WP, pg1: As Putin hosts G-8, "freedom severely constrained" in Russia

[DeepModem Mom]

Putin Will Host G-8 In a Russia Under Ever Tighter Control
By Peter Finn
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, July 13, 2006; Page A01

MOSCOW, July 11 -- Six years into the presidency of Vladimir Putin, who will host President Bush and other leaders of the industrial world at a summit this weekend, political freedom is severely constrained in Russia.

While tolerating dissent in pockets of society, the state is relentlessly tightening control in parliament, political parties, regional governments, courts, activist organizations and the mass media. The state is bringing strategic industries such as energy, aircraft and automobiles back under its control or delivering them into the hands of compliant tycoons.

Russia is a profoundly different place than the country that was the engine of the Soviet Union. Moscow and St. Petersburg are temples of consumerism. The economy is growing quickly -- 6.4 percent last year -- driven by billions of dollars in revenue from the vast reserves of oil and gas and other resources that stretch from Poland to the Sea of Japan across 11 time zones.

Putin enjoys approval ratings -- now at about 70 percent -- that any president would envy. But under his direction, the Kremlin has reined in much of the debate and discourse that characterized 1990s Russia. Its fear of political challenge is felt in every corner of Russian life.

As parliamentary elections approach in 2007 and a presidential vote the following year, there is little serious doubt as to the outcome: victory by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party and Putin's chosen successor, assured through control of major media outlets, new electoral laws and a stifling of financing for and participation in opposition politics....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071201706.html

[Selatius]

1. He makes the trains run on time.

:sarcasm:

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Who will succeed Putin in 2008?

That's assuming he doesn't try, after all, to get a third term. Might it be Vladislav Surkov, Putin's deputy chief of staff, mentioned in this article?

Last night the BBC had an interesting piece on "Nashi" ("Our People"), a Russian youth movement (13 minute video here, and a web article on it from the BBC last year here). There's lots of flag waving, marching, and enthusiasm for clean living - no smoking or drinking at rallies, but dating is encouraged, because Russia needs more babies (which may be a reasonable point - the Russian birth rate is very small; this isn't quite the same as the "you must out-breed the others" calls that some religions or movements can make). They're not ethnically or religiously based - but they are very pro-Putin, and were founded by Surkov. They just have that slightly creepy "we follow our leader" mentality (there seems to be quite a definite structure for passing orders down the chain of command). But for the moment, they seem harmless.

It just feels like there's a fine line between a movement that encourages the youth of Russia to have a bit of pride in their country, and to be optimistic and hard-working; and a movement that is a tool of politicians making their own moves for power. I wonder if they will either be the basis for 'popular demand' to allow Putin a third term (which would need a constitutional change, but I think Putin could force that through), or for Surkov (who has said that Nashi will be tomorrow's leaders - sometimes saying he will make them the leaders) to be his successor - with the media, under heavy state control, pushing that relentlessly and no other candidate standing a chance in the election.