To add to M. Perelman's point: > If I were one of the oligarchs of Russia, I would try to install a > "communist government," which would find out, if they do not know > already, that their moderate social democracy or whatever they espouse > today just will not work. > > They will end up doing the dirty work, enforcing more austerity and > discrediting the left. It seems the oligarchs would probably prefer dealing with the Communists more readily than with Yeltsin (at least at this point). But to give power directly to the former would be too bold a step, so they succeeded in installing Chernomyrdin in hopes of creating a coalition gov-t, where the Communists (and other conservative forces) would play the dominant role. Lest we forget Zyuganov espouses rapid re-industrialisation of the economy by means not entirely different from Stalin's, we might overlook that his (party's) vision of Russia's future coincides with both Lebed and Zhirinovsky (and to a lesser degree Chernomyrdin). The 'red directors', the 'New Russians', the military-industrial complex and 'the oligarchs' would be joined by Chernomyrdin in this unholy alliance. Essentially, if these up-to-now skirmishing clans within the Russian state can form a unified body based on consensual rule between the de jure propertied classes (which would allow for the fulfilment of either the IMF austerity policies or the domestically devised economic policies), this might mean the development of capitalism in Russia in the long run. Of course, such consolidation of the local ruling class has well-known consequences for the working class. Yet in Russia - if this coalition gov-t succeeds in paying the workers' back wages - this might mean the support of the majority of the working class. In the final analysis, however, given the particularity of Russia's production relations I, personally, cannot see the current coalition gov-t being able to fulfil certain obligations that would buy the support of the working class. What, with $7-9 billion (?) per week in debt servicing charges and the currently near stagnant industry and ravaged agriculture, such manoeuvres are unlikely to be successful, unless draconian labour discipline is de facto imposed. It seems that nothing short of a revolution and the cancellation of Western loans (a la Lenin in 1918) would give the Russian workers a new lease on life (given, of course, they have been successful in forming their own party based in the trade unions and the soviets). In solidarity, Greg. -- Gregory Schwartz Dept. of Political Science York University 4700 Keele St. Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3 Canada Tel: (416) 736-5265 Fax: (416) 736-5686 Web: http://www.yorku.ca/dept/polisci
