So Russian has stepped back from the brink of democracy almost completely now. Under the leadership of ex-KGB top dog Vladimir Putin, the free press has been stymied, political opponents (at least those with enough personal wealth to be viably engaged in national dialogue) have been jailed, and now we see that democratic elections of local and regional leaders have been rescinded. Putin's analysis of democracy is that it is unstable and thus unsuited for Russia. He also claimed that democracy is not dead, just not deployed in particular areas of the country, although how democracy can be considered to be active in a nation with central selection of leaders rather than local voting is beyond me. Watch the language used.
Russia is desperately trying to hang on to Chechnya and the Chenchnian people are increasingly resorting to higher stakes asymmetrical warfare, be it theater hostage taking, apartment bombing, bus explosions, airplane bombings or school assaults. The Chechnians are clearly unhappy with being under the thumb of Russian central leadership; Russia is clearly unwilling to entertain the thought of giving them breathing room.
The specifics of autonomy vs. independence in this case are unimportant. I'm not sure if autonomy would be acceptable to either party. But in a democracy, it should be. A nation as large and diverse as Russian virtually demands a federal system that provides a stable center for political society but also allows for the diverse regions to set local policy as suits their wants, needs, and desires, be they religious, linguistic, or political.
But Putin appears to believe that it is the people's job to please the government by accepting whatever the government imposes rather than the government's job to please the people by fulfilling their desires. Apparently in his view, the government commands people to live a certain way rather than the people demand the government to execute itself in certain ways. He rejects democracy because of this. He doesn't seem to understand how the government is accountable to the people. He forces the facts to fit his worldview.
This is ideology trumping reality.
Sadly, we have it in our own country. The current US president is intent on forcing his perception of the world, the ideas of what he wants the world to be, onto the reality of what it really is. President Bush sees no utility in intelligence gathering as reflections of reality. Intelligence information is to be used when it fits his preconceived notions and rejected when it doesn't. There is nothing that can reach inside Bush and get him to change his mind or adjust his thinking. He rejects and ignores anything that challenges him and embraces anything that supports him, even if it doesn't have any merit or validity. It is horribly depressing that we cannot produce a leader that actively seeks to understand more and aims to constantly refine their conception and preception of the world.
I'm not saying that President Bush is the same as Putin in their notions of governance. I think that the threats to the democractic process in Russia is in severe danger and that their governor doesn't really understand or believe in democracy as a system. I think that George Bush does appreciate democracy but he might not understand the value of vibrancy and robustness in democracy and the vital need for wide discussion of views. Of all of his shortcomings however, President Bush's insistence that adjusting one's perception according to new information is a sign of weakness and that by consistently parroting one's positive position everything will work out okay is his worst. It says to me that it is a person out of touch with reality and afraid to deal with it.
Conviction and leadership, compunction to stay the course, and a willingness to bear the costs of difficult decisions are the hallmark of a good leader. But ignoring reality for the sake of appearances, especially when it continues to weaken and push one out of position to deal with the problems, is shameful and weak. And that is the biggest indictment of all for the leader of the most powerful nation on earth.
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Posted by Nutrimentia at October 8, 2004 02:28 PM | TrackBack