Window On Eurasia: Dymovsky’s YouTube Clips Said ‘Awakening’ Russia The Way Writings Of Gorky And Solzhenitsyn Did Earlier
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posted by eagle on November, 2009 as ANALYSIS / OPINION
Paul Goble
Ottawa, November 12 – The denunciation of criminality in the militia by Kuban MVD Major Dymovsky on YouTube and the appearance of clips by two other former interior ministry officers threatens to “awaken” Russian society more than any other development since the recovery of stability earlier in this decade, according to numerous Moscow commentators.
And while the suggestion of some that the MVD may be the unexpected source of “an orange revolution” in Russia are an overstated reaction to regime propagandists who have suggested that the West is behind the major (www.mk.ru/social/publications/384127.html), there can be no doubt of the attention these YouTube appearances are gaining.
One commentator, Dmitry Bykov, argued that “the popularity of the Kuban major is comparable to the mechanism of the glory of Maxim Gorky” a century ago. At that time, he says, “everyone knew that the people were becoming impoverished and suffering ...
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DW: Opinion: Europe Should Seize On Medvedev's Calls For Modernization
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posted by eagle on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
12.11.2009Opinion: Europe should seize on Medvedev's calls for modernizationIn his annual state of the nation address, Russian President Dimitry Medvedev called for sweeping internal reforms. Deutsche Welle's Ingo Mannteufel thinks this is a golden opportunity for the EU.The Russian president did not mince his words as he described the socio-economic situation in Russia. He ranted at what he called the country's "chronic backwardness," the "lack of economic competitiveness," the rampant corruption and the high level of dependency on gas and oil. And there's no arguing with his assessment. All the problems he listed play a major part in Russia's failure to fulfill its potential and to offer its people a modern way of life. His appeals for change appear to be the right way forward, including the modernization and strengthening of democratic values and institutions and his pledge to fight terrorism in the North Caucasus region. However, any approval and support for his ideas should not overshadow two important questions: Can Medvedev achieve his ambitious aims given the extent of ...
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RFE/RL: Revolutions Of '89: The Moscow Spring
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posted by eagle on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
November 12, 2009Revolutions Of '89: The Moscow Springby Brian Whitmore
Some stayed home and sat glued to their television sets for hours. Some went about their daily business with transistor radios pressed tightly against their ears. They gasped in shock, awe, glee, and indignation at what they heard. They hung on every single word.
It was the spring of 1989, the Soviet Union's first democratically elected legislature was in session.
The daily sessions were filled with passionate speeches and heated disagreements. The Soviet public had never seen anything like it -- and couldn't get enough.
"People were carrying radios everywhere they went, on trams, on buses. Everybody was listening to the deputies' speeches. If somebody didn't have a radio, they would stand next to somebody who did. Everybody gave others the opportunity to listen," says Yury Vdovin, deputy director of the St. Petersburg-based human rights organization Citizens Watch.
And what they heard was -- for the time -- revolutionary.
Gone were the empty, scripted platitudes and numbing cadence that previously dominated official ...
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RFE/RL: 'YouTube' Whistleblower Arrives In Moscow On Police Day, As Scandal Deepens
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posted by eagle on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
'YouTube' Whistleblower Arrives In Moscow On Police Day, As Scandal Deepens Police officer Aleksei Dymovsky is followed by photographers ahead of his Moscow press conference. November 10, 2009 By Brian Whitmore His bank card and mobile phone were blocked. He was detained on the way to the airport. And he had a tough time buying a plane ticket.
But Aleksei Dymovsky, a police major in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiisk, managed to make it to Moscow, where he continued his campaign to expose what he called widespread malfeasance and corruption in Russia's law-enforcement bodies.
At a press conference in the Russian capital on November 10, Dymovsky held up a digital recorder and claimed to have taped 150 hours of incriminating conversations involving his superiors.
Dymovsky's recording is expected to include evidence backing his claims that superiors and colleagues on the Novorossiisk police force ordered false arrests, drug plants on innocent suspects, and taking bribes.
"Colleagues are calling me with their support and telling me to hang in there," Dymovsky said.
He also flatly ... >> full
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RFE/RL: Forbes Index Lists World's Most Powerful Players
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posted by eagle on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
Forbes Index Lists World's Most Powerful Players Vladimir Putin and Hu Jintao are the second and third most powerful people in the world, trailing Barack Obama, according to Forbes. November 12, 2009 U.S. media organization Forbes is famous for its long-established lists of the world's richest people. Now it has started a new list dealing with those who hold the most power in the world. But how does one define "power?" How does the spiritual power of a religious leader compare with the temporal power of a head of state? How does a journalist measure up against a terrorist? Forbes says it wrestled with this problem for some time, before coming up with four criteria. First, does the nominee have influence over a large number of other people? Second, do they control substantial financial resources? Third, are they powerful in multiple spheres? Fourth, do they actively use their powers? These criteria produce some odd results. For instance, Michael Duke, the president of the Wal-Mart supermarket chain in the United States, comes out ...
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