Another one bites the dust?
Question: What do Alexander Litvinko, Sergei Yushenkov, Paul Klebnikov, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and Anna Politkovskaya have in common?
Answer: All were made to pay for their vocal opposition to Putin or other powerful Russian interests.
On the day that Russia and the US concluded their bilateral negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO, news emerged from London that the former FSB colonel Alexander Litvinko is fighting for his life in a London hospital. Litvinko was apparently poisoned after meeting a contact for his research on the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. The former KGB spy Litvinko fled to the UK six years ago and recently acquired British citizenship. His poisoning fits into a long history of attempts by the Russian government to shut down any critics of Putin and his government.
Sergei Yushenkov, leader of the small Liberal Russia party, was shot dead in April 2003. He lobbied against the military campaign in Chechnya and investigated allegations that a spate of apartment blocks bombings in 1999 was not the work of Chechen terrorists, but rather the work of the authorities to secure support for the second military campaign in Chechnya.
Paul Klebnikov was shot dead in June 2004 in what looked like a contract killing. His murder was probably linked to his work on Russian business, most notably the book 'Godfather of the Kremlin: The Decline of Russia in the Age of Gangster Capitalism' in which he described the murky dealings of Berezovsky, a former member of Russia's oligarchy.
The cases of Khodorkovsky and Politkovskaya need no further explanation I believe. These murders, coupled with a number of other developments suggest that democracy like we know it in the West is still far from established in Russia. A recent law on NGOs has severely limited the freedom of maneuver, the press is practically all owned by pro-state companies and the State Duma is looking increasingly like a rubber stamping institution.
I believe two points can be made about the state of democracy in Russia. First of all, should we really expect (and want) a Western-like democracy in Russia. After all, Russia has a long history of autocratic regimes dating back to at least the reign of the first Russian czar Ivan IV (1547–1584). Also, opinion polls suggest that the Russian people are far from unequivocal in their support of democracy. A large part asks for a strong state in the tradition of 'Father Czar', something which Putin is giving them.
Secondly, the role of the West in supporting democracy in Russia is ambigious to say the least. Condoleeza Rice met with relatives of Ms. Politkovskaya during her visit to Russia recently and was quick to condemn the murder. Yet this did not stop the US and Russia from agreeing on Russia's membership to the WTO. 'Larger' stakes play a role here. The West needs the support of Russia to stand any chance of resolving the North Korea crisis. And of course, Russia's large gas and oil reserves give it a powerful lever in international politics.
Answer: All were made to pay for their vocal opposition to Putin or other powerful Russian interests.
On the day that Russia and the US concluded their bilateral negotiations on Russia's accession to the WTO, news emerged from London that the former FSB colonel Alexander Litvinko is fighting for his life in a London hospital. Litvinko was apparently poisoned after meeting a contact for his research on the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. The former KGB spy Litvinko fled to the UK six years ago and recently acquired British citizenship. His poisoning fits into a long history of attempts by the Russian government to shut down any critics of Putin and his government.
Sergei Yushenkov, leader of the small Liberal Russia party, was shot dead in April 2003. He lobbied against the military campaign in Chechnya and investigated allegations that a spate of apartment blocks bombings in 1999 was not the work of Chechen terrorists, but rather the work of the authorities to secure support for the second military campaign in Chechnya.
Paul Klebnikov was shot dead in June 2004 in what looked like a contract killing. His murder was probably linked to his work on Russian business, most notably the book 'Godfather of the Kremlin: The Decline of Russia in the Age of Gangster Capitalism' in which he described the murky dealings of Berezovsky, a former member of Russia's oligarchy.
The cases of Khodorkovsky and Politkovskaya need no further explanation I believe. These murders, coupled with a number of other developments suggest that democracy like we know it in the West is still far from established in Russia. A recent law on NGOs has severely limited the freedom of maneuver, the press is practically all owned by pro-state companies and the State Duma is looking increasingly like a rubber stamping institution.
I believe two points can be made about the state of democracy in Russia. First of all, should we really expect (and want) a Western-like democracy in Russia. After all, Russia has a long history of autocratic regimes dating back to at least the reign of the first Russian czar Ivan IV (1547–1584). Also, opinion polls suggest that the Russian people are far from unequivocal in their support of democracy. A large part asks for a strong state in the tradition of 'Father Czar', something which Putin is giving them.
Secondly, the role of the West in supporting democracy in Russia is ambigious to say the least. Condoleeza Rice met with relatives of Ms. Politkovskaya during her visit to Russia recently and was quick to condemn the murder. Yet this did not stop the US and Russia from agreeing on Russia's membership to the WTO. 'Larger' stakes play a role here. The West needs the support of Russia to stand any chance of resolving the North Korea crisis. And of course, Russia's large gas and oil reserves give it a powerful lever in international politics.
posted by Dima at 1:04 pm
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