August 16, 2004
Is Russia Sliding Towards A Gangster Oligarchy?
A story barely brushed over in the media that deserves more attention is the recent murder of the Forbes journalist Paul Klebnikov in Moscow. A few years ago I read Klebnikov's fearless political biography of the tycoon Boris Berezovsky, who is now out of favor with Putin and living off his enormous fortune as a fugitive abroad.
Klebnikov's book is filled with astonishing hints and allegations--that the Russian oil business is practically run by mafias, that Berezovsky was paying off Chechnian terrorists while being close to the Yeltsin and Putin governments, that the Putin government may have been aware of or even complicit with the terrorist bombing on the Moscow subways (which led to the 2nd Chechnian war and solidified Putin's hold on power).
Admittedly, I don't know much about Russian politics. But I do remember that Klebnikov had some hard words for Clinton's decision to unequivocally support Yeltsin despite the corruption in his government. Since then, the cause of open society in Russia does not seem to be improving. Except for the occasional verbal jab from Powell, the American administration doesn't seem to be doing anything about it.
The Russian economy is dependent on oil, so as long as the prices remain high, things should remain stable. But if disaster strikes, Russia is still an authoritarian country outside of the NATO structure where Anti-Americanism and Anti-Semitism are on the rise. People shouldn't assume that a new rivalry with Russia is out of the question—all the more reason to aggressively spread democratic values there and stop disrespecting international institutions designed to bring us closer together. The failure of American public relations is not merely a problem in the Arab world—it could help resuscitate old hostilities, especially as we strive to deal with Russia's friend Iran.
For more on Russia and oligarchy, check out Noel Paul's TNR report on the "lessons" of Russia, specifically in reference to the rise and fall of the oil baron Khodorkovsky. However, I would hesitate to endorse Paul's view that the Russian people 'want' an authoritarian state. They don't really have a 'choice' in the manner, unless they want to go back to communism (which couldn't really happen at this point, anyway. Putin and his allies have too much power.)