Challenging the KremlinRussians show their unhappiness with Putinism.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203430404577092703376611334.html
One of the world's great tragedies since the fall of the Soviet Union has been Russia's slide back to Bonapartism under Vladimir Putin. So the democratic stirrings represented by Saturday's antigovernment protests in Moscow and other cities offer at least some hope that the Russian people won't accept their political subjugation as inevitable.
The protests were the largest in a decade—large enough that even slavishly pro-Putin Russian TV felt obliged to cover them. By all accounts, the peaceful demonstrations cut across much of Russian society, from Communists to liberals, young and old. "Putin Out" was among the cries.
The immediate trigger was the brazen and widespread fraud in the December 4 parliamentary elections, in which Prime Minister Putin's United Russia party still managed to lose seats. Another protest motivation was Mr. Putin's plan to run again for President next year after a four-year hiatus, in particular his nonchalant admission that he and current President Dmitry Medvedev had agreed to their job swap long ago. People feel bamboozled.
For a change, Mr. Putin and his siloviki (power men) seem unsure how to handle it. Earlier last week they had cracked down on impromptu protests and arrested prominent bloggers. Mr. Putin also played the same anti-American card he and Mr. Medvedev used before the parliamentary vote. Mr. Putin said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "gave a signal" to the political opposition, which must have been a dog whistle, and that the West spent "hundreds of millions of dollars" to influence the vote.
By Saturday, the Kremlin was calling the protests a sign that democracy is alive and well in Russia. Mr. Medvedev ordered an investigation into the claims of election fraud, though he didn't give ground on any other demands. The Kremlin may feel it can ride out the discontent if it appears to be listening and doesn't default to its typical thuggery.
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Agence France-Presse/Getty Images The poster depicts Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and reads: "No!"
Harder to figure is where this budding Russian protest movement goes from here. Mr. Putin isn't likely to tolerate enough open criticism to risk his re-re-election in March. The formal opposition—the Communists and nationalists—is also in the Kremlin's pocket. There's no obvious democratic leader, as any genuine liberal opposition has been harassed and prevented from emerging.
Yet perhaps this time the discontent won't be so easy to crush. Many Russians have no doubt learned from the Arab spring that when the protests are large enough the costs of a crackdown go up for authorities. Mr. Putin's calculation has been that Russians are content to trade their political freedom for a rising standard of living. But Russians can also see that the elite have special privileges, that corruption is rampant, and that much capital is fleeing the country.
It's possible that this month's election—and Mr. Putin's cynical attempt to grab another 12 years in power—have aroused the Russian public in a fundamental way. In any event, it's time for President Obama to drop the illusion of his "reset" with Mr. Putin and speak up for Russians who want more political freedom.
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发表于 2011-12-13 08:50