tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8119431684867910557.post9198021483612615387..comments2023-11-05T13:12:36.685+03:00Comments on Mark MacKinnon's blog: The new face of Russian "extremism"markmachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08667875925403626247noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8119431684867910557.post-28075859553832656512007-09-30T13:30:00.000+04:002007-09-30T13:30:00.000+04:00I'll have to read more into this. Once again, I op...I'll have to read more into this. Once again, I oppose the idea of arresting someone for reasons having to do solely with their political views. It's a more extreme way of how some media environments discriminate against journalists having a different take from those employed and frequently propped at high profile venues. That belief relates to English language mass media. Not discussing that while putting Russian media under the microscope reflects an ongoing censorship.<BR/><BR/>I don't for a moment believe that Piontkovsky's arrest has ANYTHING to do with his Jewish background. The coach of the European champion Russian national men's basketball team is an American-Israeli.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8119431684867910557.post-82239349570784667662007-09-28T04:56:00.000+04:002007-09-28T04:56:00.000+04:00Originally posted at Siberian Light: "Critic of Ge...Originally posted at Siberian Light:<BR/> <BR/>"Critic of Georgian President Faces Charges<BR/>http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/14828<BR/><BR/>How hot a topic is this in Eng. lang. mass media? Contrast to the coverage when/if a critic of Putin is arrested.<BR/><BR/>When compared to Georgia and many other countries, Russia is a large country with a good deal of geo-political clout. This in part explains why real and potential human rights issues fall under greater scrutiny with the coverage of Russia. The other part has to do with the geo-political hypocrisy of some."<BR/><BR/>****<BR/><BR/>Overall, I don't find anything particularly "nice" about Andrei Piontkovsky's commentary, inclusive of his performance at a Hudson panel discussion awhile back. Some excerpted notes of that event: <BR/><BR/>"Inside Putin's Soul http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=hudson_upcoming_events&id=277 <BR/><BR/>CSPAN aired a rebroadcast of last week's Hudson Institute panel discussion on Russia featuring Andrei Piontkovsky (Hudson Institute), David Satter (Jamestown Foundation), Anders Aslund (Institute for International Economics) and Carl Gershman (National Endowment for Democracy). The bias level at this event matched that of a recent Brookings Institute panel on the same subject ( http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?8@585.Nz5XdhONXXf@.77480649/3278 ). <BR/><BR/>At one point, Gershman referred to Piontkovsky as a "Russian patriot." My ideal Russian patriot would've questioned Gershman's dubious claim of Ukraine and Georgia being more democratic than Russia (Gershman apparently likes oligarchic influence in the Ukrainian government and the North Korean like 96% presidential tally in Georgia's last election). Anders Aslund supported Gershman by citing Freedom House's recent survey on democratic development. Besides Aslund, some other analysts (like Taras Kuzio and Michael McFaul) cite Freedom House as if they're referencing a non-politicized human rights organization. According to Aslund - Ukraine is now less corrupt than Russia. This is news to me (and I suspect a good many others as well). Piontovsky, Satter and Aslund might be surprised to know that many Ukrainians admire (in comparative terms) the overall socio-economic conditions in Belarus."<BR/><BR/>*****<BR/><BR/>Having said all this, I oppose the idea of arresting someone for reasons having to do solely with their political views.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8119431684867910557.post-20716269893226837232007-09-28T00:05:00.000+04:002007-09-28T00:05:00.000+04:00Russophobe - the only answer I have to the first p...Russophobe - the only answer I have to the first part of your question is that you and I and other bloggers (as well as the mainstream media) should keep writing about Mr. Piontkovsky's fate, as well as others caught by this absurd law.<BR/><BR/>The second part of your point is very philosophical. Are Russians passive by nature when it comes to their political rights? Yes, I think so. Would I act differently (or more like Mr. Piontkovsky) if this were my government? Yes, I hope so.<BR/><BR/>But I didn't grow up in the Soviet Union, so I don't have the same ingrained fear of authority. I was lucky enough to grow up in Canada, where I never worried how the government would respond to me exercising my rights.markmachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08667875925403626247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8119431684867910557.post-24371161633319780112007-09-27T14:27:00.000+04:002007-09-27T14:27:00.000+04:00Thanks for standing up for Mr. Piontovsky, Mark. ...Thanks for standing up for Mr. Piontovsky, Mark. When you write: "These are not extremists. These are people who dream of a different Russia than the one they currently live in." I'd only add that, in Putin's Russia, dreaming such dreams MAKES you an extremist as Russia defines it, just the same as occurred in Stalin's time.<BR/><BR/>Two requests:<BR/><BR/>(1) Can you give us some suggestions as to how we can best act to protect people like Mr. Piotovovsky, and combat the rise of dictatorship in Russia? <BR/><BR/>(2) Don't you think it might be appropriate to place some blame for this outrageous action on the people of Russia, who are standing idly by watching this happen (maybe even informing on their neighbors) just as in Soviet times, apparently having learned nothing from that experience? Shouldn't we challenge them to be more civilized and to recognize the threat they are creating to their own futures?La Russophobehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05672264388217953086noreply@blogger.com