POLITICS

The parallels between the broken, failed & divided state of 1990s Russia and today’s America are fascinating

Published

4 years ago

January 8, 2021

Comparisons between an economically strong US and impoverished post-Soviet Russia might strike some as bizarre, but there are striking similarities. The idea of liberal democracy being a cure-all is being tested as never before

In the aftermath of the catastrophe on Capitol Hill, an opinion piece in the New York Times took the seemingly curious step of comparing the situation in the United States to post-Soviet Russia. The author noted that the parallels between those who had attempted to ransack Congress and those who had spurred uprisings in both Moscow and Ukraine, in both cause and appearance, were remarkable. In particular, how both groups longed for times gone by, be it a nostalgia for the Soviet Union or the Confederate States of America. Although of course these movements were ultimately all unsuccessful, the piece was then finalized by remarks dwelling on the decay of democracy.

And that is of course the big debate in the aftermath of this event, a potentially existential challenge to the legitimacy of the American political system that the Trump administration has posed. Yet, the comparison to post-Soviet Russia is a strange one, perhaps because although it was fully democratic in name, in the 1990s, the country was ultimately a broken and deteriorating one beset by challenges and disillusionment that never quite lived up to its ideals, and was rife with unrest. It stands as an example as to how the ideals of democracy can only truly be utilized in practice if the people themselves believe in it and have a stake in it, which seemingly many Americans now do not. Such failed uprisings do not have to prevail in order to show the problems which lie ahead for America.

The storming of the US Capitol is a symptom of a bigger disease infecting our democracy. I’m scared where this will all end

Liberal democratic thought is premised on idealism and optimism, based on an enlightenment rationalism which believes its principles are the natural true desire of all human beings and that when implemented, will always flourish. When the US and its allies toppled regimes in Iraq and Libya, they believed by simply creating a democratic constitution that these countries would flourish and become a mirror image of the Western nations. But that didn’t happen. In a matter of years, these democratic ideals did nothing to prevent these countries reverting back into conflict, chaos, and insurgency, creating a worse situation than the US sought to intervene against.

The liberal democratic thesis has a blind spot. It simply assumes that ‘bad people’ seek to destroy democracies in a simplified game of ‘good vs. evil’, and ignores the fact that a democracy is only as functional as the socio-economic system which supports it and those who have a stake in maintaining it. Democracy is not something merely written on paper; it is not a moralistic and magical formula which always works as advertised; it needs to be supported and incentivized. If it cannot change people’s lives or deliver anything meaningful, then why should people have faith in it? And this was precisely the story of Russia in the early 1990s, which was not so much a miraculous demise of communism and openness as the West portrays it to be, but a time of depravity, decay, and setback in the eyes of locals.

Do you realize now what you have done? US gets the kind of ‘democracy’ it championed overseas

The United States portrayed the demise of the Soviet Union and the birth of Russian democracy as a miraculous step forwards merely because its ideology changed. Everything was better after that, right? Yet the facts tell a different story. The rapid transition to an ultra-capitalist system destroyed the national economy and plunged it into a huge depression, with a clique of oligarchs gobbling up everything and living standards and health outcomes deteriorating.

Yet the Western narrative will teach you that none of this mattered because Russia was now a democracy and open to the world. Those romanticized photos of huge queues outside McDonald’s in Moscow painted over these grim realities, and the fact Russians had absolutely no confidence in the administration of Boris Yeltsin.

It is no surprise on that note, that early modern Russia was plagued by unrest and by a nostalgia of looking back on better days. And herein lies the comparison to the United States. While the economic situation is not as dire as 1990s Russia, it nevertheless represents the other side of the same coin in being a deeply unequal country which is dominated by the ultra-rich, with a huge constituency of individuals who feel that they have been left behind by the system and have no stake in it. Why else did Trump get to where he is? Because he sold a nostalgic vision of an America that, in people’s minds, worked. ‘Make America Great Again’ found reception in identities which were insecure and had lost faith in American democracy.

How anyone could see US political system as desirable is beyond me, the term ‘American democracy’ needs to be retired

And it is no surprise on that note, that American politics has under Trump’s tenure continued to divide and polarize at an alarming rate, to the point where many are willing to challenge the legitimacy of US democracy itself in the name of respective identity politics. In other words, as America pulls away from itself in these bitter battles, the premise of a stable and balanced democracy is challenged just as it has been in numerous other countries, because democracy in practice does not function as an idealism.

The numbers do not lie: 45 percent of Republicans supported the attack on the Capitol and only 27 percent believed it was a threat to democracy, whilst 56 percent of all voters believed that fraud took place to change the outcome of November’s election. Trump’s narratives are not as fringe as they are made out to be, and the fact that the US system itself is not exempt from widespread disillusionment and impediments to the functioning of democracy, illustrates that it is not as exceptional nor magical in its ideological vision as it has presented itself to be. Unless there are drastic adjustments in American society that can heal these growing wounds, it is certainly not bizarre to refer to the future of the US in the guise of Russia’s past.

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POLITICS

Erdogan election defeat would be ‘revenge’ – Syrian Kurds

Published

2 years ago

May 23, 2023

The San Francisco Telegraph

The YPG claims the Turkish president failing to win another term would be payback for Ankara’s counter-terrorism operations in Syria

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s defeat in this month’s presidential election would serve as “revenge” for Türkiye’s military operations in Syria, a top official of the People’s Defense Units (YPG) has said.

Salih Muslim, one of the leaders of the YPG — a Syrian militant group affiliated with the Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and designated by Ankara as a terrorist organization — said in an interview with Medya Haber Kurdish TV channel that his organization has grown frustrated with Türkiye’s counterterrorism operations ongoing in the northern part of Syria since 2016, Daily Sabah reported.

“Now, we have an opportunity in our hands,” Muslim said, stressing that the YPG is eager to see Erdogan unseated. “It’s the first time we have such a thing happening in elections.” He added that “If we can win at the ballot box, we will take all the revenge from [the defeat of] one person.”

Muslim’s statement comes as several members of the YPG and the PKK have openly expressed support for Erdogan’s main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, as the two head into a runoff election on May 28. In the previous round, held on May 14, both candidates failed to secure an outright majority with Erdogan gaining just over 49.4% of the vote while Kilicdaroglu received 44.96%.

Kilicdaroglu has vowed to mend Ankara’s relations with NATO and revive Türkiye’s EU membership talks, which have been effectively stalled since 2016. He has also accused Russia of spreading “conspiracies” and “deep fakes” apparently referring to footage circulating online purportedly linking him to the PKK, and told Moscow to get its “hands off the Turkish state.” Russia has rejected the accusations.

Somalis cheer on Türkiye’s Erdogan to win re-election

Erdogan has repeatedly accused his rival of “colluding with terrorists” and threatening to undo Türkiye’s achievements in its war on terror. He has also blasted Kilicdaroglu for trying to “detach” the country from Russia.

Türkiye has been waging low-intensity warfare against Kurdish militias along its Syrian and Iraqi borders for four decades, in a back-and-forth campaign that has claimed the lives of over 40,000 people.

The PKK and its affiliates have been waging an insurgency since 1984 demanding political and cultural autonomy with the final goal of establishing an independent Kurdish State, laying claim to territories in southeast Türkiye and northern parts of Iraq and Syria.

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POLITICS

Chinese special envoy meets with Zelensky

Published

2 years ago

May 19, 2023

The San Francisco Telegraph

Li Hui visited Kiev to share Beijing’s views on a political settlement to the Ukraine crisis

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has met with China’s newly appointed special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, who traveled to Kiev to convey Beijing’s views on a diplomatic resolution to Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.

According to a statement published on Thursday by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Li held talks with Zelensky as well as the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andrey Yermak, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, and representatives from several other ministries.

Beijing said both sides had agreed that the recent phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Zelensky had outlined the direction for future relations between their two nations, which it stated should be built on mutual respect and sincerity.

During his trip, Li reiterated that Beijing is willing to serve as a peace broker to help reach a political resolution to the conflict with Russia, based on the principles outlined in a 12-point roadmap published by China in late February.

“There is no panacea in resolving the crisis. All parties need to start from themselves, accumulate mutual trust, and create conditions for ending the war and engaging in peace talks,” Li said, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement.

The special envoy’s two-day trip to Ukraine is the first leg of a wider European tour, during which he is expected to visit Poland, France, Germany, and Russia. Beijing has explained that the trip aims to promote communication toward “a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.”

Hungary backs Chinese plan for Ukraine

China’s peace efforts have been welcomed by Russia as well as some European nations such as Hungary, and have been praised for acknowledging the national interests of both parties.

The roadmap, however, has been criticized by some in the West. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg claimed that China lacked “credibility” as it has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell insisted that “the only thing that can be called a peace plan is Zelensky’s proposal.”

The Ukrainian president has demanded that Russia must withdraw from territories that Kiev claims as its own, as well as pay war reparations and face an international tribunal. The Kremlin has dismissed the initiative, claiming it does not take into consideration “the realities on the ground,” including the new status of four former Ukrainian regions as part of Russia.

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Pakistan’s top court orders release of former PM Imran Khan

Published

2 years ago

May 12, 2023

The San Francisco Telegraph

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, whose arrest earlier this week triggered deadly protests across the country, Geo TV news channel has reported.

The court considered an appeal by Khan’s legal team on Thursday, ruling that the arrest of the opposition figure was illegal, according to the broadcaster.

The leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was detained on an order from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday as soon as he arrived at a lower court in connection with a graft case against him. He has been held at a police compound in the capital, Islamabad, since then.

Khan’s spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the 70-year-old was apprehended in court before he could even appear before the judges, which was “in violation of all laws.” The PTI party claimed that it was not an arrest, but “an abduction,” and called on its supporters to take the streets.

Pakistan deploys army after Imran Khan’s arrest

Pakistan has been gripped by violent protests for the last three days, with demonstrators clashing with security forces and setting government buildings on fire in major cities across the country. The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has deployed the military in an attempt to curb the unrest.

Some 2,500 of Khan’s supporters, including some top figures in his party, have been arrested so far. Local media have reported at least 11 protesters killed and hundreds of police officers wounded.

Numerous criminal cases have been launched against Khan since his removal from office after a no-confidence vote in April 2022. The PTI leader, who remains highly popular in the country, denies all accusations against him.

The politician claimed a year ago that he had been deposed as a result of a US-led “international conspiracy” and accused his opponents of receiving money from foreign forces.

Khan has been making active attempts to return to power since then, staging massive rallies across the country. The former premier survived an assassination attempt last November, escaping with a non-life-threatening leg wound after several bullets were fired at him.

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