule of law.


(Source: Nikolas K. Gvosdev at NationalInterest.org)

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