Russia-US relations

[Shadow]

Regarding elections, there is a aver interesting worldwide pattern.
Any election won by the US favourite is honest and legal.
Any election won by the other side is fraudulent.

[lordtiberius]

I agree this last election in 2012 was fraught with fraud.

[mendeleyev]

From the Mendeleyev Journal:

Today is the birthday of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin who turns 61. Perhaps the biggest candles were lit yesterday on Red Square when Mr. Putin presided over the official lighting of the Olympic torches for the upcoming February Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.



Mr. Putin lit the torch but the flame went out and a member of the security detail quickly produced a light and the flame was reignited.




On Friday Mr. Putin presented an Olympic Torch to Prince Albert II of Monaco who holds a collection of Olympic torches. The Prince was in Moscow on a diplomatic visit.



Mr. Putin presented one of the Olympic torches to Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Olympic flames aside, some Russians are more curious as to when Mr. Putin plans to leave office. He held the office of Prime Minister when he assumed the title of President with the resignation of Boris Yeltsin on the last day of 1999 and served as President until 2008. From 2008 to 2012 he was Prime Minister at the appointment of Dmitry Medvedev before being elected as President again in 2012.

Mr. Putin will spend his birthday at the APEC Summit in Bali where as President of the G20 he will address the gathering. Later in the day he has meetings scheduled with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Several days ago the Putin government reached out to offer a meeting with American President Obama but so far there has been no official response.

[mendeleyev]

The Mendeleyev Journal:

In memory of murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya

Today in Moscow a memorial plaque was unveiled in honour of slain journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Today was the 7th anniversary of the death of the courageous woman who was gunned down on Vladimir's Putin's birthday.



Politkovskaya was an award-winning reporter for Novaya Gazeta newspaper in Moscow, of which former Soviet leader Gorbachev is associated. She was investigating human rights abuses in Chechnya along with high-level corruption at the time.





Politkovskaya's murder galvanized the growing opposition to life under President Putin and it was not until Dmitry Medvedev took over the presidency that investigators began to make headway in the case. Finally in 2012, Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, a former Moscow city policeman was convicted and sentenced to 11 years of following Politkovskaya and then giving the killer a weapon.

Pavlyuchenkov struck a plea bargain later for a reduced sentence and has never revealed who ordered the murder.





Critics say that the plea deal was useless for finding new information and only served to shorten the sentence of the man loyal to whoever ordered Politkovskaya's murder.


May God grant her memory eternal!

[lordtiberius]

Thank you for posting.   

[mendeleyev]

LT, I believe it troubling:

-  that she was killed, tracked down and hunted like an animal, on Mr. Putin's 54th birthday.

- that Pavlyuchenkov struck a plea bargain later for a reduced sentence but had to give up NO information on who ordered/paid for the murder.

[lordtiberius]

Following the clarion call to nonintervene, I will pray for her.  If I was a no gody, I would do nothing

[mendeleyev]

She would appreciate that.

[lordtiberius]

You men would be wise to read this:

http://russianreport.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/anna-politkovskaya-we-miss-you/

From the heart of the Dean of the Forum . . .for those true democrats, this is like a punch in the stomach.  Whatever your political views, are they so strong that you would die for them or kill for them?  This lady answered that question and the world is so much poorer because her blood was spilled in this way

[lordtiberius]

G. Freidman left out Russia's calculus but its a good discussion of the changing realities in the Middle East

[lordtiberius]

Mendy was right about Syria:

http://news.yahoo.com/seymour-hersh-alleges-obama-administration-lied-syria-gas-204437397.html

Seymour Hersh Alleges Obama Administration Lied on Syria Gas Attack

U.S. being aware of al-Nusra member able to make and use sarin, and yet the group

[mendeleyev]

Thanks, LT.

The London Review also did a piece on his research.

http://www.lrb.co.uk/2013/12/08/seymour-m-hersh/whose-sarin

[lordtiberius]

Thanks, LT.

The London Review also did a piece on his research.

http://www.lrb.co.uk/2013/12/08/seymour-m-hersh/whose-sarin

Kinda punches a hole in the doctrine of "My Country Right or Wrong" . . . .

Reading this article, informed me, pained me, embarrassed me and shamed me.    I don't know how else to say it or what else to say but you were right all this time.  Why does Seymour Hersh know this and not my Congressman?  The 2008 Presidential candidates are war criminals . . . and I voted for one of them . . .

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=120_1319133166
 
We need a Euromaidan in DC . . .

[mendeleyev]

We need a Euromaidan in DC

It will take extraordinary circumstances to return the USA to her roots. 

[Muzh]

It will take extraordinary circumstances to return the USA to her roots. 

Boy, you can say that again.
 
Here, from a fellow op/ed.
 
Pope’s Critique Of Capitalism Raises Ire On The Right
 
[Emphasis mine]
 
If the United States has a state religion, it’s capitalism.
 
That hasn’t always been so, but few adults under the age of 60 would know that Ayn Rand was once reviled by believers, that the working poor were once seen as honorable folk, and that churchgoing Christians did not always believe it their duty to defend the ways of Big Business. Indeed, there was once a time when even the U.S. Supreme Court looked askance at the depredations of large corporations.
 
Our recent history, however, has seen little of that. The end of the Soviet empire not only highlighted capitalism’s superiority over communism, but it also encouraged the notion that capitalism is perfect. It didn’t help that Ronald Reagan, who played a role in forcing the collapse of the Soviet system, popularized the idea that poor people were impoverished because of their innate flaws.
 
Taken together, those strains of thinking allowed business executives and their political allies, especially those in the Republican Party, to enshrine capitalist enterprise as a new religion — to be untouched by state regulation, to be left to work its will, to be allowed to run (and perhaps ruin) the planet.
 
The decades-long idolization of an amoral system helps explain the outrage on the right to the recent apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis, whose 200-odd page “Joy of the Gospel” includes a stinging critique of capitalism. Rush Limbaugh, right on cue, rushed to denounce it as “pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the Pope.” A more thoughtful rejoinder came from New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, a conservative Catholic, who wrote: “When it comes to lifting the poor out of poverty, global capitalism, faults and all, has a better track record by far than any other system or approach.”
 
But the Pope’s analysis — and he did not mince words — still rings true. “Just as the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say ‘Thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills,” he wrote.
 
Pope Francis specifically defended government regulations that would emphasize fairness and balance, decrying “ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. … They reject the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control. A new tyranny is thus born … which unilaterally and relentlessly imposes its own laws and rules.”
 
The Pope’s words matter despite the fact that his immediate influence is limited to Catholics. He commands a grand stage, and his exhortation will be hard to ignore.
 
That’s especially true since conservative Christians here in the U.S. have spent many years infusing politics with their right-wing religious views, claiming a moral basis for policies that are simply harsh and selfish. Among their more illogical positions is an insistence on denying abortions to poor women while also working to deny them the basic assistance, such as food stamps, they will need to support their children outside the womb.
 
When previous Catholic prelates emphasized an adherence to traditional social doctrines, their doctrines were embraced by conservative Protestants. They enjoyed having allies in their battles over issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.
 
So let those conservatives now argue with a Pope who, despite reasserting his church’s more traditional teachings, has put the false god of capitalism back in its place. It is not a system that is inherently evil; rather, it is amoral, subject to the people who practice it. It stands in need of corrective impulses that place more value on the disadvantaged, the marginal, the excluded.
 
In particular, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, who has often held up his Catholic beliefs to support his politics, should spend some time reflecting on Pope Francis’ renewed emphasis on social justice. If he does, he might renounce his allegiance to the atheist Ayn Rand, whose social views were Darwinian, and reverse sharp cuts to social programs that help those in need.
 
(Cynthia Tucker, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, is a visiting professor at the University of Georgia. She can be reached at cynthia@cynthiatucker.com.)
 
The National Memo
 

[lordtiberius]

It will take extraordinary circumstances to return the USA to her roots. 

may you live in interesting times

[Faux Pas]

Kinda punches a hole in the doctrine of "My Country Right or Wrong" . . . .

Reading this article, informed me, pained me, embarrassed me and shamed me.    I don't know how else to say it or what else to say but you were right all this time.  Why does Seymour Hersh know this and not my Congressman? The 2008 Presidential candidates are war criminals . . . and I voted for one of them . . .

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=120_1319133166
 
We need a Euromaidan in DC . . .

That is simple. Those that do know do not care. Those that don't know, don't want to know. Near ALL U.S. politicians left, right and in the middle march goose step to what they are told and it's not their constituency doing the telling. The constituency are to do, as they are told. Washington and Washington insiders have formed themselves into the elitist and for them, there are elitist and all the rest. Rome is burning

[pokerintherear]

Pope’s Critique Of Capitalism Raises Ire On The Right

The Pope is being a hypocrite. The other side of the story

The Catholic church is one of the biggest property holders in the US. The vast wealth of the church was accumulated in a capitalist society. It could obtain wealth at a faster pace than most business for the reason of being tax exempt.

[lordtiberius]

That is simple. Those that do know do not care. Those that don't know, don't want to know. Near ALL U.S. politicians left, right and in the middle march goose step to what they are told and it's not their constituency doing the telling. The constituency are to do, as they are told. Washington and Washington insiders have formed themselves into the elitist and for them, there are elitist and all the rest. Rome is burning

If the people of Ukraine can demand better, why can't we?

[Muzh]

Pope’s Critique Of Capitalism Raises Ire On The Right

The Pope is being a hypocrite. The other side of the story

The Catholic church is one of the biggest property holders in the US. The vast wealth of the church was accumulated in a capitalist society. It could obtain wealth at a faster pace than most business for the reason of being tax exempt.

Re-stating what the Pope said ...and that churchgoing Christians did not always believe it their duty to defend the ways of Big Business.

[mendeleyev]

Muzh, I am a capitalist for a simple reason: look at a map of the world and find a poor nation that is capitalist. Poor nations are poor because of poor decisions and yes, I blame them for their decisions. GDP doesn't change by wealth distribution, kind of obvious. GDP does change however and if you look at a map, the highest GDP nations have the highest per capita income for citizens. The lowest GDP nations have the lowest per capita income for citizens.

Cuba is a great example of this. Cuba often moans about the US economic boycott but Cuba somehow magically forgets their financial support from the Soviet Union. Cuba remained poor even when the Soviet Union was pouring funds into the island nation over the years--wealth redistribution did nothing to permanently improve the lives of Cubans on the street. Countries make choices and fates are determined by those choices.

I'm of the mind that there are moral obligations of capitalist countries, however am 1,000% convinced that government is the single worst organization to monitor and regulate because of the tendency to play favourites and corruption. Government is the easiest of all institutions to corrupt and corrupts more rapidly than any other institution in any society. Government however is the best (and worst) we have and therefore we rely on government to punish crime, protect property rights, and guarantee equal opportunity. Corporations should indeed be required to play on the same playing field as small businesses and that is a proper role of government. Large corporations must be held accountable to the law.

When government gets involved in the economy, as is classical in Russia or as Washington more recently, economic freedom is restricted. I don't need a share of Oprah's money and I don't deserve any of it either--she earned it and I didn't. But I do expect to have the same opportunity to try and achieve the same result. She however is far more talented and will probably always earn more than myself and that is good. Equal opportunity does not equate to equal distribution of the wealth of someone else.

South Korea in the 1940s was poorer than most African nations, and yes I firmly and unashamedly blame African nations for being poor. Their choices determine their poverty. Simple. Today South Korea is the 12th most prosperous nation and her citizens enjoy one of the highest per capita income in the region. Why? Economic choices. Again, simple.

Russia, a country I love, is about to become poorer based on decisions to close media, restrict capitalism to only those closely associated with the Kremlin, and jail opposition leaders. Russia today is making poor choices and will pay the economic price.

Wealth redistribution has never worked to increase GDP, it has never worked to increase per capita income but it has proved time and time again to weaken a society and create brain and capital flight.

Chile has vast amounts of natural resources and yet is poor. Switzerland has limited amounts of natural resources and is one of the most wealthy in the world. Those countries per capita incomes are reflected in choices their governments have made. Choices determine outcome.

One island: two nations. The Dominican Republic is on the upswing and beginning to prosper although it still has a ways to go. Haiti is just a sugar cane away and is one of the poorest in the world and is becoming poorer by the minute. Choices. You can take a billion dollars and rain it over Haiti and in ten years they'll be just as poor because of the system they've embraced. Meanwhile, don't rain that billion over the DR and it will continue to improve anyway because of the system they've embraced.

Poor nations will improve when they allow citizens to have opportunity and freedom to earn without having to fight corruption and threat of confiscation.

Socialism consistently fails to increase incomes. If I own two shirts and give you one, you now have one shirt and I have one shirt. Nothing however has been done to increase income permanently for either one of us. Our "GDP" is still the same and we've not gained anything for the future other than a free shirt. Free markets when applied equally for all do increase incomes.

Russia, unfortunately, still limits free markets to those in good standing with the government and any attempt to build a business in Russia must fight corruption which is a death trap for any economy.

Finally, the country of Georgia: Tiny in comparison to Russia but even with the war in 2008, the economy continues to expand and per capita income has risen consistently since 2000. In 2004 Georgia fired 15,000 policemen in one day. In the following month another 15,000 were fired. Then the country began to rehire and retrain their police force with the caveat that taking bribes would mean an express pass to prison. Not only did crime go down in the 90 day period when Georgia had a scant police presence, but corruption in everyday policing was dramatically reduced.

Soon thereafter Georgia went after corrupt judges and enjoyed the same result. The reestablishment of a honest judiciary led to improvements in the business climate because businesses could no longer bribe their way to prosperity. The 2009 GDP fell briefly after the war of 2008 but in 2010 had bounced back with a 6.3% increase and GPD was raised 7% in 2011. Russia should take note of this because widescale corruption still hampers the Russian economy and while President Medvedev was successful in reducing corruption, it is one the rise again under the Putin administration which frankly seems to sweep it under the rug while making pronouncements about the evils of corruption.

[ML]

Great analysis and write-up Jim.

Are those all your own thoughts, or who is your favorite economist - philosopher?

[mendeleyev]

Thanks ML.

My analysis, but will tell anyone that a reading of the Bible has a lot to say about productivity. Most read selected words of Jesus about the poor and sweep the associated ideas of productivity, work and responsibility under the rug. Unfortunately the new Pope in Rome is guilty of this and that is a disappointment.

Recently I was very privileged to read an advanced copy of the book The Poverty of Nations: A Sustainable Solution by Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus and that profound work has reinforced what I already knew from worldwide observations and at the same expanded my thinking about what can be done positively to address systemic poverty with solutions that work.

What we have now in the US, and this started long before the current administration, is rapidly approaching the Russian model--favoured corporations based on their relationship to the government. That leads to decline. A level playing field for all players, large and small, is required for economic growth and economic justice.

[Muzh]

Thanks ML.

My analysis, but will tell anyone that a reading of the Bible has a lot to say about productivity. Most read selected words of Jesus about the poor and sweep the associated ideas of productivity, work and responsibility under the rug. Unfortunately the new Pope in Rome is guilty of this and that is a disappointment.

Those are some hefty accusations, if I might say so.
 
Please do cite where the Pope is disregarding all these ideals. It'd be interesting where the Pope failed in Bible studies.

[mendeleyev]

Pope Francis:

“Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.”

I might agree with the "trickle down" criticism but when Pope Frances says that capitalism “has never been confirmed by the facts” then he's lost me. I'm no genius but am too intelligent to take him, Pope or not, at face value with a statement so laced with, well, ignorance or bias.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell that Third World countries don’t remain in poverty because of evil free-market systems. The fact is that third world countries who adopt free market reforms begin to prosper. What the Pope doesn't seem to understand is that it is corrupt governments, nepotism, and socialist economics using oppressive government to stay in power is what keeps the third world in the third world.

Proverbs 3: Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. (Apparently nothing wrong with hard work and honest accumulation of wealth)

Proverbs 31: She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. (That Pope Frances, it called capitalism.)

Proverbs 21: Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling, but a foolish man devours it. (Apparently nothing wrong with accumulation via work.)

The Pope and I might agree with both aspects of this one: The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.

Jesus himself didn't expect income equality: “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more." Matthew 25

Exodus 20: Six days you shall labor, and do all your work. (That 4 letter word, w-o-r-k)

Jesus in Luke 19: Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’   (Saving and earning on those savings must be a good thing.)

There is a responsibility for capitalism as well and on this I'm certain that Pope Francis and I would agree from Leviticus 23: “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”