Paul Goble
Staunton,
September 25 – Sergey Karaganov, a Moscow analyst who serves as a key advisor
to Vladimir Putin, says Russia must turn from Europe to Asia and must “stop
being ashamed” that it has an authoritarian political system rather than
liberal democracy. If it weren’t for
that system, he continues, Russia would disintegrate.
The head
of the Moscow Council on Foreign and Defense Policy made these comments in Ogonyek
two weeks ago (kommersant.ru/doc/3719327).
They have now been highlighted by US-based Russian historian Irina Pavlova who
says they “deserve attention” as a reflection of “modernized Stalinism” (vpavlova.blogspot.com/2018/09/blog-post_24.html).
“Russia
can and must cooperate with Europe,” Karaganov says; “but [Europe] is not in a
position to be the leading source of development for us.” It may provide ideas
on environmental regulation or municipal democracy and self-administration. But
no more than that.
“Everything
else that is in the West we either have” or it doesn’t fit in with the Russian
system. “Russia is an authoritarian power by its ‘genetics,’” Karaganov says. “This
is our historical and genetic code and it’s time to stop being ashamed that we
are historically attached to an authoritarian system of rule and not liberal
democracy. If we weren’t authoritarian and centralized we wouldn’t exist in
today’s borders.”
“We
need to calmly recognize this and use it as a competitive advantage,” the
Moscow commentator continues.” That is all the more so because Europe today is stagnating
while “Asia is developing rapidly. And not in the last case thanks to military ‘cover’
from Russia.”
And
according to Karaganov, “not long ago, Russia won in Syria, is playing the role
of mediator between Turkey and Iraq, India and China and in a number of other
Asian conflicts. Thus we can offer to the countries of this region not only
resources and transportation possibilities but we are playing the role of the
most important supplier of security.”
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