If you mean FSB, they've been at it less than BATF have. If you mean Ch.K./NKVD/MGB/KGB, I've read Suvorov's Akvarium, and know their bloody history, and agree that it's a crying shame that there wasn't a Nuremberg trial of apparatchiki after the Soviet Union fell.
Are you saying that nothing has changed?
I've gone drinking with a two FSB (one retired from KGB), and an SBU (Ukrainian version). They struck me as unmotivated, plodding plainclothes cops. In Kyiv, the "secret service" lieutenant I was with couldn't even get us into a cabaret.
Now ATF or WOD types, they scare the bejeezus outta me.
FSB=KGB. These guys just kept doing their respective jobs under a new acronym. "New boss same as the old boss" if you know what I mean.
Now ATF or WOD types, they scare the bejeezus outta me.
As well they should. It's interesting how the GOP's federal police force has taken an ever-more menacing turn since Bush made some key partnering decisions before the dust of the Wall (which fell into the West immediately after folks like Putin had switched out entire cadres of East Berliners with "former Soviets" ) had even settled:
In 1989 edition of the National Drug Control Strategy, President Bush made it official:'We must be prepared to share our knowledge and our concern with the Soviet Union and Eastern European nations and be willing to engage them in cooperative counterdrug activities". (36)In this strategy document, there was no recognition of the role of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe countries in drug-trafficking and in creating the very sickness the strategy was designed to cure.Towards the end of 1989, the DEA made a formal proposal to the Soviets for the DEA to conduct 'advanced narcotics investigations' for about 30 anti-narcotics professionals from Soviet customs, the Ministry of Interior and the KGB. As one DEA official, Paul Higdon, explained: 'We're looking at them as policemen - these guys are cops with a mission similar to ours'. Not to be outdone, US Customs is proposing a formal information-sharing agreement, similar to the ones we have with most of our Western allies'
Hear No Evil -- Part II Case in point (for comparison purposes): Vladimir Meciar's Dawn Arrest
Case in point (for comparison purposes): Modesto Boy, 11, Shot By SWAT Team
The Elian Snatch and What It Could Mean for You.
Do I believe things have changed? You bet.
Fifteen years ago, the notion that we would turn to the Russians for help in handling the psycho-terrorizing and hot attack of Branch Davidians in Texas (over a poorly handled attempt to collect taxes) would have been unthinkable.
Fifteen years ago, folks might have wondered why Alger Hiss didn't win on appeal if someone like Yevgeny (Finkelstein) Primakov could be prime consultant to our nearly fully-evolved new Ministry of Information.
A lot has changed. But those appearances -- particularly among the New Russians -- I chalk up to the "saving graces of Western Materialism" do not cut it for me.
In fact, I think it a pretty poor joke indeed that the likes of Delay could tout such things as if a nation like ours -- which has exported nearly every vital element of our economy and reduced heretofore secure "family-style" lifelong loyal workers into triple minimum-wage slaves with big Yellow smiles at Wal-Mart or other environmentally-sensitive companies who've proven their Diversity and Sexual Equality bona fides in the courts and who lead the way in volunteering to tax internet sales or corral workers into HMOs -- is up to the task of evangelizing the world with our most famous bit of materialist scripture: "It's the Economy, Stupid."