Putin's Way
Russia's Development Strategy
to 2020
by John Stanton
http://globalresearch.ca/, February
14, 2008
Towards a Disciplined, Flexible 21st
Century State Model__On February 8, 2008 President Vladimir Putin
of Russia made an extraordinary speech at the Expanded Meeting
of the State Council. The 13 page speech was titled Russia's Development
Strategy to 2020. The document is a template, a guide for the
creation of the 21st Century Flex-State. A State with strong,
even aggressive leadership that seeks to keep its story, its history,
its people alive and prosperous in an era of competitive globalization
where information about any organization, any individual, in any
country is nearly impossible to hide. It is a bold, even historical
document about Russia's experience with a method of US economic
torture called The Shock Doctrine (see Naomi Klein's book of the
same name), and its trials and tribulations with low birth rates
and dismal healthcare. It is astonishingly open.
More than anything, though, it's about
the long-term. It is about country and national interest coming
first, agency second.
Putin recognizes that only The State has
the authority to wield power to protect the national interest,
play referee when financial markets convulse, and ensure that
a nation's infrastructure, its culture, its people and its security
come first. After all, those are the critical components of The
State. It is vital that, as much as possible, The State should
attempt to remain unincorporated. "We have rid the country
of the harmful practice that saw state decisions taken under pressure
from commodities and financial monopolies, media magnates, foreign
political circles and shameless populists, a practice that was
not only detrimental to our national interests but that cynically
ignored the basic needs of millions of people," said Putin.
According to Goldman Sachs, Russia has
become a "remarkable" performing member of the BRIC's
(Brazil, Russia, India, and China) with its economy growing at
an annual rate of 6.8 percent. Even so, according to Putin, much
remains to be done and Russia can't borrow and spend its way to
national prosperity and security. In short, Putin's "non-democratic"
plan, much maligned in the world's mainstream media, is working.
Putin's Way
The American people would do themselves
a big favor by reading his speech. The entire US economic, political,
military, and diplomatic apparatus--presidential candidates included-would
do their country a great service by taking the time to understand
and heed the message behind the words. That message is clear:
The State exists to serve the interests of the people. The State
will not fade away, it can't. Indeed, Evolutionary Psychology
teaches that human beings are hierarchical creatures that in groups
need structure, discipline, and unitary purpose. The State should
be the guardian of the national psyche and not the captains of
industry. According to Putin:
"Our children will no longer have
to pay our old debts. The state foreign debt has shrunk to 3 percent
of GDP - one of the lowest ratios in the world. What choice can
there be between the opportunity to become a leader in economic
and social development, a leader in ensuring our national security,
and the threat of losing our economic standing, losing our security
and ultimately even losing our sovereignty? Russia must become
the country offering the best life, and I am sure that we can
achieve this goal, not by sacrificing the present for some radiant
future, but by working day by day to improve people's lives.
The transition to an innovative development
path calls above all for large-scale investment in human capital.
Human development is the main goal and essential condition for
progress in modern society. This is our absolute national priority
now and in the future. Russia's future and our success depend
on people's education and health and their desire to improve themselves
and make use of their skills and talents. I am not saying this
because presidential elections are just around the corner. This
is not a campaign slogan. This is vital for our country's development.
Russia's future depends on our citizens' enthusiasm for innovation
and on the fruit of the labors of each and every individual.
Political parties must not forget their
immense responsibility for Russia's future, for the nation's unity
and for our country's stable development. No matter how fierce
the political battles and no matter how irreconcilable the differences
between parties might be, they are never worth so much as to bring
the country to the brink of chaos. Irresponsible demagogy and
attempts to divide society and use foreign help or intervention
in domestic political struggles are not only immoral but are illegal.
They belittle our people's dignity and undermine our democratic
state. Russia's political system must not only be in accordance
with our national political culture but should develop together
with it. Then it will be both flexible and stable."
Rice-Minded Arrogance
Much of the world's mainstream media outlets
focused their attention on the last two pages of Putin's remarks
in which he bluntly, but not surprisingly, indicated that Russia
would respond to further military encroachments by the United
States--and its NATO partners--by re-engineering its national
security apparatus to counter US/NATO plans to encircle the Russian
Federation with a ring of tripwire military bases. With its hand
forced, Putin said that "Russia has a response to these new
challenges and it always will." He went on to say that "The
use of new technology calls for a rethinking of strategy in the
way our Armed Forces are organized. After all, new breakthroughs
in bio-, nano-, and information technology could lead to revolutionary
changes in weapons and defense."
Officials from the US State Department,
the Pentagon, US defense industry--and the many think tanks/interest
groups they rely on--have carefully deconstructed and reconstructed
President Putin's comments on national defense.
Their considered-and predictable--recommendations
on Putin's remarks reads something like this: The US national
security strategy of provoking Russia, and much of the rest of
the planet, has been successful. Said provocation has produced
additional and in some cases unforeseen threats, as the Putin
speech demonstrates. Therefore, the out-year budget planning is
already dated and inadequate for the previously anticipated threat
scenario. To meet new and as yet undefined threats posed by the
Russians-and the world-an increase in funding requests next year
is an absolute certainty. We must lobby the US Congress and convince
the US public that an increase in program funding for all the
US military services and their contractors is essential to counter
this new Russian belligerency and other threats we cannot at this
time predict.
Right on schedule, the marketing campaign
kicked-off. On February 13, 2008, US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice had this to say about Putin. "The unhelpful [remarks]
and really, I will use a different word; reprehensible rhetoric
that is coming out of Moscow is unacceptable."
Unacceptable? Who does she think she's
talking to?
Soviet Model or Chinese "Communist"
Model
Rice's flippant statement is yet another
example of the F***! You! US national security policy-an in-your-face
mandate to corporatize and militarize The State for neocolonialist
ends. This incendiary national policy has been wonderful for those
who want to turn The State into a for-profit enterprise. As such,
when Putin talks tough--because US national security strategy
compels him to-he ends up providing the rationale for US corporatists/militarists
who want to perpetually develop and market new weapons platforms,
increase the centralization of national security systems to monitor
public opposition, and use The State to justify shady practices
(retroactively too!) from preemptive intervention and torture
to US central bank policies that sanction Wall Street's appetite
for the Roulette Wheel..__It's tough to gauge whether those in
power in the USA--and the many who are now seeking elected and
appointed office--want to turn the US State into capitalist version
of the former Soviet Union or today's Communist China with its
capitalist face. Perhaps they want the best of both. Whatever
designs they have, this much is certain: __1.) the continued corporate
takeover-encourage by the three branches of the US government-of
The State's social, education, infrastructure and security functions,
to include resource assets;
2.) increased militarization of the US
economy; __3.) bigger defense budgets for kinetic overkill platforms
for land, sea, space that ignore William Lind's Nth Generation
Warfare principles and take up a greater percentage of US GDP;
__4.) unprecedented expansion and centralization of domestic surveillance
and homeland security activities; __5.) widening income disparity
and cost-of-living; __6.) ignorance of America's story--its good,
bad, and ugly history-as it has struggled to live up to the ideals
embodied in the US Declaration of Independence and US Constitution;
__7) loss of national and global identity; __8.) painful economic
collapse/financial insolvency-a dramatic replay of the Soviet
Union's end-that terminates the American Nation State; __9.) violent
anarchy as The State fails, the population disburses and pledges
allegiance to whatever group or individual can provide food, shelter,
clothing and security.
Putin offers a sensible means to avoid
a nasty end.
John Stanton is a Virginia based writer
specializing in national security and political affairs. His most
recent book is Talking Politics with God and the Devil in Washington,
DC. Reach him at cioran123@yahoo.com .
Russia watch
Home Page