“From the southern seas to the polar lands
Spread are our forests and fields.
You are unique in the world, one of a kind –
Native land protected by God!”
Spread are our forests and fields.
You are unique in the world, one of a kind –
Native land protected by God!”
(Excerpt from the national anthem of Russia)
During its history Russia has seen turmoil, upheaval, wars, revolutions, pain and suffering that is almost unfathomable to a western observer. Yet after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 there was hope that democracy may take a firm hold and at long last the people who live in the vast country stretching from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok would be able to enjoy the benefits of open elections, free press, right to express their opinion and achieve their dream for peace and prosperity.
The announcement made by Dmitry Medvedev at the congress of the ruling “United Russia” on September 24th, 2011 to propose Vladimir Putin (current prime minister and former head of state for two consecutive terms) as a party candidate at the upcoming presidential elections in March 2012 effectively shattered those dreams and ended even the slightest hope for democracy. What is even more disquieting is the statement made by Mr. Putin that he and Medvedev have agreed “years back” on a power swap at the end of the term of the current president. One can’t help but wonder what else they may have agreed upon and why such a pact has not been discussed publicly as it would be normal in a functioning democracy. As it seems democracy as such has fallen off the agenda in Moscow and Vladimir Putin is essentially solidifying his grasp on power (some predict that legally he can be a president until 2024 based on the current constitution). It seems that the rest of the world is simply myopically watching as a bystander the events occurring in Moscow without understanding that what happens in Russia will have a dramatic effect on the other countries in the region, which have always been under heavy Russian influence-both cultural and political and who may see the Vladimir Putin model of authoritarianism as something they can mimic in their respective areas. Studying and getting a better grasp of Russia therefore may prove beneficial for the world to plan accordingly for the years to come.
Many have tried (unsuccessfully) to understand Russia and its people. Former president George Bush even once said after his meeting with Vladimir Putin: “I looked the man in the eye. I was able to get a sense of his soul.” (BBC News, June 16th, 2001). This statement could not have been farther from reality. As a matter of fact it sounds hilarious and preposterous to those of us who have grown to be part of the Russian people and culture. The truth is, it is next to impossible to see trough a Russian soul at a first glance. After centuries of oppression, serfdom, forced relocations, lack of freedom and heavy-handed approach by its rulers, the Russian soul is hidden deep inside where no one can ever penetrate.
In order to understand it one needs to learn the language, read Chekhov, Pushkin and Dostoyevsky, be accepted as “a Russian” as the humble author of this article was. Chekhov’s magnum opus “Three sisters” for instance offers an interesting insight into the Russian soul. Just like the main characters in the play dreamed all their lives of a better future but never really achieved it and became mired in a dull life, that’s how many Russian ordinary citizens feel-freedom is elusive as authoritarian rulers always seem to have their own agenda that doesn’t include liberty and democracy.
Another approach to understand Russia and its soul would be to study its history as it shows a pattern that repeats itself century after century.
The first Russian state appeared in the 9th century-the so called Kievan Rus. In 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire and that fact has had dramatic consequences on the way the Russian society developed. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Moscow claimed the title of “Third Rome”, essentially picking up the torch as an Eastern Orthodox defender from the fallen Byzantine. In the following centuries the Russian tsars proclaimed their messianic purpose-to defend Orthodoxy and along with that stand as a bulwark against any hostile invader. They did just that-it may have been the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Napoleon, the Ottoman Empire or Germany, they tenaciously defended their land and expanded it majestically across Europe and Asia. The Russian rulers developed almost sacred aura-even their title “tsar” originated from the Roman “Caesar” meaning the ultimate autocrat sent from God. The communist leaders that followed the tsars actually continued the pattern of becoming “revered” and claiming that their rule was infinite and untouchable.
After the self implosion of the Soviet Union there appeared to be a glimpse of hope as elections were held and the press was freed from any communist shackles. The economy however collapsed and people went months without getting paid. In the mean time some wily (well connected) oligarchs managed to privatize large portions of the Russian oil and raw materials industry and became billionaires almost overnight. The corruption was omnipresent and the mafia took firm hold of any profitable business activity.
When the transition of power between Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin- a former KGB officer occurred in 1999, the people were ready for a change. Mr. Putin gave them just that even though he himself was probed for possible corruption in the 90’s he appealed to the voters as a tough talking politician who meant business. Under his guidance the economy grew at a rate of average 7% a year, the GDP rose from 24.8 trillions of rubles to 39.6 trillions of rubles. He introduced tax reforms that helped business attract foreign direct investment and in doing so generate jobs and higher salaries. He did however introduced a system which relied on friendly oligarchs and destruction of hostile ones-as was the case with the Russia’s richest man at the time-Michail Khodorkovsky, president of YUKOS. Additionally Mr. Putin slowly put a lid on freedom of press in order to ensure benevolent reports on his rule. It seemed that Mr. Putin was becoming a “tsar” of his own right and building an empire again based on economic and political allegiance to him and his “party” United Russia.
When his two terms in office ended, he handpicked Dmitry Medvedev as a successor. Rumor had it that there must have been a secret arrangement between those two so Mr. Putin will remain in power, but no one was the wiser until the infamous congress of United Russia on September 24th of this year.
All this comes to show that Russia has a complex soul that can’t be fathomed easily or with simplistic approaches. More importantly the influence of its rich culture and language is still rather substantial in the former Soviet republics. I can attest to that as during business meetings in Washington with representatives of countries like Uzbekistan or Azerbaijan it was curious that we reached agreements only after we switched to speaking Russian, even though those states have been independent for some time.
I can see that the world has become a less safe or predictable place nowadays. Once in 1992 Francis Fuquyama wrote the book “The end of history and the last man” which stipulated that after the fall of communism and the end of the cold war history essentially ended as there was nothing left to fight over. It seems that history didn’t end it just repeated itself as in the case of Russia. A new “tsar” has emerged and the future seems divided and antagonistic as it has been since times immemorial.
What I do also know is that my heart is Russian and it will always bleed with the struggles of the people to throw off the chains of authoritarianism and dictatorship that have plagued them century after century. It has been a great honor to become part of the Russian culture and understand the Russian indigenous soul when so many others have failed. This I consider the greatest achievement that there ever could be. I will always hope that the “three sisters” as in Chekhov’s literary work who represent the Russian society will rise one day and stand up to the challenge of proving to the world that even a country as vast could be a democracy.
To all Russian people in the world: a sincere “Thank you” for letting me be one of you and Godspeed!
