04
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Opinion
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Letters to the Editor
MEDVEDEV: OUT ON HIS OWN
There’s more to leadership looks to be unavoidable for
than you think the prelude to such a chal-
Very interesting, but I would lenge. Gogol described a
NIKOLAY TROITSKY
have to differ with Mr Pal- corruption in administra- COMMENTATOR
azhchenko on this point: tion of old Russia as a kind
“When Americans speak of of service-market available A year has passed since Russia’s third
someone’s ‘leadership role’ to all levels of population for President, Dmitry Medvedev, came to
the meaning is best conveyed an affordable amount. power. For 365 days he’s been learning
in Russian by the word init- Then the system fought this how be head of state. He’s been looking
siativnost.” corruption and the “market” for his own style, his own language, his
No, I think when we Ameri- collapsed, becoming unaf- own intonation, his own vision of Russia’s
cans speak of someone’s lead- fordable for the poor. The future. Dmitry Anatolyevich is very dif-
ership role, it is about their lower officials of administra- ferent to Vladimir Vladimirovich, and
ability to inspire, to manage tion, scared to lose their jobs, their life stories are very different, too.
people, to be ahead of the propelled the service-seek- One of them by his own admission “grew
curve when it comes to soci- ers toward a higher level in up on the streets of Leningrad”, and Putin
etal-changing ideas, and to order to make corruption put it even more bluntly to his interview-
pull people kicking and safe and leak proof. Top offi- ers in the book First Person: “I wasn’t a
screaming to where they need cials, receiving enormous Young Pioneer, I was a hooligan… I was a
to go. Initsiativnost smacks cash, then trifl e-fed the lower real hood.”
more of enterpreneurship, in- staff and factually restruc- The other man didn’t even take part in
itiative, willingness to take tured corruption from “peo- childhood games in the sandpit, and al-
risks. I think Liderstvo does ple’s” to an “advanced” one. ways “came home as clean as he was when
just fi ne, unless one wanted to Corruption was not hit, only he went out”. Medvedev had an aunt and
coin a new word… say made more expensive. a grandmother in Voronezh, and his moth-
Vozglavstvennost. Fighting corruption, from er often took him there, and that’s exactly
But then maybe I haven’t a Gogol’s time to the present, how his aunt’s friend Natalya Kroychik
clue. Still, nice piece. I love requires the dedication of described to journalists the impression
reading about false friends. the entire society, just as she got when meeting the future third
Konkretno and solidno are Medvedev vowed. president of Russia.
two great ones. Political capital is basically And although both men got their legal ed-
PAUL RICHARDSON moral by substance and it ucation at Leningrad University, they
DRAWING BY DMITRY DIVIN
VIA EMAIL
should be aligned with Pa- studied there at different times and their
triarch Kirill’s inner sup- lives took quite different courses after shocks – from the start Medvedev identi- Then military confl ict was followed by an blatantly “moving the stylistic goal-
Gogol in contemporary port. Russian-reformed university. fi ed himself as continuing “Putin’s work” economic conflict which has become a posts”.
Russian literature Communism, unlike its East It’s well known that Putin studied law in – but at least some purely stylistic chang- tradition: a stand-off with Ukraine over “Style is the man,” as the saying has it. But
In the “Interview with Dmit- European ever-fake loyalty, order to become an intelligence officer. es. They were a long time coming. gas. Here too, Medvedev had no time for style is only the form, the outward ap-
ry Medvedev” (March 27), the might bring surprisingly This was at the end of the 1960s, when the The new Russian President’s speeches new approaches. Any special variations pearance. The most important thing for
President said that in the good results. period of political stagnation in the USSR were reminiscent of those of his predeces- would have clashed with his established the President is not words but deeds. Ac-
context of the fi ghting against Whatever we know about was just beginning to set in. sor, in terms of their content, their style, duet with Prime Minister Putin. tions. Decisions. And in this respect Med-
corruption… he intends to Russia is just a bubble… Medvedev entered the law department in and even their intonation. This duet has not broken down: they’re vedev is simply continuing Putin’s line.
make this his top priority. RIKARD BARIC the 1980s because he wanted to be a law- Of course, this was not a matter of con- still in unison. But with the arrival of It’s extremely difficult to regard many of
Reading Gogol’s “Deadsouls”
VIA EMAIL
yer. And he grew up listening to such scious imitation. It was just that the mag- spring Medvedev has allowed himself a the head of state’s routine decisions as rev-
bands as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin netic pull of Putin’s strong political per- few unexpected solo performances. Notes olutionary. For example, the tabling of an
and Deep Purple. sonality was exerting its force. have started to sound in his repertoire that anti-corruption bill in parliament, or the
Finally, while Putin rose to the highest This scion of a professor’s family was un- are not characteristic of his partner in high-profile dismissal of Moscow city’s
government post to the accompaniment wittingly reproducing Putin’s brutal lex- power. This happened when Dmitry Med- head of internal affairs after a scandal in
The polls
of his own threatening and belligerent re- icon. Moreover, life itself conspired vedev gave an interview to Dmitry Mura- the capital’s police, or the cosmetic repairs
tort about “rubbing terrorists out in the against a change of style. tov, editor in chief of Novaya Gazeta, a to the electoral laws.
outhouse”, Medvedev’s ascent was accom- When military confl ict broke out in South newspaper which manifestly takes an op- Thus one can say that a year after his in-
Russians are becoming more accustomed to the crisis panied by his peaceful and humanitarian Ossetia in August 2008 Medvedev was not position stance and which has been criti- auguration Dmitry Medvedev has partly
and increasingly don’t see it as a major threat phrase: “Being free is better than not really up to niceties of language. The sit- cising the government for years. emerged from the shadow of Vladimir
being free.” uation demanded decisive actions and “a The President didn’t make any sensation- Putin. However, the differences between
OVER THE LAST MONTH, THE NUMBER OF RUSSIANS “SERIOUSLY WOR-
So when it became clear that the “Peters- voice of steel”. The new President coped al statements in the actual interview. Russia’s two rulers are still purely a mat-
RIED” ABOUT THE ECONOMIC CRISIS HAS FALLEN BY 10PC. THOSE
burg legal eagle” was going to replace the with his role of supreme commander, but Strictly speaking, he didn’t say anything ter of style.
ACTIVELY DISCUSSING UNEMPLOYMENT FELL FROM 66 TO 62PC, WHILE
-
“Petersburg KGB mole” as President of this is not a role suited to “innovation”, and new at all, but stuck to: “Being free is bet-
THOSE AVOIDING SUCH DISCUSSIONS INCREASED FROM 19 TO 23PC.
Russia, many people expected changes. Medvedev stuck to the tradition estab- ter than not being free.” But the very Nikolay Troitsky is Russian journalist and
No, not revolutionary changes, and no lished by Putin’s eight-year rule. choice of newspaper for his interview was publicist
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ECONOMIC CRISIS?
SECURITY ON THE RIGHT PATH
FYODOR LUKYANOV
parameters of power are highly diverse. petition, above all for resources, relapses ple, the paragraph about Nato says that
POLITICAL EXPERT Along with military might or economic in- into unilateral use of force and erosion of its plans “to advance its military infra-
dicators, they include factors such as de- the principles of law), while not offering structure towards its borders” is unac-
The Russian National Security Strategy mographic potential, the quality of human a scenario of future developments. ceptable for Russia. The previous edition
until 2020 published in mid-May left peo- capital, the attractiveness of one country Among the list of threats, the image of the of the Concept declared without mincing
ple with mixed feelings. On the one hand or another in terms of its living standards US as their potential source stands out. words that Russia rejected Nato expan-
it shows that the people in the corridors and a strong sense of national identity. It is hard to challenge the validity of most sion in principle.
SOURCE: WWW.WCIOM.RU
of power are seriously trying to under- The strategy gives due attention to all the criticisms of the US, but at the same time On energy security we are told that its
stand the extremely complicated, non- above components. It recognises that the other possible challenges (for example, prerequisite is “multilateral interaction
Groups most worried about their jobs as just as seriously linear international context in which our social-economic and humanitarian China’s future policy) are ignored, which for the purpose of forming energy mar-
the economic crisis include as before. At the same time, country finds itself. The strategy is no vigour of a nation is no less important suggests that the assessment leans heav- kets in keeping with the principles of the
persons with a low personal 17pc claimed that they are mere set of clichés. One feels that the ex- than its defence capability. It introduces ily towards expediency. World Trade Organisation”. Russia’s atti-
assesment of their material now working harder than be- perts and the agencies concerned have ex- the indicators of national security such One fi nds the usual talk about the multi- tude to the WTO is ambivalent, and the
wellbeing (58pc), Siberians fore, while 12pc said that they erted considerable intellectual effort. as the inequality coefficient, unemploy- polar world, but nothing about the change WTO’s rules do not regulate energy mar-
(52pc) and individuals living take their jobs less seriously On the other hand the document does not ment and healthcare and education re- in the global balance of forces (above all, kets. It would be odd to think that Mos-
in the south of Russia (51pc). than before the crisis. create a coherent impression. For fair- sources. Investing the concept of security the shift of strategic focus toward Asia). cow has suddenly become an advocate of
Eighty-two pc of Russians re- The crisis “always” (8pc) or ness’s sake, the situation in the world is so with more complicated content is un- And yet that process is sure to gain mo- liberalisation of commodity trade con-
main worried about the crisis “often” (23pc) distracts 31pc confused and unpredictable that long- doubtedly a step in the right direction. mentum during the span of the strategy trary to the line consistently pursued by
to some degree: 43pc are “se- of Russians from work. term strategies are hardly possible. Another intriguing detail is the recurring (11 years). It may even make Moscow look Gazprom, for example.
riously worried” (down from Forty-eight pc (up from 45pc The main merit of the new document is reference to “the interaction between the at its own future through a different Of late the Kremlin has revealed a pen-
51pc), 39pc are “worried, but a month earlier) saw the crisis that it abandons the classical narrow in- national security forces and the civil soci- prism. For example, Asia may see new chant for preparing doctrinal documents.
not seriously”, 10pc are “al- as an opportunity to “mobi- terpretation of national security as pre- ety institutions”. Even though it may be no benefits from interaction with the US, That is understandable. The institutional
most not worried” and 3pc lise” and become more active dominantly a military or geopolitical con- more than a bow to non-governmental or- viewing the US as the only strategically base of Russia’s international relations is
completely don’t care about in their personal lives. cept in favour of a comprehensive ap- ganisations, the sense that they merit men- convincing power on the planet. weak as the fast-changing global situa-
the crisis. The poll was conducted in proach. Traditionally, Russia has been tion in the modern world is symbolic. The foreign policy priorities are named tion constantly demands new responses.
The last month did not bring April 2009 among 1,600 peo- preoccupied with “hard” power as a source While the overall approach gives some somewhat perfunctorily: engaging all at However, the desire to respond to the
changes to how “zealously” ple in 140 cities and towns of threats and responses to them. As a re- hope, the fl esh of it gives an impression of once, from the CIS to Europe to the SCO challenges of the time is not matched by
Russians approached their across Russia. The margin of sult the interests of, say, the military in- a conceptual muddle. and the US, with the latter a “strategic the intellectual input.
-
work: 63pc said they take error did not exceed 3,4pc. dustrial complex have been much more The description of the international situ- partnership” in spite of the transparent
important than the demands of citizens. ation regurgitates the stock provisions of criticism in the adjacent section. Fyodor Lukyanov is editor-in-chief of the
In the era of global interdependence the other doctrinal documents (tougher com- Some things strike one as odd. For exam- Russia in Global Politics magazine.
Willing to give up food, water and clothes, but not the
internet
IN THESE CRISIS-RIDDEN TIMES, A RECENT STUDY FOUND THAT 44PC
OF RUSSIAN INTERNET USERS WOULD NOT GIVE UP THE CHERISHED RE-
SOURCE EVEN IF IT MEANT SACRIFICING THEIR NUTRITION AND OVERALL
WELLBEING. A PARTIAL RESET
only those warheads and delivery vehicles pressure on them. The Kremlin is of course
ready for launch. Second, Russia links the interested in routing the Taliban, yet it
question of strategic offensive weapons also openly criticises the America for
with the creation of an American missile turning Afghanistan into a source of
ARE YOU WILLING TO GIVE UP USE OF THE INTERNET? defence system. Although the Obama ad- drugs while seeming to want to go back
ministration has put plans for such a sys- to playing its own game in that country.
VYACHESLAV NIKONOV
wealth of Independent States will not be tem in Poland and the Czech Republic on In the view of the Russian elite, the eco-
POLITY FOUNDATION reduced and no one has officially rejected hold (mainly because of doubts about its nomic crisis has drastically weakened
plans to expand Nato. What’s more, Nato effectiveness), it is not inclined to return to America’s position in the world and that
Russian and US negotiators have begun military exercises are being conducted in any of the positions of the ABM Treaty de- is one of the reasons for wanting to press
nuclear arms control talks in Moscow Georgia despite Russia’s strenuous objec- nounced by Bush. the “reset” button. In consequence, Rus-
with the aim of concluding a new Strate- tions. Both foreign-policy and defence institu- sia expects concessions from America.
gic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start). This Those members of Obama’s foreign poli- tions will have to agree to any new treaty. In Washington, meanwhile, officials feel
treaty is seen as a principal indicator of cy team in charge of dealing with Russia Under Bush, the White House was more sure that the Russian economy is in free-
President Barack Obama’s stated desire – Under Secretary of State and former hawkish on international matters than fall and in serious need of Western in-
to “reset” Russian-American relations. ambassador to Moscow William Burns, the American military. Under Obama, vestment. So they also expect conces-
How radical might such a “reset” be? The senior director for Russian Affairs at the this situation seems to be changing. While sions.
logic of recent events makes for a cautious National Security Council Michael Mc- the administration has announced a new Russia is a major producer of energy and
optimism. Faul, and Hillary Clinton – are inclined to era in relations with Russia, the US mili- the United States a major consumer: in
SOURCE: RUMETRIKA.RAMBLER.RU
Obama is a modern man not overly bur- cooperate. However, this strategy, based tary says “the Russian threat” has in- principle, there could be a highly produc-
dened by the Cold War-era stereotypes on a search for common interests, has creased. Today, according to US military tive dialogue about energy. But it hasn’t
Forty-four pc fl atly refused to The largest drop in traffic that showed in the ideology and actions been broadly criticised in America, espe- officials, Russia is more dangerous and happened yet. The US is more concerned
give up use of the internet re- among Russian domain of George W Bush and John McCain. cially by Cold War veterans and inva- aggressive than ever. Not the best evalu- with how to reduce its allies’ dependence
gardless of their material sit- names was observed among However, the foreign policy of any nation lids. ation, given a desire to “reset” relations. on Russian energy and build pipelines
uation during the crisis. An- those registered under the is an inertial thing while changing long- The good news is that Obama wants to Russia and America can undoubtedly that circumvent Russian territory. Rus-
other 25pc responded that “entertainment and hobby” term priorities is not easy. Russian politi- preserve an arms control treaty that find common ground when it comes to sia, meanwhile, has no particular desire
they were willing to stop using category (-79pc), while the cians will similarly fi nd it hard to relin- might have been allowed to expire under Afghanistan, non-proliferation of weap- to let American oil companies enter its
the internet, but only if they “industry”, (197pc) “mov- quish entrenched suspicions of the Unit- a Republican administration. Moreover, ons of mass destruction, and especially markets.
could not otherwise purchase ies” (159pc) and “programs” ed States, a country which, in recent years, Obama wants to move towards a world the nuclear programmes of Iran and The thesis for a “reset” has created a lot of
food. Nineteen pc responded (128pc) groups experienced has seemed to cause Moscow nothing but free of nuclear arms and President Dmit- North Korea. Moscow has agreed to pro- hope. The rosier the hopes, the greater the
that they could easily give up the largest growth. problems and humiliation. ry Medvedev has endorsed that aim. vide surface transit for non-military car- disappointment when something doesn’t
use of the internet, while 9pc Websites with free content Factors that exacerbated the old tensions This doesn’t mean, however, that the new goes to Afghanistan and voted for the go right. So better not to raise expecta-
would not do so at the ex- also experienced unspecifi ed, in bilateral relations – aggression in Iraq, Start negotiations can’t help but succeed. very tough UN resolution that prohibits tions. Just in case.
-
pense of other forms of enter- but signifi cant growth, as did the Orange Revolution in Kiev and The stumbling blocks are well known. North Korea from testing any ballistic First published in
tainment. Finally, 3pc of those the websites of the Central Ukraine’s consequent tilt towards Nato First, there is the problem of “reverse po- missiles. But it is equally obvious that Izvestia
polled said they would give up Bank and RTS stock index. – are losing their relevance. tential”: we want to limit all warheads and Russia will not go as far as the United
internet only if they didn’t The peak of “crisis-related” At the same time, the US military pres- delivery vehicles, including those in stor- States in punishing Teheran or Pyong- Vyacheslav Nikonov is president of the
have money to buy clothes. searches registered by Rus- ence in regions bordering the Common- age, the Americans are ready to consider yang and will never support military Polity Foundation
Additionally, 69pc of Russian sian search engines was reg-
internet users stated that istered between October and
they use it as a resource at December 2008, when an in-
work, while 7pc earn money crease of between 459pc and
ADDITIONAL READING ON
SERGEI BALASHOV/War-thought crimes OLEG MITYAYEV/To build railroads, develop deposits in Mongolia
via the web. 483pc was recorded. WWW.RBTH.RU
LEONID SEVASTYANOV/R100 Days of Patriarch Kirill DMITRY KOSYREV/Gorbachev, Deng changed the world 20 years ago
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