08
Books
RUSSIA INDIA REPORT
BOOKMARKS http://en.fondsk.ru Strategic Culture Foundation online magazine
http://en.rian.ru RIA Novosti news agency
IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA, RUSSIA
www.expat.ru/index.php The virtual community for English-speaking
THE ECONOMIC TIMES WEDNESDAY_MARCH 18_2009 expats and Russians
National Stereotypes Vladimir Medinsky tries to break down negative perceptions that present a barrier to global understanding
Mysteries of Russian mythmaking
Professor and politician sia came to the fore as an in-
Vladimir Medinsky has creasingly important actor
RIR Dossier
explored and in European and global pol-
deconstructed negative itics – in the 18th century, at
stereotypes surrounding the time of Peter the Great A year ago, OLMA Media Group pub- also received public acclaim. Near-
Russians. This is not a unique and the rise of the Russian lished Vladimir Medinsky’s book “Rus- er the end of the year, the third book
problem; indeed, it afflicts Empire. sian Drunkenness, Laziness and Bru- came out, “Russia’s Own Way, Pilfer-
many nations, including tality.” (First edition: 3,000 copies, ing and Long-Suffering”. Medinsky
India. Medinsky believes any Are you saying that this “cold second edition: 150,000 copies). His says he is out to challenge negative
myth, especially a negative war” with Russia began during second book in the Myths about Rus- stereotypes about Russia, particular-
one, is a blight on the Peter The Great’s rule? Isn’t sia series called “Russian Slavery, ly those shared by his Russian read-
national conscience. that quite an extreme view? Mud and the Prison House of Nations” ership.
It seems so. For example, a
ALEXANDER SABOV
secretary to the Austrian em-
RUSSIA NOW bassy, Korb, wrote a spiteful
lampoon against the young that time censured a shaved fi rst propagated those dirty else’s. Rememberer
Where do myths about Russia Moscow state, cunningly chin as something devilish myths about Russia, as if dis- Lenin’s famousous
come from and when did they passing it off as the Ambas- and notoriously Western, let associating themselves from statement: "Russia isssia is
emerge? Why has Russia been sador’s diary. This “diary” alone Peter’s insistence that its “abject people”. Their the prison house ofuse of
so unlucky? went into wide circulation the church abolish the Seal of modern followers are our nations".
It is true that all nations and throughout Europe. Why? Confession. This didn’t hap- new oligarchs, splashing In the late 1980s,0s, t thehe
countries tend to embellish Because those countries saw pen, but the Emperor’s inter- money about in the West, and onset of perestrtrooika ika
their own history and there a new power rising in the ference triggered a profound new liberals decrying “un- brought a freshh
is nothing wrong with that. East and, to quote Prince schism within the church. In washed Russia” at every in- wave of dirty
By contrast, dirty myths are Golitsyn, they hastened to fact, the nation was split into ternational conference. myths about
purposely forged as an in- scorn us as barbarians. two sub-cultures, if not two Russia that
strument of political propa- separate nations: Peter or- And what about so-called Sovi- washed away
ganda or psychological war- Maybe the essence of the dered half of the people to be et unity? Whatever we make of whatever was
fare against certain coun- problem was not people plot- European, while the other the Communist experiment in good in our his-
tries. And no other nation in ting against Peter’s Russia. half remained in a primordi- our country, it was an attempt tory, exposingg
history has endured such You have advanced a profound al state. to “unite people” on an entire- only vices. We
prolonged demonisation: theory, which suggests the rea- ly new basis. Didn’t we live for started blas--
this smear campaign has son was closer to home. Your By saying that, you prove that more than seven decades in a pheming thee
been going on for more than conception makes much more making Russians into Europe- society and culture founded on historic experi--
three centuries. Everything sense: Russians have them- ans brought progress, taking the worker-peasant relation- ment that was
in Russia is either bad or selves adopted those West- Russia out of its primordial sit- ship? Apparently, the gap be- the USSR, ass
wrong – dreadful roads, en- ern myths. uation. But it’s still not clear on tween rich and poor in the USSR well as ourselveess
demic alcoholism and idle- I am afraid that, to some ex- what grounds these Russian was substantially narrower as the creators ofof
ness, corruption and pilfer- tent, it was an outcome of Pe- myths appeared. than modern times. this experiment.nt.
ing, mud and poor sanita- ter’s reforms – for example, When a national body is split, Yet the cultural gap only The problem is s
tion, and an inherent lack of his famous decree to have schisms will develop – West- widened. Bolsheviks cast off with us. I amm
democratic culture, deriving beards cut off. Upon his re- ernisers and Slavophiles, lib- all the achievements of Tsar- sure that if we
from an age-long tradition turn from Europe, irritated erals and radicals. Elite Rus- ist Russia. Historical conti- do not squeezee
of despotism. To substanti- by the thought that every- sians became what emigrant nuity broke again, myths out the poison ofof
ate the myth of “the Russian thing in Russia was inferior philosopher Ivan Solonevich about “savage Russia” were dirty myths, theyey
threat”, Russians are pre- to everything in Europe, he justly called a “foundling revived, all that was sacred will be passedd
sented as intrinsically ag- ordered people to wear Euro- class”, a kind of cuckoo’s nes- in the country was profaned on, like a baton,n,
gressive. All these myths pean clothes. Such disrespect tling planted in a songbird’s – all done with our own to future gener-
began to emerge when Rus- for the Orthodox tradition of nest. It was this group which hands and not anybody ations.
-
PICTURES PROVIDED BY OLMA MEDIA GROUP, PHOTOGRAPHER NIKOLAY KOROLEV, ANDREY SHIMARSKY COLLAGE
Study New research on the bilateral strategic partnership
The authors avoid extreme
Hope and caution Looking forward to Obama
statements on current Indo-
Indo-Russian relations must
Russian relations: there are
no lofty, misleading Soviet
New political bestseller
platitudes about eternal
be a priority for the Kremlin
friendship. The book neither
blows current problems out
from Russia’s ex-PM
of proportion nor tries to
cover them up.
Indo-Russian relations are
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
many Western countries have state regulation that has aris-
A recent series of joint yielding to US pressure, Rus- regarded as a key global pol- seen a sharp rise in sales of en during this crisis means
agreements have sia terminated a contract for icy axis, especially as Asia is Nevertheless, this myth had a Karl Marx’s Das Kapital. I that the world is sliding into
strengthened old ties between delivery of cryogenic rocket playing an increasingly im- substantial infl uence on poli- have a high opinion of this socialism.
India and Russia. Now, two engines to India. This did not portant international role. tics: Russia was written off as scholar’s works, but I certain- The economy can be regulated
renowned Russian academics halt India’s own development The global war on terror led a great power, and the USA ly do not think the need for by the market, or by the state.
have produced a new study programme: the fi rst nuclear the US Administration to started to treat it in the same It seems to me that both these
offering optimistic analysis of weapon tests were conducted prioritise the region, contrib- way as it treated Jamaica. Pri- mechanisms are compatible
this complicated relationship in 1998 and India’s fi rst cryo- uting to India’s profi le in the makov calls all this “political
RIR Dossier
in a market economy… How-
and examining its significance genic rocket engine appeared international arena. India is short-sightedness”. ever, it’s a matter of propor-
in a wider global context. in 2000. But the broken deal both a key actor – equal to On the whole, the author be- Born in Kiev, Ukraine, 1929. tions which are adjustable.
discredited Russia’s reputa- such countries as the US, lieves, the stereotypes born in Graduated from Moscow Insti- We must not idolise the mar-
BORIS VOLKHONSKY
tion as a reliable partner. Russia or China – and a the days of confrontation have tute of Oriental Studies. Start- ket regulators, although this
RUSSKY JOURNAL This had far-reaching impli- sphere of infl uence for which survived the actual Cold ed journalistic career. Later does not mean at all that we
cations. In the early 2000s, those countries compete. The War and the “present-day sus- became a leading Soviet Ori- should reject them. We must
The famous expression of the Indian foreign policy focused authors, by no means, try to picions of Russia are based on entalist. Close aide to Mikhail not belittle the role of the
1950s-60s,“Hindi Rusi bhai- on rapprochement with the draw a veil over sensitive is- attitudes that formed during Gorbachev in 1980s. Foreign state in regulating the
bhai” (“Indians and Russians US, culminating at the end sues, yet they fail to cover the Cold War”. Primakov ad- Intelligence Service director, economy.“I don’t think there
are brothers”), became so of the Bush presidency. Fi- many important matters and mits that this “also happens in head of the Ministry of Foreign will be radical changes. But
hackneyed that its true nally, despite the fact India sometimes lack detail. Russian public opinion with Affairs, was Prime Minister. the need for greater control
meaning was dissolved. never signed the Nuclear The importance of continued regard to the USA and its Eu- Currently heads the Russian over big business activity is
India and Russia today are no Non-Proliferation Treaty, the strategic partnership is just- ropean allies”. Chamber of Commerce. obvious, both in the West and
longer the countries of 50 US recognised it as a nuclear ly recognised. Conclusions He hopes that the election of in Russia.”
-
years ago, when this cliché power and lifted all barriers about the prospects of Indo- Barack Obama will see these
was coined. A fairytale land to bilateral nuclear co-oper- Russian co-operation in the stereotypes defeated, as the
of Indian tea, elephants, yoga ation, reducing Russia to the 21st century can be qualifi ed new US President has disso-
and cinema has grown into role of second fi ddle. as moderately optimistic. ciated himself from the neo-
an advanced modern econo- The authors analyse the in- The book ends with the fol- conservatives.
my focusing on hi-tech devel- tricate relationship between lowing words: “India plays a There was particular interest
opment and supplying brains India and Russia on the very important role in global in Primakov’s views on the
for Western industry. It is in- threshold of the third millen- politics and its infl uence will current economic crisis: it
SERGEY SAVOSTIANOV_RG
creasingly politically active, nium. Many Indian experts inevitably increase. Russia was under his leadership that
claiming the right for region- from the Institute of Oriental has to regard it as a key stra- the Russian government
al and global leadership. Studies of the Russian Acad- tegic partner. Stable and bal- withstood the 1998 crisis and
The early 90s marked not emy of Scienes aided re- anced relations with India laid the groundwork for sub-
only a radical change in Rus- nowned Russian academics must become Russian foreign sequent economic growth.
sia’s domestic policy, but a U- Boris Kuzyk and Tatiana policy’s top priority". Will In view of the fact that the ex-
turn in foreign relations pri- Shaumian. this really happen?
-
premier is a well known sup-
orities. Relations with time- Their extensive study reach- porter of state involvement
tested allies were deemed less es far beyond its initial sub- B.N. Kuzyk, T.L. Shaumian. into the economy, RIR asked
important than the seeming- ject matter; it is a brief ency- 2009. India-Russia: Partner- Primakov to give his forecast
ly rosy prospects of co-oper- clopaedia on the life of mod- ship Strategy in the 21st Cen- of the sustainability of meas-
RIA-NOVOSTI ation with the West, primari- ern India, viewing events tury. Moscow. Institute for ures many governments are
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Indian Prime Minister ly the US. through the prism of histori- Economic Strategy (Russian now taking to regulate their Evgeny Primakov signs copies of his new book, published by
Manmohan Singh An interesting fact: in 1993, cal and social development. language). economies. “I have read that Rossiyskaya Gazeta
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