POLITICS: Putin Laments Collapse of USSR, Warns Potential Protesters

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the breakup of the Soviet Union was the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of the last century today in an annual state-of-the-nation address. He also made tough comments warning that anti-government movements such as the 'Orange Revolution' in Ukraine and recent protests in Kyrgyzstan would not be tolerated in Russia. Putin, a former KGB agent, has been criticized by the U.S. and other Western nations for his apparent rolling back of democratic and free-market reforms instituted after the Soviet Union dissolved.



Putin's hard line attitude seems to be intensifying lately. It would be sad to see Russia fall back to being a totalitarian state; I'm particularly worried about his warning of the government supressing any protests.

[edit on 4/26/2005 by djohnsto77]

i am telling you...Russia and most, if not all it's former states are going to become once more the old U.S.S.R. This is not the first time that Putin has mentioned that he misses the old times of communist Russia, and if democracy and capitalism hasn't helped that much the people in Russia, it is because you cannot expect people who have been dependent on an authoritarian government for decades to supply them of everything, even if it wasn't that much to start with, to teach themselves how to live in a capitalist and democratic government... The Kremlin never really tried to help the people integrate in the new economic system. The collapse of the U.S.S.R. was a sham, to get money from the west to keep their government alive and get new technology from the west, among some of the other things they want to do.

[edit on 26-4-2005 by Muaddib]

Originally posted by Muaddib
i am telling you...Russia and most, if not all it's former states are going to become once more the old U.S.S.R.

Thats just it though; do these sattletite states want to be part of the old USSR again? Look at Chechniya the havoc thats causing. Will these sattlelite states feel like putting up a fight is Russia tries to reimpose the old soviet bloc again?

Originally posted by Muaddib
The collapse of the U.S.S.R. was a sham, to get money from the west to keep their government alive and get new technology from the west, among some of the other things they want to do.

I almost never agree with Muaddid so I feel compelled to AGREE here. Something was and is afoot with the USSR/Russia move.

Whatever it is I don't know. Could have been to spin off some troublesome hanger-on or perhaps to reshape the business climate or maybe to bring the ciminals out in the open. I don't know.

Russia is not 'down and out' as many preace. They are capable and still going.

Originally posted by djohnsto77
Putin's hard line attitude seems to be intensifying lately. It would be sad to see Russia fall back to being a totalitarian state; I'm particularly worried about his warning of the government supressing any protests.

[edit on 4/26/2005 by djohnsto77]

Uh... Russia was never a totalitarian state. It's called authoritarianism. There has never been a single totalitarian state in recorded history.

Let's face it, things aren't getting any better in Russia. The way I see it, as long as Russia doesn't become hostile like it was during the Cold War, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Putin's KGB as mentioned above, and I feel will always be. Putin's dealings with his own political opponents is a bit frightning for a Democracy. Putin's dealings with Iran and selling Iran plutonium and heavy water is scary.

Look on the bright side he might be accepted into the European Union..Putin, Schroder and that Frenchman - what a combination, they'll have to go through metal detectors prior to meeting privately with each other.

Dallas

This is exciting. Putin obviously wouldn't say such a thing if it weren't measured and calculated beforehand as part of a gameplan. Everyone knows what Putin's Russian government is up to, but as mentioned above, who's going to stop them from appropriating private businesses in Russia and elsewhere? Not logically the U.S.A., that's certain, and not the ex-USSR states either. That leaves nobody.

Also, what of the Russian mafia? What's really the difference between mafia-controlled means of production and state-controlled means of production? Not much. Maybe nothing if you take the index of corruption into consideration.

Zip

These might prove a worthy read for some of you:
Commentary: Putin’s “authoritarianism” vs. the “commentariat”
How Russia is trying hard to resurrect its lost empire
Stalin Making A Comeback, As A Facade For Putin

Also bear in mind that Putin has started at the top: with the OIL industry.





seekerof

Poland Ain't gonna be part of the new USSR I can say that confidently. If the USSR does get back together it will be a shadow of its old self, too many ex-soviet bloc countries are moving away from that system and too much support for these actions are taking place for anything solid to happen. Putin is getting scared of China I believe not the USA, they got a sleeping dragon on thier doorstep that is slowly waking up from its centuries long slumber. They fear a China/EU alliance just as the USA fears it and rightly so.

EDIT: Just a hunch though

[edit on 26-4-2005 by sardion2000]

Putin means well

Putin is the best thing that happened to Russia after the break up of the USSR. In a country like Russia its all about power, who the military and the business support. For Russia right now they need a strong leader, someone who's got vision for prosperity, even if it takes totalitarianism to get to it.
Putins reforms are timely the Russian Duma is swamped with corruption and the Mafia is having greater and greater influence on the Duma all these things seem to worry Putin. Putin is using the political power he amassed during his first term in office to push through unpopular reforms that affect the lives of the average Russian. The vast power Putin has concentrated into the hands of the Kremlin has a specific purpose: to pass into law unpopular, but needed, legislation to modernize the economy. All this clearly shows the restlessness that Ptuin has for speedy reforms in the economy, social security and other departments of the antiquated USSR that need to be addressed with Russia's new capitalistic model.
IMHO I see him as a President who is anxious to get Russia back to its place among the worlds top nations. Let us not forget that whatever said and done Mr. Putin is a patriotic person and I think he will do what is best for his country.
His statements might have only been his personal dissatisfaction with the past when he worked for the KGB but I am sure that even somebody such as Putin cannot get Russia to regress back to its Communist Past, actually he has effectively sidelined the communist party in Russia and it has very little support from the Russian people.


[edit on 26-4-2005 by IAF101]

Read this ....

www.abovetopsecret.com...

helen

tho I dont agree with any totalitarian government puttins coments about so called anti government coments armt any different from bushes coment saying "eather your with us or against us" and makeing threats against what he calls conspiracey theorists, so bush cant really talk.

I also surprisingly agree with Muaddib... (wow)
The USSR has been very wierd ever since the reformation...
democracy was quickly capitalized by the former black market. The former party leaders became the new middle and upper class... with connections now to the black market. The reforms that were needed were slow growing...
it was as if they wanted to show that democracy would NOT work, "and here is the proof..." yada yada

We should do the same thing in the USA...
it would be great... and save bunches of money...

we just make an announcement... declare any and all depts against the former USA null and void... ask for grants and handouts from other nations so that we can "rebuild".
all those pesky lawsuits and scandals against the government would be no more...
any environmental catastrophies would be someone elses problem to clean up...
and to top it all off, everyone would like us again for a few years...
(the new America... yeah, they are nice... the old one... damn meddlers)

with one fell swoop, we would dissolve any and all treaties with the native americans... no more payoffs, no more welfare...
no more connection to our scandolous past... (slavery, bioweapons testing on civilians, ect)

wouldn't a clean slate do America some good also...

some ATSer, who claimed to live in Russia, would constantly comment that the "USSR" was better at yada yada...
so I think even the average russian probably still thinks like a soviet...

Originally posted by IAF101
Putin means well
Putin is the best thing that happened to Russia after the break up of the USSR.

If you have to choose the best of absolutely worst, there might be something in this statement.

In a country like Russia its all about power, who the military and the business support. For Russia right now they need a strong leader, someone who's got vision for prosperity, even if it takes totalitarianism to get to it.

Putin hasn't got jack of a vision. He slipped into the pit of self-preservation, and preservation of the horrendous bueraucratuc system Russia has become.

Putins reforms are timely the Russian Duma is swamped with corruption and the Mafia is having greater and greater influence on the Duma all these things seem to worry Putin.

WTF. The Duma and Putin are in symbiotic existence. Mafia rules and will rule, unfortunately, -- just read the news about the continuing contract killings and things of that nature. Putin won't be able to do anything about it as much everybody else is in it.

Putin is using the political power he amassed during his first term in office to push through unpopular reforms that affect the lives of the average Russian.

... by screwing them up big big big time. That's some use of the capital.

The vast power Putin has concentrated into the hands of the Kremlin has a specific purpose: to pass into law unpopular, but needed, legislation to modernize the economy.

The specific purpose is simply to preserve the status quo. There is no progress, reform or not. The Russians are dying off, free or affordable medical care is a thing of the past and the education is quickly following, now people will star losing their housing due to the recent "reform". There are now homeless children, which was previously unheard of. As is well know, the infrastructure everywhere except in major cities has collapsed.

Putin is leading his country into the New Stone Age. He gets no approval from my humble person.