Foreign pressure on Putin counterproductive
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Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has called for fresh elections in Russia and he should be wished success in the effort, but the odds are against him and this is a key element in the current Russian political dilemma.
Alexei Pushkov, host of the Russian TV programme “Postscript” said on June 14, 2005, “The quote that Siberia is too large a territory to belong to a single state has been attributed to [former US Secretary of State] Madeleine Albright,” and since that time many Russians have seized upon the idea that the West intends to confiscate and divide up Russia’s natural resources.
It did not help that the US invaded Iraq under false pretences, giving more credence to the idea that the US plans to gobble up as much oil as possible, even by force if necessary.
If Gorbachev is to succeed in his endeavour, then he must do it without outside pressure, as such pressure would undermine his efforts completely and would increase the divisions in Russia vis-a-vis natural resource issues and perceived foreign dominance over Russia: Russian sovereignty and independence is very much the issue here.
Please remember that Russians in general are not cream puffs in any way and that they have been fully capable of launching revolutions since 1917: If this is to be some kind of revolution, then let it be a true one and not one dictated or directed from foreign soil.a
It would be neither fair nor constructive to thus undermine Gorbachev’s efforts.
Guy Baker
Bangkok
