Comments on: The Short Happy Life of a Russian Anti-Corruption Investigator http://pjmedia.com/blog/first_blood/ Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:47:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Cyrill Vatomsky http://pjmedia.com/blog/first_blood/#comment-14249 Cyrill Vatomsky Sat, 06 Oct 2007 06:16:50 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-short-happy-life-of-a-russian-anti-corruption-investigator/#comment-14249 I am glad I was not the only one to notice Sean's several attempts to link capitalism to Russian systemic problems that result in rampant lawlessness and corruption. And it is only natural that such a juxtaposition eventually lead to Roger's conclusion that there must be something uniquely Russian - be it in genes or culture that make us Russians preserve our violent and uncivilized ways. Russia is hardly a model of capitalism. Sean knows it very well and we have discussed this on his blog on occasions agreeing that it is very difficult to tell where the state ends and the society begins in Russia. Is Gazprom a private or a state company? Rosneft? What about the myriad of quasi private entities under the Ministry of Transportation? Can anyone imagine a modern capitalist country where a Minister of Communications (Putin's friend Leonid Reiman)owns 2 billion dollars worth of .... telecommunication assets? There are several confusions at play here. The most basic concept of capitalism is that of economic and social formation based on private ownership of means of production. And since there isn't an absolute fully private capitalism, the distinction is in proportional sizes of private vs public sectors. Earlier in history private ownership barely existed under dominance of Feudal state control of means of production. At some point Lenin very appropriately referred to his contemporary capitalism as "State Monopolistic Capitalism." He thought it was the final stage of capitalism. Needless to say he was wrong, it was a final stage, but of feudalism. Blaming faults and excesses of late feudalism on capitalism has been one of the favorite tactics from the left since 1848. This confusion is also muddied by artificial distinction between communism of the USSR and feudalism. Both have state control and ownership of means of production. Both have elite classes that ran things. Both are based on confiscating labor and forcing peasants to stay on the land. Differences between USSR and feudalism are cosmetic and similarities are systemic. The USSR was Ottoman Empire with nukes, nothing more. The reason, Roger, for ills of contemporary Russia is that it has not changed enough yet. It is still very much feudal. Capitalism will eventually prevail and will create a civil society there. Kim, Sean is no communist and he is hardly a Marxist either. I am glad I was not the only one to notice Sean’s several attempts to link capitalism to Russian systemic problems that result in rampant lawlessness and corruption. And it is only natural that such a juxtaposition eventually lead to Roger’s conclusion that there must be something uniquely Russian – be it in genes or culture that make us Russians preserve our violent and uncivilized ways.

Russia is hardly a model of capitalism. Sean knows it very well and we have discussed this on his blog on occasions agreeing that it is very difficult to tell where the state ends and the society begins in Russia. Is Gazprom a private or a state company? Rosneft? What about the myriad of quasi private entities under the Ministry of Transportation? Can anyone imagine a modern capitalist country where a Minister of Communications (Putin’s friend Leonid Reiman)owns 2 billion dollars worth of …. telecommunication assets?

There are several confusions at play here. The most basic concept of capitalism is that of economic and social formation based on private ownership of means of production. And since there isn’t an absolute fully private capitalism, the distinction is in proportional sizes of private vs public sectors. Earlier in history private ownership barely existed under dominance of Feudal state control of means of production. At some point Lenin very appropriately referred to his contemporary capitalism as “State Monopolistic Capitalism.” He thought it was the final stage of capitalism. Needless to say he was wrong, it was a final stage, but of feudalism.

Blaming faults and excesses of late feudalism on capitalism has been one of the favorite tactics from the left since 1848.

This confusion is also muddied by artificial distinction between communism of the USSR and feudalism. Both have state control and ownership of means of production. Both have elite classes that ran things. Both are based on confiscating labor and forcing peasants to stay on the land. Differences between USSR and feudalism are cosmetic and similarities are systemic. The USSR was Ottoman Empire with nukes, nothing more.

The reason, Roger, for ills of contemporary Russia is that it has not changed enough yet. It is still very much feudal. Capitalism will eventually prevail and will create a civil society there.

Kim, Sean is no communist and he is hardly a Marxist either.

]]> By: Kim Zigfeld http://pjmedia.com/blog/first_blood/#comment-14248 Kim Zigfeld Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:27:27 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-short-happy-life-of-a-russian-anti-corruption-investigator/#comment-14248 ROGER: I couldn't agree with you more. Russia has never had an actual market economy for one second of its entire history, and to suggest otherwise is simply fantasy; nor has Russia ever really tried democracy. So, we have know idea what effect those systems would have in Russia, contrary to the propaganda that is put out by today's Kremlin. What we're seeing the dark side of in Russia today is dictatorship and criminality, not capitalism or democracy. Unfortunately, Mr. Guillory is an avowed Marxist/Communist/Athiest, so his worldview is colored by this ideology and he cannot help seeing capitalism as the root of all evil and saying so. ROGER:

I couldn’t agree with you more. Russia has never had an actual market economy for one second of its entire history, and to suggest otherwise is simply fantasy; nor has Russia ever really tried democracy. So, we have know idea what effect those systems would have in Russia, contrary to the propaganda that is put out by today’s Kremlin. What we’re seeing the dark side of in Russia today is dictatorship and criminality, not capitalism or democracy.

Unfortunately, Mr. Guillory is an avowed Marxist/Communist/Athiest, so his worldview is colored by this ideology and he cannot help seeing capitalism as the root of all evil and saying so.

]]> By: cthulhu http://pjmedia.com/blog/first_blood/#comment-14247 cthulhu Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:50:34 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-short-happy-life-of-a-russian-anti-corruption-investigator/#comment-14247 Isn't 48% and 62% something like 110 percent? Isn’t 48% and 62% something like 110 percent?

]]> By: Roger L. Simon http://pjmedia.com/blog/first_blood/#comment-14246 Roger L. Simon Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:17:10 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-short-happy-life-of-a-russian-anti-corruption-investigator/#comment-14246 HAving visited Russia three times - twice on cultural exchanges during the Soviet years - and once during the capitalist period, I saw little difference. It's not an issue of capitalism vs.communism. It's an issue of the corruption endemic to Russia under ALL systems. The tsar's Okhrana, Lenin's Cheka (and thenKGB) and Russian Mafia are all basically the same people with same intent. The communists, as we know from the Gulag, were just more efficient at killing people. HAving visited Russia three times – twice on cultural exchanges during the Soviet years – and once during the capitalist period, I saw little difference. It’s not an issue of capitalism vs.communism. It’s an issue of the corruption endemic to Russia under ALL systems. The tsar’s Okhrana, Lenin’s Cheka (and thenKGB) and Russian Mafia are all basically the same people with same intent. The communists, as we know from the Gulag, were just more efficient at killing people.

]]> By: lapa http://pjmedia.com/blog/first_blood/#comment-14245 lapa Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:50:30 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-short-happy-life-of-a-russian-anti-corruption-investigator/#comment-14245 Someone to translate one of the best portuguese writers, ever known, CRISTÓVÃO DE AGUIAR. Don't forget this name you will be hearing about him very soon. Thanks for your attention Someone to translate one of the best portuguese writers, ever known, CRISTÓVÃO DE AGUIAR.

Don’t forget this name you will be hearing about him very soon.

Thanks for your attention

]]> By: Henry http://pjmedia.com/blog/first_blood/#comment-14244 Henry Sat, 29 Sep 2007 16:06:15 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-short-happy-life-of-a-russian-anti-corruption-investigator/#comment-14244 Capitalism is not the problem here, as the article suggests. Rather it is the mafia murder for profit that is the problem. Murder isn't part of the free market system. It is anti-capitalist for business competition to be affected through brute force, and that is the one responsibilty of the Russian governemnt in the economy. Capitalism is not the problem here, as the article suggests. Rather it is the mafia murder for profit that is the problem. Murder isn’t part of the free market system. It is anti-capitalist for business competition to be affected through brute force, and that is the one responsibilty of the Russian governemnt in the economy.

]]> By: davod http://pjmedia.com/blog/first_blood/#comment-14243 davod Sat, 29 Sep 2007 13:29:18 +0000 http://dev.pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-short-happy-life-of-a-russian-anti-corruption-investigator/#comment-14243 Did the wild west ever leave? Did the wild west ever leave?

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