I pity the children of the CGI generation. They will never know true fear in film. Never has a moment so chilling and horrifying been replicated as watching the witch's soldiers marching into the heart of darkness in the Wizard Of Oz. It put me in a place of utter soullessness, a place with no hope, thought of hope or human comprehension of life. I can only imagine what I felt was just a taste of the terror of the millions wrongly sentenced to prison and slow death in the gulags of Soviet Russia.
I still carry a bit of that fear in me today.
But I've learned to put that fear aside and delve into Russia and embrace her. I wish to see her as a thriving democracy, tapping into her natural resources and live up to her long unrealized potential. It's a dream that's shared by chess champion Gary Kasparov, avant-garde band Pussy Riot, and authors Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan in The New Nobility: The Restoration of Russia's Security State and the Enduring Legacy of the KGB. And if you don't think what happens in Russia matters here in America then ask a Boston marathoner the price of such ignorance.
The book is not an easy read but coming from a closed state such as Russia the amount of information uncovered and printable (i.e. verifiable to publishing standards) is amazing. And although Americans may not like hearing it, Russia and America have been on parallel paths with each country receding into the worst of its history in the 21st century. America has returned to the days of the robber barons and Russia to the days of an all powerful tsar. But as many who wallow in the negative rail against the so-called "impracticality" of ideals, fewer are those who mention the impossible impracticality of losing them - a reality currently lost on both countries.
When Russia sifted through the ashes of her collapse in the early 90's she found herself floundering, trying capitalism and democracy partly as a reaction to newfound freedom and partly in deference of not knowing what else to do. Regardless, the times were lacking in conviction of those untested waters, seeking shelter at first signs of a storm. Perfect circumstances for a man of Putin's amoral character, a "man" who - like GWB - was not lacking in desire for giving direction to his country. And that direction was and is wholesale destruction.
As Bush led America into unprecedented levels of greed and oligarchy, Putin has pulled Russia back into darkness, raising the level of his former employer the KGB to new heights, no longer a servant of state and party, but as its ruler. Putin knows he's screwing his country as the worst form of traitor like Stalin of old, this time it's in the name of a "dictatorship of law." In old Russia the excuse was a "dictatorship of the workers." The words change but the actions are the same. Of course, if one can read between the lines you know that whatever is given as the goal of said treachery is in fact that which the Russian leadership most wishes to undermine.
Russia took a stab at a new constitution and mandating new laws of fairness but as we've seen here in America, a document is only as good as the populace willing to stand behind it, otherwise it's just a piece of paper. If any American is confused or confounded by the rolling back of Russian freedoms he need only look at the lack of outrage at the suspension of habeas corpus and other civil rights in America. And just as Americans were (willingly) lied to and drawn into a false war Putin too has used the tools of fear to gain power and prestige for both himself and the FSB (what the KGB remnants has morphed into present day).
Chechnya has been a boon to Putin and the FSB, sort of like Saddam Hussein for Bush. The more acts of terrorism perpetrated, the more horrible the outcome the more the populace turns towards a "strong" leader. But even that is not enough. Putin needed spectacular headlines to convince people his glorious FSB is on the job and hero to the world. To do this false charges were concocted of spurious spies and traitors lurking around every corner bravely and ingeniously ferreted out by the FSB! Oftentimes charges were later dropped after the sensational headlines had served their purpose, sometimes not.
Like the Bush administration, Putin rightly figured even if the truth comes out later the general populace would have little interest. If the lead up to the Iraq war was found to be based on a knowing pack of lies, who cares? If false allegations are later proven to be political ploys, so what? As long as words are spoken with conviction is all an uncaring populace wants to hear. But even the harshest dictator cannot survive without mass consent. Yet no man can escape his conscience and the inner fear that cannot be silenced nor stopped in any way. This is what makes the ruler of a country live in dire fear of a 90 second protest from a girl band.
So the bad old days have returned, as detailed by the Moscow-based Helsinki Group: "There is a sense of deja vu: the practice of surveillance of dissidents is back, taking people off trains, preventing conversations. The practice not only returned, but is enriched with new means of pressure on the people." 'New means' meaning of course the many technological tools at the disposal of governments nowadays. It's the Kremlin who knows best what should be seen, read and watched. From propaganda shows on TV, to encouraging state sympathetic hackers, to filtering websites and information, bad habits are back in form to once again destabilize Russia's credibility and respect around the world.
Just as America has mired herself in Afghanistan, Russian warfare against the breakaway state of Chechnya has proved troublesome, revealing a still sinister side to the Russian character (just as America's "war on terror" has). To combat the Chechen's use of guerrilla warfare, Russia countered with her own death squads to enact extrajudicial killings (same as America's drone program). Another favorite tactic was taking entire families of rebel leaders hostage in order to force capitulation. But although admitted by few, the fact remains terrorism cannot be stopped by attempting to kill everyone thought a terrorist.
Our deaths squads use a joystick. Yeehaw!
One cool idea stolen from the Americans was the act of rendition. Let others do your dirty work for you! Since 2004 an apparatus called the Regional Antiterrorist Structure (RATS) has been in place to allow its participants to kidnap at will so-called extremists, terrorist and presumably ex-wives from other participating countries while giving the perpetrators full immunity. This disallows dissidents from fleeing their host country for safety in another or to achieve refugee status. Yes indeed, once a state institutionalizes terror it all becomes a matter of "national security".
The Russian democracy movements remain too weak to make a difference, not standing much more a chance than America's Occupy movement. Doesn't matter how right you are if no one else stands up for their rights (just ask Jesus). American and Russian paths are running a parallel course in their disdain for social and economic justice. Citizens of both countries share a certain defeatism and resignation proclaiming no choice of paths but the one they are on. Until that foul dialog changes neither will the foul choice of leaders. All one can do is be a voice of freedom and know that one day each of will be asked where we stood in times of trial.
The authors' website can be found here, continuing to update on the latest about Russian secret services.
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