Putin demands foreign investment curbs (over strategic areas of the economy)

swissinfo.org ^ | May 11, 2005 5:20 PM | Douglas Busvine

[Destro]

America used to have such a clause for our strategic interests until the free trade agreements ended this strategic provision. A dearly departed Freeper used to advocate a return to such policy but sadly his name escapes me at the moment.

[WoofDog123]

I think any country where the government was stronger than its megacorporate interests would have such a policy. Since our government works for the fortune 100 in many areas, of course, we don't.

[Destro]

Putin's biggest enemies are of course the globalists - because Putin advocates a protectionist policy.

[Betaille]

Don't be so enthused by this. This is about the Russian State tightening its grip on the economy. State control always sounds good and nationalistic but is disasterous in practice. Putin doesn't understand freedom or capitalism.

[Destro]

It is not state control - it is saying only Russian interests (still private) can own strategic resources/industries - a policy that America used to have.

[Betaille]

Economic nationalism doesn't work.

[threeleftsmakearight]

Is it me? Or does it seem like Putin is slowly trying to take Russia back to the days of USSR?

[Destro]

It is you. More like Putin is taking Russia back to America circa the 50s.

[Destro]

Adam Smith wrote in 1776 that "defense is more important than opulence."

[Destro]

Export Control Act 1949 required the denial of export licenses to items that contribute to military or economic potential of a communist bloc country. Before this act, scrap metals were exported to Japan and the Japanese used them to produce war materials to attack the United States.

[Betaille]

He was right. But this isn't necessary for Russia's defense. It's just Jingoism.

[GSlob]

"More like Putin is taking Russia back to America circa the 50s."
He will square the circle before he gets there. America in 50's was a place with well developed civil society. To grow it normally takes centuries, and without it the only thing he could get is a mafioso state with himself as a "capo di tutti capi".

[sfrepub]

It's disturbing that so many on this forum are willing to blindly accept Putin's moves to gain control over natural resources as benevolent in nature.

In a global war against China & Russia, the communists trump card is a stranglehold on natural resources. They've already got near control over middle east oil through their proxies (Iran). Now he's shoring up control in his own backyard.

Can't you see that he's setting up the chessboard now?

[Destro]

America in 50's was a place with well developed civil society

Unless you were black. But I was talking about the economics of that time as in the Export Control Act 1949 and other such acts.

[Destro]

If so what are you worried about? Communisim doesn't work.

[GSlob]

Even in economics - either the mafiosi/oligarchs will steal/embezzle it, or the mafioso state itself (a la USSR of thucking memory) will squander and waste it. Either way, it is no USA of 1950s.

[Destro]

you are over reaching - again I was talking about the same type of provision that America enacted to maintain an industrial base for national security.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/export/provisions.htm

The Export Control Act of 1949 gave the US Department of Commerce Bureau of Export Administration primary responsibility for administering and enforcing export controls on dual-use items, and for the first time defined three reasons for the imposition of these controls - national security, foreign policy, and short supply. Upon the expiration of the Export Control Act, the Export Administration Act (EAA) of 1969 took effect on January 1, 1970. The EAA was reestablished in 1979, and amended several times since. The Act lapsed on August 20, 1994.

In recent years the Clinton Administration has made major progress in eliminating unnecessary and ineffective export controls and streamlining the export control process.

MCTL: Militarily Critical Technologies List The Militarily Critical Technologies List (MCTL), which is revised each year to reflect changes in technologies and the world environment, is the Defense Department’s best guess as to what technologies and equipment must be protected from unauthorized export. These technologies are perceived as providing the key to maintaining US military superiority.

[GSlob]

Well, judging from what I heard from my few contacts there - those who can are (and those who cannot would like to be) voting with their feet. While I got the ef out of there 24 years ago, these people are more up to date - and they do not express any optimism, either in social or in economic prospects of the society. I know some of these people well enough to trust their judgment on this subject, independently of what I knew at my time there or could deduce from theoretical considerations. Mark Steyn's article in its first half [www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1399019/posts] is mostly on the mark and squares with what I've heard, although he does occasionally go for a rhetorical flourish.

[Destro]

Return of the Jews: For decades the story of Russia's Jews has been one of fear and flight to Israel. Now many are coming home.

Once desperate to leave, now Jews are returning to Russia, land of opportunity

http://www.google.com/search?q=jews+Russia+returning&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N

[Just mythoughts]

"Can't you see that he's setting up the chessboard now?"


Some can see the "chessboard" and some think it is only a natural action of taking care of business.

Watching the transformation or the appearance of a transformation in Russia is nearly as much of an act as the liberals claiming "Christianity".