Russian President Vladimir Putin

[Hammer-Sickle]

Mr. bush is putting more pressure on Vladimir Putin simply for the fact that he was in the KGB. Now the United States government is sweating bullets in FEAR that Russia will return to authoritarian rule. Who out there thinks that that Russia ahould reform the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic? Let me see those hands.

[BreadBros]

Not me. The USSR was a state capitalist regime, I see no point in re-creating it. Not to mention Putin is leading Russia in imperialist wars in Chechnya, so his standing as a Marxist is dubious regardless of any KGB pedigree.

I dont think the US really cares about Putin's authoritarianism, they oppose him mainly because 1. his appropriation of certain enterprises belonging to the 'Oligarchs' (like Yukos) which is an affront to private property and a threat to Western companies and 2. his increasing competition with W. Europe over energy resources. I wouldn't be surprised if Russia continued its slide towards one-party type rule though.

[Psy]

Originally posted by Hammer-[email protected] 23, 2007 03:30 am
Mr. bush is putting more pressure on Vladimir Putin simply for the fact that he was in the KGB. Now the United States government is sweating bullets in FEAR that Russia will return to authoritarian rule. Who out there thinks that that Russia ahould reform the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic? Let me see those hands.
Return to authoritarian rule? That already happened in 1993, when troops loyal to Yeltsin disbanded the elected officials.

As for the reforming of the USSR, the Russian ruling class has no interest to going back, the Russian masses are a different story there is the built up of frustrations in Russia that if sparked would probably result in violent revolution. Then Bush would really fear Russia, the US ruling class would fear Americans would get ideas.

[Psy]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 04:09 am
Not me. The USSR was a state capitalist regime, I see no point in re-creating it.
True but it also a welfare state, the USSR even when its economy was in decline in the late 80's had less poverty then Russia now.

[The Author]

Putin and his bourgeois nationalist, Great Russian chauvinist regime certainly are not going to recreate the U.S.S.R. The closest thing to the recreation of the U.S.S.R., the proposed Union State of Russia and Belarus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_Russia_and_Belarus), keeps getting canceled because the current Russian government wants carte blanche treatment at the expense of Belarusian sovereignty in matters like natural resources (especially on energy resources. Instead of importing oil and natural gas from Russia, Belarus now has to go to Venezuela to get its energy supplies), trade, representation on the legislative and executive bodies, and so on. It will be a long time before there is a future union of socialist republics (though, I do have hopes that perhaps Venezuela and Cuba will form some kind of union which will definitely create the conditions to strengthen socialism in both of their countries.).

[Tower of Bebel]

Originally posted by Hammer-[email protected] 23, 2007 03:30 am
Mr. bush is putting more pressure on Vladimir Putin simply for the fact that he was in the KGB. Now the United States government is sweating bullets in FEAR that Russia will return to authoritarian rule. Who out there thinks that that Russia ahould reform the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic? Let me see those hands.
It will definately not be socialist at any degree. What Putin does try is to be the number one in weapons export and energy distribution to the neighbouring countries, just like the USSR did. Putin would take every opportunity to take control of ex-soviet states, just like bush who wants to instal US-friendly governments in the Middle East.

[Keyser]

Mr. bush is putting more pressure on Vladimir Putin simply for the fact that he was in the KGB. Now the United States government is sweating bullets in FEAR that Russia will return to authoritarian rule. Who out there thinks that that Russia ahould reform the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic? Let me see those hands.

Why does Putin's past in the KGB make you think that is a good indication of his politics? Many of the oligarchs and oil barons that now run the Russian capitalist state were either former KGB members or former Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) members.

After the fall of the USSR and the collapse of the power of the CPSU, many ex-CPSU members went into business and also took up positions in the new political establishment in Russia. These people, people like Putin, were never communists or socialists, even when they were members of the CPSU, they were simply career politicians from a ruling class, no better or any different from the politicians of the ruling classes in Western nations like the USA and Britain. The same applies to China's ruling class, tey may have the 'communist' label, but they are capitalist to the core.

As for Putin's time in office, he has done nothing to show that he is in opposition to the rule of global capitalism. The only feature of Putin's regime that is different to that of Yeltsin's is that Putin wants to build up an assertive, strong and productive capitalist class in Russia whereas Yeltsin was happy to let Western capitalists and a handful of oligarchs plunder Russia's economy and use Russia as their playground. Putin wishes to see a strong, unified capitalist Russia that would play the other industrial capitalist countries at their own game of exploitation and competition, be it through business, war and/or imperialism. This is the real reason behind recent evens like Cechneya, the Georgia standoff and the gas dispute with Europe. As we all know, capitalism, through it's structural essence, creates competition between people, companies, systems and countries and Putin has simply decided to play this game to Russia's own advantage. Remember Putin two years ago made huge cutbacks in pensions, travel/transit prices for the poor and other aspects of the welfare state, this is all part and parcel of Putin's process of capitalist restructuring, nothing more.

Even if Putin was a socialist or a communist (which is is not), why place your trust and your desire to see 'socialism from above' imposed on people by a leader and a state? Real socialism and commuism can only ever come from below, by the working class for the working class via a social revolution. When that does happen the likes of Putin and his political cronies will be swept into the dustbin of history like so much other trash.

The sad fact is that Russia at this moment has no real or visible working class movement that i dedicated to class liberation and social revolution. Russian nationalism and racism, supported by Putin's xenephobic policies, have seen several openly far-right and fascist groups grow in huge numbers, not to mention a record high level of attacks against immigrants, jews and other 'non-Russians'. This combined with Putin's authoritarian system mean that Russia is now in an age of deep reaction.

[Cheung Mo]

The only way I could ever say a good word about Putin is if he were to kneel in front of all of my LGBT friends and relatives and beg for forgiveness for siding with fascists, Stalinists, Third Posiitions, and religious lunatics in repressing sexual and gender minorities in Russia.

And even then, I'd have a million other problems with the bastard. :-P

[Ander]

Originally posted by Hammer-[email protected] 23, 2007 12:30 am
Who out there thinks that that Russia ahould reform the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic? Let me see those hands.
My hand is staying down, thank you.

I think the US is mostly concerned about Russia's influence in the Middle East; especially their relations with Iran. Due to Western sanctions, Iran has turned to Russia for military equipment as well as help with construction on some of their nuclear reactors.

I seriously doubt the US cares at all whether Russia is autocratic or not; they just want them to know their place in the American Empire.

[Janus]

As for Putin's time in office, he has done nothing to show that he is in opposition to the rule of global capitalism. The only feature of Putin's regime that is different to that of Yeltsin's is that Putin wants to build up an assertive, strong and productive capitalist class in Russia
While maintaining his own power base as can be seen by the prosecution of Mikhail Khodorkovsky who was using his economic power in order to politically oppose Putin.