Surprise! Putin is a neoliberal.
Without exaggeration, the future of Russia depends on whether activists can build a powerful movement that presents an alternative to neoliberalism. The slow degradation of education, healthcare, science, culture and social sector of the past 15 years cannot last forever: it’s either renewal or bust.Must-read analysis of Russia since the demise of the USSR. Not what most people think.
Open Democracy — Russia and Beyond
Russia, Inc.: From “structural reforms” of the 2000s to austerity policies today, neoliberalism has been and remains an organic part of the Putin regime
Ilya Matveev
7 comments:
http://socialdemocracy21stcentury.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/the-insanity-of-rothbards-ethics-in.html
Promote to post please.
I've been pointing this out--the leadership's neoliberal penchant--for a while now.
As long as Russians are better off than they were, as long as their economy performs adequately, the 'approach' will not be questioned.
I remember Micheal Hudson was in a debate with another college professor (I forget his name) and Micheal was saying how the Chinese and Russians were putting together an alternative to western neoliberalism with their version of the World Bank and the IMF. But this other Chinese professor would have none of it, he said that the Chinese and Russian aristocracy had seen how much money neoliberalism had made the Western aristocracy and wanted to get in on the action. It was disturbing and Micheal Hudson lost the debate.
Neoliberalism destroys capitalism by sucking all the money out of a system, and austerity sucks even more money out.
The "BRICs Bank" is a USD bank... the people there are all USD zombies...
Random: "A Putin-Trump alliance is going to kick the shit out of China unfortunately."
Unless Putin suddenly descends to the alcohol-induced madness of Yeltsin and sells out his country to foreign powers and criminal oligarchs, this isn't going to happen. It doesn't matter what nonsense Trump spews out. The US has what is euphemistically called a "national interest". It is the global hegemon, it will not accept it's powers are waning, and it will do everything it can to make this century another American century, and China is in the way. Russia isn't going to sign up to this crazed project. So Russia has to be taken out first, and Trump, Clinton, Cruz or whoever will see to it that Russia is public enemy number one for the foreseeable future.
Random: "It is good the establishment thinks that rather than my fiendish plan to drive a wedge between Russia and China. They are morons."
It wasn't a big enough or sugarcoated wedge, and so it didn't work. Rather than going back with a sweeter offer, the neoconservative maniacs came up with overthrowing the democratic government of Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia. All this did was make the Russian-Chinese alliance even stronger, which is quite impressive given their history. But then the neoconservatives are an impressive bunch...of incompetent but dangerous clowns. Delusional Ronald McDonalds with armies does not make for good policy.
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