January 7, 2012

euralmanac: Could the Russian Elite Turn Against Putin? While the political impact of Russia’s December protests remains uncertain, demonstrations in Moscow and other Russian cities have expressed public disappointment with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s economic management and even some genuine anger over his stage-managed nomination as the United Russia presidential candidate. What remains to be seen is how Russia’s elite will react if the country appears unstable. For the time being, those at the highest levels in Russia’s elite appear to have decided that they will either hang together in supporting Putin or hang separately if he falls. They may well have received encouragement from nationalist anticorruption blogger Aleksei Navalny, whose increasingly strident rhetoric—addressing a crowd of demonstrators on December 24, he said “there are enough people here to seize the Kremlin”—is rapidly approaching open calls for violent revolution. As the English writer Samuel Johnson said over two centuries ago, “the prospect of a hanging concentrates the mind wonderfully.” Russia’s top government and business leaders must be concentrating intently on their country’s future and its more personal implications. Nevertheless, even some in Prime Minister Putin’s immediate circle might be hedging their bets—and they are only one small (albeit influential) segment of the elite. Continue reading. Edit: Above link was broken; it is now fixed. :)

euralmanac:

Could the Russian Elite Turn Against Putin?

While the political impact of Russia’s December protests remains uncertain, demonstrations in Moscow and other Russian cities have expressed public disappointment with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s economic management and even some genuine anger over his stage-managed nomination as the United Russia presidential candidate. What remains to be seen is how Russia’s elite will react if the country appears unstable.

For the time being, those at the highest levels in Russia’s elite appear to have decided that they will either hang together in supporting Putin or hang separately if he falls. They may well have received encouragement from nationalist anticorruption blogger Aleksei Navalny, whose increasingly strident rhetoric—addressing a crowd of demonstrators on December 24, he said “there are enough people here to seize the Kremlin”—is rapidly approaching open calls for violent revolution. As the English writer Samuel Johnson said over two centuries ago, “the prospect of a hanging concentrates the mind wonderfully.” Russia’s top government and business leaders must be concentrating intently on their country’s future and its more personal implications.

Nevertheless, even some in Prime Minister Putin’s immediate circle might be hedging their bets—and they are only one small (albeit influential) segment of the elite.

Continue reading.

Edit: Above link was broken; it is now fixed. :)

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    Is that a gay pride flag I see in the background? Russia might take a turn for the left, governmentally. FOUR FOR YOU,...
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