Yeltsin vs. Gorbachev.
At Time, the saga continues:
What is the root of the current difficulties in the lives of many russians?
[Former President Boris] Yeltsin ruined the country. He allowed the wealth of the country to be taken by a few people. And the West was never critical of Yeltsin. I think President Vladimir Putin is correcting the mess that Yeltsin made.
Is Putin on the right track?
Putin is trying to move toward more social-democratic policies—to improve health care, education and the like. But just as Russia is beginning to rise again, the West doesn't accept it. America is intoxicated by its position as the world's only superpower. It wants to impose its will. But America needs to get over that. It has responsibilities as well as power. I say this as a good friend of America.
The U.S. seems worried about some antidemocratic developments in Russia, such as kremlin control of the media. The U.S. should be concerned about Russian domestic issues if Russians are concerned. Yes, the media are under some assault. There are some authoritarian methods being used. That is not in the interests of the people. Democracy is fragile.
So is this just long-standing petty recrimination (maybe still understandable) left over from after the 1991 coup and Yeltsin eclipsing Gorbachev as Russia's reformer? Or does Gorbachev have a serious point about Yeltsin and the economic shock therapy program he accepted from the West during the 90s? And what about Putin's role? Any opinions? Any recommended reading?
Update: Thanks also to the emailer who pointed me to this Institutional Invester article on the Harvard Russia Project. The whole topic also reminded me of the great 2003 film Spinning Boris, featuring Dick Morris as you know he truly is.
What is the root of the current difficulties in the lives of many russians?
[Former President Boris] Yeltsin ruined the country. He allowed the wealth of the country to be taken by a few people. And the West was never critical of Yeltsin. I think President Vladimir Putin is correcting the mess that Yeltsin made.
Is Putin on the right track?
Putin is trying to move toward more social-democratic policies—to improve health care, education and the like. But just as Russia is beginning to rise again, the West doesn't accept it. America is intoxicated by its position as the world's only superpower. It wants to impose its will. But America needs to get over that. It has responsibilities as well as power. I say this as a good friend of America.
The U.S. seems worried about some antidemocratic developments in Russia, such as kremlin control of the media. The U.S. should be concerned about Russian domestic issues if Russians are concerned. Yes, the media are under some assault. There are some authoritarian methods being used. That is not in the interests of the people. Democracy is fragile.
So is this just long-standing petty recrimination (maybe still understandable) left over from after the 1991 coup and Yeltsin eclipsing Gorbachev as Russia's reformer? Or does Gorbachev have a serious point about Yeltsin and the economic shock therapy program he accepted from the West during the 90s? And what about Putin's role? Any opinions? Any recommended reading?
Update: Thanks also to the emailer who pointed me to this Institutional Invester article on the Harvard Russia Project. The whole topic also reminded me of the great 2003 film Spinning Boris, featuring Dick Morris as you know he truly is.
2 Comments:
Very helpful, Rich, thanks.
Lilia Shevtsova has written a couple of good ones.
Putin's Russia: Revised Edition.
Yeltsin's Russia: Myths and Reality.
Both are solid analyses. And there is this one, which I have skipped through, Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Putin: Political Leadership in Russia's Transition. (It's short and concentrates on the men and their mindset.)
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