Russia's "backsliding"
We've always known that there are indeed a lot of things wrong with Russia. Its long and bloody history certainly speaks for itself. But ever since the fall of communism in 1991, the West has been hopeful that Russia could make democracy work for itself. The big debate is whether or not so vast a country, with such a history of firm autocratic rule, could ever advance into the modern democratic/capitalist world.
This debate has been rekindled among many intellectual circles due to recent events in our post- 9/11 world. The recent Chechen massacre at Beslan seems to have triggered a "backsliding" of democracy in Russia. President Putin has been tightening up on the press for a while now, but today criticism of the government is almost non-existent. In addition, Putin has given himself the power to appoint regional governors, as opposed to having them be elected by the people. The recent elections in the Ukraine were also a cause for a strain in U.S.-Russian relations. The fact that Russia supported the candidate that wanted to go off rigged election results is troubling. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Turkey revealed the U.S.'s concerns over the declining state of democracy in Russia.
"Obviously we have concerns ... it is important that Russia make clear to the world that it is intent on strengthening the rule of law, strengthening the role of an independent judiciary, permitting a free and independent press," Rice told a news conference in Warsaw, during a stopover en route to Turkey.
Aside from a decaying state of internal affairs, Russia's heavy involvement with Syria and Iran (i.e. selling weapons to Syria, selling nuclear plant materials to Iran) surely does not play well with the U.S. either. Hopefully, Bush's time with President Putin (still considered a "good friend") during his trip to Europe will yield some kind of result, whether it be internal reform or a shift in foreign policy (a little bit of both would be good). Nevertheless, Russia is definitely a state that we're going to have to continue to keep a close eye on. The rise of another Soviet-like dictatorship, armed with nukes I might add, is not something we want to see happening any time soon.
This debate has been rekindled among many intellectual circles due to recent events in our post- 9/11 world. The recent Chechen massacre at Beslan seems to have triggered a "backsliding" of democracy in Russia. President Putin has been tightening up on the press for a while now, but today criticism of the government is almost non-existent. In addition, Putin has given himself the power to appoint regional governors, as opposed to having them be elected by the people. The recent elections in the Ukraine were also a cause for a strain in U.S.-Russian relations. The fact that Russia supported the candidate that wanted to go off rigged election results is troubling. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Turkey revealed the U.S.'s concerns over the declining state of democracy in Russia.
"Obviously we have concerns ... it is important that Russia make clear to the world that it is intent on strengthening the rule of law, strengthening the role of an independent judiciary, permitting a free and independent press," Rice told a news conference in Warsaw, during a stopover en route to Turkey.
Aside from a decaying state of internal affairs, Russia's heavy involvement with Syria and Iran (i.e. selling weapons to Syria, selling nuclear plant materials to Iran) surely does not play well with the U.S. either. Hopefully, Bush's time with President Putin (still considered a "good friend") during his trip to Europe will yield some kind of result, whether it be internal reform or a shift in foreign policy (a little bit of both would be good). Nevertheless, Russia is definitely a state that we're going to have to continue to keep a close eye on. The rise of another Soviet-like dictatorship, armed with nukes I might add, is not something we want to see happening any time soon.
posted by Remz Pokorny @ 1:49 PM
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