Redstate

Posted at 6:30pm on May 17, 2008 Vladimir The Terrible

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

One of the more distressing aspects of the media's coverage of Russia is its ready acceptance of Russian backsliding into a state of autocracy. This report reminds us that when it comes to examining Russia, one shouldn't be so sanguine about its reversion to what is properly called a "cryptofascist" state system:

As ex-President Putin settles in to his new role as Prime Minister, he has every reason to congratulate himself.

After all, he has not only written the script for his constitutional coup d'etat, but staged the play and given himself the starring role as well.

Of course, he has given a walk-on role to Dmitry Medvedev, his personally anointed successor.

But the transfer of power from Putin to his Little Sir Echo, Medvedev, and the show of military strength with those soldiers and clapped-out missiles in Red Square on Victory Day which followed it last week, made it clear who is really in charge.

No decision of any significance for the Russian people or the rest of us will be made in the foreseeable future without the say - so of Medvedev's unsmiling master.

Read on . . .

Posted in Foreign Affairs | Russia | Vladimir Putin — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:30am on May 10, 2008 "And Now . . . Evening Wear!"

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Back to the bad old days, at least as far as theatrics go. I suppose that it is nice and reassuring that Vladimir Putin Dmitri Medvedev told his audience that "war is bad, mmmkay?" and that we ought to be careful not to start any, but the message is . . . shall we say . . . undercut by a military parade that might have brought smiles to the faces of Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko.

To be sure, we shouldn't read too much into all of this. As this article makes clear at the end, Russia's military possesses more bark than bite. But there is no question that President Putin Medvedev wants to remedy this. And even independent of this issue, Russia's actions towards former Soviet states (distressingly, no one on the Presidential campaign trail is talking about Abkhazia and/or South Ossetia) and the internal repression that has returned to Russia is quite enough to cause observers to wonder and worry about Russia's intentions and ambitions.

Posted in Foreign Affairs | Russia | Vladimir Putin | Vladimir Putin's Sockpuppet — Comments (1)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:24am on May 8, 2008 Meet The New Boss

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Same as the old boss. And my, isn't the following telling?

The remarks appeared to presage Putin's continued hand on Russian power. "It is extremely important for everyone together to continue the course that has already been taken and has justified itself," he said.

Only then did Medvedev, 42, approach the lectern, rest his hand on a copy of the Russian Constitution, and utter the oath of office.

In a brief address afterward, he touched themes he has embraced since Putin selected him as his successor late last year and as he was shepherded through a scripted election.

He emphasized improving living standards, education and medical care, and modernizing Russia's narrow economy, which relies on oil and gas revenues, as well as other forms of natural resource extraction.

"I would like to assure all of the citizens of this country that I will be working to my fullest capacity," he said. "I fully realize how much has yet to be done."

Medvedev, whose public persona is decidedly softer than Putin's, also stressed the importance of civil rights, as he has in several speeches since he became the presumptive president-elect.

Minutes later, Putin accompanied the new president outside to review the passing formations of the ceremonial regiment. When the two men left the dais after the last platoon passed, it was on cue from Putin, not Medvedev, who followed the former president's lead.

It's safe to predict that Putin will continue to dominate policy as much as he is able to dominate political theatrics.

Posted in Dmitri Medvedev | Foreign Affairs | Russia | Vladimir Putin — Comments (0)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:01am on Mar. 4, 2008 Summarizing The Russian Presidential Election

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

I really can't do better than this:

THREE hours before the close of the presidential election on Sunday March 2nd, in which voters massively endorsed Dmitry Medvedev as Russia's next president, a bull-necked security guard (radio in hand, legs apart) barred the entrance to polling station number 3065. The station had been set up in a vast and heaving electronics market, apparently for the convenience of traders. But the few who turned up to vote were told that the station had closed, either because of a terrorist threat or as a result of some obscure "technical" problems. A brief look inside suggested that, although almost empty, it was in fact functioning.

Outside of the polling station stood a large group of men in black leather jackets. These were the same characters your correspondent saw casting multiple votes in the December parliamentary elections. They were soon led away and a four-wheel-drive vehicle arrived. Men emerged carrying a white plastic ballot box and were allowed into the station by a guard, who then shut the door tightly. A young policeman who came to inquire was instructed to leave by figures in plain clothes and promptly did so.

These latter men (one identified himself as a "representative of the international community") glowered, then lunged, violently throwing your correspondent and another foreign journalist on to the nearby street, with a warning never to come back. One offered a piece of advice: "Go back to England, you can ask [the self-exiled opponent of Vladimir Putin, Boris] Berezovsky and Prince Harry your questions. We'll manage here without you." Your correspondent and his colleague were then forced into a taxi, and the bemused driver was ordered to drive to the British Embassy.

Posted in Authoritarianism | Contra Tyrannum | Dictatorship | Dmitri Medvedev | Russia | Tyranny | Vladimir Putin — Comments (1)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:29pm on Feb. 24, 2008 USA to India: About the USS Kitty Hawk.

You want it?

By Moe Lane

Because while we were originally going to just decommission it next year, well, arrangements can be made. You see, it turns out that the Russians have been not exactly living up to their end of the deal when it comes to providing the Indians with one of their carriers, which provides us with a certain opportunity...

According to numerous sources inside India, when U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates visits New Delhi late in February (provided his Tuesday Potomac Primary Day broken shoulder does not alter his itinerary) he will be carrying a signed letter from U.S. President George W. Bush offering a better deal for India than the one they have been struggling to get out of Moscow for four years now. The Indian Navy will reportedly be offered the soon-to-be decommissioned USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) aircraft carrier for free--provided the Indian Navy will agree to purchase 65 of the newest model Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to be operated off of it.

If true--and if New Delhi accepts--this can do more than just sink the Russian carrier deal and the MiG-29K contract. The Indian Air Force (IAF) are deep in the throes of a tender to purchase almost 200 new fighter aircraft, with Boeing and RSK-MiG both in the field of six contenders. An order of 200 fighter airplanes is unheard of--larger than any such export sale in more than 20 years. In an era where sales of 12, 20, or 40 fighters are more common, this is the PowerBall Lotto of export competitions.

If the Indian Navy decide to take on the F/A-18E/Fs, it makes logistical sense for the IAF to do the same and the competition for this massive sale would probably be over for all of the other competitors before it gets started. This would be a huge blow to the fortunes of RSK-MiG, who are bidding an advanced, developed MiG-29 model they have now re-labeled the MiG-35. It could make it hard for the famous Russian planemaker to stay in the military aircraft market.

Just last December Boeing placed $1 billion worth of outsourced production with India's HAL. To run for 10 years, this contract will have the Indians building portions of the F/A-18E/F, the Chinook CH-47 helicopter, and other Boeing platforms. This incentive--plus the carrier deal--could make the Boeing Super Hornet the proverbial offer that is too good to pass up.

Via Ace.

Read on.

Posted in Foreign Affairs | India | PRC | Russia — Comments (16)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:15pm on Feb. 17, 2008 Foreign Policy Makes A Comeback As An Issue

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

The state of the American economy is a big deal in the upcoming election, but it isn't as if foreign policy should take a back seat as an issue. To say the least, there is a lot going on in the world today and the next President of the United States is going to have quite the full plate to deal with. Including this:

Kosovo's parliament has unanimously endorsed a declaration of independence from Serbia, in an historic session.

The declaration, read by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, said Kosovo would be a democratic country that respected the rights of all ethnic communities.

The US and a number of EU countries are expected to recognise Kosovo on Monday.

Serbia's PM denounced the US for helping create a "false state". Serbia's ally, Russia, called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting.

It will be interesting to find out what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton think of the American stance on Kosovar independence. They promise us that they will conduct a foreign policy that will win respect and affection around the world. Will that include respect and affection from Russia, which bitterly opposes this move? And how will they respond to Russian demands Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two Russian enclaves in Georgia, be recognized in response to Kosovo's independence?

Posted in Foreign Affairs | Kosovo | Presidential Campaign Reactions | Russia | Serbia | The EU | The United States — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:03am on Feb. 3, 2008 The U.S. Missile Shield

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

As is well know, the United States has been working to get the cooperation of Poland and the Czech Republic for the implementation of a missile defense system. Poland appears to be on board:

Poland said Friday it has reached an agreement in principle with the United States on plans to install a missile defense system on Polish territory.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski says that after meetings with U.S. officials, he is satisfied that the United States will deal with security problems that Poland wanted addressed as part of an eventual deal.

The announcement should add momentum to a project the Bush administration has said it hopes to start building this year. The project, a major source of tension with Russia, had looked stalled since the Polish government of Donald Tusk sought new demands after taking office in November.

Sikorski did not outline the terms of the deal, but in a joint appearance with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after a working lunch, the two officials suggested that the U.S. would help with Polish air defenses, as Poland had sought.

"We understand that there is a desire for defense modernization in Poland, and particularly for air defense modernization in Poland," Rice said. "This is something that we support because it will make our ally, Poland, more capable, it will make Poland, as the foreign minister has said, more able to operate with us."

Sikorski said that negotiators would continue to work on the details of an agreement that would allow the U.S. to install 10 interceptors as part of a long- range European missile defense system.

"We are not at the end of the road as regards negotiations. We are in the middle of the road," he said. "We have an agreement in principle."

There may be more of the road to travel but this is nonetheless a positive development. It also constitutes a direct challenge to Russia, which seeks to re-establish its hegemony over former Soviet satellite states. Watching what the Kremlin does in response ought to be most interesting. My guess is that there will be a lot of bluster and anger directed Poland's way. I am not sure that it will be enough to derail this agreement but it may be enough to force Warsaw into making some soothing comments aimed at placating the Russians. Russian demands on other issues may be met as a way of buying off the Kremlin on the missile defense issue.

Posted in Missile Defense | National Security | Poland | Russia — Comments (5)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:15pm on Jan. 24, 2008 Kosovo: Who are the good guys here? (Comments enabled)

By Neil Stevens

The word is that Kosovars are on the verge of declaring formal independence from Serbia with the support of the EU and, apparently, the United States.

Should I cheer? I can't tell which parties are trustworthy here. On one hand you have Serbia, a country that not too long ago was a party to genocidal activity in Bosnia, and probably has folk who wouldn't mind some 'ethnic cleansing' in Kosovo. On the other hand, Christians in Kosovo and their churches have been under attack since the region fell under NATO protection, and there's the suggestion of Islamic terrorists getting their way here.

Is it even possible for us to come up with a resolution here that one could cheer? I'm open to corrections here on any of my impressions above.

Posted at 8:43am on Dec. 8, 2007 Statistical Evidence of Russian Electoral Fraud?

By Neil Stevens

Via Slashdot Science I found this article summarizing analyses of the latest Russian election. If this is even news, then clearly someone came up with some signs of fraud, and it shouldn't be any surprise which political party got the benefits of this alleged fraud...

Read On...

Posted in Contra Tyrannum | Electoral Fraud | Russia | United Russia | Vladimir Putin — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 6:11pm on Nov. 24, 2007 And Now, If Only Vladimir Putin Could Be Voted Out Of Office

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

But of course, that won't happen so long as Putin has the power to do things like this:

The Russian authorities have charged opposition leader and former chess champion Garry Kasparov following clashes with police in Moscow.

He and other opposition figures were detained during a rally organised by Mr Kasparov's Other Russia coalition.

Mr Kasparov was charged with resisting arrest and organising an unauthorised protest.

The incident came a week before polls which supporters of President Vladimir Putin are widely expected to win.

Other Russia brings together a broad coalition of mainstream politicians, leftists and nationalists, all of whom are opposed to the Kremlin.

(Via Slashdot.) I've said it before and will emphasize it again: It really is time for us to fundamentally rethink our policy towards Russia and to revive much of the negotiating strategy--inspired by the formulation and adoption of the Helsinki Accords of 1976--that helped the West not only negotiate favorable agreements vis à vis the Soviet Union, but also helped reveal the Soviet regime to be the illegitimate monstrosity that it was.

It would seem appropriate to bring similar revelations to light concerning Vladimir Putin's regime.

Posted in Authoritarianism | Contra Tyrannum | Dictatorship | Russia | Tyranny | Vladimir Putin — Comments (0)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:37am on Nov. 18, 2007 Non-Stop Backsliding

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Russia's woes continue under the Putin regime:

Europe's main election monitoring group said on Friday it was scrapping plans to deploy observers to Russia's forthcoming parliamentary elections in a decision that could cast doubt on the integrity of the poll.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe claimed Moscow had imposed "unprecedented restrictions" on its activities. Russia had slashed the number of observers it would admit to the December 2 election and then repeatedly delayed issuing visas for OSCE monitors.

The move marks a new low in diplomatic relations between Russia and the west, following clashes over energy, the expansion of Nato into the former Soviet Union and US plans for missile defence bases. The west accuses Russian president Vladimir Putin of suppressing democracy while the Kremlin claims the west seeks to interfere in Russia's internal affairs.

Separately, the Russian parliament's upper house on Friday voted to support a Kremlin decision to suspend the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty - a key Soviet-era arms control pact. Russia is suspending the agreement from December 12 on the grounds that Nato states have never ratified it.

Moscow has long singled out the 56-nation OSCE for attack, claiming that, even though Russia is a member, the organisation follows a pro-west agenda.

Russia's foreign ministry on Friday accused the body of "inventing" excuses, of failing to complete visa procedures and of using its position as election monitor as "an instrument of political pressure".

Urdur Gunnarsdottir of the OSCE office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, denied the organisation's move was a political decision. "We have not received a single visa for our 70 observers."

The move could cast doubt in the west on the legitimacy of an election that has taken on increasing importance after Mr Putin said he would head the party list of the main pro- Kremlin party, United Russia.

I would think that the legitimacy of the election is already in doubt, but this only further serves to make the Putin regime look bad--not that this matters to Putin himself. One of the more surprising aspects of the current Presidential race in this country is the fact that not a single soul appears to be asking what our Russia policy should be in the next Administration. Meanwhile, the Putin regime continues to renege on any and all promises that it has made concerning the issue of democratization and Russia is returning back to the bad old days when its dealings with the West were tinged at best with suspicion and at worst with outright hostility.

If that isn't an issue for the next President of the United States to have to deal with, I don't know what is. Why is it then that no one appears to be asking any of the Presidential candidates about what is going on in Russia and what their Russia policy would be? And why is it that the Presidential candidates themselves don't appear to have much to say on the subject?

Posted in Authoritarianism | Contra Tyrannum | Dictatorship | Russia | Tyranny | Vladimir Putin — Comments (1)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:07am on Nov. 3, 2007 Posting On The Obvious

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Read this.

Done?

Good. Now tell me why on Earth it is that there is no serious commentary in foreign policy circles regarding the need to change and toughen up our policy concerning Russia. Tell me why on Earth it is that there is no serious commentary in foreign policy circles regarding the need to revive and resuscitate the successful negotiating strategy that the United States used during the Reagan Administration against the Soviet Union.

What? Are we waiting for Putin to see the light? I promise you he has. And I promise you just as well that he has decided to cut off the electricity in response.

Posted in Authoritarianism | Contra Tyrannum | Dictatorship | Putin | Russia | Tyranny — Comments (14)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:05am on Oct. 29, 2007 Obvious Statement Of The Day

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

There is no functioning democracy in Russia. I hate to be too much of a nag on this issue but maybe a fundamental re-examination of our Russia policy is in order, no?

Posted at 5:32pm on Apr. 26, 2007 Strong words from Condoleezza!

By Jeff Emanuel

The idea that somehow 10 interceptors and a few radars in Eastern Europe are going to threaten the Soviet strategic deterrent is purely ludicrous and everybody knows it.

—U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, saying Russia should not fear U.S. missile defense plans for Europe.