Crony capitalism was foisted on Russia by western economists. No, it wasn't. They just didn't care under the assumption that creating a 'market' was all important and that it didn't matter if the nomenklatura and those close to it stole property, because once they had it they would start acting like good law abiding capitalists.
No, it wasn't. They just didn't care under the assumption that creating a 'market' was all important and that it didn't matter if the nomenklatura and those close to it stole property, because once they had it they would start acting like good law abiding capitalists.
Please do some research before repeating this tired old cliche. Please read this legal finding. From this article:
It was in 1992, after Congress passed the Freedom for Russia and the Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Market Support Act, that USAID hired Harvard to provide consultants to the Russian government to help design institutions favorable to democratic government and a market economy.
I cannot overestimate the level of access to Russian governmental decision makers these Harvard advisors had. They could literally have an audience with Yeltsin upon demand. They had permanent offices next to Yegor Gaidar, the "liberal" "economist" in charge of implementing their shock therapy prescription. They continually stressed to all levels of Russian government that they would pull the plug on funding if their decisions were not implemented without question and immediately.
Bill Clinton is guilty, in large part, for listening to his pathetic, so-called kremlinologists. To call his attention to Russia after the end of the cold war apathetic would be a complement.
Putin is replacing one bunch of politically connected crooks with another - those tied to Yeltsin are out, unless they give a cut to the new kids on the block, and Putin's cronies are in. When a new mob boss comes in and replaces the old capos with his own bunch I don't call that a positive development, just more of the same.
This is just plain wrong. Yeltsin's crew was in it purely for the money. They didn't give a rat's ass about the country. They stole as much as they could, as fast as they could. Putin's appointees may also be a greedy bunch, but they are genuinely interested in improving the country. You cannot even compare the economic, political, and legal progress made under Putin to that of the Yeltsin years.
They stole as much as they could, as fast as they could. Putin's appointees may also be a greedy bunch, but they are genuinely interested in improving the country. You cannot even compare the economic, political, and legal progress made under Putin to that of the Yeltsin years.
You have not provided any kind of evidence that any improvement under Putin is due to anything other than massive amounts of money from commodity exports, something that Putin deserves little credit for, and something that even Yeltsin's crowd would have managed to use to some extent to the benefit of the population.
Never has more been stolen from Russia's population by so few people than in the past few years. It's just less visible when the loot is plentiful and crumbs can be distributed grandly. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
We've had this conversation many times, mon ami.
Do you really believe that Putin has done nothing for the country? Is your hatred of him so blinding?
To be honest, I don't like his personality or the way he crudely expresses himself, but I have to admit that he is probably one of the most intelligent heads of state in the world right now. Many journalists (yes, even French ones) have said that they are immensely impressed with his ability to conduct 3.5 and 4 hour-long press conferences (not bad for someone who is "anti-press"), while maintaing perfect composure and command of all relevant facts and figures. He demands the same from all of his ministers, as well.
The mere fact that they are so well-informed puts them head and shoulders above Yeltsin's crowd. The man Yeltsin appointed governor of Chuhotka couldn't even find it on a map until it was pointed out to him.
So, think what you like, at any given time 70% of the only people who matter -- Russian citizens -- think Putin is better than Yeltsin, who had approval ratings twice as low as W's current ones.
Never has more been stolen from Russia's population by so few people than in the past few years. It's just less visible when the loot is plentiful and crumbs can be distributed grandly.
There is more than a grain of truth in what you say. But, you don't seem to understand that under Yeltsin no crumbs were even allowed to fall of the table!
