THANK YOU! Yes, it is fascinating…. As a digression here — this is my favourite:
“And large-scale constant investment in public welfare - zones, parks, stadiums, swimming pools, skating rinks, perinatal centers, etc. No one forced Putin to do this, it was possible to live without it, as, for example, in the United States or in Europe. Where no one thinks of building schools with swimming pools or indoor skating rinks for the common people.”
And as I infer in my reports about such development, that's why Russian and Chinese development is so different and popular as it serves the people who are supposed to be served which is all the people, not just the top 1%. Marat calls it State Capitalism, but it can also be called State Socialism--the financing is being done by the people and augmented by the state's financial structure to produce benefits for the people and also for the state. The failing of liberal democracy is the separation of people from the state as they're hypothetically one and the same--look at the US Constitution for the most blatant example. Russia and China have married the two so they operate as one organism. Neither are perfect yet, but they are rapidly becoming much better places to live than the West--a key fact not lost on the Global Majority.
It is a vast subject but the problem with our understanding of international relations is that we tend to view things in terms of the Cold War, which is also in terms of the century-old polemics between Trotsky's followers and Stalin's.
I will make just two observations.
1/ The Russian revolution was a peasant uprising against imperialism. It was spear headed by workers- most of whom were themselves either urbanised peasants or their children- but, almost from Day One, it evolved very quickly '(like a prairie fire') into an international wave of uprisings against imperialism and its agents.
It is one of those historical coincidences that one of the evangelists of that revolution, preaching to the 'toilers of the east' was an Indian who had helped found Mexico's Communist Party. MN Roy. It might be that the real beginning of the anti-imperial uprising was the Mexican Revolution with Zapata et al as precursors of the PLA.
In any case discussion of the Revolution which centres around the non-existent risings among the proletariat of the imperialist metropoli- such as those which have amused the Capitalist class for the past century, between those claiming to follow Trotsky and Stalin's partisans- misses the point. The revolution marched eastwards from Moscow and its progress has been through the misnamed Third World, the world of imperialism's victims.
It's momentum is building very quickly, as can be seen from the marginalisation-before our incredulous eyes- of the Empire's old centres in Europe, the UK and Japan.
2/ The virtue of the Chinese and Russian economies and socio-economic systems is that they are planned. Despite cheap Cold War inspired polemics neither one or the other is governed by neo-liberalism which hides its monopoly capitalist oligarchy behind ludicrous claims to be ruled by the markets, when in fact they are ruled by something much worse- greed untrammelled by competition. It is a system that cannot last and which humanity cannot afford to allow to persist.
What we see in Russia is the necessity, imposed upon the government to prioritise the interests of the population. It understands and its ruling class understands that it dare not do otherwise. It shares this feeling with the Chinese government which understands that its mandate requires constant improvement to earn renewal.
Let me add one more idea: the struggle between fascism and 'democracy ' was never real: where it appeared to exist it was simply an audition involving parties contending for the office of Imperialism's champion. The struggle, for the past century and more has been between an Imperialist system which has reached the limits of its growth and, under the various banners of national liberation and communism, its nemesis the people it believed that it could enslave and exploit forever.
I really didn't get into the points alluded to in the article's title--peace dealings in Ukraine and the Russian Matrix. The presumption seems that Abramovitch's initial efforts produced the desired result that was scotched by the Empire and that backdoor avenue will be used again as it has the agreement of Russia's Matrix. Given the fact the Zelensky's "legitimacy" ends next month, some sort of happening might be cooked up for June with whatever faction replaces Zelensky and says Fuck Off to NATO. The partisan/underground supporters of Russia are expanding and provide the intel needed to missile attack and attrit NATO/Mercenary forces in their bivouacs, which are picking up in frequency and will soon reach one per week., The problem as always is how much of Ukraine will be allowed to remain. I once suggested the retention of Kiev as a city-state that's clearly announced to NOT be considered the Ukraine successor state liable for all its debts. If the first draft treaty is any sort of guide, then much depends on facts on the ground, particularly Odesa. Shoigu said 2025 which I take to mean those facts will then be ready.
Yes, I would also call it a state socialism. After all, as Michael Hudson argues, so did Joseph Schumpeter, industrial capitalism will lead to socialism. What we have instead in the West is neoliberalism, deindustrialisation and financialisation of everything that was designed to move money upwards, away from people. I really hope that this will collapse. Russia and China are leading the way. But there is so much still to stop it.
VVP (this is what was written in original Marat’s publication in Russian) is the first letters (initials) of Putin's full name: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. In Russian, the first letters of Putin's abbreviated name (VVP) coincide with the abbreviation Gross Domestic Product, which in English is transformed into GDP. Thus, the translator incorrectly translated this abbreviation, since in the original publication by Marat Khairullin (in Russian) it was written exactly VVP.
Thanks! I didn't think to cross check the original Russian or I would've found that error myself. Too much being in a hurry. Actually. VVP makes perfect sense.
The whole question of whether it is state socialism or state capitalism misses the point which is that it is the equivalent of social democracy: the ruling class respects/fears the people. It has seen what they can do. It understands that socialist ideas of justice and fairness underlie popular attitudes and it doesn't 'push its luck'. cf Labour in the UK 1945-51.
The western ruling classes have no respect for the people because they believe that the people share their individualist neo-liberal ideas- they see people blaming the homeless, rather than insisting they be housed, they see people rationalising market anarchy rather than demanding it be regulated. The Russian oligarchs understand that they have got away with a lot and are in danger of losing it all- our western oligarchs genuinely see themselves as the winners in fair competition, 'celebrated' by their victims who form fan clubs to show their admiration for the manner in which their pockets are being picked and their lives blighted.
And then there are the rulers of India who see themselves as ordained by providence to rule over and devour the lower castes.
Yeah, Humanity has several rounds of further evolution to go that might get compressed time-wise into the remaining 75 years of this century. We shall see if we're lucky enough to exist till mid-century as much is currently happening that will radically change the status quo.
Quite a piece. Hard to follow the language in many places.
It seems Putin has an inner circle wherein a Jewish Oligarch plays a leading role, valued mainly for his 'decency'. Not mentioned is the degree to which 'the Family' is part of official governance structure or is a semi-clandestine network operating within the Russian Body Politic.
One thing it shows for sure, and in spades, is how there always many layers and levels at play beyond the over-simplified narrative frame through which we tend to view most situations.
thanks karl... it is fascinating and i think there is some type of special relationship between putin and abramovich which could be helpful here.. i am looking at it astrologically.. and i see this writer has a substack page, but he hasn't used it recently.. finally - is this his telegram page? it appears as though it is..
Yes, you're correct on both accounts. I suspect he has more followers on Telegram as he does many other things there if you read a week's worth of narrative. He also has a VK page and a YouTube channel where you'll need some sort of Russian translator. I'd like him to expand on this area of Russian politics, but as he wrote he's wary.
Interesting. Would be great to learn more about the history of the privatization of the former Soviet state-owned sector and the relations between major actors. I have serious doubts that any grouping of such persons are somehow leading to socialism—even though it is easy to see much people positive economic planning in the many translated pieces Karl provides. I have similar doubts about the state capitalist development model in China which Michael Hudson is so sure is ‘on the socialist road.’ But at least in China there are 60 million members of the communist party capable of having some influence on decisions. In Russia, how are the needs of the people in the workplaces and population centers transmitted to these benign-intentioned ‘Family’ from below, and is that sustainable as individuals in that ownership/political group inevitably age and die?
The privatization didn't last long. A huge amount of Soviet Era businesses were gathered into several state-owned conglomerates initiated by Putin and are now very powerful public utilities. Some of that is within the archives here but much more is at my VK archive which was amassed over three years before I began the Gym. As for how Russian democracy works, you need to look at the behavior of the political parties, particularly United Russia, which is far more than just a political party. Also very useful are Putin's continuous meetings with regional governors and others and the fundamental orders/suggestions that are constantly stressed--the goal of Russia's government at all levels is betterment of Russians, and they must be listened to and in reply informed that they were heard and their problems will be addressed: And there will always be problems, which translates into there will always be opportunities to show the public that government is working for them.
One of the major accomplishments of Putin's time as head-of-state is his establishing the basics of good governance which in the first place meant the elimination of corruption at the local level--the longtime practice of greasing the wheels to get things done that goes far back into Tsardom and also flourished during the Communist Era. Putin has also established a mechanism for building a meritocratic system for government administration. Of the many articles I've provided on this broad topic, this one from earlier this year is indicative, "Good Governance->Resilient Nation: Putin at the All-Russian Municipal Forum: Small Motherland-Strong Russia", https://karlof1.substack.com/p/good-governance-resilient-nation I also highly suggest Putin's speech last December to the United Russia Party Congress which is at this link, https://karlof1.substack.com/p/putin-talks-with-pavel-zarubin-and?utm_source=publication-search
Thank you Karl, there is so much to take in regarding the Russian political scene and given the wealth and power jealously held by many oligarchs, much is obscure. This telegram site gives us some further insight based on "Abramovich's second attempt to bring peace" and continues for two more posts: https://t.me/voenkorkhayrullin/2477
It is a broad canvass here but sheds some dim light on the power vectors at play.
The inbuilt telegram translate gives a fair rendition.
Some philosophical and sociological insights to related to this post.
Ideas from references below.
Socrates: math is more powerful than 10,000 people.
This states both the legitimate transcendence of science and the fear of the mob.
Turning to the problem with traditional sociology, it starts from the assumption that there is a whole. Then it proceeds to describe and control the parts. A better approach is bottom up fostering of collectives which I see happening in Russia and china in their emphasis on social programs for the masses rather than fear of the mob.
Another issue is that reality is more important than truth. If truth is taken as the starting point, one gets entangled with The Enlightenment epistemology which is roughly based on science, the state (Westphalia) and secularism.
Most of the insights from above are in one article by the French polymath Bruno Latour. He begins the essay by the experience of being asked the question: “Do You Believe in Reality?” He points out that only a in an internally contradictory cosmology could that question even be asked. A similar contradiction is one of the foundations of Modern philosophy: Descartes’ mind / body separation.
Could some of the profound world view differences and misunderstanding of Russia and China by the West be because they didn’t pass through The Enlightenment? The Enlightenment is mostly our frame.
““Do you believe in reality?” —news from the trenches of the Science Wars”
That essay was published before the year 2000 and is in the context of the field STS = Science Technology Society of which Latour was one of the founders. Latour was driven to understand how a fact is produced which resulted in his first book. He was an embedded anthropologist studying the strange tribe of biochemists at the Salk institute. By what means did the collective produce facts that won a Nobel prize? The power of a FACT is it can be disconnected from history giving it a life that is outside both space or time.
Latour's elaborates on The Enlightenment in the book: “Facing Gaia: Eight Lectures on The New climatic Regime.” He posits that the New Climatic Regime is a political actor.
THANK YOU! Yes, it is fascinating…. As a digression here — this is my favourite:
“And large-scale constant investment in public welfare - zones, parks, stadiums, swimming pools, skating rinks, perinatal centers, etc. No one forced Putin to do this, it was possible to live without it, as, for example, in the United States or in Europe. Where no one thinks of building schools with swimming pools or indoor skating rinks for the common people.”
And as I infer in my reports about such development, that's why Russian and Chinese development is so different and popular as it serves the people who are supposed to be served which is all the people, not just the top 1%. Marat calls it State Capitalism, but it can also be called State Socialism--the financing is being done by the people and augmented by the state's financial structure to produce benefits for the people and also for the state. The failing of liberal democracy is the separation of people from the state as they're hypothetically one and the same--look at the US Constitution for the most blatant example. Russia and China have married the two so they operate as one organism. Neither are perfect yet, but they are rapidly becoming much better places to live than the West--a key fact not lost on the Global Majority.
It is a vast subject but the problem with our understanding of international relations is that we tend to view things in terms of the Cold War, which is also in terms of the century-old polemics between Trotsky's followers and Stalin's.
I will make just two observations.
1/ The Russian revolution was a peasant uprising against imperialism. It was spear headed by workers- most of whom were themselves either urbanised peasants or their children- but, almost from Day One, it evolved very quickly '(like a prairie fire') into an international wave of uprisings against imperialism and its agents.
It is one of those historical coincidences that one of the evangelists of that revolution, preaching to the 'toilers of the east' was an Indian who had helped found Mexico's Communist Party. MN Roy. It might be that the real beginning of the anti-imperial uprising was the Mexican Revolution with Zapata et al as precursors of the PLA.
In any case discussion of the Revolution which centres around the non-existent risings among the proletariat of the imperialist metropoli- such as those which have amused the Capitalist class for the past century, between those claiming to follow Trotsky and Stalin's partisans- misses the point. The revolution marched eastwards from Moscow and its progress has been through the misnamed Third World, the world of imperialism's victims.
It's momentum is building very quickly, as can be seen from the marginalisation-before our incredulous eyes- of the Empire's old centres in Europe, the UK and Japan.
2/ The virtue of the Chinese and Russian economies and socio-economic systems is that they are planned. Despite cheap Cold War inspired polemics neither one or the other is governed by neo-liberalism which hides its monopoly capitalist oligarchy behind ludicrous claims to be ruled by the markets, when in fact they are ruled by something much worse- greed untrammelled by competition. It is a system that cannot last and which humanity cannot afford to allow to persist.
What we see in Russia is the necessity, imposed upon the government to prioritise the interests of the population. It understands and its ruling class understands that it dare not do otherwise. It shares this feeling with the Chinese government which understands that its mandate requires constant improvement to earn renewal.
Let me add one more idea: the struggle between fascism and 'democracy ' was never real: where it appeared to exist it was simply an audition involving parties contending for the office of Imperialism's champion. The struggle, for the past century and more has been between an Imperialist system which has reached the limits of its growth and, under the various banners of national liberation and communism, its nemesis the people it believed that it could enslave and exploit forever.
I really didn't get into the points alluded to in the article's title--peace dealings in Ukraine and the Russian Matrix. The presumption seems that Abramovitch's initial efforts produced the desired result that was scotched by the Empire and that backdoor avenue will be used again as it has the agreement of Russia's Matrix. Given the fact the Zelensky's "legitimacy" ends next month, some sort of happening might be cooked up for June with whatever faction replaces Zelensky and says Fuck Off to NATO. The partisan/underground supporters of Russia are expanding and provide the intel needed to missile attack and attrit NATO/Mercenary forces in their bivouacs, which are picking up in frequency and will soon reach one per week., The problem as always is how much of Ukraine will be allowed to remain. I once suggested the retention of Kiev as a city-state that's clearly announced to NOT be considered the Ukraine successor state liable for all its debts. If the first draft treaty is any sort of guide, then much depends on facts on the ground, particularly Odesa. Shoigu said 2025 which I take to mean those facts will then be ready.
Yes, I would also call it a state socialism. After all, as Michael Hudson argues, so did Joseph Schumpeter, industrial capitalism will lead to socialism. What we have instead in the West is neoliberalism, deindustrialisation and financialisation of everything that was designed to move money upwards, away from people. I really hope that this will collapse. Russia and China are leading the way. But there is so much still to stop it.
VVP (this is what was written in original Marat’s publication in Russian) is the first letters (initials) of Putin's full name: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. In Russian, the first letters of Putin's abbreviated name (VVP) coincide with the abbreviation Gross Domestic Product, which in English is transformed into GDP. Thus, the translator incorrectly translated this abbreviation, since in the original publication by Marat Khairullin (in Russian) it was written exactly VVP.
Thanks! I didn't think to cross check the original Russian or I would've found that error myself. Too much being in a hurry. Actually. VVP makes perfect sense.
The whole question of whether it is state socialism or state capitalism misses the point which is that it is the equivalent of social democracy: the ruling class respects/fears the people. It has seen what they can do. It understands that socialist ideas of justice and fairness underlie popular attitudes and it doesn't 'push its luck'. cf Labour in the UK 1945-51.
The western ruling classes have no respect for the people because they believe that the people share their individualist neo-liberal ideas- they see people blaming the homeless, rather than insisting they be housed, they see people rationalising market anarchy rather than demanding it be regulated. The Russian oligarchs understand that they have got away with a lot and are in danger of losing it all- our western oligarchs genuinely see themselves as the winners in fair competition, 'celebrated' by their victims who form fan clubs to show their admiration for the manner in which their pockets are being picked and their lives blighted.
And then there are the rulers of India who see themselves as ordained by providence to rule over and devour the lower castes.
Yeah, Humanity has several rounds of further evolution to go that might get compressed time-wise into the remaining 75 years of this century. We shall see if we're lucky enough to exist till mid-century as much is currently happening that will radically change the status quo.
Thank you very much for this!
Quite a piece. Hard to follow the language in many places.
It seems Putin has an inner circle wherein a Jewish Oligarch plays a leading role, valued mainly for his 'decency'. Not mentioned is the degree to which 'the Family' is part of official governance structure or is a semi-clandestine network operating within the Russian Body Politic.
One thing it shows for sure, and in spades, is how there always many layers and levels at play beyond the over-simplified narrative frame through which we tend to view most situations.
Thank you.
Interests and interests, and in Russia's case, how those layers came about during the 1990s upheaval and what the status is today.
thanks karl... it is fascinating and i think there is some type of special relationship between putin and abramovich which could be helpful here.. i am looking at it astrologically.. and i see this writer has a substack page, but he hasn't used it recently.. finally - is this his telegram page? it appears as though it is..
https://t.me/s/voenkorkhayrullin
here is his substack page.
https://maratkhairullin.substack.com/
Yes, you're correct on both accounts. I suspect he has more followers on Telegram as he does many other things there if you read a week's worth of narrative. He also has a VK page and a YouTube channel where you'll need some sort of Russian translator. I'd like him to expand on this area of Russian politics, but as he wrote he's wary.
Interesting. Would be great to learn more about the history of the privatization of the former Soviet state-owned sector and the relations between major actors. I have serious doubts that any grouping of such persons are somehow leading to socialism—even though it is easy to see much people positive economic planning in the many translated pieces Karl provides. I have similar doubts about the state capitalist development model in China which Michael Hudson is so sure is ‘on the socialist road.’ But at least in China there are 60 million members of the communist party capable of having some influence on decisions. In Russia, how are the needs of the people in the workplaces and population centers transmitted to these benign-intentioned ‘Family’ from below, and is that sustainable as individuals in that ownership/political group inevitably age and die?
The privatization didn't last long. A huge amount of Soviet Era businesses were gathered into several state-owned conglomerates initiated by Putin and are now very powerful public utilities. Some of that is within the archives here but much more is at my VK archive which was amassed over three years before I began the Gym. As for how Russian democracy works, you need to look at the behavior of the political parties, particularly United Russia, which is far more than just a political party. Also very useful are Putin's continuous meetings with regional governors and others and the fundamental orders/suggestions that are constantly stressed--the goal of Russia's government at all levels is betterment of Russians, and they must be listened to and in reply informed that they were heard and their problems will be addressed: And there will always be problems, which translates into there will always be opportunities to show the public that government is working for them.
One of the major accomplishments of Putin's time as head-of-state is his establishing the basics of good governance which in the first place meant the elimination of corruption at the local level--the longtime practice of greasing the wheels to get things done that goes far back into Tsardom and also flourished during the Communist Era. Putin has also established a mechanism for building a meritocratic system for government administration. Of the many articles I've provided on this broad topic, this one from earlier this year is indicative, "Good Governance->Resilient Nation: Putin at the All-Russian Municipal Forum: Small Motherland-Strong Russia", https://karlof1.substack.com/p/good-governance-resilient-nation I also highly suggest Putin's speech last December to the United Russia Party Congress which is at this link, https://karlof1.substack.com/p/putin-talks-with-pavel-zarubin-and?utm_source=publication-search
I'd definitely like to hear more from Marat. Good new source!
Thank you Karl, there is so much to take in regarding the Russian political scene and given the wealth and power jealously held by many oligarchs, much is obscure. This telegram site gives us some further insight based on "Abramovich's second attempt to bring peace" and continues for two more posts: https://t.me/voenkorkhayrullin/2477
It is a broad canvass here but sheds some dim light on the power vectors at play.
The inbuilt telegram translate gives a fair rendition.
Your link goes to the same source--Marat's telegram.
Some philosophical and sociological insights to related to this post.
Ideas from references below.
Socrates: math is more powerful than 10,000 people.
This states both the legitimate transcendence of science and the fear of the mob.
Turning to the problem with traditional sociology, it starts from the assumption that there is a whole. Then it proceeds to describe and control the parts. A better approach is bottom up fostering of collectives which I see happening in Russia and china in their emphasis on social programs for the masses rather than fear of the mob.
Another issue is that reality is more important than truth. If truth is taken as the starting point, one gets entangled with The Enlightenment epistemology which is roughly based on science, the state (Westphalia) and secularism.
Most of the insights from above are in one article by the French polymath Bruno Latour. He begins the essay by the experience of being asked the question: “Do You Believe in Reality?” He points out that only a in an internally contradictory cosmology could that question even be asked. A similar contradiction is one of the foundations of Modern philosophy: Descartes’ mind / body separation.
Could some of the profound world view differences and misunderstanding of Russia and China by the West be because they didn’t pass through The Enlightenment? The Enlightenment is mostly our frame.
““Do you believe in reality?” —news from the trenches of the Science Wars”
http://www.bruno-latour.fr/sites/default/files/70-DO-YOU-BELIEVE-IN-REALITY-GB.pdf
That essay was published before the year 2000 and is in the context of the field STS = Science Technology Society of which Latour was one of the founders. Latour was driven to understand how a fact is produced which resulted in his first book. He was an embedded anthropologist studying the strange tribe of biochemists at the Salk institute. By what means did the collective produce facts that won a Nobel prize? The power of a FACT is it can be disconnected from history giving it a life that is outside both space or time.
Latour's elaborates on The Enlightenment in the book: “Facing Gaia: Eight Lectures on The New climatic Regime.” He posits that the New Climatic Regime is a political actor.