Lord of the North
Russia is a great nation and her inhabitants a great people. Her history is full of triumph and tradgedy and hard-won victories over a multitude of enemies. Mongoloid and yet a European nation in her own right she exerts her influence upon the world. And her influence is in direct contravention to the West that includes America over the most important real estate in the world at this time, the Middle East.
From Radio Free Europe:
Russia's RIA Novosti announced on June 15 that by the end of the year it will launch a satellite-television channel that will broadcast to the Middle East and North Africa. In doing so, the state-run news agency joined the growing list of countries vying to gain a media influence in the region.
According to the pro-Kremlin website km.ru, the goal of the new channel is "to reassert Russia's political influence in the Middle East and to confront international mass media that have a critical position toward the Russian Federation."
RIA Novosti's project will be headed by the former Moscow bureau chief of Al-Jazeera, Akram Khuzam. Khuzam, who had headed the bureau since it was launched in 1996, was fired in September -- reportedly after running afoul of Russia's Muslim community.
Al-Jazeera Director Wadah Khanfar, whose station's policies have often been criticized by the United States, said that his station welcomes the appearance of a Russian channel, "Izvestia" reported on June 20. "Russia can present her opinion on the air," Khanfar said, "and viewers will only gain from that."
We live in amazing times as the push for economic globilization by the West has broken down the barriers of communication that divide peoples, nations and tongues and just about anyone with either a television or a radio and/or internet access may now engage in the "arena of ideas" for good or for ill. For Russia, this couldn't come at a better time.
Nikolai Shepelev, the chief of the international department of Rossia television's news program "Vesti," told km.ru that the main task of Russia's Arabic-language television channel will be to provide not only news, but a window into the mentality of the Russian people.
The topics will be addressed through a prism of traditional Islam so that "ordinary citizens of a Muslim state can understand nuances of life in the Russian Federation," Shepelev said.
Shepelev does not conceal against whom he believes the Russian state news agency's maneuverings in the Arab world are directed. "The closer we are to [the Arab world], the stronger our positions in the region will be. Understandably, U.S. [positions] will be weaker," he told km.ru.
Russia has sought to downplay U.S. concerns over Russia's recent dealings in the Middle East, which include weapons sales to Syria and Iran, Gazprom's efforts to create a "gas cartel" with Algeria and Iran, and contacts with and loans provided to the Palestinian Authority's Hamas government.
My, my they do have their hands or should I say "paws" full in the Middle East, don't they. But surely, it's just a news channel, right?
In June, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Saltanov said that Moscow "has no goal to compete with the United States for influence in the region."
Uh-huh, I see. I have also been told the moon is made of cheese! Just as Western economic globilization has unknowingly ressurected historical forces detrimental to our own agenda, both America and Europa, we are seeing a nationalistic revival of the old things in Russia.
Also from Radio Free Europe:
Speaking on the sidelines of the June 15 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin dropped the latest in a series of tantalizing clues as to who his potential choice of successor might be.
So who could this "not completely unknown" person -- who furthermore embodies Putin's stated ideals of "integrity, honesty, professionalism, and taking responsibility for one's decisions -- be?
One possibility is Vladimir Yakunin, who for the past year has led the state-run Russian Railway Company, the country's second-largest enterprise after Gazprom. He is also a close friend of Putin, which, together with his relative exclusion from public view, could combine to give him a significant competitive edge against other potential candidates.
And while Yakunin's official biography makes no mention of an affiliation to Putin's previous employer, the KGB, his early career -- at the Soviet Committee for Foreign Trade Relations and with the Soviet mission to the United Nations, among other places -- suggests ties to foreign intelligence services.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yakunin moved into business and banking activities. In 1997, Putin, then the head of the Main Control Department of President Boris Yeltsin's administration, appointed Yakunin to serve as his envoy in northwest Russia.
In 2000, Yakunin was named deputy transport minister before moving on to become deputy railway minister. Now, as president and CEO of Russian Railways, Yakunin is responsible for one of the world's largest railroad networks, with some 42,000 kilometers of track, 1.3 million employees, and annual revenues of more than $20 billion.
So where is all this going you might ask? Behold, the future!
Since 2001, Yakunin has also led the board of trustees of the St. Andrew's Foundation, a powerful patriotic organization created in 1992 with the goal of advancing the ideology of national revanchism. Some observers have found symbolism in the fact that Yakunin heads a foundation named for Andrew the "First-Called," who was the first disciple to be summoned by Jesus Christ into his service.
Under Yakunin's leadership, the foundation has launched several nationwide cultural-religious projects, including the repatriation and burial of the remains of two anticommunist heroes, Tsarist General Anton Denikin and emigre philosopher Ivan Ilyin.
The foundation also played a key role in the recent reconciliation between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad -- a project in which Putin was also an active participant.
The Kremlin is a routine and enthusiastic supporter of the foundation's work, including its creation, in 2001, of the Center of Russian National Glory, of which Yakunin is also head.
Could we be seeing a return to the old state that made Russia great? Not the communist state that so recently collapsed but the other state namely that of the Czar? Most westerners are perplexed by the rather odd hero worship of Stalin by the Russians during the communist period. Is it because the Russians love(d) communism? No, of course not. What they loved was the fact that Russia was a global power after defeating their great enemy Germany in 1945. Stalin may have been a murderous thug of Russians but the world stood in awe of Moscow due to their Herclean efforts during World War II. No other communist leader is as revered as he by the Russians. And now, without the yoke of communism, nationalism and religion are rising to the top once again. They are being harnessed for the future of Russia.
The center's stated goal is the "revival of Russia's grandeur." It describes itself as a "nonpolitical, nonreligious" organization, but many of its activities appear to promote the ideological interests of either the Russian Orthodox Church, or the Kremlin, or both.
Its hallmark project is its annual "Dialogue of Civilizations" international forum, complete with the presentation of the International Prize of St. Andrew. Past recipients include UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura and Jordan's King Abdullah.
Yakunin's role in promoting the national-patriotic ideology that colors nearly all of Russia's political debate makes him an ideal presidential candidate for the inner-circle "siloviki" drawn from the ranks of the secret services. But his business acumen also makes him an attractive option for the nation's political liberals. (Yakunin, in fact, has made a point of saying he sees "no meaning" to the formula dividing Russian political camps into "siloviki" and "liberals.")
These are great times to being living in and we will be astounded by what the future holds as history once again embraces the present.
From Radio Free Europe:
Russia's RIA Novosti announced on June 15 that by the end of the year it will launch a satellite-television channel that will broadcast to the Middle East and North Africa. In doing so, the state-run news agency joined the growing list of countries vying to gain a media influence in the region.
According to the pro-Kremlin website km.ru, the goal of the new channel is "to reassert Russia's political influence in the Middle East and to confront international mass media that have a critical position toward the Russian Federation."
RIA Novosti's project will be headed by the former Moscow bureau chief of Al-Jazeera, Akram Khuzam. Khuzam, who had headed the bureau since it was launched in 1996, was fired in September -- reportedly after running afoul of Russia's Muslim community.
Al-Jazeera Director Wadah Khanfar, whose station's policies have often been criticized by the United States, said that his station welcomes the appearance of a Russian channel, "Izvestia" reported on June 20. "Russia can present her opinion on the air," Khanfar said, "and viewers will only gain from that."
We live in amazing times as the push for economic globilization by the West has broken down the barriers of communication that divide peoples, nations and tongues and just about anyone with either a television or a radio and/or internet access may now engage in the "arena of ideas" for good or for ill. For Russia, this couldn't come at a better time.
Nikolai Shepelev, the chief of the international department of Rossia television's news program "Vesti," told km.ru that the main task of Russia's Arabic-language television channel will be to provide not only news, but a window into the mentality of the Russian people.
The topics will be addressed through a prism of traditional Islam so that "ordinary citizens of a Muslim state can understand nuances of life in the Russian Federation," Shepelev said.
Shepelev does not conceal against whom he believes the Russian state news agency's maneuverings in the Arab world are directed. "The closer we are to [the Arab world], the stronger our positions in the region will be. Understandably, U.S. [positions] will be weaker," he told km.ru.
Russia has sought to downplay U.S. concerns over Russia's recent dealings in the Middle East, which include weapons sales to Syria and Iran, Gazprom's efforts to create a "gas cartel" with Algeria and Iran, and contacts with and loans provided to the Palestinian Authority's Hamas government.
My, my they do have their hands or should I say "paws" full in the Middle East, don't they. But surely, it's just a news channel, right?
In June, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Saltanov said that Moscow "has no goal to compete with the United States for influence in the region."
Uh-huh, I see. I have also been told the moon is made of cheese! Just as Western economic globilization has unknowingly ressurected historical forces detrimental to our own agenda, both America and Europa, we are seeing a nationalistic revival of the old things in Russia.
Also from Radio Free Europe:
Speaking on the sidelines of the June 15 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin dropped the latest in a series of tantalizing clues as to who his potential choice of successor might be.
So who could this "not completely unknown" person -- who furthermore embodies Putin's stated ideals of "integrity, honesty, professionalism, and taking responsibility for one's decisions -- be?
One possibility is Vladimir Yakunin, who for the past year has led the state-run Russian Railway Company, the country's second-largest enterprise after Gazprom. He is also a close friend of Putin, which, together with his relative exclusion from public view, could combine to give him a significant competitive edge against other potential candidates.
And while Yakunin's official biography makes no mention of an affiliation to Putin's previous employer, the KGB, his early career -- at the Soviet Committee for Foreign Trade Relations and with the Soviet mission to the United Nations, among other places -- suggests ties to foreign intelligence services.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yakunin moved into business and banking activities. In 1997, Putin, then the head of the Main Control Department of President Boris Yeltsin's administration, appointed Yakunin to serve as his envoy in northwest Russia.
In 2000, Yakunin was named deputy transport minister before moving on to become deputy railway minister. Now, as president and CEO of Russian Railways, Yakunin is responsible for one of the world's largest railroad networks, with some 42,000 kilometers of track, 1.3 million employees, and annual revenues of more than $20 billion.
So where is all this going you might ask? Behold, the future!
Since 2001, Yakunin has also led the board of trustees of the St. Andrew's Foundation, a powerful patriotic organization created in 1992 with the goal of advancing the ideology of national revanchism. Some observers have found symbolism in the fact that Yakunin heads a foundation named for Andrew the "First-Called," who was the first disciple to be summoned by Jesus Christ into his service.
Under Yakunin's leadership, the foundation has launched several nationwide cultural-religious projects, including the repatriation and burial of the remains of two anticommunist heroes, Tsarist General Anton Denikin and emigre philosopher Ivan Ilyin.
The foundation also played a key role in the recent reconciliation between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad -- a project in which Putin was also an active participant.
The Kremlin is a routine and enthusiastic supporter of the foundation's work, including its creation, in 2001, of the Center of Russian National Glory, of which Yakunin is also head.
Could we be seeing a return to the old state that made Russia great? Not the communist state that so recently collapsed but the other state namely that of the Czar? Most westerners are perplexed by the rather odd hero worship of Stalin by the Russians during the communist period. Is it because the Russians love(d) communism? No, of course not. What they loved was the fact that Russia was a global power after defeating their great enemy Germany in 1945. Stalin may have been a murderous thug of Russians but the world stood in awe of Moscow due to their Herclean efforts during World War II. No other communist leader is as revered as he by the Russians. And now, without the yoke of communism, nationalism and religion are rising to the top once again. They are being harnessed for the future of Russia.
The center's stated goal is the "revival of Russia's grandeur." It describes itself as a "nonpolitical, nonreligious" organization, but many of its activities appear to promote the ideological interests of either the Russian Orthodox Church, or the Kremlin, or both.
Its hallmark project is its annual "Dialogue of Civilizations" international forum, complete with the presentation of the International Prize of St. Andrew. Past recipients include UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura and Jordan's King Abdullah.
Yakunin's role in promoting the national-patriotic ideology that colors nearly all of Russia's political debate makes him an ideal presidential candidate for the inner-circle "siloviki" drawn from the ranks of the secret services. But his business acumen also makes him an attractive option for the nation's political liberals. (Yakunin, in fact, has made a point of saying he sees "no meaning" to the formula dividing Russian political camps into "siloviki" and "liberals.")
These are great times to being living in and we will be astounded by what the future holds as history once again embraces the present.
posted by Bruce R. McConnell | 8:38 PM
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