Order to Chaos, Chaos to Order
The pundits say that the United States and Russia are heading to another cold war. This may be true if America does not tone down its rhetoric. However, both nations messages are purely internally politically appealing to the masses or base. For the Americans, the message is that we stand for democracy, individual freedoms, capitalism and a free market and will champion them across the world. When an American official or any foreign official openly criticizes Russia's or should I say Putin's policies, Russia immediately acts with furor and lashes out. Great powers are not easily provoked to respond in such an openly hostile and derisive way, but Russia does which only exacerbates the situation.
Contrary to what most American's believe and feel, order is necessary to propagate the institutions that will support a democratic form of government. With the collapse of the Soviet Union a void was left, with no structure or order. Russia's earlier attempts at capitalism and democracy was meet with corruption and chaos. Putin rose to power to provide stability and order in the once chaotic regime. His speeches are all design to instill the people with pride into their mother land. His economic policies are to bring the once corrupt corporate oligarchies under the control of the state to ensure that the Russian people will ultimately benefit.
Today, Russia has under it control vast amount of natural resources. By instituting an market economy, Putin can control the growth, surveil for corruption, and once a stable corporation is established can begin to look to a more capitalistic approach. Already, Russia has taken steps for a capital raise of its Gas/Oil company. This is an important step because those that will invest want to see more corporate transparency. Great Britain after WWI had a similar approach to oil. Instead of purely capitalistic approach, Britain had a national concern to secure oil under the control of the government through proxies. Just as Great Britain did back then so to is Russia trying to mimic today.
American's must realize we must take a pragmatic approach. Not ever nation in the world will be able to embrace democracy so easily, that is a fact. What Putin has done is create a Hobbesian leviathan to establish order, but out of that order will come progress and advancement to a more stable economy and government that will eventually foster a new democracy. The rhetoric we hear today from American politicians is fine, but if that turns to actions it might lead to a new cold war.
posted by DCMASSHOLE @ 7:50 AM
5 Comments:
I call bullshit. Russia is where it is today because of a too-powerful government. The bureaucrats who had all the power gave ultra-sweet deals to the weathly few when industry was privatized.
More government power is NOT the answer. Russia's path to success is the same as that of it's eastern bloc countries: institute a fair, low-rate flat tax that is EQUALLY ENFORCED. Russia already has a flat tax of, I believe, 13%, but almost nobody pays it, and the corporate tax code is so convoluted the government bureaucrats can manipulate it to say a copr owes almost unlimited taxes.
What is happening in Russia is the same thing that's happening all over the world: prosperous businesses and businesspeople are no longer seen as success stories all should emulate; rather, they are seen as people who by definition must be corrput and as targets for the government to fleece for ever-increasing sums of money.
Wealth and wealth-creation should be rewarded, not derided. The state should get out of the business of private enterprise - states are by definition inefficient managers. If you need proof, just go down to your local Post Office or DMV.
Blue birds sing. Cows moo. Cats meow. Wild bears go poop in the woods. Politicians use rhetoric. It's just the nature of the beasts.
More eloquently spoken by the following:
"We live in a world in which politics has replaced philosophy".
"Politicians are masters of the art of deception".
Martin L. Gross
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary".
H. L. Mencken
Well, most of them imaginary anyhow.
And, finally we must remember:
"Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage".
Ambrose Bierce
Stratocade,
I agree with you as states being highly inefficient managers. However, order needs to be restored from the top down. Putin once he has gain control over the corporations next needs to institute laws the are favorable for economic investment and corporate governance. The main point here is that any law that is passed including Russia's current tax law needs to be properly and uniformally enforced.
Further more it is easier for the smaller Eastern Bloc Countries to assimilate because the west does not have the same fear and prejudices of them as Russia. EU has been far more welcoming to the former countries behind the Iron Curtin than they are to Russia. I believe logistically it is easier for a smaller homogenous country to reform and assimilate into the Western World than the expansive, chaotic, and heterogenous (lands and people conquered by Russia ie. Chechyna)country like Russia.
Putin needs to end the corruption within his own government, apply the laws evenly and fairly and begin to create a more open justice system. It is only then will Russia be able to emerge as an equal power amongst the world.
Oh, and my piece was just a cursory overview and is why to complicated of a topic to be just this post.
I agree Russia probably needs authoritarian rule - I'd just rather it be more Singapore-authoritarian (free market, authoritarian everything else) than Cuban...
You're probably right about the diversity thing - it's difficult to establish order in such a diverse land without being authoritarian. I reckon the only reason it worked for us is that most of our citizens came to the US and ASKED for our government to rule us. Russia isn't the same way, and will likely always be plagued by civil war unless they have some seriously big government to put the smackdown on the renegade areas.
Stratocade,
We think alike. I was also thinking of Singapore as a model government rather than Communist Regime. However, the difference with Singapore is it was colonized by the British and adopted its institutions, laws, education and philosophy. Thus, the people already had a strong foundation to foster such a model government and capitalistic society.
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