NationStates Jolt Archive

It seems a Mr Boris Berezovsky, a refugee in Britain, is saying that the only way Putin will leave power is if he is forced out. When asked if he was effectively fomenting a revolution, he said: "You are absolutely correct".

Great, another mad schmo whats to take on the world I hear you cry. Well if it makes any difference Berezovsky has £850 million to ease things along.

:eek:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2056321,00.html

Isn't his popular support 80% or something?

I want to see zombie Lenin rise from the mausoleum.

Isn't his popular support 80% or something?Among the 'prols', yes... or something like that. That's probably due to him having considerable control over the Russian media.

Among the ruling elite I do not thing he is quite so popular. I mean how can one exercise one's own power when the guy above you is being so authoritarian?

Among the 'prols', yes... or something like that. That's probably due to him having considerable control over the Russian media.

I doubt it. They're strongly supportive of his policies, too.

Among the ruling elite I do not thing he is quite so popular. I mean how can one exercise one's own power when the guy above you is being so authoritarian?

I'm positively weeping.

Do you think Putin will voluntarily leave office?

Isn't his popular support 80% or something?

Aren't all Russian presidents popular?

ha nice joke. Well, I know Boris Yeltsin is often mocked by many Russians, and by many letists that would like to bring back the Soviet Union.

It seems a Mr Boris Berezovsky, a refugee in Britain, is saying that the only way Putin will leave power is if he is forced out. When asked if he was effectively fomenting a revolution, he said: "You are absolutely correct".

Great, another mad schmo whats to take on the world I hear you cry. Well if it makes any difference Berezovsky has £850 million to ease things along.

:eek:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2056321,00.html

Is anyone surprised by this? I'm certainly not. The Russians are a fragmented people, and they always have been. I would not be surprised if the same were true of Americans today were it not for our insistance on nationalism and jingiostism.

I'm not a fan of Putin by any means, but I think he is necessary for Russia right now.

So called "shock therapy" was a disaster for Russia, and the economic results are obvious. Trying to enact social reform before economic reform had no chance of success in Russia (note that the Chinese are wisely avoiding this same path), and it's going to take a while to bring the country to the point where autocratic rule isn't necessary in order to enact necessary economic policy.

Putin is a cold bastard, but he's a crafty cold bastard...the last thing Russia needs right now is another Yeltsin.

...and of course, there's no indication yet that Putin won't step aside. It's entirely likely he won't, but that's not a cold hard fact as of yet.

I hope Mr Boris Berezovsky has a polonium detector.

Yes.

Do you think Putin will voluntarily leave office?
Office? Probably, yes.

Power? No, of course not. I have a funny feeling that a place as head of Gazprom's board of directors will be open just when he leaves office.

Gazprom and the Russian government are virtually indistinguishable anyways.

I think he's limited to two terms in office, and his second is just running out. I don't know whether he could amend the Russian constitution to give himself another term, but my guess is that he's got a protégé somewhere with whom he can 'rule from beyond the throne'.

Just a guess though.

It seems a Mr Boris Berezovsky, a refugee in Britain, is saying that the only way Putin will leave power is if he is forced out. When asked if he was effectively fomenting a revolution, he said: "You are absolutely correct".

Great, another mad schmo whats to take on the world I hear you cry. Well if it makes any difference Berezovsky has £850 million to ease things along.

:eek:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2056321,00.html

I would suggest that he not order the sushi.

It seems a Mr Boris Berezovsky, a refugee in Britain, is saying that the only way Putin will leave power is if he is forced out. When asked if he was effectively fomenting a revolution, he said: "You are absolutely correct".

Great, another mad schmo whats to take on the world I hear you cry. Well if it makes any difference Berezovsky has £850 million to ease things along.

:eek:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2056321,00.html

I hope so.
And this time I want the Mensheviks to win.

Just a guess though.
Not a bad one.

Ivanov (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Ivanov) as President, Putin as head of Gazprom.

While I deplore Vladimir Putin's authoritarian tendencies, I have to admit that he's one of the most intelligent men ever to lead Russia, if not the most intelligent. Likewise, he's one of the most intelligent of all current world leaders, if not the most intelligent. He doesn't make stupid mistakes often, and he doesn't ever seem to make the same mistake twice. If anyone can hold together the geographical and cultural absurdity that is modern Russia, it's Putin. If Putin can't, then the resulting mess in Central Asia is going to make the Middle East look tame by comparison.

I wish there was a third path for the Russian people to take, but right now, their choices seem to be between totalitarianism and chaos. And while totalitarianism is bad for the Russians, chaos in Central Asia is bad for everyone.

While I deplore Vladimir Putin's authoritarian tendencies, I have to admit that he's one of the most intelligent men ever to lead Russia, if not the most intelligent. Likewise, he's one of the most intelligent of all current world leaders, if not the most intelligent. He doesn't make stupid mistakes often, and he doesn't ever seem to make the same mistake twice. If anyone can hold together the geographical and cultural absurdity that is modern Russia, it's Putin. If Putin can't, then the resulting mess in Central Asia is going to make the Middle East look tame by comparison.

I wish there was a third path for the Russian people to take, but right now, their choices seem to be between totalitarianism and chaos. And while totalitarianism is bad for the Russians, chaos in Central Asia is bad for everyone.

Not necessarily, Russian chaos might give a chance for a few new independant nations to form, like an independent Chechnya or something.

I want to see zombie Lenin rise from the mausoleum.

here you go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY0r1WQPHIk

Isn't his popular support 80% or something?

Most dictators tend to have lots of popular support, as only those who are very foolish or suicidal would risk not supporting said dictators.

I hope so. I miss Russian Dictatorship.

Someone needs to kill Putin, though, and do it soon.

Among the 'prols', yes... or something like that. That's probably due to him having considerable control over the Russian media.

Among the ruling elite I do not thing he is quite so popular. I mean how can one exercise one's own power when the guy above you is being so authoritarian?

You know, I think he is very popular. I've talked or seen many discussions with Russians and almoust all of them like Putin. That is in no way representive for the population but if they have access to internet and still like him, I think it's more to it than control over the media.
And why shouldn't they like him? He's stabilized the economy and Russia is slowly growing stronger and more powerful as a nation. In spite of his somewhat undemocratical tendensies, he is a good leader.

Someone needs to kill Putin, though, and do it soon.

Why? Please elaborate.

"According to public opinion surveys conducted by Levada Center, Putin's approval rating is 81% as of February 2007. It started at 31% in August 1999, rose to 80% by November 1999 and never fell below 65% since then."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putin#Domestic_support_of_Putin

He is popular. He will step aside because there is a term limit. But he is already in the process of doing everything he can so that someone that he likes becomes his successor.

So... bets on how long before Britain is cleaning up another radioactive Russian corpse? :p

Most dictators tend to have lots of popular support, as only those who are very foolish or suicidal would risk not supporting said dictators.

Putin is not exactly slaughtering dissidents.

I want to see zombie Lenin rise from the mausoleum.

That can be arranged...

While I deplore Vladimir Putin's authoritarian tendencies, I have to admit that he's one of the most intelligent men ever to lead Russia, if not the most intelligent. Likewise, he's one of the most intelligent of all current world leaders, if not the most intelligent. He doesn't make stupid mistakes often, and he doesn't ever seem to make the same mistake twice. If anyone can hold together the geographical and cultural absurdity that is modern Russia, it's Putin. If Putin can't, then the resulting mess in Central Asia is going to make the Middle East look tame by comparison.

I wish there was a third path for the Russian people to take, but right now, their choices seem to be between totalitarianism and chaos. And while totalitarianism is bad for the Russians, chaos in Central Asia is bad for everyone.
Quite. He'd also win Celebrity Deathmatch against absolutely anyone.

In America zombies eat you, in Russia living eat zombies.:p

I'd like to see Russia stay put for awhile the last thing it needs is more instability which has been the case for god knows how long

I must confess though being European I kind of might be a bit biased in my opinion considering what goes on there will have some kind of backlash especially if it involves Russia with even more violence

Someone needs to kill Putin, though, and do it soon.

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/7816/dalektosyy2.jpg

Well Lenin + communism seems pretty popular over there. I was walking down some of the central Petrogr- err St Petersburg streets a few months ago and every shirt you saw had something communist about it. Plus the only hats you could buy were soviet ones.

BUT, they do still despise the former soviet rule in Russia. TBH though, it doesn't seem like there was any major revolutionary feeling among the people, but maybe I just missed it.

I want to see zombie Lenin rise from the mausoleum.

That would be AWESOME!!

Well Lenin + communism seems pretty popular over there. I was walking down some of the central Petrogr- err St Petersburg streets a few months ago and every shirt you saw had something communist about it. Plus the only hats you could buy were soviet ones.
Sounds like a tourist thing to me. Plenty of us Westerners had a sneaking respect for the USSR, despite the gulags and the stupid rhetoric. Now we can go visit Leningrad, where Russia kicked the German ass for the first time in WW2, we can get a Big Mac if need be, and our own secret services aren't going to ask a lot of difficult questions when we get home.

Seriously, though, it's got a lot of beautiful old buildings and stuff, and I'd go there if I had the money. Isn't that where the Hermitage is?

BUT, they do still despise the former soviet rule in Russia. TBH though, it doesn't seem like there was any major revolutionary feeling among the people, but maybe I just missed it.
Okay.

Someone needs to kill Putin, though, and do it soon.

watch out. I think he's going to try to poison you with polonium now.

watch out. I think he's going to try to poison you with polonium now.

In Soviet Russia, polonium poisons YOU!!

Oh wait...

If there is a revolution or violent overthrow in Russia it will be a fascist/neo-nazi one.

A good documentary on it (truely frightening insight on Russian right scene);
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rra6R8RUwy8&mode=related&search=


Also while the Russian government doesn't mind breaking up homosexual marches, neo-nazi marches are tolerated. In reason because the crowds marching outnumber most US/EU by tenfold.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=C7Qz-O5T25E


Also the government, here is an example of a government secretary condoning and praising skinheads without having to suffer any retribution for it;
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4ONDVulODxk

Well Lenin + communism seems pretty popular over there. I was walking down some of the central Petrogr- err St Petersburg streets a few months ago and every shirt you saw had something communist about it. Plus the only hats you could buy were soviet ones.

BUT, they do still despise the former soviet rule in Russia. TBH though, it doesn't seem like there was any major revolutionary feeling among the people, but maybe I just missed it.

Leningrad just sounds soo much better than S:t Peterburg or Petrograd. They shoul've sticked with Leningrad.

Leningrad just sounds soo much better than S:t Peterburg or Petrograd. They shoul've sticked with Leningrad.

Heck no. Should have named the place Vladimirillyichleningrad. Now that's grand :p

You know, I think he is very popular. I've talked or seen many discussions with Russians and almoust all of them like Putin. That is in no way representive for the population but if they have access to internet and still like him, I think it's more to it than control over the media.
And why shouldn't they like him? He's stabilized the economy and Russia is slowly growing stronger and more powerful as a nation. In spite of his somewhat undemocratical tendensies, he is a good leader.

...and there it is. Most people who don't like Putin don't like him because he's "undemocratic".

That really is pretty dumb, since Russia has been led by an autocratic figure basically since the 900's...I can assure you that Russians do not care how "democratic" their leaders are, so long as the country is improving.