A Return To The Cold War?

[Annie]

It's been obvious that something has been going on with Russia for years now. Always in the background the fact that Putin was 'former' KGB was lurking. In the past year to year and a half, the weird has been getting louder. This is the first realistic piece I've seen on what may be going on or at least where to look:

http://www.economist.com/debate/democracyinamerica/2007/02/a_russian_friend_whose_insight.cfm

13th

0:36 GMT +00:00
A new model: the secret-police state

Posted by:
Economist.com | NEW YORK

Categories:
Russia

A RUSSIAN friend whose insights I admire came up with a persuasive formulation the other day. Russia, he said, was now a secret-police state.

Not a police state, of which there have been many examples down the centuries. Nor a military junta, likewise. But a secret-police state, which is a rare and perhaps even unique animal in modern times. You might have tried to pin the same tag on the Soviet Union, but in the end you would have had to concede that there was a party and an ideology in charge. The KGB was a powerful instrument but not a master.

Now the post-KGB is the master of Russia, and we have to guess what that will mean in policy terms.

The post-KGB men have no ideology or morality to speak of, so no clues there. The population and political institutions are no check on them. But what do they want? If their overwhelming priority turns out to be making themselves personally rich very quickly, that points to one set of behaviours. If their overwhelming priority is to maximise the power of Russia in the world, that points to another set of behaviours...

 

[Gurdari]

He's a heavy handed guy. More countries need clean rap sheets before they can condemn Russia, unfortunately. Sure he kills people, and cracks down on the press, but isn't that in vogue these days?

 

[insein]

He's a heavy handed guy. More countries need clean rap sheets before they can condemn Russia, unfortunately. Sure he kills people, and cracks down on the press, but isn't that in vogue these days?

Too true. Unless of course the press is already in your pocket (American Democrats).

 

[Gurdari]

Too true. Unless of course the press is already in your pocket (American Democrats).

The press run more favourable coverage of repubs, than dems. Look up the numbers, how could a liberal biased media do that? Unless the republicans are correct 100% of the time...haha.

 

[insein]

The press run more favourable coverage of repubs, than dems. Look up the numbers, how could a liberal biased media do that? Unless the republicans are correct 100% of the time...haha.

Are you serious? Where are you getting these numbers? Only favorable content for Conservatives is on talk radio shows like Hannity and Limbaugh. Next time you find me a show, story, article that criticizes an American Democrat, you show it to me.

 

[Avatar4321]

He's a heavy handed guy. More countries need clean rap sheets before they can condemn Russia, unfortunately. Sure he kills people, and cracks down on the press, but isn't that in vogue these days?

Why does a nation need a clean rap sheet before they can condemn Putin for his bad behavior?