rgj...An so- we see the game that is afoot: The Russian Mob Boss/KGB Colonel is driving his tiny, malfunctioning country off a cliff and threatening global Nuclear annihilation if he doesnt get his own way...the brilliant and ruthless Law professor leader extraordinaire but not so much a politician versus the ruthless killer with no skills but to murder and kill and pack his pockets as he seeks to rebuild a lost USSR destiny. Killers cannot govern and no nothing about economics except perhaps the economics of stealing. The real question- can the Leader of the free world under constant attacks from enemies of America from within take on the job of leading the free countries with Global politics, you know- Diplomacy, and defeat a foolish Mad man bent on ruling the world?...rgj ....The rule of law has long been a fiction in Russia, but, for years, Western businessmen — and Russian businessmen as well — made excuses..... ....Russian businessmen, Pugachev complained to The Financial Times, had become nothing more than “serfs” in Russia. “Today in Russia, there is no private property,” he added. “There are only serfs who belong to Putin.” And so it goes in Putin’s Russia..... ....I had been making inquiries, hoping to find out whether the sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe in the wake of Russia’s takeover of Crimea were working. The answer, I believe, is yes, but not necessarily in the way you’d think. The first point to make is that the Russian economy has been in a downturn ever since Putin returned to power in May 2012. In recent months, that slide accelerated. Economic growth has flat-lined. The ruble is in free fall. Inflation is rising. More than $100 billion of capital is expected to flee the country this year. Most ominous of all, the price of oil — Russia’s primary asset, upon which the government depends to finance itself — has been dropping. Although the mounting problems have been coincident with the sanctions, it is impossible to say for sure whether there is a direct correlation. (One thing that is making a difference, I should note, is the boom in American oil and gas, which has produced a glut of fossil fuel and has helped depress prices.) The direct effect will more likely be felt in the near future, when, for instance, Russian companies have to refinance their debt despite being locked out of Western capital markets. What the sanctions have done, though, is bring out the worst tendencies of Putin and his close associates, putting them on display for all to see. .... ....“Rule No. 1 for Putin is that his people will be protected, and he is signaling that,” said Karen Dawisha, a Russia expert at Miami University of Ohio and the author of a new book, “Putin’s Kleptocracy.” “They have started to dip into the pension funds. There are double-digit cuts in the health budget. His people will always be served before the people.” In imposing the sanctions, the Obama administration and its counterparts in Europe have targeted precisely the men and the companies that are closest to Putin. By reacting the way he has, Putin is scaring away not just foreign investors but Russian businessmen as well. Not that he seems to care. Just a few days ago, the Russian Parliament began the process of passing a law that would allow the government to seize assets owned by foreign companies — and use them to reimburse oligarchs and others who have been financially hurt by the sanctions..... ....This is such a foolishly counterproductive measure that even some inside the government protested it. Nonetheless, it will almost surely pass. Thus, in the face of sanctions, does Russia cut off its nose to spite its face.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 01:26:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015