George Bush's previous comment that Putin was his friend should be revisited by the President as throw-back politics continue in Moscow. In my previous post I wrote that a test of Russia's future will be how the Kremlin handles Illarionov's comments regarding the nationalization of Yuganskneftegaz, a principal asset of YUKOS. It didn't take long for Putin to act: A top Putin critic is taken down a peg.
What made the remarks by the economic adviser so remarkable was not their substance – they reflect widely held views – but their source.
Illarionov, an insider, described the government as both arbitrary and wrong-headed, criticizing the Kremlin's crackdown on the news media, its expropriation of the main asset of the oil giant Yukos, its centralization of political power and its foreign relations.
His assessments were unsparing. He called the Kremlin's seizure last month of Yuganskneftegaz, a principal element of Yukos, "the swindle of the year" and characterized it as "extremely incompetent intervention in economic life by state officials."
And his criticism rested not solely on principles, but on carefully delineated consequences as well as a grave, ultimate risk: The results of the Kremlin's course, he said, were dangerous to the survival of Russia as a strong nation.
By attacking a healthy company, and signaling which companies were Kremlin favorites, Illarionov said, "financial flows are rerouted from the most effective companies to the least effective ones."
Moreover, Putin's decision to do away with gubernatorial elections, and to appoint governors through the presidency, Illarionov said, ensured that political competition was undermined, to ill effect. "Limited competition in all spheres of life leads to one thing," he said. "To stagnation."
I'm not too hopeful about the road to freedom for Russia. I'm disappointed that stronger condemnation from the U.S. has been absent as Putin runs amuck with old-style KGB tactics to quell criticism and hold on to his position. This reversal away from freedom is only going to hurt the U.S. and our interests. Some friend, huh?
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Long Way From Home by The Heavy