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Russia no longer can pose as democracy

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Tuesday, Jul 08, 2008 - 12:33:19 am CDT

News outlets in previous years described G-8 summits as meetings of the world’s richest democracies.

Things have changed. Now most news outlets have stopped referring to G-8 members as democracies. The Economist, for example, slyly refers to this week’s meeting as the G-7 democracies plus Russia.

The new description merely recognizes reality. Russia was added to the G-7 (United States, Britain, Germany, Canada, France, Italy and Japan) after Russia embraced genuine democracy after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Vladimir Putin, however, restored autocratic rule during his tenure as Russian president.

It’s a tribute to Putin’s cunning that the reversion from wild and wooly democracy to velvet-gloved autocracy happened with so little alarm or concern among the rest of the world’s democracies. The other members of the G-8 could kick out Russia, of course, but they lack the will.

At least Putin no longer is fooling the world.

The human rights organization Freedom House in a report last month said it became clear last year that Putin had grabbed authoritarian power with an “Iron Triangle” of government officials, industry leaders and security services.

The Iron Triangle muzzles independent news media, squelches political dissent and intimidates political opposition.

Freedom House said Russia has become the leading anti-democratic force in its region, lending support to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, which are run by dictators, while at the same time trying to undermine democracy in Georgia.

Some Western observers believe Russia is encouraging Georgian separatists so it can use the violence as a pretext for annexing the region. Even as the G-8 nations were meeting this week in Japan, a bomb went off in Georgia, killing at least four people.

That popularity made it easier for Putin to retain power when he switched offices this year, moving to the position of prime minister while his hand-picked successor Dimitry Medvedev was elected president.

The election, however, failed to meet minimal standards of democracy. Russian officials “blocked international and independent domestic observers from monitoring the elections in a substantive manner,” Freedom House reported.

There’s little doubt that Putin remains popular with the Russian people, primarily because the nation’s economy has continued to improve, in large part because of oil reserves.

And Putin’s success in retaining international respect while subtly gathering authoritarian control will embolden those with similar inclinations elsewhere in the world.

The days that Russia could masquerade as a true democracy, however, are over.


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natefrog wrote on July 8, 2008 12:26 pm:
" Can we truthfully say that the United States can also still pose as a democracy? "

 Litoralis wrote on July 8, 2008 1:26 pm:
" Here in the USA we need to RESTORE democracy and REBUILD countervailing forces that can control corporate power. At the national level, restoring democracy means separating corporations and state. Corporations and the wealthy should no longer be allowed to dominate the electoral and legislative processes. Companies' internal dynamics currently function like a furnace with a dial that can only be turned up. All the internal feedback loops say faster, higher, more short-term profits. And maximizing short-term profits leads to layoffs, fighting unions, demanding government subsidies, and escalating consumerist strains on the ecosystem. We need to celebrate and encourage alternative corporate designs, such as for-benefit corporations, community-owned cooperatives, trusts, and employee-owned companies. "

 Russian Immagrant wrote on July 8, 2008 2:46 pm:
" Being a Representitive Republic is a lttle differant than being a true Democracy. In the current political spectrum we have one party fostering a Corperate driven form of Representation, the other party wants a total dependance on Government in a form of Socialism. So niether is offering the people anything other than a differant form of bondage, not a Democratic form of a Representative Republic. We have again foundered into a political system based on the system we cast off in 1776. Both parties put forth thier aristrocracy and expect the commaner to follow blindly.
The Russians learned how well that worked, replacing the Czar's with Commisars, then the Criminal Czar's, now a new form of "elected" Dictatorship. Russia the original Russia had a great potential in the 1800's, was expanded into an authoritarian empire, then a communist empire. The people have no concept of Democracy or Freedom, the only concept the Russian people understand is survival. "

 valdisfoxy wrote on July 9, 2008 9:19 am:
" Well put, R.I., if a bit generalized--150+ years of ongoing Russian political evolution and upheaval is definitely hard to summariaze accurately in one paragraph--but I still beleive that, in the U.S., there is always the potential for democtatic reform, even when that reform is lacking or being actively thwarted by monied interests. Yes, it's critical to be an informed voter, and getting people to take even this rudimentary step is difficult when they're both fat and happy and being actively deceived or distracted (hooray for reality shows, major league sports and Fox News! Bread and Circuses for all!!). But time and again in U.S. history, political movements borne of ordinary citizens did more than vote (if they were even allowed), they changed the process by taking hold of it. It's not enough for 'we the people' to waddle out, vote for (or against) whichever candidate some right- or left- wing jaw-flapper praised or scorned, then go back to sleep. People need to know WHO their local and state officials are, WHAT their duties--to US, the voters and tax payers--are, and WHETHER that person places loyalty to lobbies, special interests or selfish convictions over the people who elected them. An electorate as ignorant and gullible as we've allowed ourselves to become has no right to be "shocked" when politicians or the people they appoint are caught influence peddling, firing people for political reasons, distorting official research findings, spying on innocents, embezzling, being Dick Cheney, or any number of a long, tired, sad list of despicable crimes. Change is inevitible, but we can't just sit on our hinders and wait for it. Change for the better only comes through hard work by concerned and informed people working together. If you're cynical and don't think things will change, are unwilling to get dirt under your fingernails or get a little bloody, then get out of the way and save your breath and go back to your blog that no one reads. The rest of us have work to do. "

 why wrote on July 9, 2008 5:50 pm:
" why do they have to be a democracy? If they are happy under a czarist style rule or even a return to communism, so be it. We need to worry about our selves and stop meddling in other countries. Fix the problems here and dont worry about anyone else. "

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