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OP-ED: What Putin Learned from Stalin |
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Written by smock
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Friday, 13 August 2010 19:53 |
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Show trials, mysterious deaths in prisons, thought crimes,
intimidation of political opponents, and control of the media are
reminiscent of Stalin’s Russia, but they are mainstays of Russia under
Putin.
Unlike Stalin, Putin uses these instruments of power and intimidation
behind a façade of democracy. Unlike Stalin, they are used selectively
against a few citizens. Those who “mind their business” are left alone.
While Stalin held power, even those who played by his rules were at
risk. Modern dictators have learned that mass repressions are not
necessary; selective intimidation works just as well. Professor Paul R. Gregory
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In Putin’s Russia, Welcome back to the USSR |
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Written by smock
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Friday, 23 July 2010 20:20 |
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We can’t help but wonder how the world in general and Russia in
particular would have reacted if, during his presidency, George Bush had
circulated a list of 25,000 young people who the White House identified
as America’s “most talented youth,” young people who would receive
overt favoritism in education and employment from the very highest
levels of the U.S. government — and every one of the names was drawn
from extreme right-wing political organizations like the John Birch
Society and the KKK.
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Duma Passes Bill for FSB ‘Special Preventative Measures’ |
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Stalin Controversies Abound in Victory Day Run-Up |
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