Inflatable "Weapons"

While hardly original, there is a certain genius to this idea:

The Russian military has come up with an inventive way to deceive the enemy and save money at the same time: inflatable weapons.

They look just like real ones: they are easy to transport and quick to deploy.

You name it, the Russian army is blowing it up: from pretend tanks to entire radar stations.

I think we should to the same with our military capacity. Forget replacing Trident with anything meaningful - instead let's go with a fleet of ersatz nuclear submarines. I mean, what could possibly go wrong with that plan?

Stalin's Grandson Tries to Save the Family Name

You might have thought of him as one of the worst dictators and mass-murderers to walk the face of the earth. However, according to his grandson, you'd be wrong - Uncle Joe Stalin was actually ok, and is just a bit misunderstood:

"Half a century of lies have been poured over Stalin's reputation and he cannot defend himself from the grave, so this case is essential to put the record straight," Mr Dzhugashvili's lawyer, Leonid Zhura, said.

Of course, they could be right, but I somehow doubt it. The evidence against Mr Dzhugashvili's grandfather is overwhelming. And the sort of historical revisionism that attempts to make him anything other than a dictator of the very worst order is on a par with Holocaust denial. Nonetheless, it does open the door to reappraising other dictators in a positive way. Perhaps we can have a movement to reappraise Pol Pot's regime as the Kindly Khymer Rouge. Or perhaps rebranding Idi Amin as a bit of a scamp who, nevertheless, was good at dancing.

The truth about Stalin's reputation and his legacy should be clear for all to see. He was a horrific murderer, who created an inhuman dictatorship that is responsible for the deaths of millions. And any attempt to say otherwise should be doomed to utter failure.

Sergei Lavrov: Speaking for the People of Britain

From The Telegraph website - Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to David Miliband:

One unconfirmed report suggested that Mr Lavrov said: "Who are you to f------ lecture me?"

Oh, to be the Russian Foreign Minister and be able to subject David Miliband to abuse when you know he is listening. Pretty much the right wing blogger's dream. And most of the population must now want to be wanting to say to not just David Miliband but the whole of the patronising Nu Labour elite "who are you to fucking lecture me?"

Don't make me tell you again!

A wonderful headline from The Guardian:

Russia warned: withdraw from Georgia, or else

The phrasing is great. It reminds me of an angry parent with a reluctant child. “Look Russia, I’ve already told you once, and I am not going to tell you again! Pull out of Georgia or else! I’m serious! Stop bloody laughing at me! Why you… Don’t make me come down there!”

Of course, that isn’t quite what has been said:

Nicolas Sarkozy of France threatened the Kremlin with an ultimatum for the first time, warning that more delays in a pullout "would have serious consequences on relations between Russia and the European Union".

Putin, with his massive army, huge supplies of oil and massive arsenal of nuclear weapons, must be shitting bricks after Sarkozy’s threat. He must be crying himself to sleep every night. Probably crying with laughter, mind, rather than with fear.

The world needs to redress how it deals with Russia. The invasion of Georgia is illegal an unacceptable, but there is precisely fuck all that anyone can do about it. Russia is a sleeping giant showing the first signs of awaking. It will probably do something very similar to the Georgian adventure very soon, and will continue to do so until it encounters a foe that really fucks with them – just as the Soviet Union did when it invaded Afghanistan. In the meantime, the rest of the world should stop this inane posturing. Unless the EU, or the US, or whoever wants to get aggressive with Russia, all this talk of “serious consequences” means the square root of fuck all. Let’s cut the bullshit. Any real attempts to restrict the Russian behemoth will lead to, at best, a Cold War. At worst, the consequences are unthinkable.

Understanding Putin's Success

Whilst the “Georgian operation” (what a wonderful euphemism for an all out military assault) is coming to an end, the world is looking at Russia and feeling a bit twitchy. This shouldn’t be a new feeling. After all, it was pretty much the status quo between circa 1948 and circa 1990. Talk of a new Cold War is premature, but it is difficult to look at the situation in Georgia and not feel deeply concerned by what is happening. Russia does not tend to fight wars with restraint and a desire to avoid collateral damage. Their mindset is not about controlling rebels or bringing order to a particular region. It is about crushing the opposition. Brutally and unmercifully.

There is more than enough commentary on what has caused this conflict, and what it means for Georgia and the rest of the world. I’m not going to rehash all that. But there is a simple reason why the Russian people will support Putin in his brutal and violent suppression in Georgia. Putin is the leader they want – not least because he is prepared to do things like this.

Before we look at why Putin is the leader Russia wants, let’s clear up a point of admin. Medvedev maybe the President of Russia, but he is very clearly Putin’s puppet. To claim otherwise is hopelessly naïve. Putin remains the leader of Russia, even though he has the technically subordinate position of Prime Minister. In fact it is entirely conceivable that, for the Russian Federation, the position of Prime Minister will become the true seat of power rather than the President – just as the post of General Secretary in the Soviet Union superseded roles such as Premier in the Soviet Union.

So, having accepted that Putin is the real leader of Russia, let’s take a look at why. Yes, part of the reason is because he rigs election. But there is still a groundswell of support of Vlad the dictator. And part of that reason is because Putin is steeped in the history of the Soviet Union, and partly because – despite the numerous screw-ups – he is also restoring some national pride to a nation that, since 1989, has been suffering some sort of national breakdown.

Let’s look at both of those reasons in turn. Firstly, Putin – who famously is an ex-KGB agent – is steeped in the history of the former Soviet Union. And he looks and acts like a capable, Soviet leader in the years before they became decrepit, dying, obese and increasingly bovine. He inspires confidence as he appears to be on the ball, intelligent, and capable or making both quick and difficult decisions. He was also part of one of the few areas of the Soviet state that actually worked efficiently: the KGB.

And it is important to remember that the majority of the Russian population are also steeped in the former Soviet Union. It has been less that twenty years since the Soviet Union vanished into the history books – and some people might hark back to the relative security of the totalitarian Soviet state next to the relative anarchy that came with the introduction of democracy. They also might look back with rose-tinted spectacle on the former Soviet Union for another reason: at the height of the Soviet Union, Russia was respected and feared internationally. Putin is recreating that aura.

Russia is again acting swiftly and brutally to quell opposition. Georgia is just the latest example. Putin is making Russia a strong, and terrifying, international superpower again. He knows the US will do nothing to challenge Russia, and that the country – by dint of the sheer size both in terms of land mass and nuclear arsenal – can do pretty much what it likes without any real threat of retribution. Invade a satellite nation, surpress democracy, kill a political opponent in London; Putin can do it all, because we need Russia, and are slightly afraid of it as well.

So Russia is becoming a superpower again – and for those who remember the Soviet Union as a global force to be reckoned with and feel proud about that can take some comfort from Putin’s bellicose and aggressive behaviour. Russia is a key player in international politics; it has a clear identity. Putin is responsible for much of that.

Above all, what Putin has managed to do is recreate some elements of the Soviet Union – strong leadership and international renown – without recreating the stagnant, bureaucratic mess that the Communist State became. He is offering the best of both worlds, so it is no wonder that many people in Russia respect and support him.

Please note I am not advocating the former Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was a brutal, corrupt, monolithic and hopelessly bureaucratic dictatorship. It was destined to fail for two reasons (ignoring the utterly stupid political philosophy it was based on). Firstly, the purges removed anyone with any talent from senior roles in the state on a regular basis. Secondly, the Five Year Plans were never reached but because people lied about achieving them new, even more ambitious Five Year Plans were put into place. So you had the farcical situation of the less talented people trying to realise a Five Year Plan based on the unrealistic goals of a previous Five Year Plan that was never actually achieved. It is no wonder the Soviet Union fell apart. Had it not been for the brutal suppression of debate and free speech, the Soviet Union would have fallen apart far earlier than it did.

Nor is this a love letter to Vladimir Putin. He scares the living hell out of me. He has the zeal, the determination, and the stare of an ideologue and a madman. He wants the best for Russia, and will get it whatever the cost. He is a dangerous man to have in charge of Russia, and his ongoing grasp of power will have serious ramifications not just for Russia, but for the world as a whole.

But it is worth noting just how Putin has managed to stay in power for so long, and why people in Russia do support him. We can (rightly) complain and protest as much as we like about Putin and his actions, but there is a method to his apparent madness. And unless we understand the mindset of the Russian people – which is mired in some of the most turbulent historical changes if recent memory – we won’t understand why things like the Georgian conflict, or the murder of Litvinenko, or the war in Chechnya happen.

Democracy came to Russia in the corpulent and corrupt form of Boris Yeltsin. It is a bit like the British people getting their first taste of democracy through someone like Michael Martin. So the Russian people can be forgiven for looking to a strong figure steeped in the past for real leadership – even if the ramifications for those in Russian satellite states and potentially further abroad are terrifying. And until the Russian people get offered something better that Putin and his ilk, they will continue the support the steely eyed, neo-totalitarian leader who is able to restore something resembling national pride to what once was one of the world’s superpowers.

Scary

The Daily Telegraph has a really rather scary photo of the "elected"* leaders of Russia:

I mean, Jesus H. Christ, could those two look anymore ex-KGB? They both look like people who have the cold, dark eyes of killers - and who relish that fact. You just know they are looking out to the crowd and thinking "I could kill you with a karate chop. And you. And you. And you..."

It looks like a scene from a James Bond movie! Imagine Daniel Craig is stood just in front of Putin and Medvedev. The script practically writes itself:

Putin: So, Mr Bond, we meet again!

Bond: Yes we do, Putin.

Putin: And I rather think it will be for the last time! Medvedev, deal with him.

Medvedev puts his arms out in front of him like a Hammer Horror zombie.

Medvedev: Medvedev kill!

Of course, thinking about it, one of these guys is the new President of Russia, and the other is the de facto leader of Russia. And they have a mighty nuclear arsenal at their disposal. So, it is probably time to be polite to them.

So:

"Congratulations, chaps! Splendid electioneering! A well-deserved victory! Good luck running Russia! I'm sure you'll be just smashing! (Hopefully not literally smashing stuff! Ha ha!)"

*Of course, it depends on what you mean by elected. If you mean "had name on ballot paper in hopelessly corrupt sham election", then Medvedev was, indeed elected.

It must be a proud day...

...in the life of any Russian politician when you are nominated as Putin's puppet President. Yes, Dmitry Medvedev may well yet become the first President of a Republic who is much less important than the Prime Minister.

In the old days they'd call the leader of Russia General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In the future, the term will probably be Prime Minister.

UPDATE

Ah, yes, there we have it - official confirmation that Putin will stay in charge. President, Prime Minister, it is all the same really, isn't it?

51% of the voters have rejected Hugo Chavez's constitutional changes in Venezuela, therefore not allowing him to reduce the working day to six hours, grab private property, and run unlimited times for President. The latter is probably crucial for Venezuela, since it means that in five years time, Chavez has to stand down, and somehow he has to be replaced. Which can only be healthy for the country and their attempts to avoid dictatorship.

Unless Chavez happens to look to what is happening in the East…

Speaking Ill Of The Dead - Boris Yeltsin

Via Tim Worstall I come across this rather wonderful deconstruction of Boris Yeltsin - the latest ex-World leader to become deified simply by dint of dying. It portrays Boris as a corrupt drunken liar - basically, a malicious version of Charles Kennedy. And when you sit down and think about the legacy left by Yeltsin, it becomes very difficult to argue with that portrayal.

Fallout

Over the weekend I went to the gallery in the Oxo Tower on the South Bank of the Thames. They have a striking and heartbreaking collection of photos of those affected by the Chernobyl disaster and other nuclear disasters/mistakes in Russia. Children with mental retardation and multiple cancers. Older people who have recovered from cancer, only to be struck down by it again - and knowing they will only get the treatment until one of their major organs fails. Whole villages of people desperate, but too ill and poor, to move on.

It is, I think, impossible to view this collection and not be affected by it. The gut reaction is to turn against nuclear power, and Greenpeace were at the gallery, tacitly asking others to sign a petition to get Blair to promise the he will not build other nuclear power plants in the UK. But the question remains - with oil and coal supplies dwindling, and the NIMBY campaigns stopping the likes of wind and solar energy, is there anyway we can turn our backs on nuclear power?

Because reading between the lines of the locales depicted in the exhibition, and what happened at Chernobyl, it is less about nuclear power itself being the problem, but rather carelessness and negligence on the part of those involved in the Nuclear power stations. Take Mayak, for example. As the link shows, Mayak pumped radioactive waste into a local river. That does not imply that nuclear power itself, is wrong, but rather that human ignorance and negligence is the problem. Nuclear power is fine as long as those responsible for the plants know what they are doing. The problem arises when they don't.

Also you can compare nuclear power to air travel - generally it is perfectly safe, but when it goes wrong, it goes catastrophically wrong. A nuclear plant goes up, you have a holocaust. A plane goes down, and no-one survives. But people still use air travel, because they sum up the risk and decide it is worth it. The same applies to nuclear power. If there are real, usable alternatives then fine, let's not use it. But whilst there aren't real alternative solutions, we have to take the risk.

But as with any risks we also need to minimise the chance of things going wrong. And if you look at the nuclear industry in Russia, far too much focus is on making money, and far too little on the local people.