Posted on 01/31/2006 6:17:32 PM PST by Thunder90
President Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have built up a close relationship, especially in the period since Chavez visited Moscow for the third time in November 2004. Each sees the other as an ally against American "unipolarity," and there are good reasons for friends and antagonists of both countries to follow events closely as this alliance develops -- or falls apart.
(Excerpt) Read more at themoscowtimes.com ...
PING
As they say in Texas, "Some people need killin"
Iran, Russia and Venezuela are all big oil exporters...we should probably prepare for higher prices.
Putin is a communist. He thinks that he is the Premier of the USSR, and will do anything to get this post.
Please describe one communist economic law Putin has supported.
Putin is a communist. He thinks that he is the Premier of the USSR, and will do anything to get this post.==
Putin vowed to decrease taxation furthermore. Tell me what "communist" in the world past or present would do that?
"Please describe one communist economic law Putin has supported."
He isn't necessarily communist but he is authoritarian and is acting top effectively re-nationalize energy companies in Russia - something that Marx would approve of.
The state as of January 1st is divesting it's 36% stake in Gazprom that's hardly nationalizing energy.
(Definition) Authoritarian |???ôri?te(?)r??n; ô??är-| adjective favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, esp. that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom
Putin is an authoritian, and a communist wannibee. End of story
"The state as of January 1st is divesting it's 36% stake in Gazprom that's hardly nationalizing energy. "
I said "effectively nationalizing" or at least I hope I did. They are exercising more and more state control including arresting senior executives who oppose them politically.
Name one instance of a maan arrested for opposing Putin politically.
What are they calling them - the oligarchs?
President Bush was talking about it already a year ago-
"BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, Feb. 24 -- President Bush urged President Vladimir Putin to reinvigorate Russia's fragile democracy Thursday and then accepted Putin's word when the former KGB colonel insisted he was not turning his country back toward totalitarianism."
but any one man really could be guilty so I'm not positive about any one case. But there is an apparent pattern.
The man you are thinking of is Hodorhovsky (Khodorokovsky for those who enjoy adding sounds not present in the Russian pronunciation to their speech).
He was guilty as sin and convicted in a trial of his peer for it. The guy embezzeled cash, evaded taxes, and purchased Yukos, the oil company he owned, through ilegal transactions with Former-Soviet pals. The coup de grace was that he was then readying to sell off his majority stake in the company to foreigners and transfer control of a huge portion of Russia's natural resources to foreigners.
The global beef with this is that For a year or so before he got busted Hodorhovsky kept babbling how bad Putin is and how he was going to run for president.
Again, define communism and explain to all us ignorant masses how installing flat taxes, balanced budgets, low corporate taxes, cutting off taxes like the sales tax, installing Christian education, private property rights, trial by jury, control on abortion, cutting the size of government is Communist. And if so, please then explain to us why the Conservatives aren't communists by your own definition.
Until then you don't have a leg to stand on. End of story.
Chinese?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.