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Russia’s ruling group needs competition to innovate – Harvard professor
Published: 16 September, 2010, 10:38
Edited: 19 September, 2010, 19:28
TAGS: Medvedev, Putin, Russia, Politics, Terrorism, Modernization
There has definitely been progress in Russia-US relations, but it is only the beginning of a process that will take at least 10 years, believes Timothy Colton, Professor of Government and Russian Studies at Harvard.
“Russia’s neighbours also have historical dilemmas – many of which are about their relationship with Russia. Even if Russians want to live history alone, its neighbours – Ukraine, Poland, Estonian and others – do not want that and so press Russia on historical questions,” said Colton.
The ruling tandem of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is not unique, says Colton, presidential constitutions that also have prime minister as a separate senior leader are found in 50 or 60 countries around the world.
“What is unusual, I think, is that former president [Vladimir Putin], the dominant leader for eight years, who became the junior partner, so to say, under the constitution – that is most unusual and maybe almost unique.”
Since the tandem has already lasted for almost three years and it works well, both Medvedev and Putin have clearly managed to cooperate on many issues, believes the professor.
As for the much vaunted modernization of Russia – the country needs a more fundamental reform of the legal system, and of the institutions. It requires greater openness and a more competitive political system. “It seems to me you have a very dynamic and admirable society and great culture, but you have a very backward state and you have to fix the state,” shared Colton.
“Russia has managed the crisis pretty well, but it revealed the underlying structural problems. Now, “Russia has some industries that are more dependent on government support than ever,” Colton pointed out.
“The future for all of us is more open economies where you can compete,” he believes.
Colton also noted that the group that rules Russia has been in power for a decade now are reasonable and smart people and clearly the very high objective for them is to remain in control – and they proved to be very smart in doing that. But the monopoly on power that they enjoy would not serve them good in the long-term perspective because their current opponents are not contemporary and come from 1990s.
“The ruling group needs competition to innovate, to thrive and move forward – and it is not getting that,” Colton concluded.
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5 comments
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Well....if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black...Timothy Colton is a complete Cold War hypocrite. Hopefully RT realizes that Colton is probably one of the most vehement anti-Russian propagandists in the US.Colton has formulated much of his attitude towards Russia from the opinions of the new 'X' generation of the Baltic right wing . He himself is a product of the most powerful elitist & insulated ruling class in all the world...the Ivy League . The Ivy League schools of the Northeast have churned out every US president except Ronald Reagan since WWII...All these presidents in spite of their domestic political differences have had one thing in common, they have all been brainwashed to fear any radical social change which might threaten their positions of rank & Influence. Obviously these Ivy League elitists have been dedicated to the eradication of Communism for the last 100 years and in their paranoid state have not separated Russia from that legacy.. Ironically if the American Revolution had occurred today, these Ivy League elitists would have found a way to destroy it.
This gar-badge that sees competition as a universal panacea and is for ever banging on about 'open economies' is the rubbish that ruled the Western intellectual roost before the current great economic smash up. Now the country about which American elites are most exorcised is China. And whatever underlay the economic transformation of China it wasn't the existence of competing political parties. But at the official level in the USA theology, economics and politics have merged. Producing a brew that few other states wish to imbibe. What does the professor think? Who cares other than his luckless students.
What "West" say about Russia is mostly propaganda against Russia,this kind propaganda egsist on Western nations almost for more than 100 years;how we can see West (Uk and US at first) and France recently total lost compass and become bare Imperialist ( egs.Libya):my oppinion is that Russia must organise with such Shangai co.grup and BRICS,military,economicaly,polticaly also with International Law,because UN,ICC become instrument of US - UK politics.