Re: [A-List] Russia: Putin's promises

[Waistline2@xxxxxxx]

>Vladimir Ryzhkov, a leading liberal MP, said Putin's criticism of
non-governmental organizations sent a bad signal.

"That sounded like a veiled threat," Ryzhkov told reporters.<

(From a BBC dispatch on Putin's Speech)

Comment

"Veiled threat?" . . . well, one can of course have different definitions of
the word "veil." Mr. Putin is the "man" . . . the leading political
representative of a powerful state with a credible nuclear deterrent, "safeguarding" the
corporation called bourgeois Russia.

Unlike corporation America where it is easier to get a Camel through the eye
of a needle than for capitalists to be jailed for corruption, swindling
citizens and theft over and beyond the sale and purchase of labor power, Putin's
statements are neither veiled or contain hidden meaning.

Putin has stated in no uncertain terms that "you are going to pay or you are
going to pay twice."

Russia does have a history of jailing and shooting corrupt factory managers .
. . and "enemies of the people."  I merely state the obvious. There is
economic logic in Putin's political behavior and reorganization of corporation
Russia and this logic must more or less conform to the law of value.

>Putin has been riding a wave of strong economic growth, largely driven by
high prices for oil. He revealed economic growth for the first quarter of
the year was 8%, and at that rate Russia could meet his goal of doubling
GDP - set in last year's state of the nation address - by 2010, instead of
the previous target of 2012.<

Comment

Corporation Russia is not going to become the worlds low cost producer and
replace corporation China in the world market . . . who ousted a huge sector of
Mexican labor as low cost producer and exporter to the American market.
Corporation Russia can sell oil, military wares, nuclear technology and facilities,
vodka, furs and Soviet memorabilia in the world market. (Yes, I actually own
some old Rubles - not gold Rubles and have considered marketing Hip Hop
clothing with a very Red "Hammer and Sickle" prominently displayed).

Nor is Russia going to market automobiles.

Think collectivization and accumulation and the export of Soviet agriculture
products as the basis for the expansion and development of the industrial
infrastructure of the 1920s. Think Kulak. Now think about the fact that this path
of development is no longer possible because of the technological revolution
and the displacement of human labor (changes in the organic composition of
capital).

On what technological basis is accumulation to take place?

Accumulation appears as money possession or wealth in gold and other
recognizable legal forms (fiat money) - in its external appearance form or mediation.
Accumulation in its essence (intrinsic internal logic) means the accumulation
of productive capacity or ones commodity creating capacity - reproduction.
Engels calls this "the progressive accumulation of productive forces."

Russia cannot produce for export a multiplicity of goods for the Wal Marts of
the world and "Toys 'R' Us." Not simply because of low cost producer
corporate China and the law of value. The law of value means the amount of socially
necessary labor in commodities and equivalent amounts of labor being at the
basis of exchange. China has set the bar of socially necessary labor in the world
market or rather the bar is established in China. The Russian worker cannot
bend that low.

Soviet history also blocks it from the "China Path" because its heavy
industry was correctly expanded at the expense of light - consumer, industry.
Russia's entire infrastructure needs to be revolutionized on the basis of computers,
digitalized production process and advance robotics as a survival imperative.

There remains the overwhelming need to modernize and beef up the internal
capacity to grow GDP on the basis of revolutionizing the infrastructure for
housing, medical establishment, transportation, education and other real needs.
Putin's "State of the Union" speaks directly to these very real material needs.

Corporate Russia appears to be poised for another period of bloodletting and
Putin has apparently lined up the individual flesh and blood capitalists to
make the blood sacrifice. Putin has called for an increased tempo of development
based on the internal strength of Russia. The "new oligarchy" is scared -
very scared, and Putin is no Chavez. Russia is not Venezuela.

The old joke amongst the bourgeoisie stated that if Soviet power overthrew
world capitalism - bourgeois property relations, it would have to preserve at
least one capitalist country to figure out how to price its goods.

Apparently, Putin is going to jail capitalists to preserve the bourgeois
property relations and expropriate their wealth in order to continue to
expropriate the wealth of the Russian workers on the basis of capitalism. It would be a
mistake to under estimate Russia's bloodletting capacity and a section of
Russian society has not forgotten its historic Marxist training.

Putin makes clear his intention of attacking the 35,000 state agencies in the
country and set forth a policy of reorganization. If these 35,000 agencies
employ just 20 persons each we are talking about 700,000 people within the
industrial bureaucracy and this does not include the military, intelligence, police
agencies or party apparatus. His stated goal is to strip all agencies that do
not directly administer of any executive authority, that in the past allowed
them to interfere in the economic life of the country or dominate the
individual.

Putin's makes clear that the state in its feature as an organization of
violence - as distinct from the industrial bureaucracy, will be strengthened and
the military modernized. He calls for the restoration of Russia leading position
in the world, a position won by the former Soviet proletariat. This is not a
veiled threat but a strategic policy position of the current administration in
Russia.

Stalin  . . . like Tupac and Elvis ... lives and no one escapes their
history. A class unraveling of Russia in real time is infinitely more interesting
than the ideology of "thick neck," beefy industrial workers and capitalists
slugging it out in the streets. The old Soviet bureaucracy has not been defeated as
such, nor can it be defeated as such. The bureaucracy - according to Putin,
is to be streamlined and reorganized to be more effective. Putin has
consolidated his personal authority as political authority of the "strong man." Or, is
it the other way around?

In fact Putin makes clear that state agencies - in the sense of an
organization of violence, is to be strengthened and he has given warning to non
governmental agencies being funded outside of Russia.

Comrade Stalin said "the greatest enemy of the Soviet people holds a party
card." Putin says the danger to the restoration of bourgeois property is the
bourgeoisie in alliance with non-governmental agencies being funded by the world
bourgeoisie.

The industrial bureaucracy says, "Here we go again."

The state agencies proper says, "Long Live Mother Russia."

The real masses in Russia - not the petty bourgeois intellectual, desire a
"strong man," that can get things done and improve their daily lives. But so
does the proletariat of America.

Melvin P.