Pheonix Newsround Special - Focus on Russia

Remember that acronym, BRIC that Goldman Sachs came up with a few years ago, to refer to the world's four fastest growing economies?  Well, obviously China is the biggest of these, and according to what I've read, Brazil would be the 4th... yet this week I learned (on BBC and other reliable-enough sources) that Brazil is about overtaking Britain.  So, they all must be pretty significant on the world stage, da?

Regime change - or not - in a nation the size of Russia is always going to be big news, whatever happens.  But let's consider what Vladimir Putin is coming back to next Spring, and what shockwaves The Bear might send around the world.

Please bring any additional material you can here, from anywhere on the political spectrum?  Just some targeted news aggregation as usual from me; would love to get a broader overview of this topic, not least from Russia itself, if censorship isn't winning that battle already?  What are your media saying?  (Actually - I'd like to think a forum like this might be one of the first places many will look for this kind of news... we gather so you don't have to!)  What does a strong - or weak - Russia mean to you, or to your investments, or your political ideology?  Putin became popular in the past on the back of war in Chechnya... might the hardliners of the Caucasus be in for a good old false-flag battering, in the near future?  I think we know by now how war can stimulate an economy, however unfortunate that is.  And what of alliances or relationships with neighbours China and the failing Eurozone?  Is the balance of power in the world economy due for a major shift?  I confess my own naivety on some of this - I'm hoping the discussion generated can teach me something I didn't already know.  Open floor.  

Largest Protest Since Collapse of Soviet Union Rocks Russia

26 December 2011

(full article at link)

Russia's leadership was forced to defend its legitimacy yesterday after about 100,000 demonstrators rallied in central Moscow to demand democratic reform and fair elections in the largest wave of popular dissent since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The rally on Moscow's Sakharov Avenue on Saturday was the fourth and by far the biggest of the mass demonstrations provoked by the parliamentary vote held on 4 December. The ruling United Russia party, led by the Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, held on to a slim majority in parliament in those elections, but the results have been tainted by claims of wholesale fraud.

The demonstrators stood for hours in sub-zero weather on Saturday listening to a line-up of speakers as diverse as the crowd itself, including TV celebrities, writers, musicians, politicians, scientists and a jailed dissident whose video message was broadcast on a giant screen beside the stage.

"The people are waking up," said Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front opposition group who was arrested on the day of the elections as he heading to a rally. "The people have stopped putting up with this humiliating regime."

The name given to the demonstration – "For Fair Elections" – was also its main demand, suggesting a growing desire for the return of true democracy, not the "managed democracy" crafted under Mr Putin's 12-year rule.

The Long Life of Homo Sovieticus

December 10, 2011

(full article at link)

This week’s elections and upheavals in Russia show how hard it is, 20 years after the system collapsed, for the country to put away its Soviet past.

Under communism, the lack of private property was compensated for by power and status. A party boss did not own a factory personally—he could not even buy a flat—but his position in the party gave him access to the collective property of the state, including elite housing and special food parcels. The word “special” was a favourite one in the Soviet system, as in “special meeting”, “special departments” and “special regime”.

The Soviet system collapsed when top officials decided to “monetise” their privileges and turn them into property. The word “special” was also commercialised, to become eksklusivny (exclusive) and elitny (elite). It was used to market almost anything, from a house to a haircut. Under Mr Putin, “special” regained its Soviet meaning without losing its commercial value. A black Mercedes with a blue flashing light, ploughing its way through pedestrians, became the ultimate manifestation of power and money. It was also one of the symbols of injustice which helped to trigger the latest protests.

Stories of bureaucrats, and especially the security services, putting pressure on businesses are now common. The most famous example is that of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the dismembering of the Yukos oil company. But there are thousands of others. The statistics are staggering: one in six businessmen in Russia has been prosecuted for an alleged economic crime over the past decade. Most of the cases have no plaintiff and the number of acquittals is close to zero...

Putin's Children - Flying The Nest

(full article at link)  some great items on this site... not sure of the political affiliation, but appears to be Russian-authored ~ RP

What we saw in Bolotnaya Square was the Moscow middle class, made up of people who are well-off, mostly educated, spend a lot of time on the internet and own a Mazda, Ford or Nissan which they bought on hire purchase. Many of them will be paying off a mortgage on a flat somewhere outside Moscow. They are pleasant and non-aggressive, more like people at a cinema or a hypermarket than inspired revolutionaries, and it’s the first time that they have shown any interest in politics en masse.

In the 00s they were active in the economic sphere, but had almost no presence at all in the areas of culture or politics. The pact Putin offered them when he came to power was simple: the opportunity to make money in exchange for no interest in politics. The middle class stuck to this pact absolutely.

Russia's Elections. Who is Calling the Shots at the Duma?

by Benjamin Schett

(full article at link)

The situation echoes the Serbian, Georgian and Ukrainian models; in these and several other countries, the governments had to step down after mass protests were organised with the support of US think tanks including the National Endowment for Democracy. These actions, led by the US and several EU countries, were geared toward the installation of leaderships that were more in line with Western agendas than their predecessors, and not necessarily in the interest of the Russian population.

Certainly no effort is being spared to work towards a change of government in Russia.

However, these suggestions of a "colour revolution" do not correspond to Russian realities at all. American and West European media love to project their perceptions of a pro-Western civil society onto the protesters in Russia. Without a doubt, the archetype of the young academic activist who blames the government for being "undemocratic" and who advertises his West-friendly ideas on his internet blog certainly does exist in Russia. And the way the various neoliberal-oriented groups are being financed by the usual suspects is well documented[1]. But even in Western media one can read between the lines and notice that the majority of those expressing their dissatisfaction do not fit this scheme.

First of all it should be mentioned that the composition of the Russian Duma following the election results does in fact represent the will of Russia’s majority as much as it is possible in a system of representative democracy, which mirrors the framework of most Eastern and Western European countries. In the end, the ruling party received 238 of altogether 450 seats, which means a loss of 77 seats and its (up to now) two-thirds majority rule. The strongest opposition party, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), gained 35 seats and raised its total number to 92.[2] Furthermore, the Liberal Democrats, led by the nationalist Vladimir 

Zhirinovsky, and a party called "A Just Russia", which is supposed to be government-friendly and focuses on social issues, are also represented in the new parliament. [3]

The Communist Party leader, Gennady Zyuganov, does not demand a return to Soviet conditions, although this symbolism is being used to feed into nostalgic sentiments amongst the elder generations. His main positions were explained as follows on news channel Russia Today: "Zyuganov focuses on social protection, calling for increased pensions, higher wages for the state sector and re-nationalization of the economy."[4]

It is doubtful that these ideas by the undisputedly strongest Russian opposition party would please the missionaries of "democracy" of the so-called international community.

Russia's Envoy to NATO Rogozin Appointed Vice-Premier

President Dmitry Medvedev has appointed Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s envoy to NATO since 2008, deputy prime minister in charge of the defense complex.

Russia to find way to support Kosovo Serbs - Rogozin

November 2011

The application of more than 20,000 of Kosovo Serbs for the Russian citizenship is an unprecedented and very alarming situation, Russia’s envoy in NATO Dmitri Rogozin said Wednesday.“Russia will find the way to support the nation which is spiritually close to us and which found itself in such a difficult situation”,  Rogozin said.Earlier this month 22,000 Kosovo Serbs put their signatures under collective application for the Russian citizenship as they find that Serbia is not providing them with the required support.

NATO-Russia Relations

Russia Is Building A New 100-Ton Monster Ballistic Missile In Response To The Euro Missile Shield   (Dec 20, 2011)

China, Russia and the United States - RIA Novosti 

14 April 2011

Sino-Russian Relations since 1991 (Wiki)

Jailing of Ukraine ex-PM "dangerous": Putin

...they did WHAT?  I missed that one...!  ~  RP

Oct 11, 2011

(Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin criticized the jailing on Tuesday of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko over a 2009 gas supply deal, saying it could jeopardize energy relations between the two former Soviet states."It is dangerous and counterproductive to cast the entire package of agreements into doubt," Putin said, referring to the deal signed in January 2009 that ended a supply shutdown that disrupted transit supplies to Europe.

Spin Doctor Surkov Leaves Kremlin

28 December 2011

The Kremlin's longtime political mastermind Vladislav Surkov (read: Karl Rove) was removed from his post Tuesday in what observers called a response to recent anti-government protests.  But in a show of force to balance the move, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reiterated that the government has no plans to bow to the protesters' main demand and hold a repeat of the scandal-plagued Dec. 4 parliamentary elections.Analysts said Surkov's ouster was likely part of Putin's plan to strengthen his position in the Kremlin, which he intends to occupy for a third time after the presidential election in March.Surkov, who was first deputy chief of presidential staff since 1999, was moved to the government to become deputy prime minister overseeing economic modernization and innovation, the Kremlin reported on its web site Tuesday.