Professor Paul Krugman (1955- ) (tight) with his wife Robin Wells, also a professor at Princeton

Amidst the economic turmoil in the United States and in the rest of the world, an American professor was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences this week. The Nobel committee awarded Paul Krugman, an economics professor at Princeton University, the prize for his efforts that help explain why some countries dominate international trade. The Nobel Prize committee cited Mr Krugman for his "analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity". But, the Princeton University professor is probably better known for his Op-Ed columns in the New York Times in which he consistently criticised President Bush's administration and its economic policies. It is too bad that his advice to the administration and his wider economic theories went unheeded in America. The prize, however, was awarded for the academic, and less political, research that he conducted primarily before he began writing regularly for the Times. Mr Krugman won the prize for his research, beginning in 1979, that explained patterns of trade among countries, as well as what goods are produced where and why. He set out to explain why worldwide trade was dominated by a few countries that were similar to one another, and why a country might import the same kinds of goods it exported.

In an interview with Reuters, Mr Krugman denied that he felt vindicated by the Nobel Prize because it was given for his professional work as an economist rather than for his commentary in which he was an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's economic policies. "I feel vindicated by the fact that when I criticised Bush, 80 percent of the public approved of him, and, now, it's more like 80 percent of the public disapproves. That's the vindication", he said in his interview with Reuters in Princeton NJ this week. He also predicted that the world is likely heading for a deep recession despite the European-led plan to bail out banks hit by the credit crunch. He said, "There's a tremendous amount of downward momentum built into the real economy from this crisis. Even if we unlock the credit markets, we probably still have a nasty recession ahead of us". God willing, Mr Krugman's dire prediction can be averted and he will not collect another prize for it any time soon.

14 October 2008

Yuri Reshetnikov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33748&cid=87&p=14.10.2008 (in English)

Senator Barack Obama (1961- ) (D-IL), Democratic Party candidate for US President

With the 4 November presidential elections only two weeks away, it looks like the Republican hopeful John McCain's chances to win are next to nil. In any case, this is exactly what the majority of American analysts are now saying with some standard reservations, of course, about last-minute surprises and heretofore ignored factors, like racism, that might sway the vote on Election Day. Judging by the latest opinion polls, Barack Obama is widening the gap separating him from his Republican contender, including in the so-called "battleground" states. Trying to reverse this negative trend, John McCain is shifting the focus of his campaign to a stinging critique of the young and relatively inexperienced Illinois Senator whilst emphasising his own political longevity and the need for a firm hand on the helm. So far, this tactic has failed to generate the positive public response Mr McCain hoped for, though.

In a report sure to spark a national conversation on race, Politico, a specialised Washington-based newspaper, says that racial prejudice could not be a significant enough factor to undermine Barack Obama's bid to become the first black president of the United States. Separate studies reveal that racial bias could affect the final outcome only when the two candidates garnered a relatively-equal number of votes. They also indicate that the majority of voters, even in America's traditionally conservative and pro-Republican hinterland, now worry more about their financial security than the skin colour of their next Chief Executive. Last, but, certainly not least, the surveys point to an unprecedented degree of pro-Obama sentiment among members of the Afro-American community, who are now registering en masse to vote on 4 November. Many believe this could prove more than the Democrats need to offset the white electorate's possible anti-black bias...

14 October 2008

Mike Sullivan

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33739&cid=87&p=14.10.2008 (in English)

"It is the only military unit that ‘conquered' more than 70 countries without fighting". Enthusiastic audiences repeat this about the Aleksandrov Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army (better known in West as the "Red Army Chorus": editor's note), a world-famous group that is marking its 80^th anniversary with a series of concerts in the most prestigious concert halls of Moscow. Today, another jubilee performance will take place in the "Aleksandrovsky" concert hall.

By the way, the Aleksandrov Ensemble, this is what we call it in Russia, was named in honour of its founder, Aleksandr Aleksandrov, Professor of the Moscow Conservatoire, conductor, and composer. 8 singers, 2 dancers, one accordionist, and one elocutionist, only 12 people altogether... That is how it all began in 1928. Today, there're more than 200 performers in the Aleksandrov Ensemble. It has a powerful choir, a dynamic dance troupe, and a virtuoso orchestra of folk instruments. They always perform in military uniform. "Firstly, we must ennoble the Russian Army in the people's minds and hearts, not only with our irreproachable artistry, but, also with our appearance, so that we show the spiritual might [of the forces]", the ensemble's director, Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Maleyev said. Foreign media reports called the Aleksandrov Ensemble "peace ambassadors", "singing diplomats", a "unique military choir that performed in the NATO headquarters in Brussels", and the "first army ensemble that gave a concert in the Vatican".

"As before, holding concerts all over Russia are of great importance for us", Colonel Maleyev emphasised. "The most important thing for us is to perform before the Russian audience. Last year, 136 out of our 188 concerts were held in Russia". There are more than 2,000 works in the ensemble's repertoire today, including folk songs and large-scale compositions created especially for it, and also opera fragments and Orthodox chants, and, besides, comic army couplets and lyrical ballads. The calling card of the Aleksandrov Ensemble is, of course, the well-known Russian folk song "Kalinka".

10 October 2008

Tatiana Zavyalova

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=85960&cid=24&p=10.10.2008 (in Russian)

"I am happy to invite you to the world of fashion design secrets and share those secrets with you". With these words, the prominent Russian fashion designer Valentin Yudashkin opened his one-man show in Moscow. It is located at the Historical Museum on Red Square and will run until 2 November. It is timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the Yudashkin House of Fashion.

This Russian brand had its première in the world of high fashion in 1991 when Yudashkin showed his collection in Paris for the first time. It was entitled "Fabergé" and was inspired by artistic ideas drawn from the prominent Russian jewellery atelier that won fame for its output of Easter eggs made of precious metals, stones, and enamels. The young Russian couturier designed dresses in the form of Fabergé's renowned eggs. They produced a great impression on the sophisticated French public and impressed the recognised leaders of the fashion world, Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne. In short, Yudashkin's first collection did not return to Russia, it remained in France, at the Louvre in Paris.

Since then, the Russian fashion designer has created a variety of new dresses, consolidating his international prestige. He does not make his work into a secret, for when he presents his dresses from collections of various years at the Moscow show, he gives full particulars of their details. Take for example, the airy evening dresses he named his "Clouds". Yudashkin felt much gratitude to the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, whose workshops provided him with an opportunity of getting an insight into the creation of such airy forms and studying various techniques of work with various fabrics. He said that he was learned old techniques there in which the fabric is not cut by scissors, but, it is torn by hand so that it could take elegant and so-called "live" forms. Take, for example, a tender pink organza dress, it looks so alive and natural although many metres of fabric were used. A theatrical approach to dress design is typical of Yudashkin. According to the couturier, this is yet another mystique to his style. Such an approach gives freedom to the designer, allows him to use exotic fabrics and a plethora of colours.

True, his show proved that Yudashkin can also work skilfully using only one colour. His collection entitled "Mister Dinner Jacket" is a virtuoso interpretation of the colour black. Visitors are amazed standing in front of a dinner jacket that can be described, without exaggeration, as a piece of art. On its back made of sheer black silk there is a portrait of the famous Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin embroidered in black beads. What is more, the poet's notes on the margins of his books were reproduced skilfully. Yudashkin believes that black is a magic colour. He said, "My favourite dress is made using the ‘black on black' technique, it is so tragic and romantic! Various materials are involved, atlas, laces, chiffon, organza, taffeta, and velvet, to produce the proper black shading effect".

What are quite different are his dresses with exotic and rich in colour feathers of birds of paradise, pheasants, ostriches, and peacocks. In some dresses, the natural feathers are sewn to the fabric using old technology, on others; they are reproduced on fabrics using new technologies. Yet, this is no secret; Yudashkin's secret is that for him the image of the Russian woman is associated with that of a flying bird.

13 October 2008

Tatiana Kaperkina

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33706&cid=59&p=13.10.2008 (in English)

Asked how she felt about the Bush doctrine, Sarah Palin, the running mate of American presidential nominee John McCain, said the other day that she had no idea of what exactly the Bush doctrine spelled out. Quite an answer to a question about the cornerstone of her country's foreign strategies! Not necessarily an honest answer, though. But, it is worth pointing out that all the participants in the soon-to-be-over presidential race, including the Republican Party's Ms Palin, manage to make hundreds of speeches without mentioning the most-important Bush doctrine. Senators McCain and Obama are, naturally, familiar with the national security strategy of September 2002, which is better known as the Bush doctrine. The document in question introduces a concept of preventive warfare that allows America to take military action before it happens to come under attack, and encourages unilateral efforts in case attempts to forge alliances yield no result. Planned as a long-term document, this national security strategy is projected into the future. Because of that and because it has never been declared null and void, it will influence the White House's moves in the post-electoral period. This is all the more reason for pointing to the conspicuous absence of answers to the question of whether one should expect the White House to stick to that pushy doctrine in the years to come.

Eight years ago, the Bush-Cheney Administration decided to resume the once-interrupted arms race on their arrival in the White House. It is on two results of that decision, the growing public debt and the unacceptably-large budget deficit, that influential US-based experts blame the current economic crisis. Will the wasteful and dangerous arms race be continued by the winner of the presidential mandate? Will the enormous public debt and the unbearable burden of budget deficit keep growing in his years in office? Neither the loquacious Senator McCain nor the phrasey Senator Obama has been able to coin befitting answers to those questions. The new arms race will be incomplete without plans for the militarization of outer space. Another brain child of President Bush is called the space doctrine of the United States of America. Congress has, on request from Mr Bush, earmarked a hundred billion dollars for the launch of the Falcon programme, which focuses on the development of space weapons. The US attempts to turn outer space into a third field of combat operations may prove as dangerous as the American decision to use a nuclear device in August 1945. Senators McCain and Obama avoid mentioning this extremely dangerous space doctrine and voicing their view of it as much as they avoid mentioning their country's security doctrine.

America has had an extremely difficult year. Millions of American lives have been affected by natural disasters; millions of Americans have lost their movables and real property. Celebrated scholars blame the latest natural disasters on the greenhouse gas effect, which is a result of the boost in industrial production, which, in turn, explains the growing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The United States emits as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as any other country does. A shared desire to avert that growing threat brought 180 nations to sign what is known as the Kyoto Protocol, ten years ago. The United States is still waiting to sign that document. President Bush is a sworn enemy of the Kyoto Protocol, and people of different nations, including his own, have to pay for his arrogance and short-sightedness. Potential leaders of the United States of America are supposed to be worried about this most pressing problem. But, the two frontrunners in the American electoral race prefer to keep their mouths shut every time they are expected to address this or either of the two earlier-mentioned problems. I could list more questions that require clear-cut and unambiguous answers on the eve of the presidential election. But, all attempts to list these sorts of questions exceed the limits of what is known as democracy. Blind luck rules in card-playing. A bet on blind luck is unacceptable and dangerous in politics.

10 October 2008

Valentin Zorin

A View from Moscow

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33573&cid=170&p=10.10.2008 (in English)

As the effects of the financial crisis spread around the world, the number of US taxpayer dollars involved in cleaning up the mess seems to grow by the minute. Although some stock markets have gone up this week, most continued to slide. Furthermore, every day brings more bad news for financial institutions. But, clearly not all of them. Less than a week after getting an 85 billion dollar (2.222 trillion roubles. 62.475 billion euros. 49.572 billion UK pounds) commitment, executives of American International Group reportedly went on a week-long spree at a luxurious resort in California. The trip cost the troubled insurance company almost half a million dollars (13.074 million roubles. 367,500 euros. 291,600 UK pounds), including 23,000 dollars (601,404 roubles. 16,905 euros. 13,414 UK pounds) in spa charges such as facials and pedicures and 200,000 dollars (5.229 million roubles. 147,000 euros. 116,640 UK pounds) in room charges.

According to a blog filed at MSN by Kim Peterson, "Sometimes, after you've worked hard at running a company into the ground, only a pedicure will do, and a stiff drink. The tab also included 25,000 dollars (653,700 roubles. 18,375 euros. 14,580 UK pounds) in "leisure dining", also known as "drinking in bars". Henry Waxman, the House Committee Chairman on Oversight and Government Reform, told the Washington Times this week, "Less than one week after taxpayers rescued AIG, company executives could be found wining and dining at one of the most exclusive resorts in the nation". Yet, Lynn Turner, a former chief account with the Securities and Exchange Commission, told the committee this week that, based on known evidence, executives at AIG or other failed Wall Street firms shouldn't be criminally charged for their actions that lead to their company's financial demise. "I don't think you send people to jail for making bad biz decisions", Ms Turner said, in testimony at a session of the hearing this week.

No, you don't send people to jail for making "bad biz decisions", but, folks who squander public money in the manner AIG executives did in that posh California resort recently could certainly bring public wrath on them, which it certainly did, judging from some of the comments in that MSN blog. "Running a company into the ground can be very stressful", said one such blogger and they continued, "Manicures and rubdowns all around are all needed for these poor stressed out executives". Another unnamed blogger described the frolics of AIG executives as "arrogance throughout this company. Not only to blatantly piss away taxpayers' money, but, to do this without remorse is beyond belief... I'm writing my congressional representatives today"...

Meanwhile, the company's failure last month was followed by the most significant Wall Street downturn since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, prompting the Congress last week to approve a Bush administration plan to spend 700 billion dollars (18.303 trillion roubles. 514.5 billion euros. 408.24 billion UK pounds) to help rescue failing financial institutions. But, even that huge lump of money does not seem to be enough to help them out. Shall anyone else reach for those famed "golden parachutes" to bail out in the midst of a crisis?

9 October 2008

Yuri Reshetnikov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33548&cid=87&p=09.10.2008 (in English)

Apprehension and foreboding seem to have taken hold on Wall Street this week, as the stock market again plunged and investors became convinced that the nation is on the verge of a deep and prolonged recession. Ironically, the plummeting stock market in the US could not be blamed on any particular single piece of distressing news. There have been no additional bank failures or government bailouts or corporate bankruptcies. "I have never seen a panic like this", David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor's, told the Washington Post. "I have seen stock market drops, but, not an overall panic". Fear from Wall Street spread into Asia on Friday, where markets were dramatically lower in early trading all the way from Japan to Australia. "It's a domino effect. Stocks are falling out of bed. There is distrust in the market and distrust in the government that is trying to heal this", said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist with a New York-based business consulting company.

Continuing its efforts to stanch the damage, the Bush administration this week said it was working on a plan to inject government cash into some of the nation's troubled banks. Meanwhile, global economic policymakers are gathering in Washington on Friday for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings, and will seek coordinated responses. But, one nearly universal reaction so far has been to point an accusing finger at the United States for having caused all this financial turmoil. although there have been no recent failures of banking institutions of late, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, according to the Washington Post, "is claiming another casualty, American-style capitalism. Since the 1930s, US banks were the flagships of American economic might, and emulation by other nations of the fiercely free-market financial system in the United States was expected and encouraged. But, the market turmoil that is draining the nation's wealth and has upended Wall Street now threatens to put the banks at the heart of the US financial system at least partly in the hands of the government".

How the United States and the rest of the world are going to weather out this crisis remains to be seen. But, one thing is certain, said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, conferring with the Communist members of the RF Gosduma. "Confidence in the United States as the leader of the free world and its economy is undermined and there's no turning back", he pointed out grimly, as his Communist audience nodded in agreement.

10 October 2008

Yuri Reshetnikov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33597&cid=87&p=10.10.2008 (in English)

A draft report by American intelligence agencies concludes that Afghanistan is in a "downward spiral" and casts serious doubt on the ability of the Afghan government to stem the rise in the Taliban's insurgency there. The classified report finds that the breakdown in central authority in Afghanistan was exacerbated by corruption within the Afghan government and by an increase in attacks by militants operating from Pakistan, the New York Times said this week. The report, a nearly completed version of a National Intelligence Estimate, is set to be finished after the November presidential elections in the United States and will be the most comprehensive US government assessment in years on the situation in Afghanistan.

Apart from the cross-border attacks launched by Taliban insurgents from neighbouring Pakistan, the intelligence report asserts that many of Afghanistan's most serious problems are of the country's own making, officials interviewed by the Times said. The report cites gains in the building of Afghanistan's national army, but, officials told the Times in no uncertain terms what they described as the destabilising impact of the booming heroin trade, which by some estimates accounts for 50 percent of Afghanistan's economy. A National Intelligence Estimate is a formal document that conveys the consensus judgments of all US intelligence agencies and most NIEs remain classified.

In its waning months, the Bush administration initiated a major review of its Afghanistan policy and decided to send additional troops to the country. The "downward slide" in the security situation in the country also became an issue in the presidential campaign, along with questions about whether the White House emphasis in recent years on the war in Iraq was misplaced. Inside the US government, reports issued by the Central Intelligence Agency for more than two years have chronicled the worsening violence and rampant corruption inside Afghanistan and the central authority's reluctance to deal with booming heroin production.

Now, some in the agency, according to the New York Times, believe that it has taken the White House too long to respond to their warnings. Henry Crumpton, a career intelligence officer who last year stepped down as the State Department's top counter-terrorism official, attributed some of Afghanistan's problems to a "lack of leadership" both in the White House and in European capitals, where commitments to rebuild Afghanistan after 2001 were never met. But, it is not just American officials who offer a grim assessment for Afghanistan. A French diplomatic cable leaked to a French newspaper last week quoted the British ambassador to Kabul as forecasting that the NATO-led mission there would fail.

9 October 2008

Yuri Reshetnikov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33536&cid=87&p=09.10.2008 (in English)

Two very significant events happened in the US and Europe during a less-than-12-hour interval. The US election debate in Nashville between Barack Obama and John McCain and the World Policy Conference in the French city of Évian revealed different perspectives on Russian-US relations. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and his Republican rival John McCain held their second televised debate. Answering the people's questions for an hour and a half, they expressed their views on the most acute issues of international policy, from ecology to the global financial crisis. The issue of Russian-American relations was hardly left overlooked. Here are some quotes to illustrate the views of Mr Obama and Mr McCain on the issue. "They are engaged in evil behaviour. We must understand that they are not the old Soviet Union, but, they still have nationalist impulses that are very dangerous", Mr Obama said. John McCain sounded even more categorical, "Surely, Russia's behaviour differs from what we are expecting it to be. The Russians have to understand that they are facing a very firm and determined United States of America that will defend our interests and the interests of others in the world".

Such an attitude reminds one of a teacher-pupil model. This would be funny if it were not so pathetic. Russia and America are the biggest and the strongest states on the planet. Luckily, both Messrs Obama and McCain have no real intention to restart the Cold War. The question is whether they are aware that active and fair cooperation, not threats and bluster, are the best means to succeed in avoiding such an impasse. In the meantime, President Dmitri Medvedev arrived in the French city of Évian Wednesday to take part in the World Policy Conference. In some way, the speech Mr Medvedev delivered there can be viewed as Russia's response to the Nashville TV debates. The Russian leader said that any fears of another Cold War were groundless, as he said, "It doesn't matter how preoccupied some politicians are about it. To dispense with advice and to be paranoid about the issue, as some members of the US administration are, is a dangerous predisposition to avoid", Mr Medvedev said. If we remember the TV debates between the US presidential candidates, we see that they are also "paranoid about the issue". Amongst other things, Mr Medvedev was quoted as saying, "All states are expected to give up any aggressive ambitions and their desire for domination. Any attempt to dominate must be viewed as immoral". Whilst the participants of the TV debates in Nashville threatened, the Russian leader in Évian urged his counterparts in Europe and the US to be reasonable. You can appreciate and see the difference between the two!

9 October 2008

Andrei Ptashnikov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33568&cid=56&p=09.10.2008 (in English)

Scientists in Omsk invented a unique cancer-fighting technology that may be a real breakthrough in cancer treatment. It curbs cancer cell proliferation in the human body with the help of cryo-applicators, a Russian technique that created a sensation in the medical world. The method is patented in Russia, has already been demonstrated in Berlin, and will soon travel to Paris. For decades, scientists across the globe have waged a relentless fight against cancer, experimenting with drugs, vaccines, and laser beams.

A team of oncologists in the Omsk Oncology Clinic has suggested freezing cancer cells with the use of cryo-applicators produced at a local research-industrial centre for cryo-medical technologies. At first sight, there seems to be nothing special about it, it's just a little cryo cap. But, specialists argue that this is a revolution in medicine. Cancer is a very insidious disease. One malignant cell is enough to give rise to a new tumour. Today, most oncologists rely on extensive surgery, when not only a contaminated organ or part of it is removed, but, as much tissue and as many lymph nodes around it to try to prevent future metastases.

Mikhail Vozlyublenny, Deputy Head of the Omsk Oncology Clinic, the inventor of the cyro-applicator, said, "This is a very complicated and risky type of surgery. The usual surgical removal of a lymph node traumatises its capsule, which is very thin, causing cancer cells contained in the lymph node to disseminate. My method, which became the subject of my Kandidatura (a Russian degree equivalent to a PhD: editor's note) thesis, is as follows, a cancer-contaminated lymph node is frozen by nitrogen monoxide using a cryo-applicator. What happens next is called adhesion, the node turns into an icy ball and glues to the applicator's cap and then it's easily removed, literally torn out of the adjacent tissue. The entire operation lasts five minutes. No heavy blood loss, no post-surgical wounds. More than a hundred such surgeries have already been conducted. All of them were successful".

Cryo-technologies are widely used in gynaecology and proctology as well as in dermatology in the treatment of warts, papillary tumours, and other skin diseases. They also help neurologists treat the inflammation of the trifacial nerve, which is very painful and usually impervious to treatment. But, it's the first time that cryo-applicators were used against cancer. Is it possible to freeze not just one lymph node, but, a whole contaminated organ? Russian medical researchers are looking for an answer to that question. Possibly, in the near future, they shall be able to give an affirmative answer to that hypothesis.

8 October 2008

Maria Domnitskaya

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=85679&cid=23&p=07.10.2008 (in Russian)

American troops in Afghanistan. How long must the USA be mired in a war in a country that outfought Imperial Britain of the Raj and the USSR? The US is doing no better, it may be doing worse...

US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, en route to Europe to attend a regional defence conference in Macedonia, dismissed comments by Western European officials about the war in Afghanistan as "defeatist". "While we face significant challenges in Afghanistan", he told newsmen ahead of his arrival in Europe, "there is no reason to underestimate the opportunities to be successful in the long run". Britain's military commander and ambassador in Afghanistan are being "defeatist" by thinking the war cannot be won, Mr Gates said, as Washington seeks more troops for the conflict that started exactly seven years ago.

These comments coming from official sources in Britain, a key ally to the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq, were matched by the top United Nations official in Kabul, who said success was only possible through dialogue and other political effort. Security has deteriorated markedly over the past two years after the invasion of Afghanistan on 7 October 2001 to oust the Taliban government in the wake of the 11 September attacks on the United States. Whilst Mr Gates acknowledged significant challenges in Afghanistan, he stressed there is no reason to be "defeatist". Washington is currently reviewing its Afghan strategy in a similar way to the 2006 reappraisal of its Iraq policy that led to a "surge" of 30,000 additional US troops that helped stave off civil war in the country.

In a new policy shift, Mr Gates said part of the solution in Afghanistan would be negotiating with members of the Taliban willing to work with the government in Kabul. He compared that to reconciliation efforts in Iraq, where tribal leaders have been persuaded to switch sides to fight the insurgency and al Qaeda. "What we have seen in Iraq", he told newsmen, "applies in Afghanistan", Mr Gates said of the possibility of peace talks with the Taliban. "Part of the solution is strengthening the Afghan security forces. Part of the solution is reconciliation with people who are willing to work with the Afghan government". The trouble with the latter part of that statement is that the Taliban have repeatedly rejected the idea of talks unless all 70,000 foreign troops leave the country.

In another sign of shifting opinion, Germany said it will no longer provide troops from its special forces to support US-led counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan, while the US general commanding NATO forces in the country said last month he needed three more brigades, around 15,000 troops, on top of an extra 4,000 soldiers due to arrive in January. The review of Washington's Afghan policy currently underway is most likely to yield only recommendations rather than serious policy decisions in an election year. Furthermore, it will be up to the next president, either John McCain or Barack Obama, to act when either of them takes office in January.

8 October 2008

Yuri Reshetnikov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33508&cid=87&p=08.10.2008 (in English)

Dozens of finance ministers and central bankers converged on Washington this week for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Their primary concern is how to get countries to work together in fashioning a concerted response by the growing financial crisis originating in the United States. The trouble is that these institutions no longer have the resources or authority to lead such an effort. The IMF, which played a central role in the Asian crisis, has been relegated to the sidelines this time. Its credibility was tarnished by that episode and its skills are not believed to be suited to a crisis enveloping advanced Western economies. So these days, it mainly issues stark warnings about the impact on developing countries.

Paradoxically, despite the global spread of the crisis, the world seems to be ill-prepared to tackle it in a global, all-encompassing manner. According to Fred Bergsten, the director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, "The globalisation of the crisis means we need a globalisation of responses, but, most of the responses will be national. For all the institutions we have", he pointed out, including the IMF and the World Bank, and the Group of 8, "We don't have the right institutions to do that". When the White House brought out its 700-billion dollar (18.244 trillion roubles. 511.28 billion euros. 404.39 billion UK pounds) rescue plan two weeks ago and had it passed by Congress late last week, its sheer size was meant to soothe the global financial system, restoring trust and confidence. But, now, that the bailout plan is finally in place, it looks like "a pebble tossed into a churning sea", as one economic expert described it.

The Los Angeles Times, in a recent scathing article, referred to the current economic woes afflicting the United States as "a quick slide from an economic superpower to an economic basket case". The Los Angeles Times' columnist Rosa Brooks said, tongue-in-cheek, "It's not every day that a superpower makes a bid to transform itself into a Third World nation, and we here at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund want to be among the first to welcome you to the community of states in desperate need of international economic assistance. As you spiral into a catastrophic financial meltdown, we are delighted to respond to your Treasury Department's request that we undertake a joint stability assessment of your financial sector. In these turbulent times, we can provide services ranging from subsidised loans to expert advisors willing to perform an emergency overhaul of your entire government".

8 October 2008

Yuri Reshetnikov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33507&cid=87&p=08.10.2008 (in English)

Just as the 4 November election date is drawing closer, the US presidential candidates have been trading blows about each other's voting record and past associations. Addressing a gathering of fellow Republicans in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Republican hopeful John McCain on Monday called his Democratic rival Barack Obama a liar as he levelled his harshest criticism yet, and said the campaign boils down to one basic question, "Who is Obama really?" Mr McCain, speaking about the financial crisis, took offence at Mr Obama's accusation that he opposed regulation that would have prevented the credit crunch. Adopting an aggressive tone on the eve of their second debate of the season, the Republican presidential candidate criticised Mr Obama's ties to Chicago, his legislative record, and even his pair of best-selling memoirs.

"I guess he believes if a lie is big enough and repeated often enough it will be believed", Mr McCain said. "Who is the real Senator Obama?" the Arizona Senator asked. "Is he the candidate who promises to cut middle-class taxes, or the politician who voted to raise middle-class taxes? ... Is he the candidate who promises change, or is he the politician who has bought into everything that is wrong with Washington? And, he's bought into it, big time". Mr McCain drew loud cheers when he said Barack Obama has written two memoirs but "he's not exactly an open book". Mr McCain also raised the spectre of illegal foreign donors to Obama's campaign and special "earmark" spending requests for campaign fundraisers. "Why has Senator Obama refused to disclose the names of people funding his campaign?" Mr McCain said as the crowd booed. The Republican campaign earlier threatened to ask the Federal Electoral Commissions to check out the veracity of those charges, but, things never got any further than that.

Barack Obama, for his part, accused Mr McCain of being more concerned about his own election campaign than by the country's economic woes. Simultaneously, his campaign organisers e-mailed to his supporters a video focusing on John McCain's onetime dealings with Charles Keating, a savings and loan financier and McCain friend and campaign contributor who ultimately was convicted of securities fraud. Just months into his Senate career in the late 1980s, McCain made what he has called "the worst mistake of my life" by participating in meetings with banking regulators on behalf of Keating.

Meanwhile, the latest opinion polls indicate that Americans see John McCain as anyone but a saviour of the country's ailing economy. According to a new study quoted by CNN, Barack Obama can count on a hefty 53 percent support base, his growing popularity seen by many as stemming directly from the disastrous policies of the Bush Administration. Recent surveys find 56 percent of respondents saying they were sure that, if he were elected, John McCain would follow in the current Administration's footsteps, 6 percent more than just a month ago. 68 percent of those polled believed Barack Obama would be able to rein in the current financial crisis.

8 October 2008

Mike Sullivan

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33506&cid=87&p=08.10.2008 (in English)

Editor's Note:

A dedication to objectivity prompts the following two observations. Firstly, John McCain and his chief foreign-affairs advisor, Randall Schneumann, have both accepted money from the Georgian junta to act as their paid shills in Washington. I would say that Mr McCain had best rein in that line of inquiry. Secondly, Mr McCain is a known compulsive gambler. Where are his W2Gs (records of winnings and losses)? He has never made them public. In short, his own position is very shaky on the issues he has raised, this means that he is getting extremely poor advice, or he is refusing to act on same. This man is not showing good judgement... this is not even bringing in his extraordinarily poor choice of a running-mate. Kaufft nicht bei McCain und Palin.

Round two. A town hall debate. John McCain, the self-proclaimed maverick, was planning to seize the moment and change the dimensions of the game. By now, his democratic opponent, Barack Obama, is doing a victory dance. If only the 72-year-old Republican had received half the praise his inexperienced running mate did following her debate, he'd be in good shape. Instead, even FOX News channel was coming up empty on compliments. Both candidates spent 90 minutes repeating their campaign positions, leaving viewers to judge on style rather than substance. Mr McCain, the underdog trailing in the polls, paced around the room most of the time as he answered questions from undecided voters. At one point, the erratic pacing led the Republican in front of the teleprompter, blocking the moderator's view.

Regarding foreign policy, Mr McCain said the US President should "talk softly and carry a big stick".  I guess this rule doesn't apply to Iran, North Korea, and Russia. In respect of Russia, Mr McCain remained consistently critical, saying Moscow oppresses democratic liberties. Regarding the South Ossetian war, McCain said Russia should be internationally penalised for "aggressive behaviour against Georgia". In that case, should the US be penalised for spreading financial viruses throughout the global economy? Or, how about waging a unilateral war in Iraq where 1.2 million civilians have reportedly been killed... any consequence for that? Mr McCain reiterated his "KGB" reference against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for the hundredth time and then said the US needs to deal with Russia moving forward. Huh?  I guess this is the "talk soft, big stick" tactic.  Note to Mr McCain: have a diplomatic back-up plan if this once leads you nowhere.

During the first debate, Messrs McCain and Obama referred to each other on a first name basis.  This time around, Mr McCain scrapped the rule and just to referred to Mr Obama as "that one".  The comment came when Mr McCain pointed out how he voted against a tax bill and Mr Obama voted for it. "Guess who voted for it? That one". Mr McCain did come across as more confident and personal in the second of the three Presidential debates. But, clearly not enough, considering early polls showed Mr Obama trouncing Mr McCain 60 percent to 28 percent. Oh yeah... Mr Obama, the other guy. I make nearly no mention of the Democratic candidate because this wasn't his fight to lose.  It was Mr McCain's. The Republican had a 90-minute window to resurrect his campaign, or, at least, sucker-punch his opponent. In the end, Mr McCain had less of a commanding physical presence and a more obvious level of frustration and anger. This was supposed to be John McCain's night to win over American voters, who are millions of people desperately looking for leadership as they face a bleak future. Americans are looking for compassion, reassurance, and confidence. When the debate was over, it was John McCain who left the auditorium first, whilst Barack Obama stayed, shaking hands and talking to so-called undecided voters, who by now may have made a decision.

8 October 2008

Marina Portnaya

Russia Today

http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/31530 (in English)

Blagovest... translated from Church Slavonic it means "good news". Measured, one-bell chimes are used to inform Orthodox Christians about the beginning of church services as well as various particularly important moments in the process of it. One of Russia's best Orthodox choirs has taken the name of "Blagovest".

NB: Please click on the link below. You shall be able to click on two links on the page that pops up enabling you to listen to this beautiful choir. These are two 26-minute programmes.

26 September 2008

The Christian Message from Moscow

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=32998&cid=115&p=26.09.2008 (in English)

As trading resumed this week after the US rescue plan was passed by the US Congress, the financial system on Wall Street and elsewhere continued to melt down anyway. When the White House brought out its 700 billion dollar (18.288 trillion roubles. 514.71 billion euros. 399.21 billion UK pounds) rescue plan two weeks ago, the sheer size of the package was meant to calm down the global financial system, restoring trust and confidence. Three days after the plan was approved, according to the New York Times, "it looks like a pebble tossed into a churning sea". Last week, the nation's political leaders said the financial system would collapse unless they passed the bailout package for Wall Street. So far, it hasn't work the way it was intended to.

The crisis that began as a US-made subprime lending problem and rapidly spread across the world now seems to be coming home to roost wracking stock and credit markets this week with renewed force. While the Bush administration's bailout package offers some help to foreign banks, it has done precious little to reassure investors, particularly in Europe, where banks are reeling and panicky withdrawals are on the rise. Far from being the cure for the world's ills, economists said, the rescue plan might end up being a stopgap for the United States alone. There is a growing belief on both sides of the Atlantic that the crisis could plunge the world into a global recession. The ripple effects from Europe and the United States gained in intensity this week as they spread to stock markets in Russia, Brazil, the Middle East and South-East Asia.

Simon Johnson, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund who specialises in financial crises told the New York Times, "It looks pretty ugly down the road. Everybody is going to get caught up in this". Meanwhile, the global nature of the crisis and its growing damage to global economic players may yet persuade various countries to work together to come up with a concerted response, Mr Johnson said. There is a chance to do that this week, with dozens of finance ministers and central bankers converging on Washington for the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. But, the globalisation of this crisis does not yet mean a globalisation of responses, as most of the responses now being considered seem to be national. This is particularly true in United Europe, which seems to lack a unified response. European governments are said to be clinging to a piecemeal approach. The British and the Germans have resisted a broader solution, because they fear they will end up rescuing their neighbours. "These are the most difficult times for financial institutions that I have experienced in my 39 years in banking", Kenneth Lewis, the CEO of the Bank of America, confided this week. Moreover, this feeling could be easily shared by most other economic experts across the globe.

7 October 2008

Yuri Reshetnikov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33450&cid=87&p=07.10.2008 (in English)

Canadian forces base in Afghanistan, an unwinable war against the wrong enemy

The US newspaper Washington Times recently carried an article by Daniel L. Davis, a US Army Major who fought in Desert Storm and served in Afghanistan. In his article, entitled Double Talk with Russia, Major Davis says that, according to the consensus of Western media, the Russian government seeks to weaken the West, desires to resurrect a new version of the Soviet Union, and tramples on the freedoms of its own people. By contrast, the United States purportedly stands for freedom, peace, and prosperity for all nations. Regarding the situation in Georgia, the Russians are pictured as the aggressors, much like Hitler when he took Czechoslovakia in 1938, while the US simply seeks to defend the weak. The only problem with this view of things is that it grossly misrepresents the complicated truth.

If this distortion is not quickly rectified, Washington's own actions could unwittingly contribute to a grave crisis, if not war, between the United States and Russia, Major Davis warns his readers. He said, "By perpetuating the myth that every action taken by the Russian Federation is driven by an irrational lust for power and antagonism toward the United States, while all our actions are right, just, and reasonable, we work against our own self interest. The unpleasant fact of the matter is that American foreign policy and diplomacy over the past two decades has contributed to the trouble we find ourselves in today, and if not reversed quickly, and I mean reversed, not simply altered, the United States may one day find itself facing the possibility of being involved in a major war; a war that should never be fought.

Since the West's condemnation of Russian actions in Georgia, Moscow has threatened Poland over the latter's decision to host missile interceptors on their soil, has threatened the Ukraine against joining NATO, has promised to give sophisticated anti-air missile defence capabilities to Iran, has agreed to military cooperation and sales to Venezuela, and openly discussed the possibility of using Cuba as a refuelling stop for its long range bombers. No American would dispute that these things run counter to American national interests. But, when we protest to Moscow our complaints fall on deaf ears, the story goes.

We have lost the ability to influence Russian policies, partially as a result of our own double standards. We argue that Russia ought not sell weapons abroad, but, we are the world's leader of such sales; we tell Russia they should not do business with Iran, whilst we provide military advisors to Georgia; we tell Russia under no circumstances can they have any military presence in Cuba, but, we dismissively tell Russia they have nothing to say about our expanding a military alliance to their very borders. Any rational person, who was neither Russian nor American, would view this situation as a farcical double standard. Yet, the bulk of American foreign affairs pundits and former governmental officials defend these positions as being perfectly reasonable. The tragedy of the situation is that such actions are viewed as imperialistic by much of the rest of the world, and after decades of this behaviour, has resulted in the loss of American influence abroad, even among our friends and allies, as our word is no longer trusted. It is of critical importance to the future health and benefit of the United States that we reverse this situation immediately", Major Davis emphasised in his Washington Times article.

2 October 2008

Mike Sullivan

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33222&cid=87&p=02.10.2008 (in English)

The Ukrainian government appears to have been a participant in Georgia's invasion of South Ossetia. Journalists of the Moscow-based newspaper Izvestiya (Proceedings) and the weekly news programme Vesti Nedelin(News of the Week) conducted their own inquiry into the supplies of Ukrainian weapons to Georgia, and they came up with this conclusion.

That Georgia was a hotbed of tension since it went into war against Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the early 90s required other countries to demonstrate restraint in supplying the Caucasian conflict zone with weapons and military hardware. Kiev ignored this obligation, and it became clear that the Ukraine became the leading supplier of weapons to President Saakashvili's regime. The weapons supplied included anti-aircraft missiles, multiple-rocket-launchers, and tanks. This particular facet of arms export was taken out of the hands of the usual agencies and was controlled by President Yushchenko personally. He was definitely aware of the planned invasion, as he had many confidential meetings with Mr Saakashvili and must have supported it. By providing Georgia with munitions, President Yushchenko made the Ukraine an ally of Georgia in the invasion of South Ossetia.

There is proof of that in a resolution by an investigative panel of the Supreme Rada of the Ukraine (the Ukrainian parliament: editor's note), which held an inquiry into the supplies of military hardware and weapons to Georgia. On the supply list was Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missiles, which had to be withdrawn from Ukrainian army units, thereby undermining the defence capability of the Ukraine. That was not the end of it all, however. Moreover, Valery Konalvalyuk, the chief of the investigatory panel says that Georgian army units underwent military training on the territory of Ukraine. The Buk-M1 missiles were supplied to Georgia this year, which means that Ukrainian technicians might have operated them during the conflict.

In addition, reports by the panel say Georgia received weapons at knockdown prices. The T-72 tanks were sold at  155,000 to 255,000 dollars (4.073 to 6.701 million roubles. 114,762 to 188,802 euros. 88,830 to 146,140 UK pounds) each, which is four to six times cheaper than world prices. In the view of Izvestiya, the players in this brilliant scam made astronomical profits out of this rather shady transaction. A Ukrainian parliamentary deputy, Dmitri Tabachnik, thought along the same lines. "Similar scandals have broken out in the Ukraine before, and everybody knows that no one will be punished for that. What has become clear in the past four years is that the project known as ‘Viktor Yushchenko' is utterly anti-Ukrainian in nature. I did not say that it is ‘anti-Russian', I stress highly that it is ‘anti-Ukrainian'". Some experts tend to see a direct connection between the weapons scandal and the current parliamentary crisis in the Ukraine, which was instigated by those involved in the scandal in an effort to prevent an inquiry into their true role in the recent developments in the Caucasus.

6 October 2008

Yevgeni Kryshkin

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=85528&cid=19&p=06.10.2008 (in Russian)

Editor's Note:

The neocons' ramshackle edifice is falling down in broad daylight, in full sight of everyone. Bush, Cheney, Rice, McCain, and Palin are traitors and should be treated accordingly. Indeed, John McCain has been a paid agent of the Georgian government, and his main foreign advisor, one Randall Schneumann is still on the Georgian dole. That means that Messrs McCain and Schneumann are guilty of selling out the interests of the USA to a foreign state. At one time, that would have disqualified Mr McCain from public office.

The outlines of the plot are clear to all with eyes. Washington wished to aid Georgia militarily, but, desired to have "deniability" if their enterprise crashed and burned (as it so spectacularly did); it also wished to avoid Congressional oversight. So, Foggy Bottom put pressure on Yushchenko to sell arms to Georgia. That would have caused quite a stir in the Rada, as Regions and the Communists would have raised a rumpus. Therefore, arms were taken from the active Ukrainian forces and sold to the Georgians. As the arms were not sold through the usual channels, the pols involved pocketed the not-small amount of money from this Slim Shady deal. They also weakened the Ukrainian forces (which are not much to write home about, in any case).

Seemingly, it was perfect for all the sides involved. The Foggy Bottom neocons got their foreign policy gambit without having to pass it through Congress (remember how they did that with the CIA torture facilities in Poland and Romania?). Yushchenko and his corrupt Galician henchmen pocketed a hefty little bit of swag... boy, what a good boy am I! Saakashvili and his goons got the arms they wanted at cut-rates, which magnified his already bloated arms budget.

However... THE STILL BLEW UP AND THE SAMOGONSHCHIKI ARE HEADING FOR THE HILLS!

Washington is trying to disentangle itself from the mess that Cheney and Rice planned as a boost to the McCain campaign. Kiev is caught with its nicks around its ankles and Yushchenko has no political allies left, even in Washington. Saakashvili is a "dead man walking". His political future is kaput, and George Soros is going to have to find another to replace him (if he can).

For all right-wing US supporters of Georgia... reflect on two facts. Saakashvili ordered Grad attacks on sleeping civilians, that is, 1,080 heavy artillery rockets from 27 MRLs landed in Tskhinvali within 20 seconds. If you support Saakashvili, you support that. Secondly, Saakashvili has spent 500 million dollars on a Presidential Palace in a country with a GDP of a little over 10 billion dollars total. That's 5 percent of the total GDP! "A beacon of democracy in the Caucasus(!)"... I think not... pass me the jug Michael; I need something to restore my balance.

Yet, there are those who support Bush and McCain even as all the sordid details come out... they shan't listen, anyone who disagrees with them is labelled a "socialist".

Kaufft nicht bei Bush und McCain... our future depends on it.

Yelena Gagarina, Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums, eldest daughter of Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut

A retrospective show of the best works from three generations of the Italian jewellers of the House of Buccellati opened in the Moscow Kremlin on 26 September. The exposition entitled "Art for All Times" features some 150 works of art, carved stone cups with incrustations and virtuoso engravings, filigree lace-like collars and bracelets, rings and pendants with large rubies, emeralds, and tourmaline, the Buccellatis knew how to emphasise the beauty of precious stones. There are also elegant brooches in the form of animal figurines and even silver sculptures, half-metre sculptures of deer, wild boar, and herons; the work is most delicate, allowing visitors to see every fibre and very small plumes.

According to Yelena Gagarina, the director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums, the works of the House of Buccellati are genuine "Art for All Times". She said, "The name of the project, ‘Art for All Times' is a considered concept of the House of Buccellati house and the creative activity of its Milanese jewellers. They demonstrate a high level of skill in handiwork and aesthetics that is easily recognised, preserving originality in technique and style. The show is proof of what treasures can be found if a creative approach is taken to the traditions and aesthetics of the old masters. Buccellati features jewellery art based on many centuries of a handiwork culture that can be traced back to the Renaissance and Greco-Rome culture".

Mario Buccellati began as an apprentice in a jewellery workshop in Milan, but, the business was declining after World War I. In 1919, he revived the business, giving it his name. His filigree work became popular; his pieces of jewellery attracted the attention of the royal family, church hierarchs, and the European creative élite. The continuer of the dynasty, J. Buccellati, believes that the success of the jewellery atelier lies in most delicate work of the jewellers, in their perfected skill. He said, "We never ourselves set the task of creating something that is most costly. As jewellers whose work is based on time-tested traditions, we are rather guided by common-sense and feeling and want to make a genuine piece of art, we do not think of some price making our jewellery. Almost all our art pieces are unique; they are as unique as precious stones, a source of inspiration for our jewellers".

Exhibits presented at the show arrived in Moscow from prominent museums in Florence, Milan, and Washington, and from private collections. They will be on display in Moscow until 10 January 2009. Only a unique silver bag will remain in the Kremlin as a gift to the Russian museum. This is not the first time that 20th-century jewellery was shown in the Moscow Kremlin Museums. Earlier, masterpieces from the Cartier and Carrera & Carrera jewellery ateliers were on display.

29 September 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33085&cid=62&p=29.09.2008 (in English)

Ukrainian-supplied Georgian MLRs firing at Tskhinvali. This means that Yushchenko and his Galician cronies have as much blood on their hands as do Saakashvili, Bush, Cheney, and Rice.

A scandal concerning government-inspired illegal arm supplies to Georgia is gathering strength in the Ukraine. A parliamentary investigative commission has already revealed facts on supplying arms worth a whopping 200 million dollars to the Saakashvili regime, including Buk air-defence missiles, Shkval combat systems, and Grad multiple-rocket-launchers the Georgians used on 8 August in their attempt to raze the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali to the ground. Some of these state of the art weapons such as the Shkval are not even in use by the Ukrainian armed forces. Experts say that Ukrainian technicians not only adapted the Buk air-defence system for use in mountainous terrain, they even fired them during combat. Georgian soldiers were unable to operate the SAMs not only because there was no time to train them; in any case, they were too incompetent to learn the procedures involved. The last consignment of Buk missiles reached Georgia as recently as June.

Many Ukrainian MPs believe that these illegal arms shipments to Georgia give them ample reason to impeach President Viktor Yushchenko. In Moscow, RF Gosduma deputy Konstantin Zatulin does not think this will happen. "All these things started happening right after Yushchenko came to power and have been going on ever since. In a normal political situation, this would have caused an angry uproar with dire consequences for the President. The reason this did not happen is the failure of a coalition attempt between the Yuliya Timoshenko bloc and the Party of Regions, led by Viktor Yanukovich".

Meanwhile, experts tend to believe that President Yushchenko's political career is now over anyway. By selling the Buk missiles to Georgia, he dealt a crippling blow to his own country's defences. The thing is, these systems were taken from a Ukrainian air-defence regiment on stand-by alert, which was effectively rendered useless. There is also another important result of this action. It has also irretrievably marred Ukraine's image abroad. Indeed, it appears as thought the Ukraine has become the contraband arms supplier of choice in the world. According to European media reports, the Ukrainian ship now being held by Somali pirates contains contraband arms for South Sudan and it looks like similar scandals could also start popping out soon. Many people in Kiev said that the recent blaze at an arms depot in Kharkov was actually a case of arson meant as a cover-up for illegal arms sales and smuggling abroad.

4 October 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=85407&cid=21&p=04.10.2008 (in Russian)

Editor's Note:

Ukrainian-supplied Georgian T-72 main battle tanks captured intact by Russian forces. The Bear sez ,"Thank you!"

In light of the fact that clandestine CIA prisons (actually, they were torture facilities) were uncovered in Poland and Romania, it is no stretch to imagine that the Ukraine is acting as an arms conduit for the neocons. This is so they can foment trouble in the countries that they wish to invade. Let us call things what they are. During the Cold War, the US did not run clandestine prisons using torture; it did not run Guantanamo-style indefinite-detention facilities. Indeed, such were rightfully condemned as methods of the godless Soviets. So... what does that make the Bushies and all the neocons, both Democrats and Republicans? Well... godless Soviets (Miss Sarah's Pentecostalist posturing notwithstanding)!

That is why I am not voting in the present election. Both sides are committed to a wicked and evil plan of world domination under the rubric of the "New World Order". Thank God, there are countries such as Russia barring the way to the realisation of this wicked enterprise. America must be stopped, and, thankfully, the economic crisis just may do it. It shall force Americans to see that they have limits. Of course, the "Marks", "Texas Freds", and "jimmyk's" shall never learn, but, I believe that the rest of America shall be relieved to rid itself of this insane imperial endeavour. It is time to be humble, again....

RF Gosduma

World financial markets continued to run a fever this week. But, Russian exchanges kept balanced and they even showed a small increase on Tuesday. Nevertheless, since Russia is today an integral part of the world economy, it undergoes the same negative effects of any financial crisis. Against this background, the RF Gosduma approved an emergency package from Prime Minister Putin to protect the country's financial system against the global market volatility of recent days. Working under the conditions of a world financial crisis, Russian legislators rapidly assumed decisions of major importance directed toward the support of the national economy. Under this package, the state-controlled Vnesheconombank is getting 50 billion dollars (1.297 trillion roubles. 36.285 billion euros. 28.185 billion UK pounds) to support liquidity in private banks with exposure to the Western credit squeeze. Twenty-eight are already on the scheme. Importantly, emergency loans to them are extended without collateral. This action shall ensure the international liquidity of Russian banks.

According to Pavel Medvedev, a member of the RF Gosduma Financial Markets Committee, "Whereas Russian lawmakers and the Russian Treasury are showing exemplary expeditiousness, the US administration and Congress are bogged down in a fifth day of debates about emergency rescue measures. Groping in broad daylight, they remain mired in partisan interest-pushing and mutual recrimination. Accordingly, America's economy is faltering, whilst Russia's is steaming ahead. The Russian economy is hardly touched by this crisis. Its fundamental indices remain very good. The rates of increase are high, and ‘credit crunch' is not a Russian word. Although a little bit stunted compared with 2007, domestic credit to industries is still on the rise".

In an early reaction to the stability package, Russian stocks are slightly up. In the meantime, their Western counterparts continue to tread water.

3 October 2008

Lada Korotun

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=85368&cid=20&p=03.10.2008 (in Russian)

President Dmitri Medvedev declared at a St Petersburg forum that no single nation was capable of regulating global economic processes. He said the existing mechanisms failed to keep the global financial system in a balanced condition.

URL for Voice of Russia World Service video:

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33312&cid=206&p=03.10.2008 (click on the blue text to the right of the caricature dollar bill)

Although crippled by polio, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) (32nd US president, 1933-1945) gave his country hope in the Great Depression and leadership in World War II. Neither of the two major-party candidates this year are fit to untie his shoelaces, let alone be his equals.

When a destructive economic crisis hit the United States of America in the early 1930s, a presidential nominee by the name of Franklin Delano Roosevelt unveiled a carefully-crafted plan that would put his country back on track. The winner of four consecutive presidential elections, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is rightfully considered one of the greatest leaders of America. The extent and the destructive potential of the economic tempest that has hit the United States almost eight decades later are comparable to those of the Great Depression. But, all things considered, a second FDR is nowhere to be seen in today's America. What sounds even sadder, with only a month to go before the balloting in the presidential race, is the unavailability of an articulate plan for ending the crisis. All things considered, neither of the two men who have made a bid for the highest public office of their country seems to have planned any sort of real action.

As Fred Burkston of the Institute for International Economics said, neither of the two presidential hopefuls has a remedy to prescribe for today's biggest problem, the budget deficit. Neither has even mentioned this problem, nor come out with a plan to fight the crisis, which was brewing for a long time before breaking out. Neither in their public addresses nor in their widely-advertised televised debates have the two presidential candidates mentioned that most pressing problem. They have, instead, treated the voter to a traditionally-meaningless verbal shootout. Senator McCain dismissed Mr Obama's suggestions as phrase-mongering. Senator Obama fired back with a warning that Mr McCain's suggestions could only benefit this or that corporation and that more money would, in case Mr McCain had his way, be flowing into the pockets of those who bear the blame for the current crisis. Funnelling money into the pockets of those who bear the blame for the crisis is surely the wrong thing to do. But, according to some members of Congress, this is exactly what the White House intends to do, put the taxpayers' money into the pockets of company directors. Senator McCain was quick to uphold the White House's plan of action, whilst his political adversary Barack Obama has yet to reveal his proposals. Senator Obama's aides say a draft bill on support to the financial sector is in the making. They refused to elaborate.

An unexpectedly open-minded Mr McCain recently stunned his friends with a highly alarming declaration. That presidential hopeful said, with a note of bewildering simplicity, that he knew a lot less about economics than he did about military and foreign policy issues. He said that and crowned that amazing statement with a declaration that the fundamentals of the American economy remained strong. Given the latest developments, I see those declarations as black humour. Unable to suggest anything than might pass for a convincingly clear-cut plan to end the crisis, the two presidential hopefuls make sure to avoid all reference to what triggered off the current crisis, the recently resumed arms race, the subsequent growth in the American public debt, and the budget deficit, three things that, in the opinion of experts, are the biggest of all pressing problems. With so little time to go before the election, Americans are still waiting to hear a coherently-phrased plan for immediate action or see blueprints for what the next American Administration might do, regardless of who enters the White House. American voters will be offered a pig in a poke, which cannot make them happy and worries both them and the people in other nations.

4 October 2008

Valentin Zorin

Voice of Russia World Service

A View from Moscow

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33270&cid=170&p=04.10.2008 (in English)

What has happened was destined to happen. There was no way for it not to happen. The financial disaster came as no surprise to Wall Street. Nor did it come out of the blue. Furthermore, it was not without a good reason for its happening that it finally happened. But, the long-looming crisis seems worse than expected. Three of the five supporting pillars of Wall Street have tumbled down. Lehman Brothers Bank was 150-years-old, it survived the Civil War and the Great Depression, only to share the fate of other financial monsters in the whirling storm of 2008.  It is impossible to live indefinitely on borrowed money. But, the aggregate debt of the federal and municipal governments, banks, and business corporations topped threefold the gross domestic product of the United States of America at the beginning of 2007. That sounds worse than the Great Depression. The public debt of the United States of America skyrocketed from 5.5 trillion dollars (142.691 trillion roubles. 3.984 trillion euros. 3.116 trillion UK pounds) to 9.3 trillion dollars (241.278 trillion roubles. 6.737 trillion euros. 5.269 trillion UK pounds) in the years of the Bush-Cheney Administration. Corporate debt has, in the meantime, grown twofold, to come close to an unimaginable 14 trillion dollars (363.215 trillion roubles. 10.142 trillion euros. 7.932 trillion UK pounds). The frenetic efforts by the nearly-desperate Bush Administration cannot turn the tide.

Any sober-minded person cannot help wondering what kept the powers-that-be from looking in the right direction, why the United States was driven to this financially catastrophic condition. With dark clouds gathering in the sky over the American economy, George W. Bush revealed to the masses last January what he was planning to do, not for a return to the normal state of affairs, mind you, but, for the accelerated advance of the national economy! Far from down-to-earth, his plan for action highlighted nothing but his favourite idea of corporate tax reductions. Nine months into the year, that plan for action rests clean forgotten by George W. Bush and the Republican Party's next-in-line, John McCain. But, the Republican Administration seems to have no intention of discarding the political manifesto which caused the economic problems of today's America. It is planning to allocate more than half a trillion dollars (12.971 trillion roubles. 362.2 billion euros. 283.3 billion UK pounds), i.e. 74 percent more than it did back in 2001, to the Pentagon in its draft of next year's federal budget. Not once since the end of World War II has the military received such a big sum of money from the federal budget. The military spending of the United States tops the sum total of the military budgets of all other nations taken together.

What the next President of the United States stands to inherit from the incumbent compares unfavourably with what George W. Bush inherited from his predecessor in January 2001. It took the Bush Administration a year to squander the inherited budget surplus and run into debt. Budget deficit had been growing, year in and year out, before becoming critically big on the eve of the current financial tempest. Bloated military budgets provide an explanation for the negative balance between budget revenues and budget spending. Military spending grew 62 percent under the Bush Administration. Washington has resumed the arms race of the cold war period. Moreover, I have to point out that it resumed the arms race before the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, which would be played up under the banner of antiterrorist action, but, in the best interests of the military-industrial complex, whose intrinsic dangers were explained to Americans by a great leader, President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The hopelessly-lost war in Iraq, according to expert estimates, will devour three trillion dollars (77.832 trillion roubles. 2.173 trillion euros. 1.7 trillion UK pounds). Professor Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, said in a new book that the recklessly-planned war in Iraq has definitely weakened the US economy. It is impossible to spend three trillion dollars on a sure-to-be-lost war, Professor Stiglitz said, and not be called to account at home base. What is happening to the American economy measures up to Professor Stiglitz's words about payment at home base. Neither