Putin's liberal economic adviser resigns, saying Russia 'not free'

AFP via Breitbart.com ^ | 12/27/05 | Staff

[B Knotts]

Didn't see this posted, and thought FReepers would be interested.

[Rippin]

Doesn't the general direction of Russia over the past 10 years represent a pretty serious failure of Bush and Klinton?

[Wiz]

Putin's economic advisor protest by resigning saying Russia not free ping!

[Red6]

Russia not really free? No way! /s

Red6

[Lukasz]

Eastern European ping list

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FRmail me to be added or removed from this Eastern European ping list ping list.

[x5452]

Hope he at least got out of the country before he made these statements. Dessenters of Putin have a habit of ending up in jail.

[Flavius]

no its pretty serious failure for russia

[xrp]

Huh? When was Clinton and Bush elected President of Russia?

[AdmSmith]

In December 2004, the biggest oil fields of the embattled Yukos oil giant _ once Russia's No. 1 producer _ were transferred to the state to reclaim billions in disputed tax bills, and this year, the giant gas monopoly Gazprom bought the privately held OAO Sibneft oil company.

Illarionov said last week that after state-owned Rosneft took over OAO Yukos' main subsidiary, Yuganskneftegaz, the unit's revenues dropped and costs soared.

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/ap/article.html?mi=D8EOKQGGB&apc=9002

Surpise, surprise

[freeforall]

bttt

[Bogie]

The only difference between this article and what Alexander Solzhenitsyn has been saying for a long time, is that, according to Solzhenitsyn, Russia was never free. A ruling class of communists simply " change hats" and started calling themselves capitalists.

[Rippin]

Freedom of Americans depends on freedom abroad.

[RockinRight]

I hate this use of the word "liberal" as I think it really means economically libertarian. I also hate how the media uses "conservative" to refer to hardline commies in Russia.

[Stellar Dendrite]

Pinging our good friend Gary!!!!

[JasonC]

Um, how about a pretty serious failure of Putin and the Russians themselves? Or is no one responsible for their destiny anymore, only "daddy"?

[Rippin]

The failure of Putin and the Mayor of Moscow and whatever Billionaires run Russia is manifest. Yes. But when things go in the right direction due to United States policy I give us some credit. Opposite seems would also be true.

[anonymoussierra]

Dzieki

[quant5]

"Doesn't the general direction of Russia over the past 10 years represent a pretty serious failure of Bush and Klinton?"

I dont know about that. Once freedom COULD be introduced, the people in power (oligarchs) stole the money. The money could have been used for reforms which could have self-perpetuated full blown democracy someday. I dont blame either POTUSES or Putin, although Putin has seemed to have gone back to Cold War era power mongering.

[GarySpFc]

Illarionov has long been the highest profile critic within the Kremlin of the Putin administration. Just last week, in what may have been his last major press conference as adviser, he said: "Russia has ceased being a free and democratic country."

So what! Here we see one man making a statement, and everyone goes ballistic. We have Democrats in America who make similar statements on a daily basis.