My political views

I think that the US administration acts in the interests of big corporations and the rich, rather than of ordinary Americans. I've no intention to visit the United States as long as that country is ruled by George W. Bush.

Unfortunately, Canada has closer ties with the USA, rather than with Europe.

I dislike the federal government of Steven Harper (conservative), because they are pro-American and environmentally unfriendly. I think it’s a shame that this government disregard the obligations of the Kyoto protocol.

Leaders of the four main Canadian parties: Stephen Harper, Paul Martin, Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe (Photo: canada.com)

Neither do I like Québec's provincial government of Jean Charest (liberal). They are only cutting social programmes and do almost nothing for the environment.

Of all the Canadian parties, I would vote for Bloc Québécois (Parti Québécois in Québec) and the Green Party (Parti Vert).

I would like to see Québec an independent country. I think that independence will help the people of Québec to preserve and enrich their culture and language, to utilise their resources as they see fit without asking Ottawa, and to make their voice heard on the international arena.

As for the Russia, I'm strongly against Putin's government and the war in Chechnya. In my opinion, Putin's regime is undemocratic and terrorist.

I left Russia because I saw that within my lifetime it would not become a normal country – democratic, respecting the rights of citizens, protecting the environment, etc. The majority of Russia's population and its elite do not want it. They prefer to dream about the past grandeur, to plunder Russia's natural resources and to threaten other countries of the former communist bloc (Poland, Baltic states, Ukraine...) who move to the democratic, unified Europe.

I am following with interest the develoments in Russia and support the nomination of Vladimir Bukovsky for the Russian presidency.

See also:

• Les Russes, sont-ils devenus libres? - My text about freedom in Russia, written in 2003.

• Putin's Russia - Current events in Russia from media sources of various countries.

• Russia's democratic rollback / Отход России от демократии.

• Putin

• Films about Russian apartment bombings - They show evidence that the apartment blocks were bombed by Putin's FSB.

• Links on politics - Organisations and projects in with which I sympathise.

Freedom House's estimates of freedom in each country in 2007. Legend: green - a free country, yellow - partially free, red - not free. Source: Wikipedia

The following notes were written in the spring of 2001. Since then the most burning issues of the Russian domestic policy have become the continuing genocide of the people of Chechnya by the Russian troops and the offensive launched by Putin's administration against democracy and free press in Russia.

My political views are West-oriented. I believe in democracy and economic freedoms, exemplified by Western countries, and I think that it's essential for Russia to follow this course.

Russia

I do not believe in theories that Russia, owning to its geography, climate, history and numerous nationalities populating it, should follow a special, "third" path of development. We've been led by this phantasm for too long and now we see the consequences ("Upper Volta with rockets"). If we continue with it, Russia will be left totally behind the modern world.

Yes, we need to preserve and develop the great Russian culture and utilise the forms of local government we had in our past. However, throughout all its history, Russia has never been democratic. That is why I think all Russians need to get acquainted with West democracies (as the most advanced), and get a "hands-on" experience, if possible. We need to come down from our high horse and become diligent apprentices of the West.

All that talk of patriotism and Russia's greatness that we hear from Putin's government and its servile mass media is demagogy. We'll have the right to say that we're civilised country, let alone great, when we have the following:

• decent salaries and pensions (in 2002 the average monthly salary was just usd 100);
• withdrawal of troops from Chechnya, punishment of all war criminals and payment of compensations to the innocent victims;
• radical reform of the armed forces: cutting the length of the compulsory service to 0.5 - 1 year, alternative service for young men to 1 - 1.5 years (the new law is totally unacceptable), conversion to fully professional service;
• functioning courts (e.g. my grandparents, my mother and I lost all their savings in Russian banks three times during the 90s, and so far these banks have not been brought to courts);
• drastic improvement of the mortality rate and life expectancy (now the average lifespan for males is 59 years);
• protection of our environmental and cultural heritage;
• a stable supply of utilities to all rent-paying residents (what was happening in the Russian Far East in the winter of 2000 - 01 is not possible in a sane country);
• treatment of all democratic countries as partners and respect of our international obligations (e.g. those we signed as a member of the Council of Europe), etc.

Our country is severely ill. We have no true civil society. The majority of the population supports the aggression against Chechnya and the genocide of the Chechen nation. It supports undemocratic and nationalist parties ("left" and "centre"), which dominate the Russian parliament. Our society is hostile against foreigners, it doesn't care about the environment.

Grozny, capital of Chechnya, in 2000

Russian politicians and magnates use their fortunes, which they acquired as insiders during the privatisation, and the mass media under their control to consolidate their private empires and political power, instil xenophobia and national intolerance. They pray on the loss of former ideals, on people's ignorance and deprivation.

The process of civilising this country will be long. It will take several generations.

The danger is that during this transitional time Russia may slide to an even greater instability and dictatorship (examples: Belarus, Central Asian states).

The West and the East

I'm not blind to the deficiencies of the Western world, e.g. excessive material consumption which has especially detrimental impact on environment.

The USA may be a useful example to study as an economic system, but there are a number of aspects of where the US record is poor:

• gun ownership;
• very high level of crime and inmate population (approximately on a par with Russia), very severe penalties, death sentences;
• unstable psychic health of too many people (notably, unmotivated shooting in schools);
• commercialisation of culture, the amount of time spent on watching TV;
• low teaching standards in schools;
• limited knowledge of the outside world and idolisation of all American;
• unwillingness to co-operate with other countries, e.g. in such issues as the International Criminal Court and the Kyoto Protocol.

See comparisons for other countries

I think that Western Europe and Canada and are better models for Russia. Culturally, we're European.

As for the countries of the Orient and other regions, we can get insights from their cultures, spirituality and use the best elements of their political and economic models that serve the goals that I mentioned above.

Co-operation

The best way to get to know a country, as I have experienced, is to live there. If the billions of dollars that the West poured into Yeltsin's corrupt administration had been used for traineeships of Russian specialists in Western companies and for promotion of human exchanges, the Russian people would have been able to elect for themselves a better government and to run the country in a civilised way.

It is my strong belief that only in co-operation with the Western world (not with Iran, Cuba or Belarus) Russia can utilise its potentials - first of all, its human capital - and became a truly powerful, stable and democratic country.